Mother of the Narts

Cognate of Ossetian Satana but a distinct Circassian figure. A folk gloss reads the name as 'mother of a hundred'. Treated as a goddess-tier matriarch within the semi-divine Nart family.

Children

• Fire-Bringer Born of Stone

Domains

• wisdom
• fertility and household
• weather foresight

Powers

• foresees coming events and advises the Narts
• marks and quickens the stone that holds the unborn fire-hero
• works sorcery and prophecy as the wise-woman and witch of the Narts
• brings about and midwifes the miraculous births of the Nart heroes

Epithets

• Setenaya
• Сэтэнай-гуащэ

Relations

• spouse: The Great Nart
• ally: Divine Smith of the Narts

Sources

• Colarusso, John. Nart Sagas from the Caucasus. Princeton UP, 2002, Setenaya cycle.
• Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Circassians: A Handbook. Curzon, 2001.