Sky-God of the Adyghe
Circassian · deity · mythic / Nart age · Recorded classification
Adyghe ⟨Тхьэ⟩ Tḥə ('god') with augmentative ⟨-шхуэ⟩ -šxwə ('great') = 'Great God'. Distinct from the Ossetian Nart pantheon. The high god is largely a deus otiosus in the Nart cycle, with the heroes' deeds carried by smiths and culture-heroes.
Domains
- sky supremacy
- cosmic order
- creation
Powers
- calls the ordered world into being
- keeps the wheel of the cosmos turning
- begets and orders the entire universe as the single supreme god
Epithets
- Тхьэшхуэ 'Great God' (Tḥə 'god' + -šxwə 'great'), the supreme sky-godColarusso, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus (2002), glossary (secondary)
Sources
- Tha (Theshxwe/Thashxwe) is the supreme sky-god of the Circassian (Adyghe) pantheon, set above the Narts.: Colarusso, John. Nart Sagas from the Caucasus: Myths and Legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs. Princeton UP, 2002, introduction. (secondary); Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Circassians: A Handbook. Curzon, 2001, chapter on traditional religion. (secondary)