Karashauay is among the greatest heroes of the Karachay-Balkar Nart epic and a figure especially prominent in this tradition. Son of the giant Alaugan and grandson of the first smith Debet, he is reared in hardship and secrecy and grows into an unmatched champion, dark of hue as his name suggests. His fame is inseparable from his marvellous steed Gemuda, a flying, speaking horse of supernatural wisdom that carries him through every race and combat of the Narts. In the contests and raids of the heroic cycle Karashauay repeatedly proves the foremost of the younger Narts, and his exploits form one of the most developed strands of the Balkar and Karachay tradition.