Fire-Stealing Smith-Hero
Vainakh · demigod · mythic / Nart age · Recorded classification
Chechen ⟨Пхьармат⟩ Pẖarmat (from pẖar 'smith'); Ingush form Kurkho/Kʼurko. Classed demigod (Nart). Counterpart of Greek Prometheus and Georgian Amirani; helped by Sela Sata.
Domains
- fire theft
- smithcraft
- bringer of fire to humankind
Powers
- carries off Sela's fire to warm humankind
- endures the bird tearing his liver each dawn while chained
Epithets
- the fire-thief The Nart smith who stole fire from Sela for humankind and was chained to a peak for it (the Nakh Prometheus)Vainakh (Chechen-Ingush) Nart tradition (secondary)
- Пхьармат the Smith (from pẖar 'smith')Amjad Jaimoukha, The Chechens: A Handbook (Nart cycle) (secondary)
Relations
- companion: Sela Sata, Goddess of CraftsSela Sata aids Pkharmat in the theft of fire from Sela.Tsaroïeva (2005); the Nart fire-theft cycle (secondary)
- enemy: God of Thunder and the SunStole celestial fire from Sela for mankind; the thunder god chained the Nart smith to Mount Kazbek, the eagle Ida tearing his liver.Amjad Jaimoukha, The Chechens: A Handbook (2005) (secondary)
Sources
- Pkharmat is a Nart (demigod) and skilled smith who stole fire from the thunder-god Sela for humankind and was chained to Mount Bashlam (Kazbek), where the falcon Ida daily tears his liver.: Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Chechens: A Handbook. RoutledgeCurzon, 2005, mythology chapter (Pkharmat). (secondary); Hunt, David. Legends of the Caucasus. Saqi Books, 2012 (Caucasian fire-theft and Prometheus parallels). (secondary)