Every boy to Ossetia (North Caucasus), youth is engaged in some kind of martial arts, but the most popular kind of sports here is, of course, free-style wrestling. To be strong, to look courageous, to behave in accordance with the canons accepted in the Caucasus it are considered very important here. I believe that a kind of machismo has developed in Ossetia that is based on the cultural, ethical heritage.
Ossetia went through several difficult periods throughout its history when the very existence of the people was under threat. However, such a severe form of life has developed a special character – a type of a proud man whose life is a permanent struggle for life and freedom.
This is emphasized by the Nart sagas – verbal folklore about the heroic deeds of the ancient heroes, who did not bow before the celibates, but existed as equal with them. The image of a hero – strong, bold, free – was absorbed into the national self-consciousness, and every man strives to conform with this image. Perhaps the most common male name is Soslan, the hero born from the «womb» of a stone quenched by the heavenly blacksmith in the milk of a she-wolf.
The project was implemented with the financial and technical support of the North Caucasus Branch of the State Museum and Exhibition Center «ROSIZO».
