Ossetian Nartiada: On the History of Recording and Publication the Heroic Epic

Abstract

The article examines the history of recording and publications of the Ossetian version of the heroic Nart epic for more than one and a half centuries. It is noted that the achievements in this issue have been provided not only thanks to the contribution of several generations of domestic and foreign scholars, but also as a result of the state’s close attention to the promotional and educational potential of folklore, particularly epics, in solving various social and cultural problems. The author distinguishes three periods in the history of the issue: pre-revolutionary, Soviet, and post-Soviet. She argues that the periods differed in the ways the priorities of goals were set, which largely determined the intensity of collecting and publishing activities.