Q'ursha

Q'ursha (Georgian: ყურშა; also Qursha or Kursha) is a legendary dog from Georgian mythology. Although he appears in a number of different stories, he is best known as the loyal companion of the culture hero Amirani.[1] His name means "black-ear", a common Georgian name for dogs.[2] He was said to be born of either a raven or an eagle, and is sometimes depicted as having eagle's wings as a result.[3][1] Apart from his wings, Q'ursha was sometimes described with other special features: colossal paws, "lips of gold, and eyes as big as sieves".[4][3] He was attributed supernatural abilities such as a thunderous bark, a leap "as big as a great field"[3] and an infallible ability to track prey.[4][3]

Companions

Amirani, as a national Georgian hero, is the most prominent mythological figure associated with Q'ursha.[5][6] As the son of the mountain goddess Dali and a mortal hunter, he was a demigod of enormous strength.[7] He traveled the earth challenging "demons and dragons alike," until he decides that there are no worthy opponents left for him and issues a challenge to God himself.[7] God chains him to a pole inside a mountain for his defiance, and his faithful hound Q'ursha is trapped along with him.[7] Q'ursha licks Amirani's chains constantly, weakening them more and more until Amirani is almost able to escape.[6][8] However, every year they would be renewed just before Q'ursha could free Amirani.[1][6]

The hunter Betkil was another man said to be accompanied by Q'ursha. Unlike Amirani, Betkil was merely a mortal. The goddess Dali took him as her lover, but when he betrayed her trust by sleeping with a mortal woman, she lured him to the top of a mountain in revenge.[9] He becomes trapped there with Q'ursha. In some versions of the story, Betkil sends Q'ursha for help, and Q'ursha returns with villagers.[10] The villagers throw ropes, but the mountain grows taller and Bektil falls to his death.[4] In other versions of the Betkil story, Q'ursha insists that the starving Betkil kill and eat him. Betkil kills Q'ursha and prepares a fire with his bow and arrows, but in the end, cannot bring himself to eat the dog.[4]

Some sources refer to Q'ursha as a companion of Dali, but he is more commonly associated with hunters.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jones-Bley, Karlene (1998). Proceedings of the Ninth Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference, Los Angeles, May 23,24, 1997. Institute for the Study of Man. ISBN 9780941694650.
  2. ↑ Barber, Elizabeth Wayland; Barber, Paul T. (2012-01-02). When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth. Princeton University Press. p. 226. ISBN 1400842867.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Virsaladze, E.B. (2017) [Originally published in Georgian in 1976]. Khukhunaishvili-Tsiklauri, Mary; Abashidze, Elene, eds. Georgian hunting myths and poetry (PDF). Translated by Hunt, D.G. Georgian National Academy of Sciences. p. 44.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bonnefoy, Yves (1993-05-15). American, African, and Old European Mythologies. University of Chicago Press. p. 261. ISBN 9780226064574.
  5. ↑ Minahan, James B. (2009-12-23). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313344978.
  6. 1 2 3 Norvin, William (2007). Classica Et Mediaevalia. Librairie Gyldendal.
  7. 1 2 3 Tuite, Kevin (2006-02-20). "The meaning of Dæl. Symbolic and spatial associations of the south Caucasian goddess of game animals.". In O’Neil, Catherine; Scoggin, Mary; Tuite, Kevin. Language, Culture and the Individual. A Tribute to Paul Friedrich (PDF). University of Montreal. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  8. ↑ Berman, M; Kalandadze, K; Kuparadze, George; Rusieshvili, Manana (2011-01-01). Georgia through its legends, folklore and people. p. 92.
  9. ↑ Tuite, Kevin (2006-02-20). "The meaning of Dæl. Symbolic and spatial associations of the south Caucasian goddess of game animals.". In O’Neil, Catherine; Scoggin, Mary; Tuite, Kevin. Language, Culture and the Individual. A Tribute to Paul Friedrich (PDF). University of Montreal. p. 3. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  10. ↑ Chaudhri, Anna (2002-09-11). "The Caucasian Hunting-Divinity, Male and Female: Traces of the Hunting Goddess in Ossestic Folklore". In Billington, Sandra; Green, Miranda. The Concept of the Goddess. Routledge. p. 171. ISBN 9781134641512.
  11. ↑ Bläsing, Uwe; Arakelova, Victoria; Weinreich, Matthias (2015-06-25). Studies on Iran and The Caucasus: In Honour of Garnik Asatrian. BRILL. ISBN 9789004302068.
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