А dragon depicted on the Scythian (or Sindian) gold plate (Anfimov 1987: 118-9) is comparable with the Russian fairytale character Koshchei/Kashchei Bessmertny. The name Koshchei/Kashchei 'The Bone' (Belyakova 1995: 137-8; Rjabchikov 1998: 12) can be compared with Russian kost', Old Indian asthan 'bone', Russian ostov 'skeleton' and Old Indian astam 'to set (about heavenly bodies)'.
Let us examine the motif of the Scythian bronze tip from the Bliznitsa Slonovskaya barrow (Galanina, Domansky and Smirnova 1981: 66, photo). Here the Scythian hero Targitaos fights with the fairytale beast eating an animal (Galanina, Domansky and Smirnova 1981: 67). I think that this fairytale beast with seven ribs (again cf. Old Indian asthan 'bone' and Russian ostov 'skeleton', kost' 'bone') corresponds to the Russian fairytale character Koshchei Bessmertny. The animal is a deer-cub. So the chthonic god tries to kill the growing deity of the Sky (Papaios), and the sun god Targitaos saves the god of the Sky.
Anfimov, N.V., 1987. The Kuban's Ancient Gold. Krasnodar: Krasnodar Book Publishers.
Belyakova, G.S., 1995. Slavyanskaya mifologiya. Moscow: Prosveshchenie.
Galanina L.K., Y.V. Domansky and G.I. Smirnova, 1981. Skify. Putevoditel' po vystavke otdela istorii pervobytnoy kul'tury Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha. Leningrad: Iskusstvo.
Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998. Tainstvennaya Tmutarakan'. Krasnodar: Torgovo-promyshlennaya palata Krasnodarskogo kraya.
Copyright © 2000 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.
Published 10 July 2000.
Sergei V. Rjabchikov, Krasnodar, RUSSIA.
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