Russian version

Copyright © 2001 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.

ON THE SYMBOLISM OF SARMATIAN DAGGERS AND SWORDS

by Sergei V. Rjabchikov

It is known that the sword is a symbol of the fire god Agni in the Scythian and Sarmatian beliefs. Let us consider shapes of some Sarmatian daggers and swords.

In my opinion, circular tips of a dagger and swords (1) are symbols of the sun (the fire). These are designations of the fire god.

A sword (2) has the tip in the form of the Scythian/Sarmatian sign 59 ta, cf. Old Indian ta 'warrior', Scythian te associated with the senses 'fire; heat; intense heat; brightness; to smelt; to thaw'.

A dagger and swords (3) have the tips in the form of the Scythian/Sarmatian sign 12 so 'bright; look; eye; heat; shine; to shine'.

So the tips of several Sarmatian daggers and swords represent the name or epithets of the fire god.

NOTES

1. See Lyakhov and Mordvintseva 2000: 104, figure 2, 1; 105; Simonenko 1984: figure 6.

2. See Simonenko 1984: figure 2.

3. See Simonenko 1984: figures 4 and 5.

REFERENCES

Lyakhov, S.V. and V.I. Mordvintseva, 2000. Rannesarmatskoe pogrebenie u poselka Piterka Saratovskoy oblasti. Rossiyskaya arkheologiya, 3: 102-9.

Simonenko, A.V., 1984. Sarmatskie mechi i kinzhaly na territorii Severnogo Prichernomor'ya. In: E.V. Chernenko (ed.) Vooruzhenie skifov i sarmatov. Kiev: Naukova dumka, pp. 129-47.


Copyright © 2001 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.

Published 3 August 2001.

Sergei V. Rjabchikov, Krasnodar, RUSSIA.


How to cite the articles of "THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page in printed articles: like articles. Maintain the link if citing in the World Wide Web. Notice italics on the homepage name:

Rjabchikov, Sergei V., 2001. On the Symbolism of Sarmatian Daggers and Swords. "THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page (http://slavonicweb.chat.ru/sl33.htm).


"THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page


Thanks for visiting.

E-mail me here at srjabchikov@hotmail.com

Return to Top of Home Page

Рейтинг@Mail.ru