The Abkhazian cult of thunder and lightning and its North Caucasian parallels

Abstract

The article is devoted to a review of rituals previously practiced in Abkhazia, the Western Caucasus and Ossetia associated with the cult of thunder and lightning, as well as a discussion of the mysterious term chop(p)a associated with this cult and its phonetic variants, often used in the song accompaniment of the burial ceremony of lightning victims. The question is raised about the possibility of postulating the Caucasian mythological union (according to the model of the supposed Caucasian language union), as well as local unions of mythological systems of the peoples of the Caucasus.