Thread by @KapitanSaka

Origins of Scythia: comparison of folk tales in Eurasia

This thread will explain how the Scythian Epos by Herodotus gives us a unique insight how the cultural influence of the Scythians expanded and dominated across Eurasia. The main focus here is Uddiyana Dynasty.

Before we dive into the words of pioneer of History, we should observe a Chinese pilgrim, Hüsan-Tsang. His story about a legend of the local Uddiyana Dynasty , in Oddiyana. Roots in Kapilavastu, the birth place of the Buddha as well his relation to the four Nobel youths.

Our Journey takes us to Kapilavastu, when the evil king Virudhaka attacked the city that caused 4 Nobel Śakya Youths to escape.
They fled to the North West, becoming the founders of royal lines in

Matala
Bāmiyãn
Śambhi
and Uddiyana, which we will focus on.

The hero of this story is nameless, Tsang explained he was regarded as the “Śakya Youth”. He escaped and wondered to an unknown land falling asleep near a lake. As he was sleeping, a Nãga(Serpent) princess came up from the water to transform herself into human form.

Upon waking up the youth was surprised to see her. He asked who she was.

She replied: “I am Naga Maiden belonging to this pool. I have heard with awe of your holy tribe having suffered such things. I have come to comfort you and to give you what you desire most”

Nãga then took the youth to her father NãgaRãja (Serpent King) and gives him a precious sword
wrapped in fine white cloth.

NãgaRãja tells him: “take this sword to the king of Uddiyana, offer the cloth and and assassinate him.

The youth did so and becoming king with Nãga.

A just ruler but he had noticed when he would sleep next to Nãga her ninefold serpent crest appeared. Disgusted by this the king cut of the head of the dragon crest when she was asleep. This cursed him and his descendants to suffer with headaches which worsen each generation

A wondering hero going to unknown lands? Who falls asleep near a body of water? Seduced by a aquatic serpentine goddess who’s father rules the waters? Which leads to the hero mating with the goddess, producing a line of kings?

You will now begin to see the similarities.

We turn to the Greeks to give us the Scythian Origin story. Herodotus explains to us that the Scythians believed they had come from the first Scythian king Targitaus, as the child of Zeus(Sky Father) and the daughter of the River Dnieper. Again aquatic female. Keep zeus in mind.

Targitaus has 3 sons who would be put to the test to touch 4 Golden items – a plough, Yoke, cup and a battle-axe without them bursting into flames.

Only the youngest son succeeded which lead to him starting the “Royal Scythian” line. Again we see a line of kings produced.

We’re not done with Greeks yet. Besides Herodotus, Pontic Greeks who lived on the shores of the Black Sea speak of a legend regarding a similar yet different origin of the Scythians.

The story begins with Hercules who was herding the cattle of a monster named Geryon, in the land we call Scythia, North of the Black Sea. Due to storm Hercules stoped to rest before pursing Geryon. As he was resting Hercule’s horses were let loose from the chariot and ran away

Upon waking up to find his mares gone, Hercules searches the land stumbling upon a cave in the forest. He finds a Echidna (serpent maiden) human upper body, serpent lower body. Hercules asks if she has seen the horses. She responds she has them and will give them back if

Hercules mates with her.

He agrees. Desperate to keep him she refuses to give up the horses. Hercules annoyed, wanting to leave. She then tells him she has 3 sons. She asks what shall she do when he is gone?

“When the lads have grown to manhood Watch them, and when thou sees one of them bend his bow as I now bend it, choose him to remain in the land”

Thus, the serpent maiden had three sons, oldest Agathyrsus, Gelonus, the youngest, Scythes. Scythes was the only one that could pull the bow. Allowed to remain while his brothers were exiled.

“From Scythes, the son of Heracles, were descended the after kings of Scythia”

Now, we look at Tales and legends of the Ubykhs by Gorges Dumézil. He gives us insight to Ossetian folklore and relations between Ossetian Uryzmag & Satana and Zues & the river goddess

Satana a goddess was related to the legendary princess of the Alans, Satanik.

Ossetian Nart sagas, that bear 
strong resemblance to Europe's Arthurian tradition as well as the Scythian logos.

Satana, daughter of aquatic god Don Bettyr, seduces a Hero named Hamyc, offspring storm-hero Batradz that carries a sacred iron sword embodiments of the war god

Is it also surprising we have two accounts from Herodotus and a Roman historian/Soldier Ammianus That write of a Scythian Sword cult that has shrines made of a sword “plunged into the ground” dedicated to the War God of the Scythians, Ares. Seen in photo 4

But not only that like Batradz the Storm-Hero, Armenian Epic tells of Sanasar, founder of the Sasun Dynasty, who finds a Lightening bolt sword UNDERWATER in a lake, killing the enemy king and establishing his dynasty.

Sound familiar? Good keep going.

Ah but now in China we turn to find a barbarian Xiongnu / Hsiungnu (Scythian Related people) regent who established a shrine to his father made of a sacred dynastic sword.

We see this the sacred sword occurring in Europe. Arthur’s Excaliber, Gram of Sigurd, Roland’s Direndal, due to possible influence of the 5,500 Sarmatian legionaries or the tribes of Alans from the northern Caucasus (Ossetia) that settled in Spain and France.

Arthur’s sword was originally called “Caliburnus” latinized version of the Greek Khalyps (Iron steel) derived from a Scythian related tribe called Chalybes made of iron smiths including two additional near by tribes called Mossynoikoi, and Tibareni.

A Buddhist legend in the Swat Valley tells us of the great Apalãla of Uyyidana. A water god that causes violent storms and floods in the Swat River. Terrified of the Buddha’s beating with Varjapãni’s thunder bolt he promised to stop only flooding the river once every 12 years.

A Buddhicized legend of a hero or Indra like god with a thunder bolt sword snubbing the dragon king.

Another instance of Lord Sakra(Indra) turns himself into a gigantic serpent flooding the river.

Hsung-Tsang notes Indra is in fact incarnation of the Buddha.

A modern Swat valley folk tale of a magician Barhãmi Jogi who traveled to Tibet to find a magic white stone that could foretell the future. A sorceress Rokhašna kept it tied to her hair and slept in a cave guarded by 7 dragons.

Only the man that could take it would have her.

The magician set out for the task but first hibernated for a year before doing so. When he woke up a hermit gave him a magic sword that goes up in flames. He also found white clothing that made him invisible. He entered the cave slayed the dragons and took the sorceress.

The name Rokhsãna is derived from Rokhšana. Feminine derivative of the Bactrian name for Oxus(Vakhšu) the name of the River God

Note that Alexander’s Bactrian bride was shamed Rokhšana(Roxane)

Barhãmi may come from Babram, Verethragna later Bahram in Persian. Iranian Ares is there for linked to Indra and ultimately with Hercules, circling back to the origin of the Scythians.

But. It doesn’t end there.

Yes, I have one more thing to show you. If you made it this far you’re in for a surprise.

A half Scythian half Macedonian king Antiochus I Theos of Commagene. He comes from the Orontid Dynasty iranic in origin and appeared during the Scythian invasions around 6 century BC

Antiochus I, shaking hands with Herakles-Artagnes-Ares

Antiochus then set out to build what we now know as Mount Nemrut. A pyramid like burial mound with seated gods including Antiochus himself.

We also have limestone tombstone slabs of his Scythian paternal ancestors and his Maternal Macedonian ancestors.

The gods he chose being both Hellenic(Macedonian) and Iranic(Scythian), believing he could bring the two worlds together as the perfect king.

I want you to pay attention to Zeus/Oromasdes and how that resembles the Zoroastrian Ahura Mazda.

I hope you enjoyed this thread. There’s a lot more to cover, to dig for and to find but for now, I shall leave you with this.

Thank you for reading.