The Goddess Dances:
Women's Dances of Georgia
http://thebestofhabibi.com/vol-14-no-4-fall-1995/the-goddess-dancing/
by Laurel Victoria Gray
Although Oriental dance has often been linked to ancient Mother Goddess
cults, living examples of this relationship are rare. So it seems especially
fitting that some of the remaining examples of these dances would be found in
Colchis, land of the Amazons and the fabled Golden Fleece. Today Colchis is in
the western region of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a nation which is
situated in the southern portion of the Caucasus Mountains and borders the
eastern shore of the Black Sea.
Evidence of the ritual pagan origin of early Georgian dances can be traced to
the second millennium B.C. A bone plate from this period depicts a dancing
woman, suggesting a female ritual usually performed during the harvesting season
in front of statues of the goddess of fertility. One of the fertility goddesses
of the Caucasus was Anahita, who also represented sexuality and love. Although
she originated in Armenia, her cult spread as far as Central Asia. Anahita’s
symbol, a triad of pepper or paisley shaped leaves, still appears as a common
decorative motif in jewelry from the region.
Dali was a goddess venerated by the early Georgians. A goddess of the hunt,
Dali —unlike Artemis and Diana — took lovers from among mortal men and bore
children. Hunters were especially favored by Dali after one saved her infant
child from a wolf. Dali’s power was in her long, golden hair. One night when she
was sleeping with her lover, his jealous wife cut off Dali’s magical locks. When
the goddess awoke, she knew her power was gone. Since she was pregnant at the
time, Dali commanded her lover to cut her open and place her unborn child’s
fetus into the uterus of a cow. He did as Dali ordered. Dali died, but the
child, Amirani, lived to be born full term. Amirani later performed deeds on
behalf of humanity similar to those of Prometheus, and some believe the
Prometheus legend originated in the Caucasus. According to Georgian dance
scholar Avtandil Tataradze, Dali’s death represents the transition from the
matriarchy to the patriarchy.
The dance Partsa was originally performed in honor of Dali and was accompanied by songs to her. Later, these same dances were dedicated to her son, Amirani. In these early dances, men formed a circle and placed a woman at each of the four cardinal points.
The sun goddess Nana was honored with a dance from the Kartuli-Kakhetian region. The song which accompanied the dance to Nana gradually lost its original meaning after the introduction of Christianity to Georgia in 337 A.D. The song now exists as a lullaby.
Intriguingly, the magical hair of Dali and echoes of the name Nana are blended in the personage of Saint Nino, a woman who preached Christianity to the Georgians, holding a cross bound together with locks of her own hair.
Another piece dedicated to a goddess of fertility —in this instance, the moon — was Samaya. Taking its name from the Georgian word for three — “sami” — Samaya was performed by women in groups of three, reminiscent of the archetypal threefold image of the goddess as mother, maiden, and crone. The dance was believed to be of “Oriental origin,” (that is, from further East than Georgia) and celebrated the birth of a family’s first child. A medieval representation of this sacred dance can be found in the cathedral of Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia.
Read complete article at:
http://thebestofhabibi.com/vol-14-no-4-fall-1995/the-goddess-dancing/
Although Oriental dance has often been linked to ancient Mother Goddess
cults, living examples of this relationship are rare. So it seems especially
fitting that some of the remaining examples of these dances would be found in
Colchis, land of the Amazons and the fabled Golden Fleece. Today Colchis is in
the western region of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a nation which is
situated in the southern portion of the Caucasus Mountains and borders the
eastern shore of the Black Sea.
Evidence of the ritual pagan origin of early Georgian dances can be traced to
the second millennium B.C. A bone plate from this period depicts a dancing
woman, suggesting a female ritual usually performed during the harvesting season
in front of statues of the goddess of fertility. One of the fertility goddesses
of the Caucasus was Anahita, who also represented sexuality and love. Although
she originated in Armenia, her cult spread as far as Central Asia. Anahita’s
symbol, a triad of pepper or paisley shaped leaves, still appears as a common
decorative motif in jewelry from the region.
Dali was a goddess venerated by the early Georgians. A goddess of the hunt,
Dali —unlike Artemis and Diana — took lovers from among mortal men and bore
children. Hunters were especially favored by Dali after one saved her infant
child from a wolf. Dali’s power was in her long, golden hair. One night when she
was sleeping with her lover, his jealous wife cut off Dali’s magical locks. When
the goddess awoke, she knew her power was gone. Since she was pregnant at the
time, Dali commanded her lover to cut her open and place her unborn child’s
fetus into the uterus of a cow. He did as Dali ordered. Dali died, but the
child, Amirani, lived to be born full term. Amirani later performed deeds on
behalf of humanity similar to those of Prometheus, and some believe the
Prometheus legend originated in the Caucasus. According to Georgian dance
scholar Avtandil Tataradze, Dali’s death represents the transition from the
matriarchy to the patriarchy.
The dance Partsa was originally performed in honor of Dali and was accompanied by songs to her. Later, these same dances were dedicated to her son, Amirani. In these early dances, men formed a circle and placed a woman at each of the four cardinal points.
The sun goddess Nana was honored with a dance from the Kartuli-Kakhetian region. The song which accompanied the dance to Nana gradually lost its original meaning after the introduction of Christianity to Georgia in 337 A.D. The song now exists as a lullaby.
Intriguingly, the magical hair of Dali and echoes of the name Nana are blended in the personage of Saint Nino, a woman who preached Christianity to the Georgians, holding a cross bound together with locks of her own hair.
Another piece dedicated to a goddess of fertility —in this instance, the moon — was Samaya. Taking its name from the Georgian word for three — “sami” — Samaya was performed by women in groups of three, reminiscent of the archetypal threefold image of the goddess as mother, maiden, and crone. The dance was believed to be of “Oriental origin,” (that is, from further East than Georgia) and celebrated the birth of a family’s first child. A medieval representation of this sacred dance can be found in the cathedral of Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia.
Read complete article at:
http://thebestofhabibi.com/vol-14-no-4-fall-1995/the-goddess-dancing/
