Circassian Folklore

International Centre for Circassian Studies (ICCS)

Circassian Folklore

Books on Circassian proverbs & sayings

There are more than 6,000 proverbs and sayings in the Circassian language, by some accounts much, much more. The book contains about 3,000 proverbs and sayings sorted into a number of categories. The basic orthography is official Cyrillic, but in many cases Latin orthography is also included. Equivalents and meanings in English are provided. The book is available online and can be downloaded for free.

Folklorists and culturalists can obtain interesting materials from the book for research. Teachers of Circassian will find this book useful, as it combines two languages. It is suggested that this book be made part of Circassian language teaching curricula in both Circassia and the diaspora.

АДЫГЭ ПСАЛЪЭЖЬХЭРИ ПСАЛЪАФЭХЭРИ

Сэнджэлей тхылъ тедзапIэ, Амман къалэ, 2009. Тхылъ зыгъэхьэзырар Жэмыхъуэ Амджэдщ (Амыщщ).

Ди адыгэ псалъэжьхэри псалъафэхэри дахэщ, шэрыуэщ, гъуэзэджэщ. Ахэр бжыгъэкIэ мин зыбжанэ щIогъу. Адыгэ щIэныгъэлIхэмрэ фольклористхэмрэ адыгэ псалъэжьхэмрэ псалъафэхэмрэ я нэхъыбапIэр зэхуэхьэсащ, псалъэм папщIэ КъардэнгъущI Зырамыку и тхылъым «АДЫГЭ ПСАЛЪЭЖЬХЭР» (Налшык, «Эльбрус» тхылъ тедзапIэ, 1982). Тхылъым псалъэжьу псалъафэу минищ итщ. Псалъэжьхэмрэ псалъафэхэмрэ я мыхьэнэ къикIхэр инджылызыбзэмкIэ зедзэкIауэ итщ. Абы щхьэкIэ, мы тхылъыр къахуэщхьэпэну адыгэбзэмкIэрэ инджылызыбзэмкIэрэ зеджэф псоми. Тхылъ псом пщIэншэу онлайну уеджэ хъунущ.

Жэмыхъуэ, А. М., АДЫГЭ ПСАЛЪЭЖЬХЭРИ ПСАЛЪАФЭХЭРИ, 2009.

Кэстэнэ, Д. (D. Kestene) (ed.), АДЫГЭ ГУЩЫIЭЖЪХЭР. Adige Gwshi’ezchxer [Circassian Proverbs and Sayings], Maikop: Adigean Branch of the Krasnodar Book Printing House, 1978.

Блягоз, З. У., (Z. U. Blyagoz), ЖЕМЧУЖИНЫ НАРОДНОЙ МУДРОСТИ. Zhemchuzhini narodnoi mudrosti [The Pearls of National Wisdom], Maikop: Adigean Book Publishing House, 1992.

Book on Circassian toasts

КъардэнгъущI (Qardenghwsch’), Z. (compiler) and Жэмыхъуэ (Jaimoukha), A., АДЫГЭ ХЪУЭХЪУХЭР. Adige X’wex’wxer [Circassian Toasts], International Centre for Circassian Studies, 2010.

Circassian Masks 

Studenetskaya, E. N., (compiler), Maski narodov Severnogo Kavkaza [Masks of the Peoples of the North Caucasus], Leningrad: State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR, 1980. [A snippet from the book is found in the following file]