History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Caucasus

At the core of peoples’ worldviews are beliefs connected not only with gods or God but also with all kinds of “lower,” impure beings that do not have the status of God, mythical creatures called demons and spirits, which interfere in human destinies, lives, living among people and transforming into them [1, p. 215–216]. In Armenian scholarly discourse, the topic of lower mythology was initially addressed by Manuk Abegyan (1865-1944) in 1899 in his work “Armenian Folk Beliefs.” Grounded in Armenian pre-Christian tradition, he labeled this phenomenon as “lower mythology,” present among all peoples of the world, emphasizing the conservatism of thinking [2, p. 16]. The similarity of demonological representations among Armenians and neighboring peoples, including identical names with some linguistic nuances, was already observed in the 19th century within Armenian scientific circles [3, p. 179–180].

Names

The character “Al,” whose function is to harm women in labor and newborns, is common in Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, and some parts of the Russian Federation (southern Russia and Siberia), among both Muslims and Christian peoples [4, p. 21]. Therefore, “Al” appears as one-rooted words: al(k) (Armenians), ali (Georgians) [5, p. 59], al pab (Lezgins) [6, p. 145–146, see also [6, p. 159], albasti (Tajiks)1, alazhen (Talishy) [8, p. 84], hal (Udins), alk (Kurds) [9, p. 59], a form of the name which is most likely taken from the Arman language2, almas (Ingush, Chechens) [7, p. 230; 10, p. 246], almas (Mongolian peoples), albast, alvasti (Tatars of Kazan, Crimea, Bashkirs, Uzbeks, etc. [11, p. 524, 12, p. 58; 13, p. 16]. Speaking about alk Archimandrite Ghevond Alishan (1820-1901) gives the following explanation: “As the simple word alk means ‘a deep place akin abyss’” [14, p. 116], and is similar in sound to the Goths, Germans and their monolingual word ‘hell’: The Goddess of Hell of the Norsemen is also called Nel, which corresponds to the place of al’s “residence” [14, p. 116].

Prof. G. Asatryan believes that “al or albasti (a demoness harming a woman in labor) and demon, which are witnessed in the folklore of all Eurasian and pre-Asian countries, is of Iranian origin” [15, p. 8]. Gr. Acharyan also claims that the word “al” comes from the Persian word āI, which means “a mythological creature in the form of an ugly female” [16, p. 90]. According to the famous ethnographer R. Seferbekov, “the demon Al is a Turkic-Iranian mythological character” [7, p. 158]. He also notes, “the name of the demon Al is a Tabasaran calque of the Turkic translation of the word ‘al’ (scarlet, red, bright light-red, pink), which has been fixed in the Russian language” [7, p. 167; see also 17, p. 138–148]. The word “al” in Armenian also means “bright red.”

Functions

In almost all nations where this character exists, Al is an adversary of a female. As recorded by an Armenian ethnographer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, E. Lalayan, who documented the mythological tale below in Javakheti: “When God created Adam, He created Al as his companion. She [was] fiery, one-eyed. Adam [was] bodily, Al [was] fiery: they did not match at all, so Adam did not like Al at all. God saw that Al could not be friends with Adam, so He created Eve. Since then, Al became an enemy of Eve and her descendants” [Աստված օր Աթամին ստեղծեց, անոր ընկեր ա Ալին ստեղծեց: Ասիկ հրեղեն էր, միաչքանի: Աթամ մարմնեղեն, Ալը՝ հրեղեն, հեչ իրար չէին սազե, ատոր համար ա Աթամը հեչ չէր սիրե Ալին: Աստված տեսավ, օր Ալ չկրցավ ընկերութեն էնե Աթամին հետ, Եվային ստեղծեց: Ատ վախտվանից Ալը դյուշման ընկավ Եվային ու անոր ջնսին»] [18, p. 236].

As already mentioned, Al’s malefaction is directed towards pregnant women and newborns. Analyzing the narratives found in the folklore of different peoples and their religious views in this context, it can be observed that despite various religions and doctrinal peculiarities, beliefs about Al are almost identical everywhere. After stealing the internals of a newborn – heart, liver, lungs – Al attempts to quickly overcome the first water obstacle: a ravine, a stream, after which it becomes impossible to save the newborn. In the beliefs of the peoples of Dagestan, “Taking on the appearance of a neighbor, relative, mother, and most often, a midwife (gana-bab), Al would appear before the woman in labor and start asking about her health or offer treats. As soon as the woman in labor opened her mouth, the demon grabbed her tongue and tore it out along with the internals (yuklar-liklar, ghurdlarrudrarr adaghuru – “takes out the heart, liver, lungs, and intestines”), which he then tried to drop into the nearest body of water. If the demon encountered a man on the way to it, Al seemed to return back and put the internals back in their place (Laks). If she managed to safely reach the water, she would lower the internal organs into it and rinse them, only to return them afterward, causing the woman in labor to die (Turag)” [7, p. 168]. Georgian Al, in their functions, correspond to Armenian water spirits, which, with their attractive appearance, lure men, dragging them underwater or cohabiting to multiply their watery tribe or kill [19, p. 17]. Thus, speaking about Al, it is necessary to note the fact of the interconnection of these characters of lower mythology with the water element, which serves as a watershed between this and the other world, between life and death. That is why crossing the watershed with the internals of a newborn signifies the infant’s transition from the world of the living to the world of the dead.

Appearance and Gender

In Armenian beliefs, Al3 is predominantly female, zoo-anthropomorphic, hairy, and with a thick mane. It is often described with snake-like hair (similar to the Gorgons) [20, p. 19], fiery eyes, copper claws, iron teeth, and boar tusks [21, p. 95]. It has an evil gaze, sunken cheeks, red, snake-like hair, thin, sinewy fingers armed with bronze claws, and large breasts on its shoulders [22, p. 369]. In Manuscript No. 6677, stored in the Matenadaran’s repository of ancient manuscripts and titled “Wisdom of Solomon,” Al is described among the 72 demons who came to the Old Testament king Solomon. The manuscript details the appearance and functions of this demon and provides a remedy for its malevolence. The text states: “...and one demon came to Solomon – appearing as a woman, two-headed, two snakes in two hands, a scorpion nearby. Solomon asked, ‘What is your remedy?’ And the demon replied: tie these spells (lit. – writings) on your hand, and it will be cured: the Gospel4, “батиге, хыкмеа, еа, шарахеан, тупай, хайхин” [ումն դևն եկաւ առ Սողոմօն` կերպն կնկա, Բ գլխացի, Բ օձ, Բ ձեռնումն, մեկ արիտայ5 քշտին: Ասէ Սողոմոն՝ քո ամալն ինչն է, ճարն ինչն է: Ասէ դևն, էս գրերն կուռն կապէն, լաւանայ՝ Ավետարան, բատիհէ, հըքմեայ, հեայ, շարահեան, թուպայ, հայհին]6. The text is unique in that it attributes a scorpion to the demon Al’s companions, which is not found in the descriptions of the appearance of this demon in the lower mythologies of the peoples mentioned above. In the oldest beliefs of some Iranian ethnic groups (Laks, Bakhtiari, Lurs, Galesh), Al also has the same functions and appearance resembling a woman or an old woman, specifically disheveled hair, sharp fangs, copper claws, sagging breasts, a copper nose, fiery eyes, and a huge hump, carrying the bloody liver of a newborn [13, p. 10]. In the beliefs of the peoples of Dagestan, describing Al, her red hair is particularly emphasized, which has a specific connotation also present in Armenian materials and is likely associated with scarlet fever [23, p. 21]. According to Georgian beliefs, “Al has the ability to transform into a familiar or friend, deceive and cause harm” [19, p. 18]. In addition to anthropomorphic form, Al could also take on a zoomorphic form, appearing as a red rooster (in most villages), a fox, a cat (in Tsuduk), a wolf called kafdar janavar with one eye on its forehead (in Kuzhnik), a creature with a monkey face and paws (in Upper Yarak), or combining zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms, in the form of a small woman with long loose hair and a rooster’s face. In some cases, Al would infiltrate the dwelling in the form of an atmospheric phenomenon – fog, which would then transform into an evil demon. In Armenian tales, Al would enter the room of a newborn in the form of a worm.

Means of Protection

In the ethnographic regions of historical Armenia, various means were used to safeguard the woman in labor and the newborn from evil spirits. Universally, items such as Narek [24, p. 103]7, Gospels [25, p. 233], Cyprian [26, p. 195], crumbs of the Eucharistic bread or regular bread, along with various amulets and objects with protective functions (metallic cross, chain, keys, bronze ring, saddle, lamp, pig’s hair, gun, bow, garlic, salt, ash, coal) were placed under the newborn’s pillow. Additionally, sharp-edged metallic items (knife, dagger, skewer, vessel, scissors, etc.) were used.

Summarizing the above, we can affirm that Al is a demon or demoness who harms newborns and women in labor. Additionally, Al has similar names and functions among the peoples of the South and North Caucasus. Considering the fact that there are three theories about the origin of Al – Iranian8, Turkic [27, p. 367], and Mesopotamian one, most specialists tend to consider Al as the demonization of the Iranian supreme deity Ahura Mazda9. Although, it is more likely that Al is either an indigenous character in the South and North Caucasus, or Al migrated to the North Caucasus through Armenian and Georgian substrates.

For a visual representation of the studied topic, we provide the following table with brief descriptions of the names, functions, gender, appearance, place of residence, precautions, and countermeasures, as well as countries where the demon Al is believed to exist.

Table. Distinctive features of Als in Armenian, Georgian and Dagestani lower mythology

 

Country	Name	Function	Gender	Appereance	Place of residence	Precautions and countermeasures
Armenian	Ali, alk	It harms women in labor and newborns. They strangle women in labor, consume their flesh, especially the liver, causing harm to the child even in the womb. They kidnap newborns and take them to their king.	Male, female (rarely)	Anthropozoomorphic, furry, with fiery eyes, copper claws, iron teeth	They live in mountains, sandstones, often in the corners of houses or barns, and their king in a deep gorge.	Protective measures-prayer, crucifixion, holy books and incantations, use of sharp cutting stabbing metal objects.
Georgia	ali	It harms women in labor, newborns, lonely travelers, and others. They climb into stables and lure victims into water.	Male, female (alkali	Teeth of copper, a trail of glass, hair is dirty	They live in the woods, in rocks, in ruins.	The evil charms of Ali are countered by a «conspiracy» from Ali or the name of St. George
Dagestan	al	It steals the fetus from the womb, leaving a few drops of blood on the floor of the dwelling as a sign of its presence.	female	It appears in the guise of a cat, a woman with long loose bright red hair, as well as thin, long, arms and legs bony, hair gray, face ugly, breasts so long that they touch the ground and she throws them over her shoulders.	They inhabit water sources, caves, cliffs, gorges, village and its surroundings	It fears the dagger, the gun, the hammered iron nail, of Muslim outloud prayers, God-fearing people and righteous people.

Hasmik H. Galstyan

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography NAS RA

Email: hasmikgalstyan1979@gmail.com

Armenia

Researcher

Hayk E. Hakobyan

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, NAS RA; Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after Mesrop Mashtots (Matenadaran); Institute of Oriental Studies of Russian-Armenian University

Author for correspondence.
Email: hayk.hakobyan.88@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4238-2102

Armenia

Ph.D. in Нistory, Senior Researcher

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