Alan Paganism

Alan paganism is the old religion of the Alans, the Iranian-speaking people of the north Caucasus, whose descendants are the Ossetians. It is thought to be of Scythian origin, and later accounts show many Christian elements, with the gods often named after saints. The stories of its gods are woven into the sagas of the Narts, semi-divine heroes.

Uastyrdzhi, named for Saint George, was patron of men and travellers and guarantor of oaths; Uacilla, named for Elijah, sent rain, thunder and lightning. The heavenly smith Kurdalægon befriended the Narts. Certain people dreamed their way to Kurys, the meadow of the dead, and returned with seeds of luck.

The Alan kingdom was Christianized in the early tenth century under Byzantine influence. The Mongols invaded in 1239 or 1240, and Timur broke the Alans in about 1395.