Smithy – an Iconic Building in Abkhazia

Abstract

The paper presents certain peculiarities of traditional cultures related to cult sites, such as smithy, based on fieldwork-ethnographic materials and scientific literature in Abkhazia.

Smithy, with its customs, was one of the ancient objects of cult worship in Abkhazia. The cult sites also played an essential role in traditional and modern life. Traditional house elements and related spiritual culture revealed a conservative nature. Therefore, many customs have been preserved until today.

Due to the conflict, only a small number of Georgians currently live in Abkhazia, which has conditioned the development of interesting ethnographic processes and supported the establishment of exciting variations of cultural transformation. These circumstances determine the topicality of the theme. The following topics were underlined within its frame: the ways of life of the Georgian and Abkhazian people in the conflict zone and how they maintain their cultural identity, providing insights into the different possibilities of ethnocultural identity. This topic is of great interest to modern ethnological science, and in this work, specific examples will be used to illustrate and generalize the issue.

The blacksmith's house was considered a sacred place dedicated to the patron deity of blacksmithing. This led to the forge being worshiped as a cult building. Even after the forge lost its economic function, it remained a place of worship for the deity of the Shashvi (thrush) cult. Until the mid-20th century, small forges without economic purpose remained, where prayers and offerings were made to cult objects such as anvils, hammers, and pincers. A cult hearth was arranged near the eastern wall of the smithy, and a stone pitcher was buried there.

The forge was held in such high regard that it was considered more important than the church. Legal proceedings, oaths, icon transfers, curses, and reconciliations were conducted here. Sacrifices and prayers were offered in the name of the Thrush deity (Khechkhvama) in the smithy, and people sought solutions to household problems here. The smithy was a true temple of Shashvi, with an anvil as an altar. Even the site of the forge itself is considered a sacred place.

Thus, the forge is considered sacred and cult building, symbolizing prosperity and fertility. While old written sources mention some of these customs, modern ethnographic materials reveal the rituals performed in the forge and the sacredness of the place, which are still preserved in living ethnographic practices.