Traditional Godoberi Storytelling

The stories told by a people group captures their essence. Few stories by the Godoberi have been officially recorded. In fact, the only stories I’ve come across are the work of Alexandr E. Kibrik and his colleagues. Their work was done in 1993. The first recorded text “is a historical saga about the remote times of the 19th Century”. It is told by a Godoberi man named Ahmed Magomedaliev, during an elicitation session with linguists. It was told in his heart language of Godoberi. Analysis was done by Aleksandr Kibrik and Sergej Tatevosov, with the English translation done by Alexander Eulenberg, an American.

Here is the story:

An old man’s tale about (from the side of) the bravery of people who lived before. Over a hundred years ago (they) would go from our village, from Godoberi to Georgia to pillage. At that time a man from the village Sogratl was the leader of those who went to Georgia. After he gathered the people from the villages, they would leave for Georgia to take things (property), to abduct people; (then) they would trade the people for riches, for money, for gold, for cattle. At that time a Godoberian man named Alikja went with them when they went on pillages. Alikja was a brave man. Once when they reached the Georgian border, (there was) a man (among them) named Musa from Kwahidatli;

he also was a brave man like Alikja. The leader of the group sent them both to scout out

a nearby village. At that time it was night. When the two of them got to the village, they didn’t find any people in the village (lit. in the village (there) was no anybody among the people, (they) didn’t find). All the people were hiding in their houses. Due to the fact that times were hard, the Godoberians abducted Georgians. They heard people’s voices (coming) from inside one house. The windows (and) the doors of the house were shut tight (lit. were made tight, were shut) so that people would not enter. After they could not get in, they went up on the roof. Houses used to have a fireplace. They listened through the (chimney of the) fireplace (to hear) who was inside (lit. listened towards inside the fireplace). Musa said he would jump in to abduct the people who were inside. Alikja said he would jump himself. Then Musa having said that he himself would jump, jumped down into the fireplace. Alikja listened in through the fireplace. Alikja heard (lit. was hearing) Musa and the Georgians fighting. He heard Musa groan. Alikja pulled out (his dagger) and jumped with (his) dagger into the fireplace to Musa’s aid (lit. for the aid to Musa). When he jumped inside, Alikja saw (lit. was seeing) nothing. Alikja, kicking with the foot, strewed the coals that were in the fireplace, all over the room. He saw that two Georgians had been killed and two were fighting with Musa. Alikja came to Musa’s aid and killed one Georgian. The other man jumped out to call people. Musa told Alikja that he himself was wounded, saying: “Help me”. Alikja, fastening (him) to (his) back, brought Musa out. As (he) carried Musa from the street over the fence to the other side, Musa’s guts dragged along the ground. Alikja brought Musa to the outskirts of the village where people wouldn’t see. Musa was dying. He said to Alikja: “Probably, I won’t reach Kwahindatli now, there is no way out, leave me here”. Alikja was about to take his gun, (his) dagger. Musa said: “Leave the gun and the dagger and the belt itself for tying up captives, I myself took all these things from many killed Georgians as a booty”. Alikja, leaving all the things up there (with him), buried Musa. After that happened, Alikja hid for two days where the Georgians couldn’t find (lit. couldn’t see) him. On the night of the third day Alikja came out of the place where he had been hiding. He decided not to go away from there without a booty. As he was riding his horse through the village, all the windows (and) doors are closed, there was no anybody outward. All were hiding in (their) houses. In one place (he) heard a child audibly crying. Then he stood under the window and listened (to it). From inside the house he heard the mother saying to the child: “Stop crying, if (you) don’t stop (it), I’ll surely give you to an Avarian”. The child didn’t stop crying. When he didn’t stop, the mother, opening the window and shoving the child out (the window), said: “Here, Avarian, take this child away”. Alikja, who was below, stole the child out of the mother’s arms. Alikja mounted his horse, set off, and rode away on it. The Georgians, (hearing) the mother’s cry (of alarm), went after Alikja. Catching up with Alikja in the morning, the Georgians surrounded him. Alikja and seven Georgians fought with daggers. Alikja killed four Georgians. And he was wounded in the belly with a dagger. Alikja was a fat, strong man. Tearing through the fat (that is) on the surface, the dagger didn’t get to (his) guts. Alikja’s fat came out and, dangling, got in his way when he fought. He cut off his fat with (his) dagger and swallowed it. (lit. having had eaten swallowed). The Georgians (being) frightened and surprised, ran away. “He, having got enraged, will eat (us) ourselves too”. When the Georgians ran away, Alikja mounted (his) horse and with the child went back home to Godoberi.[1]

This story brings to life a number of key themes we have already mentioned in previous chapters. First, Ahmed (the storyteller) gives us the goal of the story: “An old man’s tale about (from the side of) the bravery of people who lived before”. Bravery, courage, and fending for ones honor are key aspects of manhood in their eyes. To live ones life for these causes, doing whatever is necessary, is indeed honorable in their eyes. This theme is prominent throughout the story. When Alikja, one of the main characters, is introduced he is called a “brave man”. The very same is said of Musa. This story, passed down for over a hundred years - now being told by Ahmed, wants us to clearly see them as brave. After Adikja and Musa enter a Georgian village, we get another clarifying note: “Due to the fact that times were hard, the Godoberians abducted Georgians”. Without interviewing Ahmed directly, this seems to say this wasn’t a normal practice when things were good. But because things were not going well, certain actions were now necessary for survival. It’s possible that Ahmed himself added these notes because he was sharing this information with cultural outsiders, so he wanted to explain proper interpretation, but we don’t know.

Nonetheless, we soon come across another turning point in the story. Both men are on the roof of a house discerning who is inside the home. In this high stress moment, both men are ready to be the first to jump in and start fighting. We see the rubber hit the road of their bravery. We see their fighting tenacity to accomplish their goal. As the scene unfolds, we see Adikja having to take Musa’s dying body to a hidden place just outside the village. About to die, Adikja intends to make use of his dagger, gun, and belt. However, Musa stops him because of honor, saying: “I myself took all these things from many killed Georgians as a booty”. Adikja buries his friend with these possessions, and still shows courage in not losing heart. He is determined to get booty on this trip. He waits three days, showing remarkable patience and wisdom. He soon has his booty, but must endure one last battle. It is one man against seven Georgians, but Adikja doesn’t seem to care. He kills four of them single-handedly. He is injured by a dagger, but continues to fight. His own fat is impeding his ability, as he is described as both strong and fat. Then not only does he cut his own fat off, but he eats it. Already a story full of shock, but this might be the most shocking element. It would prove to be the deciding act of the story that crowns Adikja with his victorious journey. This dramatic scene brings us back to the beginning of the story, namely, that if living courageously, whatever you must do is honorable.

[1] A. E. Kibrik, Sergeĭ G. Tatevosov, and Alexander Eulenberg, "Texts," in Godoberi (Muenchen: LINCOM GmbH., 1996), 255-268.