Story of how corn appeared in the Caucasus

During an expedition to the coast, in the village of Psebe, we managed to record a very interesting story from folklore, which reveals the secret of the appearance of corn on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Circassians (Adyge) called it “Nart grain” for the abundance of crops. This story allows you to develop some of the civilization theory of the Caucasian communities development. The mystery is that it was originally that corn first appeared on the Black Sea coast (from Turkey) and in Chechnya, and on the way to Chechnya, it somehow did not linger. Its appearance seriously affected population growth and migration in the 18–19 centuries.

Respondent: “This incident occurred in the Nasebazhi tract, in the upper reaches of the Psebe river, where Abadzekhs lived (the source area of the Psekups river). Our Shapsug man walked from Tsypka, over the pass, along the ridge. He heard a dance down the tract when he was still in the headwaters. It was a quick dance — zagatlyakh. He began to dance and so, in the dance, went down from the ridge down right into the dance circle. Yakup is his name. Brought into the circle the most beautiful girl. He danced with her, the most illustrious girl. Then he married her, she agreed. Later, Abadzekhs, her brothers, came to visit. Shapsugs then already ground corn grits. Three brothers, big, bearded. She served hominy with corn, and they tried it a little, they moistened their mustaches, and they said they want’t to ate. Then she understood everything and made hominy from millet. Then they ate. Abadzekhs did not yet know what corn is”.