THE SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF ANATORI: SYNCRETISM, PANDEMIC, AND CROSS-BORDER WORSHIP IN HIGH-MOUNTAIN KHEVSURETI

Abstract

This paper investigates the cult of the Anatori Cross (Anatoris Jvari) as a profound locus of religious, cultural, and linguistic synthesis within the Arghuni Valley of high-mountain Khevsureti. By analyzing the etymological stratigraphy of the deity—linking the prefix Ana- to Mesopotamian sky-deities and the element -Tor to Semitic bovine symbols of strength—this research argues that Anatori represents a longue durée celestial deity later assimilated into a Christian-Gnostic framework as an Archangel.

The study highlights a unique "borderland theology" that transcended medieval religious demarcations, facilitating a shared ritual space between Christian Khevsurs and Muslim Kists. This is exemplified by the oral history of the priest Bakhaga and the exchange of the Bachakura ritual bread, which functioned as a "sacred contract" of peace. Furthermore, the paper examines the narrative of the "Flying Icon" and the subsequent Anatori plague (Zhamni) as a cultural trauma narrative reflecting the tension between divine mobility and human institutionalisation. Through an exploration of the valley’s unique solar topography and the material culture of "golden instruments," the paper concludes that Anatori serves as a "Total Deity" and a high-altitude archive, where the sacred functioned as a universal arbiter of order (Rigi) and communal survival.

Keywords: Anatori Cross (Anatoris Jvari); Khevsur-Kist Syncretism; Borderland Theology; Caucasian Mythology; Anatori Plague (Zhamni); Bakhaga Etymological Stratigraphy; Sacred Geography; Flying Icon (Mprinavi Khati); Morige Ghmert.