What is Assianism and when did it begin as a modern religious movement?
Assianism, also known as Uatsdin or Iron Din, began in the 1980s when nationalist intellectuals in North Ossetia reorganized ancient Scythian traditions into a conscious religious movement. The faith was initially called Ätsæg Din meaning True Faith before linguist Tamerlan Kambolov proposed the name Uatsdin by 2010.
Who are the main leaders of Assianism and what names do they use for the religion?
Daurbek Makeyev leads the movement and prefers calling it Äss Din while Khetag Morgoyev uses the simple name Iron Din to mean Ossetian Faith. Slava Dzhanaïty designed the first symbol of the faith after a fire destroyed the Rekom Temple in 1995 and represents the theological trinity known as the Three Tears of God.
When did the seven phases of Ossetian religious history occur according to scholar Richard Foltz?
Phase one began with original Scythian Paganism during the first millennium BCE followed by Christianization from the tenth to thirteenth centuries under Byzantine and Georgian influence. Phase three saw re-Paganization between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries after Mongol invasions and enforced state atheism dominated from 1921 until 1991 under Soviet rule.
What is Xwytsau and how does Assian theology define the supreme God?
Xwytsau is the supreme God who is both creator and universe itself existing as pure light within the World of Light or True World without tangible personal qualities. This deity has no extension in space or time while lesser gods function as intermediaries representing forces and spirits through which the supreme God governs reality.
Where are the main sacred sites for Assian ceremonies located and when were they established?
The Rekom Temple located in Tsey Alagirsky District dates back to the second century BCE though it was rebuilt multiple times including after an accidental fire in 1995. In 1994 sacrifices began at a field dedicated as a holy site thirty kilometers west of Vladikavkaz while the Alagir region alone hosts approximately three hundred such locations.