The next time one gazes upon a Christmas tree, with its boughs of lights and balls, or strolls through an impressive forest gazing upon mighty trees, one might pause to reflect upon how they once seemed to humankind to be living embodiments both of live-giving powers and of the very span and breadth of the cosmos itself.

A professor in the Anthropology Department of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, John Colarusso has published articles and books on linguistic theory, Caucasian languages, and comparative mythology. He is currently preparing two volumes of Nart saga translations and commentaries, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He was aided in this project by his Circassian colleagues, Rashid Dahabsu, Hisa Torkacho, Kadir Natho, and Majida Hilmi.