Warhag

In the Nart saga

In his old age, Warhag and his wife Sainagon had two sons. He arranged a feast, inviting the blacksmith Kurdalægon and many others. The heavenly blacksmith named the children Akhsar ('Valiant') and Akhsartag ('Stronger than his brother'). The sons grew strong and valiant, considered among the best of their kind. Their proud father chose them to guard the Narts' garden, where an apple tree bore a single miraculous fruit that was stolen every night despite the guard. Warhag exhorted the twins to pay close attention, but they were led away pursuing the doves guilty of theft. Their father was left alone and grew old in despair of finding his children. Akhsar and Akhsartag committed suicide by a tragic misunderstanding. The wife of Akhsartag, Dzerassae, settled in the Narts' village and gave birth to their two sons, Uryzmaeg and Haemyts. When adults, the grandsons sought their ancestor after a prophetess told them he was still alive. They found Warhag working as a shepherd, shaved him, and found him quite young. Together with his grandsons, he met his daughter-in-law Dzerassae, married her, and lived with her until the end of his days. Warhag died a year after the marriage, and Dzerassae died a year later.