«Magical heat» in mythology and ritual practice of Indo-Iranians

This article considers one of the basic components of initiation ritual scenarios - «magical heat» and its reflection in the Indo-Iranian (mythoepic) culture. The motif's currency for Indo-Iranian tradition is confirmed by studying of such sources as archaic sacral mythological texts and epos (Shahname, Nartes). The results of the analysis indicate that «magical heat» is an important structural element in Indo-Iranian mythology and ritual practice.