Healing in the Ossetian priestly subculture

In traditional society, various male associations played a special role. Many of these communities were associations of men either by age or by characteristic occupation. In the course of long-term interaction, members of these communities developed certain cultural patterns, social stereotypes, rituals and customs, which subsequently entered the culture of the entire society and played an important role in the preservation and development of society. As a result, the study of male associations of traditional society and the subcultures they created is becoming relevant. The designated male subcultures can also be seen in traditional Ossetian society. Their comprehensive study will allow us to better examine and understand the mental characteristics of modern Ossetians. One of such elite male subcultures among Ossetians was the subculture of priests. During the study, the main characteristic features that a priest had to have were determined; the existence of two types of priests among the Ossetians was established - hereditary and elected; ritual and magical practices carried out by Ossetian priests to heal sick people were revealed.