Research of religious and mythological beliefs and representations of grebensky Cossacks allows to reveal specificity of their attitude. It will provide complete interpretation of psychogenetic and existential structures as special way of knowledge of an ethnic picture of the world. Representing special type of connection of Christianity with traditional pagan ideas of world around, the Old Believers of grebensky Cossacks imprinted pronounced layers of East Slavic paganism which were closely bound and included in Christian ceremonialism. In the course of the comparative analysis Old Slavic archaism and the specificity of mythological representations acquired in the course of polycultural interaction with the North Caucasian people was revealed. In beliefs of grebensky Cossacks the same as at the Don Cossacks, besides direct names of mythological characters, are found indirect, genetically going back to paganism and Christianity. Characteristic features of grebensky mythology are the animism, fetishism, a mythologizing of images, a consciousness metamorfichnost that special reflection found in the maintenance of song folklore.

It would seem, the Christian ideology and the militarized estate - are unjoinable, however the Cossacks found such parties which not simply helped it with a unification, but also with preservation of a way of life in Christianity. It is known that the Russian religious tradition always honored soldiers defenders, people self-sacrificing, ready to give life for others. The religious tradition attributes to the Christ such words: "There is more no that love as if who will put the soul for the friends" [1]. This ideal became one of fundamental at the Cossack communities. Ideas of a next world, belief that given life for belief, the tsar and the Fatherland will appear in paradise, gave to Cossacks special fearlessness that was shown in their neglect to death [2, 103]. Thus, in religious traditions of grebensky Cossacks the paganism and orthodox Christianity that was boldly shown in ritual and ceremonial traditions and mythological representations were in a special way combined.

In materials Collection of materials for the description of places and tribes of the Caucasus, published even before revolution, at F.S. Grebents, G. Malyavkin, T. Rogozhin, we find descriptions of popular beliefs, signs, superstitious customs on which we can judge archaism and specificity of mythological representations of grebensky Cossacks [3; 20; 4, 61-62. ]. According to ethnographer G. Malyavkin, ancient beliefs of grebensky Cossacks strike with the primitiveness. So, Cossacks considered that "the earth has a pancake form, and on the end its stone wall"; or "the earth is based upon a whale from which gestures there are earthquakes" [5, 50]. Researchers of East Slavic mythology of L.N. Vinogradov, N.I. Kostomarov, A.A. Kulikov, B.A. Rybakov and others note that the essential role in myths is played by such characters as progenitors, and mythological narrations about them have pronounced paradigmatic character [6]. Scientists are uniform in a nature assessment as mythological fundamental principle in knowledge of essence of the surrounding person of the world. Characteristic features of grebensky mythology are the nature and person solder, inability to abstract from concrete, a naive hominifying of surrounding environment that especially boldly found the embodiment in song folklore.

Studying of beliefs and mythological representations of the grebensky Cossacks shows that the system of religious and mythological beliefs and representations of grebensky Cossacks is difficult and non-uniform. Pagan religious and mythological beliefs of ancient Slavs found reflection in their system, quite reasonably, common features with the Don Cossacks are found, and also some mythological loans of the next mountain people are defined. However depth of the general and various in mythology grebensky Cossacks can be revealed within separate research, as defines scientific prospects.

2. Tkachev G.A. Grebensky, tersky and kizlyar Cossacks. – Vladikavkaz, 1911.

3. Grebenets F.S. From history of a life of grebensky Cossacks // CMDPTC. – № 40. – Tiflis, 1909.

4. Rogozhin T. Something from beliefs, popular beliefs and customs of inhabitants of the Art. Chervlenna // CMDPTC. – № 16. – Tiflis, 1893.

5. Malyavkin G. Village of Chervlennaya //Ethnographic review. – 1891. – № 3.

6. Vinogradova L.N. National demonology and mifo-ritual tradition of Slavs. – M., 2000.