Features of the States Described in Shota Rustaveli's "The Man in the Panther's Skin" : Reasons of Failures and Success (or why Georgia is not Mentioned in the Genial Work?)

Abstract

Among the fifteen states featured in “the Man in the Panther’s Skin” there is no reference about Georgia. Among the principal countries referred to in the text are names of those ones that were big political entities of the author’s time. This fact indicates Rustaveli’s intention to speak to his audience in the global context about the models of the states, of their coexistence and of the internal arrangement principles of kingdoms. Rustaveli was a great poet and a public man who presented his political concepts on the arrangement of states to his contemporary Georgians and to generations in the future. Namely, he speaks about unacceptable principles and the vital ones of state arrangements, the consideration of which would be beneficial for Georgia, and for any nation, in general.

The problems and prospects of kingdoms posed in “the Man in the Panther’s Skin” bring forth quite a few issues and questions... I consider my conclusions logical:  Shota Rustaveli stated with great success that making David Soslani a king was fair and reasonable decision. This context is also acceptable for the explanation of the words of dedication in the epilogue: “I have transferred this tale into Georgian verse for the amusement/ of David our lord whom the sun of heavens serves in his course;/ For him whose invincible might strikes fear from East to West,/ Who burns and destroys the traitor, helps and enriches the loyal” (transl. V.Urushadze). All the stories of the states discussed in the poem is the analysis of the variants of 11th-13th cc. Georgia’s political courses and not the description of different countries. This view can also be confirmed with the fact that all the characters of the poem speak with the observance of high eloquent, most precise, Georgian language. This paper intends to explain the fact why Rustaveli never mentions Georgia in his poem.