There is no consensus among scholars on the etymology of the ethnonym, therefore different theories and speculations exist on its etymology. Some scholars (e.g. , ) consider that "ghalghai" means "people/inhabitants of towers", while others (e.g. ,
Adrienne Mayor) connect the ethnonym to either
Gargareans or to
Gelae (
Ivane Javakhishvili,
Arnold Chikobava). Versions connecting ghalghai to the legendary figure Gha/Galga or to the God of Sun/Sky in
Vainakh religion are also found.
"People of towers" A number of scholars (e.g. , Yunus Desheriev, Ibragim Aliroev) connected ghalghai to the word "ghalā" (
гIала, 'tower/fortress') thus, translating the word from Ingush as "people/inhabitants of towers". According to this version, ghalghai is combination of two Ingush words, "ghalā" (
гIала, 'tower/fortress') and
derivational affix "-gha" (
гIа) Therefore, ghalghai is translated as "people/inhabitants of towers". Katy Chokaev considers the "-gha" in ghalghai the suffix of person "-gha", while Yunus Desheriev considers it a transformed affix from the Nakh affix "kho". He also notes that in
Nakh languages, the sounds "kh" and "gh" often alternate which could have made the transformation of kho to gha. It's possible that in one of the dialects of Ingush language, case affix "-gha" was used instead to form the ethnonym. According to Ibragim Aliroev, the "-gha" in ghalghai is the Vainakh syllable for place, "gha" (
ma-ghara, 'up',
ēgha, 'down').
Gelae , by
Frédéric DuBois de Montperreux. In the first century AD, the ancient Greek geographer
Strabo mentioned the
Gelae and
Legae tribes in his work
Geographica. He mentioned how according to
Theophanes of Mytilene, who participated
Caucasian campaign of Pompey, the Gelae and Legae lived between the
Amazons and
Albanians:
Georgian historian and linguist Ivane Javakhishvili and linguist, dr. of philological sciences Arnold Chikobava have connected the Gelae with the ethnonym ghalghai (Ingush).
Gargareans Strabo had also mentioned another tribe inhabiting the
Caucasus, that is,
Gargareans. According to him, the Amazons lived on their borders: The Gargareans like Gelae, were also connected to the ethnonym ghalghai by a number of scholars like , Evgeny Krupnov, Gamrekeli, Adrienne Mayor.
Gal of the Vainakh religion The Chechen linguist, dr. of philological sciences Katy Chokaev connected ghalghai with the name of the God of Sun/Sky Gal (,
Ghal) of the Vainakh religion. Together with plural form of suffix of person "-ghai", it formed the ethnonym which translates, according to Chokaev, as "those who pray to the God of Sun, Gal". He also found a parallel of this etymology with the ethnonym in Mountain Chechen dialects,
Ghielaga (). The cult of Gal was found in
Ingushetia, and according to the
Ossetian scholar, professor , originated in
Assa Gorge. Alborov noted that, linguistically, with the rise of the initial consonant, Gal could have formed from older Ingush terms
Hal(a) and
Al(a), both signifying "god" in ancient times.
Ancestor Gha The
Nakh legends recorded in the 19th century are often interpreted by researchers in a historical context, however, such use requires special source study methods and does not allow establishing an exact chronology to describe any events from the life of the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush. In such legends, ethnonym ghalghai is connected to the legendary ancestor Gha. The Gha's name on the other hand, is explained due to him being supposedly named after leaf's name () as he was born with it in his hand. Legends recorded by the
Dargin ethnographer in mountainous villages (
auls) of
Erzi and
Falkhan mention how once upon a time there lived three brothers, Ga, Orshtkho/Arshtkho and Nakhcho, from whom the Galgai (Ingush),
Orstkhoi and Nokhchi (Chechens) descended. The brothers arrived in the mountains from the east and settled in the area of Galga, from where they began to settle throughout the territories of modern
Chechnya and
Ingushetia. In Chechen legends about the origin of the Vainakhs, other combinations of the brothers' names were also found, for example, Ako/Akho and Shoto (eponyms for the Akkins and Shatois) could be added. == History ==