Tatev Monastery (built in 906) was one of the main spiritual, political, and cultural centers of medieval Armenia. During its existence, it has served as a fortress, the residence of the metropolitan, and a university. For 1108 years, the monastery has crowned the triangular plateau near the village of Tatev in the province of Syunik. …
An Armenian legend says that on the last day of summer, an extraordinary contest took place in the glittering luxury of the palace of father-god Aramazd. All the fruits and berries of the land of Armenia – grapes, apricot, peach, apple, pear, cherry, plum, quince – gathered in it. The judges were the mighty pagan …
Once, a miller renowned for all his limitless hard work got so tired that he barely crawled out of his mill and fell to the ground. The mill was still full of grain. But there was no strength in him to get up and go to the market, buy food, eat to the full, and …
Once, the king of Assyria Ninos, husband of Semiramis, wrote a letter to the governor of Armenia Aram, father of Ara the Beautiful: “King, I have bad news for you. Our astrologers told me in great secrecy that a mighty knight would soon appear from the sky, seize all your country under his yoke, and …
Tamerlane’s troops repeatedly raided Armenia, as testified by many legends. One of them tells about what the Armenian people living at the foothills of Mount Aragats had to go through. We will talk about the monastery of Hovhannavank. This particular legend says that the abbot of the monastery, having learned about the approaching hordes of …
Once a young man named Lusin (Armenian: moon; Lusin symbolized the Moon) asked his mother for a bun (the mother symbolized the Earth). The angry mother slapped him, sending him flying to the heaven. There are still traces of dough (lunar craters) on Lusin’s face. This is a striking representation of cosmic life-giving in an …
In the Armenian mythology, Mihr – Mher – Mitra is the god of the heavenly light and sun, the son of Aramazd. In Ancient Armenia, there were several temples dedicated to Mher: a temple in Bagharij (now in Turkey), the altar “Mheri dur” (Armenian: “the door of Mher“) in the mountains near the city of …
A 14th-century Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane has achieved outstanding military success, conquering vast territories. However, he was yet to conquer Armenia. And thereby, he decided to invade this country of mountains. Upon arriving at the Garni Gorge, Tamerlane ordered to set up a camp and sent scouts to investigate the surroundings. In the morning, one of …
In 1222 – 1225, Icelandic historian, poet, and politician Snorri Sturluson wrote his book “Edda” consisting of Scandinavian myths and tales. This book has long been considered a fruit of the author’s mind, having no historical basis. However, in 1643, Icelandic bishop Sveinsson discovered an ancient manuscript with songs about deities and heroes that strongly …
Historian and linguist Nicholas Marr wrote about the genealogy of the legend of the love between Armenian pagan deities Vahagn and Astghik: “However, more ancient pearls of Japhetic poetic heritage reached us, including a story about a man and a woman in love who symbolized various conditions and impersonations of nature. This love story brings …
Lion Mher (Aryutsadzev Mher, from Armenian “aryuts” (lion) and “dzev” (-like)) is a mythical king from the national Armenian folk epic “Daredevils of Sassoun”. King Mher slew a lion with his bare hands, which earned him the title “lion-like”. Lion Mher is the father of David of Sassoun, the hero of the epic. The king …
It has been the toughest period on the war against the Persians. When Persian troops invaded the Armenian kingdom, only King Arshkak, who had been abandoned by the majority of the noblemen, continued to bravely defend his country. Unfortunately, he was captured and imprisoned during negotiations with the Persians. Although Armenia had been conquered by …
Armenians have always highly appreciated Armenian women, being ready to sacrifice anything for them. A vivid example of this deep respect is the story of Armenian King Tigran Yervanduni (reigned between 560 – 535 BC), son of Yervand (Orontes) I Sakavakyats, and his wife. Various historical accounts testify that Tigran was a close ally of …
Legends say that the top of Mount Ararat is crowned by a lake of extraordinary beauty. We will speak about one of the oldest of those legends known to the inhabitants of the Ararat Valley. Once upon a time, the goddess of fertility and love, golden-haired Anahit walked past the floating clouds and fell in …
The homeland of watermelon has long been under discussion, and there is no data on where this delicious summer fruit came from. Some scientists believe that it originated in southern Africa while others point to another region on the continent, like Egypt. There is evidence that the Egyptians began to grow watermelons about 4000 years …
“Umbilical stones” or portakars (պորտաքար) are ritual stones in Armenia, associated with the cult of the goddess of fertility and motherhood (most likely, Anahit). Probably, the well-known myth about the birth of Mithra (in the Armenian mythology – Mher) from stone also influenced the formation of traditions about the portakars. In this regard, the portakars …
In Armenian mythology, the personifications of the night darkness are evil witches with snakes in their hands, haunting the sun from the day of the creation of the world. In the evening, Gisheramayrer rise up from within the mountains to the surface to catch the sun, but alas, it’s already sunset. Then, they all start …
Kachi link the natural chain between the Armenian dragon and the Armenian devs. In fact, they are identical with the widely known (not theological) devs. They are none other than European elves, kobolds, etc. Their name means “brave”. The ancient euphemism (as the modern Armenian expression “our best” or the Scottish “good people”) was applied …