The Legend of the Peach Tree – Ancient Armenia

In olden times in Armenia, there were as many people as there were peach trees in the country. When a baby was born in any family, the goddess of beauty, Astghik, would appear and throw a peach pit at the house gate. In this way, she congratulated the parents and relatives of the newborn.

The father or grandfather of the baby would then go out of the gate, pick up the pit, and plant it in their garden. When the pit took root, turning into a seedling, the baby would stand on its feet and start to walk.

When the seedling bloomed, the child began to babble his first words. While the house was filled with joy from the growth and maturation of the baby, the peach tree developed just as actively, blooming with pink flowers, adorning the garden, and standing out among other blooming trees with its beauty and aroma.

Both the baby and the tree were beautiful: after all, the goddess of beauty herself created their union. The voice of the baby became clearer and more confident, and the peach tree bloomed more fragrantly. The house, the garden, and the hearts of the entire family were filled with the scents of the peach tree, like the nectar of love.

That’s why in the olden days people didn’t speak, they sang and their words were words to a song – beautiful and pure. And their language was like notes of a divine melody. And the Armenian language was called the royal language.

But if someone in a rush or misunderstanding forgot to go out of the gate on the baby’s birthday, pick up the peach pit and plant the tree, then the earth was reduced by one unique peach fragrance. And one luxurious word disappeared from the beautiful language.

by Alexander Bakulin

Translated by Vigen Avetisyan