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Vahagn
Vahagn or Vahakn ( hy, Վահագն), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh ( hy, Վահագն Վիշապաքաղ, lit=Vahagn the Dragon-reaper, label=none), is a warrior god in Armenian mythology. Scholars consider him to be either the thunder, or sun and fire god of the pre-Christian Armenian pantheon, as well as the god of war, bravery and victory. He formed a triad with Aramazd and Anahit. Vahagn is etymologically derived from ''*Varhraγn'', the Parthian name for the Indo-Iranian god Verethragna, although there are key differences between the two deities. Vahagn was worshipped at a tripartite temple complex together with his bride Astghik and the goddess Anahit in the district of Taron, on the slopes of a mountain called Karke near the settlement of Ashtishat. After Armenia came under Hellenistic influence in antiquity, Vahagn was identified with the Greek deity Heracles, but also rarely with Apollo. Name The theonym Vahagn is cognates with Verethragna, the name of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armenian Mythology
Armenian mythology originated in ancient Indo-European traditions, specifically Proto-Armenian, and gradually incorporated Hurro-Urartian, Mesopotamian, Iranian, and Greek beliefs and deities."Armenia (Vannic)" by A.H. Sayce, p.793-4; "Armenia (Zoroastrian)", by M(ardiros). H. Ananikian, p.794-802; in Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, ed. James Hastingsvol. 1 1908 Formation of Armenian mythology The pantheon of Armenian gods, initially worshipped by Proto-Armenians, inherited their essential elements from the religious beliefs and mythologies of the Proto-Indo-Europeans and peoples of the Armenian Highlands. Historians distinguish a significant body of Indo-European language words which were used in Armenian pagan rites. The oldest cults are believed to have worshipped a creator called Ar (or possibly Ara), embodied as the sun (Arev or Areg); the ancient Armenians called themselves "children of the sun". Also among the most ancient types of Indo-European-derived worshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astłik
In the earliest prehistoric period Astłik ( hy, Աստղիկ) had been worshipped as the Armenian deity of fertility and love, later the skylight had been considered her personification, and she had been the consort of Vahagn. In the later heathen period she became the goddess of love, maidenly beauty, and water sources and springs. The ''Vardavar'' festival devoted to Astłik that had once been celebrated in mid July was transformed into the Christian holiday of the Transfiguration of Jesus, and is still celebrated by the Armenians. As in pre-Christian times, on the day of this fest the people release doves and sprinkle water on each other with wishes of health and good luck. One tradition holds her as Noah's daughter, born after the great flood. Mythology Astłik was originally the goddess creator of heaven and earth, and was later demoted to the position of "maiden". This change in the pantheon occurred as Aramazd became creator and Anahit became known as Great Lady and Moth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aramazd
Aramazd ( arm, Արամազդ) was the chief and creator god in the Armenian version of Zoroastrianism.; ; ; ; ; The deity and his name were derived from the deity Ahura Mazda after the Median conquest of Armenia in the 6th century BC. Aramazd was regarded as a generous god of fertility, rain, and abundance, as well as the father of the other gods, including Anahit, Mihr, and Nane. Like Ahura Mazda, Aramazd was seen as the father of the other gods, rarely with a wife, though sometimes husband to Anahit or Spandaramet. Aramazd was the Parthian form of Ahura Mazda. Name The merging of the two words of Ahura Mazda first appears in the Old Persian section of the Behistun Inscription, carved by the Achaemenid King of Kings Darius the Great (), who refers to the deity as Auramazdāha. Avestan documents continued to spell the name with two words, a form which may have been accepted in Armenia. Aramazd is the Parthian form of Ahura Mazda. History Aramazd, Mihr, Anahit, Vahagn and T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tigranes (legendary)
Tigranes was a legendary Armenian prince, who was a contemporary of the Achaemenid ruler Cyrus the Great (). He appears in both in the ''Cyropaedia'' of the Greek soldier and historian Xenophon (died 354 BC) and the '' History of Armenia'' of the 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi (died 490s AD). In the former, he is based on the Persian hyparch Tigranes, while in the latter he was further altered, becoming an Armenian hero, who was the embodiment of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great () and the Iranian hero Fereydun. In historiography Tigranes appears in both in the ''Cyropaedia'' of the Greek soldier and historian Xenophon (died 354 BC) and the '' History of Armenia'' of the 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi (died 490s AD). The Iranian name of "Tigranes", which was theophoric in nature, was uncommon during the Achaemenid era (550 BC–330 BC). Only two historical figures are known to bear the name during that period. Xenophon According to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anahit
Anahit ( hy, Անահիտ, fa, آناهید) was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology. In early periods she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BCE she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd. The Armenian goddess Anahit is related to the similar Iranian goddess Anahita. Anahit's worship, most likely borrowed from the Iranians during the Median invasion or the early Achaemenid period, was of paramount significance in Armenia. Artaxias I erected statues of Anahit, and promulgated orders to worship them.. Armenian Anahit and Persian Anahita According to Strabo, the "Armenians shared in the religion of the Perses and the Medes and particularly honored Anaitis". The kings of Armenia were "steadfast supporters of the cult". and Tiridates III, before his conversion to Christianity, "prayed officially to the triad Aramazd-Anahit-Vahagn but is said to have shown a special devotion to 'the great lady Anahit, ... the benefactres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vahevuni
Vahevuni was one of the ancient noble houses of Armenia, believed to derive from Vahagn, god (dic) of fire and war. According to Movses Khorenatsi, the Vahevunis were ranked in the Gahnamak among the first noble houses of Armenian by King Valarshak. The princely house of Vahevunis traditionally held the title of the high priests (qrmapet) of Vahagn. They also possessed the temple town of Ashtishat in the gavarr of Vahevuniq (on the left bank of the Aratzani river in Taron. Most likely, in the pre-Christian Armenia, the Vahevunis also hereditarily held the rank of the Sparapet, i.e. the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armenian Army. The main known rulers from the Vahevuni family from c. 400–800.are: *Mani Vahevuni c. 445 *Gyut Vahevuni c. 445 *Barsegh Vahevuni c. 480 *Samvel Vahevuni c. 590 *Khosrov c. 595 *Thoros (Theodoros) c. 640 See also *List of regions of old Armenia This is a list of regions and or districts of ancient Armenia. A *Aghdznik *Aliovit * Amatunik * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milky Way (mythology)
There are many myths and legends about the origin of the Milky Way, the crowd of stars that makes a distinctive bright streak across the night sky. Mythology among cultures Armenian Ancient Armenian mythology called the Milky Way the "Straw Thief's Way". According to legend, the god Vahagn stole some straw from the Assyrian king Barsham and brought it to Armenia during a cold winter. When he fled across the heavens, he spilled some of the straw along the way. Similarly, in Assyrian Aramaic (Syriac language, Syriac), the Milky Way is called the ܫܒܝܠ ܬܒܢܐ ''shvil tivna'', meaning ''the way of straw,'' or ܐܘܪܚܐ ܕܓܢܒ̈ܐ ''urẖa d’gannave'', meaning ''the path of thieves''. Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australian peoples had a well-developed Australian Aboriginal astronomy, astronomy, with much of their Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology, mythology and Australian Aboriginal culture, cultural practices relating to the stars, planets and thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verethragna
Verethragna ( ae, 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬖𐬥𐬀 ') is an Indo-Iranian deity. The neuter noun ''verethragna'' is related to Avestan ''verethra'', 'obstacle' and ''verethragnan'', 'victorious'. Representing this concept is the divinity Verethragna, who is the hypostasis of "victory", and "as a giver of victory Verethragna plainly enjoyed the greatest popularity of old." In Zoroastrian Middle Persian, Verethragna became 𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭 Warahrām, from which Vahram, Vehram, Bahram, Behram and other variants derive. The word is cognate with the Vedic Sanskrit. The Vedic god Indra may correspond to Verethragna of the Zoroastrian Avesta as the Vedic vr̥tragʰná-, which is predominantly an epithet of Indra, corresponds to the noun verethragna-. The name and, to some extent, the deity was borrowed into Armenian Վահագն Vahagn and Վռամ ''Vṙam'', and has cognates in Buddhist Sogdian 𐫇𐫢𐫄𐫗 ''wšɣn w(i)šaɣn'', Manichaen Parthian 𐭅𐭓 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Movses Khorenatsi
Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late antique period and the author of the '' History of the Armenians.'' Movses's ''History of the Armenians'' was the first attempt at a universal history of Armenia and remains the only known general account of early Armenian history. It traces Armenian history from its origins to the fifth century, during which Movses claimed to have lived. His history had an enormous impact on Armenian historiography and was used and quoted extensively by later medieval Armenian authors. He is called the "father of Armenian history" () in Armenian, and is sometimes referred to as the "Armenian Herodotus." Movses's history is also valued for its unique material on the old oral traditions in Armenia before its conversion to Christianity. Movses identified hims ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishap
The Vishap (Վիշապ) is a dragon in Armenian mythology closely associated with water, similar to the Leviathan. It is usually depicted as a winged snake or with a combination of elements from different animals. Mount Ararat was the main home of the Vishap. The volcanic character of the Araratian peak and its earthquakes may have suggested its association with the Vishap. Sometimes with its children, the Vishap used to steal children or toddlers and put a small evil spirit of their own brood in their stead. According to ancient beliefs, the Vishap ascended to the sky or descended therefrom to earth, causing thunderous storms, whirlwinds, and absorption of the sun (causing an eclipse). The dragon was worshipped in a number of Eastern countries, symbolising the element of water, fertility and wealth, and later became a frightful symbol of power. According to ancient legends, the dragon fought Vahagn Vahagn or Vahakn ( hy, Վահագն), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh ( hy, Վ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agathangelos
Agathangelos (in xcl, Ագաթանգեղոս Agatʿangełos, in Greek "bearer of good news" or angel, 5th century AD ) is the pseudonym of the author of a life of the first apostle of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, who died about 332. He claims to be a secretary of Tiridates III, King of Armenia in the early 4th century, but the life was not written before the 5th century. It purports to exhibit the deeds and discourses of Gregory, and has reached us in Armenian, Greek, Georgian, Syriac, Ethiopic, Latin and Arabic. The text of this history has been considerably altered, but it has always been in high favor with the Armenians. Von Gutschmid maintains that the unknown author made use of a genuine life of St. Gregory, also of a history of his martyrdom and of that of Saint Rhipsime and her companions. Historical facts are intermingled in this life with legendary or uncertain additions, and the whole is woven into a certain unity by the narrator, who may have assumed his si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
