Jantirar (
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: ጃንጥራር) was a title of the
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
given to the ruler of
Amba Geshen
Amba Geshen is the name of a mountain in northern Ethiopia. It is in Ambassel, South Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, northwest of Dessie, at a latitude and a longitude of . Part of Ambassel woreda, Amba Geshen is one of the mountains of Ethio ...
.
Overview
Jantirar is borne historically by the head of the family holding the mountain fortress of
Ambassel in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
; similar to
Wagshum, the hereditary ruler of the province of
Wag, and unlike other aristocratic titles like ''meridazmach'' or ''ras''. While that artistocratic family is said to be one of the most noble in Ethiopian history, they never ruled any larger realm than their own district.
Menen Asfaw
Menen Asfaw (baptismal name: Walatta Giyorgis; 25 March 1889 – 15 February 1962) was Empress consort of the Ethiopian Empire. She was the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Family
Menen Asfaw was born in Ambassel, located in Wollo Province of ...
,
empress consort of
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
, was a daughter of Jantirar Asfaw.
The meaning of the title Jantirar makes it unique. The element ''Jan'' is the same as the ''Jan'' in ''Janhoye'' or "
Jan Amora
Jan Amora (Amharic: ጃን አሞራ ''jān āmōrā'', "Royal eagle") is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Gondar Zone, Jan Amora is bordered on the south by Misraq Belessa, on the southwest by Wegera, on t ...
", meaning "great" but often translated as "royal" and another word used to refer to the
Emperor of Ethiopia
The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...
. Also, both words after Jan have almost similar meaning in
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
. ''Hoye'' or ''hoyi'' can be roughly translated into "hear me, hear my call", while ''tirar'' is a form of ''Tira'', which means "call" or "calling".
However, the claim that 'they never ruled any larger realm than their own district' can be challenged in many fronts. For example, while the mother of
Yekuno Amlak
Yekuno Amlak ( Ge’ez: ይኩኖ አምላክ); throne name Tasfa Iyasus (ተስፋ ኢየሱስ; died 19 June 1285) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Solomonic dynasty, which lasted until 1974. He was a ruler from Bete Amhara (i ...
was from
Sagarat in the
Dessie Zuria, his father came from the highlands of Ambassel. All the local folk histories and some remnants of the
Kingdom of Aksum
The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in w ...
, even before the
Zagwe dynasty
The Zagwe dynasty ( Ge'ez: ዛጔ ሥርወ መንግሥት) was an Agaw medieval dynasty that ruled the northern parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, after the historical name of the Lasta province. Centered at Lalibela, it ruled large parts of the t ...
appears in history (around
Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq (Amharic: ሐይቅ ሐይቅ, ) is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region. The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake.
Lake Hayq is 6.7 km long and 6 km ...
of Ambassel with a church that was founded in the 8th century), suggest that Ambassel and the immediate surrounding Amhara regions were well prepared to produce a king and a legend as it suits its kingdom. It is arguable that their Jantirar can not be so without some connection of their being the origin of Yekuno Amlak.
References
History of Ethiopia
Titles of national or ethnic leadership
{{Ethiopia-hist-stub