Kartlos () is the

eponymous ancestor An origin myth is a myth that describes the origin of some feature of the natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the creation or cosmogonic myth, a story that describes the creation of the world. However, many cultures have sto ...

of the Georgians (Kartvelians) in

Georgian mythology Georgian mythology ( ka, ქართული მითოლოგია, tr) refers to the mythology of pre-Christian Georgians ( /kʌrtˈvɛliənz/; Georgian: ქართველები, romanized: kartvelebi, pronounced ʰɑrtʰvɛl ...

, more specifically of the nation of

Kartli Kartli ( ka, ქართლი ) is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari (Kura), on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role ...

(

Caucasian Iberia In Greco-Roman geography, Iberia (Ancient Greek: ''Iberia''; la, Hiberia) was an exonym for the Georgian kingdom of Kartli ( ka, ქართლი), known after its core province, which during Classical Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages ...

). Kartlos is introduced in the medieval Georgian Chronicles (''Kartlis Tskhovreba''), presumably recorded from oral tradition by

Leonti Mroveli Leonti Mroveli ( ka, ლეონტი მროველი) was the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, presumably an ecclesiastic. ''Mroveli'' is not his last name, but the adjective for the diocese of Ruisi, whose bishop he probably was. Rayfi ...

in the 11th century. The legend has it that he was a son of Targamos and, thus, brother of

Hayk Hayk ( hy, Հայկ, ), also known as Hayk Nahapet (, , ), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the '' History of Armenia'' attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi ...

, Movakos,

Lekos Lekos (Lek, Lekas, Lekan) - the legendary ancestor-eponym of "Lek" tribe of the North Caucasus. In Georgian sources, the fifth son (or offspring) of Togarmah. Ancient History According to Leonti Mroveli: "Gave to Lekan territories from the Sea of ...

, Heros, Kavkasos, and Egros from whom other

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

peoples took their origin. Kartlos united his people to become their chieftain and founded the city of Kartli. The oath by the grave of Kartlos was the most important and powerful in Kartli. The sons of Kartlos are listed as:

Mtskhetos Mtskhetos ( ka, მცხეთოსი), is an epic hero in Georgian mythology, the son of Kartlos, eponymous ancestor of the Georgians, founder of Mtskheta, the capital of the Georgian Kingdom of Iberia. According to The Georgian Chronicles, M ...

, Gardabos, Kakhos, Kukhos, Gachios, Uphlos, Odzrkhos, Javakhos, the respective eponymous founders of

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...

Gardabani Gardabani ( ka, გარდაბანი) is a city of 11,650 residents (2021) in the southern Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli and is the administrative centre of the Gardabani Municipality. It is located southeast of capital Tbilisi and from ...

Kakheti Kakheti ( ka, კახეთი ''K’akheti''; ) is a region (mkhare) formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eigh ...

, Kukheti,

Gachiani Gachiani ( ka, გაჩიანი) was a historical city and district in Lower Iberia/Kvemo Kartli in southeast Georgia. Its exact location and boundaries remain unclear. History The medieval tradition of Leonti Mroveli ascribes the foundati ...

Uplistsikhe Uplistsikhe ( ka, უფლისციხე ; literally, "the lord's fortress") is an ancient rock-hewn town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of the town of Gori, Shida Kartli. Built on a high rocky left bank of the Mtkvari River, it ...

Odzrkhe Odzrkhe or Odzrakhe ( ka, ოძრხე or ) was a historic fortified town and the surrounding area in what is now Abastumani, Adigeni Municipality in Samtskhe-Javakheti region, southern Georgia. History According to medieval Georgian histo ...

, and

Javakheti Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Tur ...

The ancestors of Kartlos

References

* Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 427. Peeters Bvba .

External links

TITUS text of the ''Kartlis Cxovreba''
{{Georgian mythology Georgian mythology Japheth Georgian words and phrases Legendary progenitors