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 stor ...
of the
Georgians (Kartvelians) in
Georgian mythology, more specifically of the nation of
Kartli (
Caucasian Iberia).
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.Rayfiel ...
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
Kukheti ( ka, კუხეთი) was a historical region in eastern Georgia, founded by the Georgian ethnarch - Kukhos, son of Kartlos. Initially it was a part of Kartli. It borders with Hereti, Kakheti and Kartli. Later, on the basis of Kukhet ...
,
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,
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.
The ancestors of Kartlos
References
*
Rapp, Stephen H.
Stephen H. Rapp Jr is an American professor and scholar of history, with a focus and primary research investigating the Roman Empire, ancient Iran, Armenia and Georgia. He is a professor of history at Sam Houston State University.
Education and c ...
(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