300px, Portakar, ritual ceremony, Armenia, 19th century
Portakar or navel stones ( hy, պորտաքար) are traditional ritual stones in
Armenia. They are bound up with cult of the
fertility goddess, called in ancient Armenia, like the cult of the goddess
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 Ar ...
.
History
According to
Armenian mythology, women who wished to become pregnant must lean their stomach against the stone. Candle lighting was part of the cult. If a woman became pregnant she should come back and make a mark at the stone.
[В. Белый // Армения:Энциклопедия путешественника// Изд-во Армянской Советской энциклопедии; 1990 г. , 9785897000029]
References
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Stones
