It play moreover which he did battle with brand new dragons, and you may overcame her or him; and many declare that his valiant deeds was basically such as for example unto Hercules
Their most ancient metropolises, Van, Armavir, was basically foundations away from Vannic leaders, while you are has just it has been unveiled that the town of Hajk, the southern area of out-of Van, reveals a few of the common popular features of an effective Khaldean payment. But their ultimate jesus for the pre-Religious era wasn’t Khaldis, however the Persian Ormuzd, and this shows that brand new Persians worked out an even greater dictate.
How upcoming you can expect to Semiramis ever before attended to help you Van inside quest from an enthusiastic Armenian queen, because it seems that the latest Scythians had already beaten Assyria prior to the good influx away from Armenian hordes? Nor can it search your city of Van is built from the Assyrian king, to the inscriptions generate zero mention of the their identity. King Memas which, in the view of Lynch, developed brand new well-known canal, was a student in all the probability mcdougal of one’s garden urban area. The assumption, based on Lynch, just like the currently stated, is that this legend is the Armenian variety of the existing Hellenic myth regarding Aphrodite and Adonis, bought out in domination of your own Seleucid dynasty which implemented the conquest away from Alexander about 325 B.C.14
But this really is unrealistic. One to a misconception is absorbed by the a topic some one additionally the letters rechristened is easy to know, but that name of just one ones is used on the ancient area is quite not very likely to put it mildly. Also, this new legend was sampling rather highly that have Persian voluptuousness, which is not at all effective out of Greek delicacy and you can subtlety. Nor is that the horde took over the nation after the destruction from Assyria in any way conclusive, to own if the there were any absorption whatsoever, since there have to definitely was indeed, the new Khaldean society and you will background was to you to definitely the amount the true fingers of your Armenians. Even intermarriage do maybe getting way too many, for just what Irishman that has been in the united states two months will not talk about Benjamin Franklin and you will George Washington as the their forefathers? It’s are noted along with one to to this day the brand new tunnel talked about is named “Shamiram-Su” otherwise lake regarding Semiramis, of the all Armenians.fifteen In general it appears to be if you ask me definitive, thus, that the legend of Semiramis and you may Ara has its own sources when you look at the Armenian background, that’s not at all a version of the fresh Hellenic myth.
Part cuatro. The fresh new Legend off Vahakn
New legend regarding Vahakn, queen and goodness away from Armenians, is very certainly attributable to the fresh new flirtwith Promo-codes Greek several months, and that observed the brand new Persian conquest around Xerxes. Vahakn are deified because of his great valor and made the new fire-jesus of the Armenian someone.sixteen He had been entitled “Vishapakagh,” uprooter off dragons, because he cleared Armenia regarding monsters and you will stored they away from worst influences. Their exploits was known in the house of one’s gods since the really as with Armenia. Typically the most popular ones are this new theft out of corn of brand new barns from King Barsham from Assyria, out of which he ran aside and you will made an effort to cover-up during the eden. By the ears he dropped in his quick journey, there emerged the new Milky Method to create in Armenian the new “tabs on this new corn stealer.”17
With the own ears performed i hear these types of conditions sung to the musical accompaniment of harp. Others point out that he was a god, and this a picture of your stood regarding the property of Georgia, in which it was worshipped, with sacrifices.19
The fresh new wife from Vahakn are Astghik, the fresh deity out-of charm, an excellent personification of your moon, comparable to new Phoenician and Sidonian Astarte. This is exactly effective regarding Greek determine, to possess Venus, brand new Greek goddess away from charm, was also the new wife from a flame-god, Vulcan.20