The book containing 7 Armenian legends is the result of a study conducted by Louis A. Boettiger which have been selected from a larger mass of material. Of particular interest is the Legend of Haik or Hayk. In the account by Moses of Chorene, Hayk emigrated from Babylon to the region near Mount Ararat after Titanid Bel made himself king over all. Considering this occurred in circa 2500BC and that Hayk had an extended household of over 300, moving his hosehold a distance of 1,160km/720 miles is a significant undertaking. However, Titanid Bel did not like this snub and after refusing to return, sent an army to recapture or kill Hayk. The two armies, if Hayk’s force can be called an army, met on the shores of Lake Van. During the battle Hayk slew Bel with a nearly impossible shot using a long bow, sending the king's forces into disarray. Hayk named the site of the battle Hayots Dzor in current day Turkey. It is out of this victory that the nation of Armenia was born. Herein you will find the legends of: The Legend Of Haic, or Hayk, The Legend Of Ara And Semiramis, The Legend Of Vahakn, Legends Of Artasches And Artavasd, Legends Of The Conversion To Christianity, Legends Of Abgar, Thaddeus, And St. Bartholomew Legends Of Rhipsime And Gregory Also included is information on the localities of the legends, in particular - Ararat, Khor-Virap and Erzerum which has enable Boettiger to place each legend in the setting from which it originated. ============= TAGS: Armenia, folklore, legends, myths, Haic, Hayk, Ara And Semiramis, Vahakn, King, Artasches, Artavasd, Conversion To Christianity, Abgar, Thaddeus, St. Bartholomew, Rhipsime, Gregory, Titanid Bel, Lake Van, Mount Ararat, Moses of Chorene, Haykashen, Haykashen, Battle of Giants, Navasard, Julamerk, Dastakert, Gerezmank, martyr, Haykaberd, Haykashen, Taron

*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Armenia is considered to be one of the oldest cradles of civilization, with the area of historical Armenia roughly extending to the area stretching from the Euphrates River in the west, the region of Artsakh, parts of Caucasian Albania to the east, parts of the modern state of Georgia to the north, and its southern boundary abutting the northern tip of Mesopotamia. Armenia is a landlocked mountainous plateau which rises to an average of over 6,000 above sea level, and for this reason, the territory was commonly referred to as the Armenian Highlands. In these highlands, Armenian culture, as well as its language, started to develop. A rich cultural material, mythological and legendary tales, toponyms and names, as well as historical sources, serve as evidence that the Armenian Highlands have been inhabited by Armenians since the dawn of time. Like many other people all over the world, Armenian people also created their own mythology and heroes. The first pantheon of the Armenian pagan gods had gone through its formation parallel to the development of the Armenian people, as a consequence of the religious beliefs that the people bore. Before being the first kingdom to convert to and accept Christianity as its religion in the year of 301 AD, Armenians were pagan and believed in a multitude of gods and goddesses. These were attributed with many natural elements. The main sources that have conveyed the Armenian pagan myths and legends to the following generations are the Armenian historians of the 4-7th centuries, such as Agathangelos, Faustus the Byzantine, Movses Khorenatsi and Sebeos. Another prime source containing many clues which helps us grasp and comprehend these myths and legends is the Armenian national heroic epic Daredevils of Sassoun. Armenian Myths and Legends: The History of the Mythology and Folk Tales from Armenia looks at the stories that came from Armenia in ancient times, including their influences from other cultures. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Armenian mythology like never before.

Armenian mythology was strongly influenced by Zoroastrianism, with deities such as Aramazd, Mihr or Anahit, as well as Assyrian traditions, such as Barsamin, but there are fragmentary traces of native traditions, such as Hayk or Vahagn and Astghik. According to De Morgan there are signs which indicate that the Armenians were initially nature worshipers and that this faith in time was transformed to the worship of national gods, of which many were the equivalents of the gods in the Roman, Greek and Persian cultures. Georg Brandes described the Armenian gods in his book: "When Armenia accepted Christianity, it was not only the temples which were destroyed, but also the songs and poems about the old gods and heroes that the people sang. We have only rare segments of these songs and poems, segments which bear witness of a great spiritual wealth and the power of creation of this people and these alone are sufficient reason enough for recreating the temples of the old Armenian gods. These gods were neither the Asian heavenly demons nor the precious and the delicate Greek gods, but something that reflected the characteristics of the Armenian people which they have been polishing through the ages, namely ambitious, wise and good-hearted."

These folk-tales were told by simple people--vine-dressers, farm-laborers, millers--and were preserved by word of mouth, to be repeated for entertainment in the coffee-house, or at home during the long, hard winters. There are fables here, too, selected from the collections of medieval scholars and philosophers, while the expressive and often humorous proverbs show the ways of the world through shrewd Armenian eyes.