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Elements Of Pre-christian Religion In Armenia
Elements of Pre-Christian Religion in Today's Armenia
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During my visit to the Republic of Armenia in March through April 1998, I noticed the great extent of symbols and rituals dating back to Pre-Christian times that Armenian society has conserved. In many cases it is possible to follow particular religious features from pre-historic and ancient times to the modern era. I will focus on the earlier mentioned icons of paganism; the Tree of Life, eagles, dragons, the Sun and eternity symbols and comment briefly on the rituals of animal sacrifice, 'Beauty Motherhood Day' and 'Water Day'.
One of the peculiar silhouettes that add to the originality of Yerevan's skyline is one of the monuments at Victory Park on a hill overlooking downtown. What first appears to be an awkward concrete tower with a small metal crown, at a closer look bears close resemblance to the Tree of Life. In ancient Urartian art you often come across the image of sacred trees, Trees of Life, often flanked by two winged genies. The same theme is also common in Assyrian art, and a silver goblet of presumed Hittite origins, found in Georgia, depicts a procession of masked hierophants in attendance on a high priest enthroned between an enormous goblet-shaped vessel and a sacred tree.
Another ancient motif that has endured the Christianization of Armenia is the Dragon. Vishapner or serpents, mythological creatures that we in the West most often associate with the Far East, are also present in Armenian culture, but their role in modern society is more peripheral than in Far East, where they still are central motives. The location of rock inscriptions of dragons next to the sources of streams in Armenia, indicate their role in the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Armenian Highland. On a visit to Echmiadzin, the religious center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I was shown a priest's staff with the heads of two serpents or dragons. In Armenian carpet weaving there is a special category of carpets called Vishapagor (dragon carpets), which depict one or more serpents, or other times, just include parts of these creatures in their intricate patterns.
Except for the above mentioned examples, dragons are rare in Armenian art, architecture and heraldry. Eagles on the other hand are favorite themes. The Armenian national emblem, as well as various military and party emblems, and monuments have eagles depicted on them. Its origins in Armenia may be linked to the Urartian Eagle God, Artsibidini.
Perhaps the most common Pre-Christian symbol still in use today, is the round, whirling symbol of eternity. In Armenia it is found everywhere, in architecture; on doors, walls and on tombstones. It can also be found as part of various logotypes including the Dashnaktsutyun Party. Though it is said to mean eternity it also resembles the sun, and is probably connected to the ancient sun-worship, from which also the swastika and other sun-like symbols derive. Interestingly, the whirling symbol also bears some resemblance to cyclones or depictions of black holes in space. The earliest roots of round whirling sun-like symbols in the Armenian Highland are rock inscriptions from the Stone Age.
A visit to the Yerevan Historical Museum at Republic Square (former Lenin Square) reveals how the above named symbols have been present in the cultures of the Armenian Highland throughout history. Sun and eternity signs are inscribed on bronze work from the 10th to 8th century BC, swastikas on small iron squares from 13th to 11th century BC, most likely worn as medallions or clothing ornaments. The swastika is rare on later artifacts, but the sun and eternity symbols are found on ceramics from Dvin of the 10th to 13th century AD and on textiles from the 18th century AD.
A religious hymn from the 10th century AD, written by the well known Armenian ecclesiastical writer Gregory of Narek, begins with an ode to the sun.
O Sun of justice,
Blessed ray of light,
Archetypal radiance;
Ardently desired,
Exalted, impenetrable,
Powerful, infallible,
Joyfulness of good things,
Hope realized,
The 'Sun of Justice' is here an epithet for Jesus Christ, often used in Armenian ecclesiastical writing.
The sun is also a common feature in Armenian church architecture and sculpture. Likewise, the stone-crosses, that are found throughout historical Armenian lands, are often flanked by suns. Apparently the sun gave way to the cross as the most prominent symbol in Armenia's religion, but as we can see from the abundance of sun and eternity symbols in logotypes, architecture and virtually everywhere else where Armenians live, these symbols continue to be central themes in Armenian culture and art into present times. Interestingly enough, Armenians are traditionally buried with their head facing east, the direction of the rising sun.
Worship of the sun and light being the central theme in the religion of pre-historical Armenia it might even have given the land it's name. Sun in Armenian is aregak and arev, east is arevyelk and morning is ar'avot. Recent studies claim that the Indo-European (Aryan) homeland included the Armenian Highland, but these theories are still under debate.
Not to forget of course, Mount Ararat has the same root as the above mentioned words. Surely this prominent peak was as sacred to the ancient inhabitants of Ararat Valley, as Mount Fuji was (or is) to the Japanese. Its spiritual significance has most likely been adopted in the Old Testament's account of Noah's Ark. The spiritual importance of Mount Ararat has if anything grown in our century, as a result of the Genocide of Armenians in Turkey in 1915. Ararat's location in modern Turkey, but visible from Yerevan and the entire Ararat valley, the heartland of modern Armenia, has made the mountain an icon of remembrance for the genocide of Armenians under the Young Turk regime and Turkey's occupation of historical Armenian lands. The two peaks, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat are portrayed on Armenian bills of 10, 100, and 500 dram denominations, as well as being the centerpiece of the Republic's National emblem, where Noah's ark stranded upon the mountain is also included. In one of the cave shrines adjacent to the church at Geghard, a postcard of Mount Ararat was placed next to the Virgin Mary on the stone altar, when I visited this site.
At the same church, animals are still sacrificed. Sheep and poultry are sold outside the church for this very purpose. The uniqueness of the church is that it is built partly inside a cave, relief and ornaments are carved out of the rock. One of the central motives in the ornament is an eagle with a lamb in its claws, flanked by two lions. Jennifer Teasdale, an English teacher at the American University witnessed the sacrifice of a sheep at Geghard, and was served the meat from a sacrificed sheep by her Armenian hosts at another occasion. She shared the following account with me:
In March of 1997, I visited Geghard Church in the Kotayk region of Armenia. During my visit, I witnessed a sacrificial offering of a sheep. A family brought a live sheep to the church courtyard. One of the priests stood in front of a khachkar and said a prayer over the sheep. As he was praying, he made motions over the sheep with his right hand, in which he held a cross. After this was done, the family dragged the sheep to an area just outside the walls of the church courtyard. Here, there was a cement floor with a drain in it, poles which held up a tin roof, and a bar that was attached horizontally on the poles, and from which two metal hooks hung. A man was there, ready to receive the sheep. He first tied the sheep's legs together around the ankles. Then he knelt down on the sheep, and cut its throat. The sheep struggled a bit while it bled from the cut. The blood went down the drain. When the sheep had stopped struggling, the man cut off the feet first and then the head. He hung the sheep on one of the hooks and proceeded to skin the sheep. The meat was then cut up; presumably the man was a butcher or at least had an understanding of how to divide up the meat properly.
In an attempt to better understand the significance of this sacrifice, I will relate the following story that took place during the same year. The three-year-old niece of a friend had been very ill; her family went to church and promised that if the girl recovered, they would sacrifice a sheep on her next birthday. She did recover, and I was present at her fourth birthday party. At this party, we were served mutton; her grandmother told me that this meat was from a sheep that they had sacrificed. My friend then told me the entire story, and indicated that it was common for a family that has sacrificed an animal to take at least some of the meat home and prepare it for a special meal .
The French-Armenian magazine Nouvelles d'Armenie published pictures of a similar sacrifice, in honor of the release of Vahan Hovannisian, a member of the formerly outlawed Dashnaktsutyun party, from prison. The photographs, taken by Max Sivaslian, show a lamb being beheaded and Vahan Hovannissian having blood smeared on his forehead in the shape of a cross, being embraced by his friends.
The 7th of April Armenians celebrate 'Motherhood and Beauty Day,' a holiday dedicated to all women, but mothers especially. They are given flowers and twigs with fresh sprouts. This celebration, which coincides with the coming of spring might very well be a remnant of pagan fertility cults. Vardumyan, whom we have mentioned earlier, traces the celebration to the cult of Anahit. She cites manuscript #2496 at Matenadaran, the Armenian national archive for ancient manuscripts, which describes a vernal equinox festival to Anahit, held in April. In June, Armenia celebrates 'Water Day'. Vardumyan, links this tradition with Anahit and Astghik, who both were associated with water. On this occasion people roam the streets with cups and bowls full of water, which they poor on one another. Men and women of all ages take part in good spirits, but the children are naturally the most active participants.
Concluding Remarks
We have seen how pagan symbols such as the Tree of Life, dragons, eagles, and the Sun can be traced on architecture and on artifacts throughout the history of the Armenian people, how Mount Ararat continues to have great spiritual significance for the Armenian nation, how the practice of animal sacrifice has survived and how ancient rituals of fertility are preserved in the celebrations of 'Beauty and Motherhood Day' and 'Water Day'. The longevity of Pre-Christian traditions among the Armenians is much a consequence of their unique heritage as, what David Marshal Lang calls, a 'Cradle of Civilization,' and the location of their homeland at the crossroads between the ancient civilizations of Europe and Asia. Armenia's position gave her diverse influences during pre-historic and ancient times. Resistance to invaders in the Medieval Era encouraged the Armenians to conserve their cultural uniqueness in order to survive as a nation, and the isolation of this land-locked mountainous country in modern times helped to preserve ancient customs. As the bearer of Pre-Christian traditions whose equivalents have fallen into obscurity or have been purged in other parts of the world, Armenia is an intriguing window to the past.
Source1
Source2
During my visit to the Republic of Armenia in March through April 1998, I noticed the great extent of symbols and rituals dating back to Pre-Christian times that Armenian society has conserved. In many cases it is possible to follow particular religious features from pre-historic and ancient times to the modern era. I will focus on the earlier mentioned icons of paganism; the Tree of Life, eagles, dragons, the Sun and eternity symbols and comment briefly on the rituals of animal sacrifice, 'Beauty Motherhood Day' and 'Water Day'.
One of the peculiar silhouettes that add to the originality of Yerevan's skyline is one of the monuments at Victory Park on a hill overlooking downtown. What first appears to be an awkward concrete tower with a small metal crown, at a closer look bears close resemblance to the Tree of Life. In ancient Urartian art you often come across the image of sacred trees, Trees of Life, often flanked by two winged genies. The same theme is also common in Assyrian art, and a silver goblet of presumed Hittite origins, found in Georgia, depicts a procession of masked hierophants in attendance on a high priest enthroned between an enormous goblet-shaped vessel and a sacred tree.
Another ancient motif that has endured the Christianization of Armenia is the Dragon. Vishapner or serpents, mythological creatures that we in the West most often associate with the Far East, are also present in Armenian culture, but their role in modern society is more peripheral than in Far East, where they still are central motives. The location of rock inscriptions of dragons next to the sources of streams in Armenia, indicate their role in the animistic beliefs of the ancient inhabitants of the Armenian Highland. On a visit to Echmiadzin, the religious center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I was shown a priest's staff with the heads of two serpents or dragons. In Armenian carpet weaving there is a special category of carpets called Vishapagor (dragon carpets), which depict one or more serpents, or other times, just include parts of these creatures in their intricate patterns.
Except for the above mentioned examples, dragons are rare in Armenian art, architecture and heraldry. Eagles on the other hand are favorite themes. The Armenian national emblem, as well as various military and party emblems, and monuments have eagles depicted on them. Its origins in Armenia may be linked to the Urartian Eagle God, Artsibidini.
Perhaps the most common Pre-Christian symbol still in use today, is the round, whirling symbol of eternity. In Armenia it is found everywhere, in architecture; on doors, walls and on tombstones. It can also be found as part of various logotypes including the Dashnaktsutyun Party. Though it is said to mean eternity it also resembles the sun, and is probably connected to the ancient sun-worship, from which also the swastika and other sun-like symbols derive. Interestingly, the whirling symbol also bears some resemblance to cyclones or depictions of black holes in space. The earliest roots of round whirling sun-like symbols in the Armenian Highland are rock inscriptions from the Stone Age.
A visit to the Yerevan Historical Museum at Republic Square (former Lenin Square) reveals how the above named symbols have been present in the cultures of the Armenian Highland throughout history. Sun and eternity signs are inscribed on bronze work from the 10th to 8th century BC, swastikas on small iron squares from 13th to 11th century BC, most likely worn as medallions or clothing ornaments. The swastika is rare on later artifacts, but the sun and eternity symbols are found on ceramics from Dvin of the 10th to 13th century AD and on textiles from the 18th century AD.
A religious hymn from the 10th century AD, written by the well known Armenian ecclesiastical writer Gregory of Narek, begins with an ode to the sun.
O Sun of justice,
Blessed ray of light,
Archetypal radiance;
Ardently desired,
Exalted, impenetrable,
Powerful, infallible,
Joyfulness of good things,
Hope realized,
The 'Sun of Justice' is here an epithet for Jesus Christ, often used in Armenian ecclesiastical writing.
The sun is also a common feature in Armenian church architecture and sculpture. Likewise, the stone-crosses, that are found throughout historical Armenian lands, are often flanked by suns. Apparently the sun gave way to the cross as the most prominent symbol in Armenia's religion, but as we can see from the abundance of sun and eternity symbols in logotypes, architecture and virtually everywhere else where Armenians live, these symbols continue to be central themes in Armenian culture and art into present times. Interestingly enough, Armenians are traditionally buried with their head facing east, the direction of the rising sun.
Worship of the sun and light being the central theme in the religion of pre-historical Armenia it might even have given the land it's name. Sun in Armenian is aregak and arev, east is arevyelk and morning is ar'avot. Recent studies claim that the Indo-European (Aryan) homeland included the Armenian Highland, but these theories are still under debate.
Not to forget of course, Mount Ararat has the same root as the above mentioned words. Surely this prominent peak was as sacred to the ancient inhabitants of Ararat Valley, as Mount Fuji was (or is) to the Japanese. Its spiritual significance has most likely been adopted in the Old Testament's account of Noah's Ark. The spiritual importance of Mount Ararat has if anything grown in our century, as a result of the Genocide of Armenians in Turkey in 1915. Ararat's location in modern Turkey, but visible from Yerevan and the entire Ararat valley, the heartland of modern Armenia, has made the mountain an icon of remembrance for the genocide of Armenians under the Young Turk regime and Turkey's occupation of historical Armenian lands. The two peaks, Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat are portrayed on Armenian bills of 10, 100, and 500 dram denominations, as well as being the centerpiece of the Republic's National emblem, where Noah's ark stranded upon the mountain is also included. In one of the cave shrines adjacent to the church at Geghard, a postcard of Mount Ararat was placed next to the Virgin Mary on the stone altar, when I visited this site.
At the same church, animals are still sacrificed. Sheep and poultry are sold outside the church for this very purpose. The uniqueness of the church is that it is built partly inside a cave, relief and ornaments are carved out of the rock. One of the central motives in the ornament is an eagle with a lamb in its claws, flanked by two lions. Jennifer Teasdale, an English teacher at the American University witnessed the sacrifice of a sheep at Geghard, and was served the meat from a sacrificed sheep by her Armenian hosts at another occasion. She shared the following account with me:
In March of 1997, I visited Geghard Church in the Kotayk region of Armenia. During my visit, I witnessed a sacrificial offering of a sheep. A family brought a live sheep to the church courtyard. One of the priests stood in front of a khachkar and said a prayer over the sheep. As he was praying, he made motions over the sheep with his right hand, in which he held a cross. After this was done, the family dragged the sheep to an area just outside the walls of the church courtyard. Here, there was a cement floor with a drain in it, poles which held up a tin roof, and a bar that was attached horizontally on the poles, and from which two metal hooks hung. A man was there, ready to receive the sheep. He first tied the sheep's legs together around the ankles. Then he knelt down on the sheep, and cut its throat. The sheep struggled a bit while it bled from the cut. The blood went down the drain. When the sheep had stopped struggling, the man cut off the feet first and then the head. He hung the sheep on one of the hooks and proceeded to skin the sheep. The meat was then cut up; presumably the man was a butcher or at least had an understanding of how to divide up the meat properly.
In an attempt to better understand the significance of this sacrifice, I will relate the following story that took place during the same year. The three-year-old niece of a friend had been very ill; her family went to church and promised that if the girl recovered, they would sacrifice a sheep on her next birthday. She did recover, and I was present at her fourth birthday party. At this party, we were served mutton; her grandmother told me that this meat was from a sheep that they had sacrificed. My friend then told me the entire story, and indicated that it was common for a family that has sacrificed an animal to take at least some of the meat home and prepare it for a special meal .
The French-Armenian magazine Nouvelles d'Armenie published pictures of a similar sacrifice, in honor of the release of Vahan Hovannisian, a member of the formerly outlawed Dashnaktsutyun party, from prison. The photographs, taken by Max Sivaslian, show a lamb being beheaded and Vahan Hovannissian having blood smeared on his forehead in the shape of a cross, being embraced by his friends.
The 7th of April Armenians celebrate 'Motherhood and Beauty Day,' a holiday dedicated to all women, but mothers especially. They are given flowers and twigs with fresh sprouts. This celebration, which coincides with the coming of spring might very well be a remnant of pagan fertility cults. Vardumyan, whom we have mentioned earlier, traces the celebration to the cult of Anahit. She cites manuscript #2496 at Matenadaran, the Armenian national archive for ancient manuscripts, which describes a vernal equinox festival to Anahit, held in April. In June, Armenia celebrates 'Water Day'. Vardumyan, links this tradition with Anahit and Astghik, who both were associated with water. On this occasion people roam the streets with cups and bowls full of water, which they poor on one another. Men and women of all ages take part in good spirits, but the children are naturally the most active participants.
Concluding Remarks
We have seen how pagan symbols such as the Tree of Life, dragons, eagles, and the Sun can be traced on architecture and on artifacts throughout the history of the Armenian people, how Mount Ararat continues to have great spiritual significance for the Armenian nation, how the practice of animal sacrifice has survived and how ancient rituals of fertility are preserved in the celebrations of 'Beauty and Motherhood Day' and 'Water Day'. The longevity of Pre-Christian traditions among the Armenians is much a consequence of their unique heritage as, what David Marshal Lang calls, a 'Cradle of Civilization,' and the location of their homeland at the crossroads between the ancient civilizations of Europe and Asia. Armenia's position gave her diverse influences during pre-historic and ancient times. Resistance to invaders in the Medieval Era encouraged the Armenians to conserve their cultural uniqueness in order to survive as a nation, and the isolation of this land-locked mountainous country in modern times helped to preserve ancient customs. As the bearer of Pre-Christian traditions whose equivalents have fallen into obscurity or have been purged in other parts of the world, Armenia is an intriguing window to the past.
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