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Armenian Mythology by Mardiros H. Ananikiam
CHAPTER II
CHIEF DEITIES
STRABO, the celebrated Greek traveller of the first century of our era, in his notice of the Anahit worship at Erez (or Eriza), says that "both the Medes and the Armenians honour all things sacred to the Persians, but above everything Armenians honour Anahit."
An official (or priestly) reorganization of the national pantheon must have been attempted about the beginning of the Christian era. Agathangelos tells us plainly that King Khosrau, on his return from successful incursions into Sassanian lands, " commanded to seek the seven great altars of Armenia, and honoured (with all sorts of sacrifices and ritual pomp) the sanctuaries of his ancestors, the Arsacids." These sanctuaries were the principal temples of the seven chief deities wHose names are: Aramazd, Anahit, Tiur, Mihr, Baal-Shamin (pronounced by the Armenians Barshamina), Nane, and Astxik. It is possible that these gods and god desses were all patrons (genii) of the seven planets. 1 If so, then Aramazd was probably the lord of Jupiter, Tiur corresponded to Mercury, Baal-Shamin or Mihr to the sun, Astxik to Venus, now called Arusyak, " the little bride." The moon may have been adjudged to Anahit or Nane. 2 To these seven state deities, was soon added the worship of the very popular Vahagn, as the eighth, but he was in reality a native rival of Baal-Shamin and Mihr. We may add that there was a widely spread worship of the sun, moon, and stars as such, and perhaps a certain recognition of Spentaramet and Zatik.
Armenia enjoyed also its full share of nature worship expressed in veneration for mountains, rivers, springs, trees, etc.
Of the main deities Aramazd was the most powerful and Anahit the most popular j with Vahagn they formed a triad. This pre-eminence of the three gods forced the rest of the pantheon into the less enviable position of secondary deities.
We know very little of the cultus of ancient Armenia, but we may perhaps say in general that it was not as much of a mixture as the pantheon.
We have two Armenian words for "temple," Mehyan, probably derived from Mithra-Mihr, and Tajar, which also meant a dining-hall. The plural of Eagln y "altar," also meant " temple " or " temples." Temples contained large treasures, and exercised hospitality towards all comers.
Agathangelos 3 describes the sacrifices of Chosroes after his return from victorious incursions in these words:
He commanded to seek the seven great altars of Armenia, and he honoured the sanctuaries of his ancestors, the Arsacids, with white bullocks, white rams, white horses and mules, with gold and silver ornaments and gold embroidered and fringed silken coverings, with golden wreaths, silver sacrificial basins, desirable vases set with precious stones, splendid garments, and beautiful ornaments. Also he gave a fifth of his booty and great presents to the priests.
In Bayazid (the ancient Bagravand) an old Armenian relief was found with an altar upon which a strange animal stands, and on each side a man clothed in a long tunic. One is beardless, and carries a heavy club. The other has a beard, Their head-gear, Phrygian in character, differs in detail. Both have their hands raised in the attitude of worship. 4
PLATE II: Relief found in Bayarid. A priestess (?) and a priest with the Phrygian hood, in the act of worship and of offering a lamb as a sacrifice. The tail of the animal indicates a variety now extinct. The figure of the deity seems to have disappeared. From Alishan's Ancient Faith of Armenia.
Probably the word for sacrifice was pand (Lithu. sventa, Persian penta "holy," "to pour a libation "); the place of sacrifice was called Spandaran the place of holy things" and the priestly family that exercised supervision over the sacrificial rites was known as the Spandunis. They held a high rank among the Armenian nobility. 5 Even to-day Spandanotz means " a slaughterhouse " and Spananel, "to slay." No other Armenian word has come down to us in the sense of " priest," seeing that Kurm is of Syriac or Asianic origin. Besides the Spandunis there were also the Vahunis attached to the temples of Vahagn, probably as priests. The Vahunis also were among the noble families.
The priesthood was held in such high esteem that Armenian kings often set up one or more of their sons as priests in cele brated temples. The burial place for priests of importance seems to have been Bagavan ("the town of the gods"). Whatever learning the country could boast was mainly in the possession of the sacerdotal classes.
NOTES
1. Exishe (5th cent.), speaking of the Sassanian Mihr, reports that the Persians considered him as the helper of " the seven gods," which means Auramazda with the six Amesha Spentas. Dolens and Khatch (pp. 201203) maintain this view, and also aptly point to the Phoenician pantheon with seven Cabirs, and Eshmun the eighth. Even in India Aditi had seven, then with the addition of the sun, eight children.
2. Farther west, especially in Persianized Lydia, Anahita was represented with a crescent on her head.
3. Agathangelos, p. 34.
4. See detailed description in Sandalgian's Histoire documentaire, p. 794.
5. A thorough comparative study of the Armenian church rites is still a desideratum. When we have eliminated what is Byzantine or Syrian, we may safely assume that the rest is native and may have preserved bits of the pagan worship. Among these rites may be mentioned the abjuration of the devil in Lent, the Easter celebrations, the Transfiguration roses and rose-water, the blessing of the grapes at the Assumption of the Virgin, the blessing of the four corners of the earth, etc.