Vahagn

Vahagn or Vahakn (Armenian: Վահագն), also known as Vahagn Vishapakagh (Վահագն Վիշապաքաղ, Vahagn the Dragon-reaper), is a warrior god in Armenian mythology.^[1] Scholars consider him to be either the thunder, or sun and fire god of the pre-Christian Armenian pantheon.^[2] He formed a triad with Aramazd and Anahit. Vahagn is etymologically derived from *Varhraγn, the Parthian name for the Indo-Iranian god Verethragna, although there are key differences between the two deities.^[3]

Vahagn was worshipped at a tripartite temple complex together with his bride Astghik and the goddess Anahit in the district of Taron.^[4]^[5] After Armenia came under Hellenistic influence in antiquity, Vahagn was identified with the Greek deity Heracles, but also rarely with Apollo.^[1] The priests of Vahévahian temple, who claimed Vahagn as their own ancestor, placed a statue of the Greek hero in their sanctuary. In the Armenian translation of the Bible, "Heracles, worshipped at Tyr" is renamed "Vahagn".

Historian Movses Khorenatsi's report of an ancient song gives a clue to his nature and origin:^[6]

Original Classical Armenian

Երկնէր երկին, երկնէր երկիր,
երկնէր և ծովն ծիրանի.
երկն ի ծովուն ունէր և
զկարմրիկն եղեգնիկ.
ընդ եղեգան փող ծուխ ելանէր,
ընդ եղեգան փող բոց ելանէր.
և ի բոցոյն վազէր
խարտեաշ պատանեկիկ.
նա հուր հեր ունէր,
… բոց ունէր մօրուս,
և աչկունքն էին արեգակունք:

transliteration

Erknēr erkin, erknēr erkir,
erknēr ew covn cirani
erkn i covown ownēr ew
zkarmrikn ełegnikn.
ənd ełegan p‛oł cowx ełanēr,
ənd ełegan p‛oł boc‛ ełanēr,
ew i boc‛oyn vazēr
xarteaš patanekik.
na howr her ownēr,
… boc‛ ownēr mōrows,
ew ač‛kownk‛n ēin aregakownk‛.

translation

Heaven was in labor, earth was in labor,
the purple sea was also in labor;
in the sea labor pangs also held
the little red reed.
Along the reed-pipe smoke ascended,
Along the reed-pipe flame ascended.
And from the flame
a (red-headed) young boy jumped out.
He had (celestial) fire for hair,
and had flame for beard,
and his eyes were suns.

Other parts of the song, now lost, said that Vahagn fought and conquered vishaps, which are dragon-like creatures in Armenian mythology, hence his title Vishapakagh, "reaper of vishaps" or "dragon-reaper". The Vahagnian song was sung to the accompaniment of the lyre by the bards of Goghtn long after the conversion of Armenia to Christianity in the early fourth century.

The stalk or reed, key to the situation, is an important word in Indo-European mythology, in connection with fire in its three forms. Vahagn was linked to Verethragna, the hypostasis of victory in the texts of the Avesta; the name turned into Vahagn (Avestan "th" becoming "h" in Middle Persian), later on to take the form of Vahagn. See Վահագն for more on the origin of the name.

The name of the Armenian princely house of Vahevunis is believed to derive from Vahagn. The Vahevunis were ranked high in the Royal Register of Armenia, recorded by King. In pre-Christian Armenia, the Vahevunis hereditarily possessed the temple town of Ashtishat on the left bank of the Aratsani river and most likely also held the post of the Sparapet, i.e., the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armenian Army.

References

^ ^a ^b Petrosyan 2007, p. 6.
^ Petrosyan 2002, p. 36.
^ Petrosyan 2002, p. 35.
^ Petrosyan 2007, pp. 6–7.
^ Petrosyan 2018, p. 207.
^ Ivanov 2011, p. 8.

Bibliography

Petrosyan, Armen (2002). The Indo‑european and Ancient Near Eastern Sources of the Armenian Epic. Washington, D.C.: Institute for the Study of Man. ISBN 9780941694810.
Petrosyan, Armen (2007). "State Pantheon of Greater Armenia: Earliest Sources". Aramazd: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 2: 174–201. ISSN 1829-1376.
Petrosyan, Armen (2018). "From Armenian Demonology: the K'ajs". Journal of Indo-European Studies. 46: 206–218. ISSN 0092-2323.
Ivanov, Vyacheslav (2011). "A Probable Structure of a Protoform of the Ancient Armenian Song of Vahagn" (PDF). Aramazd: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 6: 7–23. ISSN 1829-1376.

Vahagn

References

Bibliography

Further reading

See also