Hayk
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| Timeline • Origins • Etymology |
Haik (Հայկ, also transliterated as Hayk or Haig) is the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation. His story is told in an epic, taken down from oral tradition by Moses of Khorene in the fifth century AD. In the epic, Haik is a chieftain of the Armens, an Armenian tribe, and leads them against the invading forces of Bel of Babylon. On August 11, 2492 BC, in a battle at Hayoc Dzor near Lake Van, Haik kills Bel, and calls on his kinsmen to unite into a single nation. He establishes the castle of Haykaberd at the battle site and the town of Haikashen in the Armenian province of Taron (modern-day Turkey). Haik was also the founder of the Haykazuni dynasty. Some other Armenian princely houses - Khorkhoruni, Bznuni, Syuni, Vahevuni, Manavazian, Arran etc. - trace their genealogy back to Haik.
Some historians think Haik was a real Armenic leader of the third millennium BC; others believe he is a purely mythical figure akin to the traditional founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Haik is also used in place of Orion, in the Armenian translation of the Bible [1]
The great Armenian historian from the 5th century, Movses Khorenatsi, who is known as the Armenian Herodotus, describes the arrival of Hayk and his people in Armenia as follows: “He built a village that came to be known as Haykashen (The Building of Hayk). In the middle of this plain and at the foot of the mountain which had a wide base there were already a people who lived there. These people submitted themselves to the rule of the new hero.”
Etymology
Additionally, it is possible that the name Haik is a precursor to the word for "Armenian" in the Armenian language ("Hye").
There are several theories regarding the origin of the name Haik. One of them suggests that Haik is derived from the ancient proto-Armenian nation of Hayasa mentioned in Hittite inscriptions. Others believe that the name Haik was the Armenian form of the Urartian supreme god Khaldi.
References
- P. Kretschmer. "Der nationale Name der Armenier Haik"
See also
External links
- The rulers and kings of the Haykazuni dynasty in Armenia
- Detailed analysis of the legend from A History of Armenia by Vahan M. Kurkjian
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