Legends of Armenia / Mountains

Armenia is a country where you can hear some legends in every step you make. Legends of Armenia are innumerable, but in this article, we are going to present you the legends of Armenian mountains.

It is said that Armenian mountains were once giant and robust brothers. Every morning, after waking up they would first wear their belts and then greet each other. Time passed and the brothers got old and it was hard for them to wake up early in the morning. One day after waking up, they greeted each other, forgetting to put on their belts. God got angry when he saw this and decided to punish the brothers by turning them into mountains. Their belts turned into green fields, and their tears flowed forming crystal-clear springs.

The mountains are majestic natural monuments. Therefore, they tend to be the basis of many legends from different countries. Each country has its own vision of mountain legends. The legends of Armenia embody the national identity of the people, thereby giving the mountains a symbolic meaning. That is why many of these legends are based on real historical events and tell about people who really lived in these times.

Mount Ara

Mount Ara is named after Ara the Beautiful, the legendary king of Armenia. The story of Ara the Beautiful tells how the Assyrian queen Semiramis fell deeply in love with Ara. She wanted to unite Assyria and Armenia and rule these two kingdoms together with her beloved. However, all her efforts were in vain, as Ara was not interested in her. Semiramis’ heart was broken and she declared war on Armenia, hoping in this way to get Ara the Beautiful. The battle took place on the slopes of the mountain. To the horror of Semiramis, Ara was killed. Semiramis did not want to accept the fact that Ara was no longer alive and ordered to take his body to the top of the mountain, where the Aralezes, mythical dog-like creatures with healing powers, would lick his wounds and bring him back to life. This story is probably inspired by the shape of the mountain, which, if you look carefully, resembles the silhouette of a lying man.

Mount Azhdahak

The name of the mountain comes from the antagonist of a story, Azhdahak, the king of Media. In this legend, Azhdahak had a dream, in which he saw a woman on the mountain. This woman gave birth to three men: one was riding a lion, the other was riding a leopard, and the third was riding a dragon. The one on the dragon attacked Media. Azhdahak believed that this dream meant that Tigran, the king of Armenia, was planning an attack on the Median kingdom. The Median king decided to marry Tigran’s sister, Tigranuhi, as a way of attempting to thwart Tigran’s plans. However, it did not work as Tigranuhi saw through the plan of Azhdahak, and the war broke out. In the end, Tigran killed Azhdahak, liberated his sister, enslaved Azhdahak’s first wife, Anuysh, and let her live in Armenia, on the eastern slopes of Masis (Ararat).

Why are these stories associated with these two mountains? Both these legends feature powerful Armenian heroes, even though one of them dies. To Armenia, Ara stands for a beautiful hero who was so desired by someone that a war broke out, and Azhdahak reminds us of the Armenian victory. These legends are important to the Armenian people, as they give the mountains a national identity.

Masis and Aragats

Once Masis and Aragats were loving sisters. One day one of them says, “I am better and higher than you” and the other one says, “No, I am better, bigger and higher than you”. Mount Maratuk comes to pacify the sisters, but fails. She ends up cursing the sisters to separate and never meet again. Masis curses Aragats for a year of sorrow and tears. Aragats curses Masis as well, so that nobody in the world would ever climb its peak. Their curses come true, the tears of Aragats turn into lakes on its slopes, and Masis becomes an abandoned mountain. Despite the fact that according to legend Masis is an abandoned mountain, many people climbed to its top and will continue to do so.

Artos and Arnos Mountains

When the Noah’s Ark reaches the Mount Artos he bursts into tears. Thus, the mountain is called Artos (“shedding tears”).

Another legend about Artos mountain tells that when Noah’s Ark reaches Mount Korapash and wants to rest on it, the mountain bows leading the way to the mountain in front of it. After reaching the mountain, Noah says, “Ar Noahs” (take my soul). That is how the mountain got the name Arnos.

Mount Khustup

Khustup is considered a sacred mountain. No wonder people call Khustup a hermit. According to some researches on the origin of the name of the mountain, the root of the word “khutu” comes from the Hurrian language and means “prayer”. Since ancient times, this mountain has been a place of prayers and pilgrimage.

On the slopes of Mount Khustup, near the stream called Kozni, lie the relics of the Armenian commander Garegin Nzhdeh.

Mount Dizapayt

The legend has it that at the top of the mountain, on the place of the Kataro Monastery, the children of King Sanesan (the head of the nomadic Massagetae tribe) and many Christian people were killed in the 330s. Saint Grigoris, the grandson of St. Gregory the Illuminator and bishop of eastern lands of Armenia, headed the Armenian mission to convert the Massagetae tribesmen to Christianity, and he succeeded. King Sanesan reached the monastery and killed all the inhabitants of Katarovank, including his own children.

The corpses of the killed were collected in one heap, like pieces of wood, and then were burnt (from there comes the name of the mountain Dizapayt, which means “heap of wood”). Earlier, the Arabs called the mountain Ziarat, which means “a sacred place” in Arabic language.

Read also our article about the legends about lakes and waterfalls of Armenia.

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