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37 chapters
Preface
Preface
The author of the study which follows responded to the lure of his task for both theoretical and practical reasons. He seemed, because of his intimate personal relationship to Armenian life, to be peculiarly qualified to study and interpret a cross-section of that country’s life. It is particularly urgent that we as Americans have authentic studies of Armenia and Armenian social life. Heretofore there has been a striking lack of such materials readily accessible in English. Because of the not in
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Introduction
Introduction
Armenia is a huge plateau, a westward extension of the great Iranian highland, bounded by the Caucasus Mountains on the north, the Taurus Mountains and Kurdistan on the south, the Persian lowlands on the southeast, and the Black and Caspian seas. The average height of the plateau is 6,000 feet. As it ends abruptly at the Black Sea on one side, so on the other it breaks down in rugged terraces to the Mesopotamian lowlands; on the east it sinks gradually to the lower levels of Persia, and on the w
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Chapter I The Geography of Armenia
Chapter I The Geography of Armenia
1 Detailed descriptions of geography and geology may be found in Lynch, Armenia ; St. Martin, Mémoire sur l’Arménie , 2. Summary descriptions may be found in the New Schaff Herzog and Britannica encyclopedias. 2 Robert Curzon, Armenia . 3 Dubois de Montpèreux, Voyages 3:400. 4 There is a belief that the toneer is sacred. “Nur der alte T’onir, der offen Backofen, der von den Iraniern entlehnt ist und am fünften Jahrhundert schon gebraucht wird, gilt überall in Armenien als heilig.” Abeghian, Der
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Section 1. The Legend of Haic
Section 1. The Legend of Haic
Dating back to the Assyrian invasion which took place during the seventh and eighth centuries before Christ, one of the oldest of Armenian legends, that of Semiramis, queen of Assyria, and Ara, king of Armenia, is told. 5 Ara was very beautiful, and Semiramis having heard speech of his beauty for many years, wished to possess him. But she dared do nothing for fear of Ninus, protector over Armenia. After the death of Ninus, however, the queen sent messengers to Ara, with gifts and offerings, with
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Section 2. The Legend of Ara and Semiramis
Section 2. The Legend of Ara and Semiramis
Moses’ history was read by St. Martin who became exceedingly interested in Van, and in the cuneiform inscriptions spoken of. It was due to him that the French government dispatched a mission to Armenia in 1827, under the direction of a young German Professor, Friedrich Edward Schulz. Schulz was murdered by the Kurds, a thing which rarely happens in Armenia, and his work was left incomplete. He had succeeded, however, in making copies of forty-two inscriptions, which were published in 1840, and p
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Section 3. Historical Background of the Legend of Ara and Semiramis
Section 3. Historical Background of the Legend of Ara and Semiramis
The legend of Vahakn, king and god of Armenians, is very clearly attributable to the Greek period, which followed the Persian conquest under Xerxes. Vahakn was deified because of his great valor and made the fire-god of the Armenian people. 16 He was called “Vishapakagh,” uprooter of dragons, since he cleared Armenia of monsters and saved it from evil influences. His exploits were known in the abode of the gods as well as in Armenia. The most famous of them was the theft of corn from the barns o
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Section 4. The Legend of Vahakn
Section 4. The Legend of Vahakn
With our own ears did we hear these words sung to the accompaniment of the harp. They sing moreover that he did fight with the dragons, and overcame them; and some say that his valiant deeds were like unto Hercules. Others declare that he was a god, and that a great image of him stood in the land of Georgia, where it was worshipped, with sacrifices. 19 The wife of Vahakn was Astghik, the goddess of beauty, a personification of the moon, corresponding to the Phoenician and Sidonian Astarte. This
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Section 5. The Historic Background of the Legend of Vahakn
Section 5. The Historic Background of the Legend of Vahakn
The continuity of the period of the Armenian Arsacidae makes it the time when the process of national solidification and unification was carried out to the point that made Armenia a nation, and beyond this point. Raffi asserts that the introduction of Greek culture during the Arsacid dynasty not only changed the religion of Armenians, but also so affected their language and customs that they became different from the Persians, which is proof that a process of social readjustment was going on. 28
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Section 6. The Period of National Integration
Section 6. The Period of National Integration
The third and last argument in support of the social and national importance of the period of the Arsacid kings is in respect to the alphabet which was compiled by St. Mesrob Maschtotz. St. Mesrob was a former secretary of the king, and desired to extirpate the last remnants of paganism in the province of Akoulis, but in the absence of an alphabet he was unable to carry out any scheme of propaganda. He therefore besought the king, Vramschapouh, to put an end to this state of things and the latte
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Section 7. Legends of Artasches and Artavasd
Section 7. Legends of Artasches and Artavasd
As he bore her swiftly back to his camp.” Which being interpreted meaneth that he was commanded to give much gold, leather, and crimson dye in exchange for the maiden. So also they sing of the wedding: “It rained showers of gold when Artasches became a bridegroom, It rained pearls when Satenik became a bride.” For it was the custom of our kings to scatter coins amongst the people when they arrived at the doors of the temple for their wedding, as also for the queens to scatter pearls in their bri
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Section 8. Conclusions
Section 8. Conclusions
1 Mar Apas Catina. Langlois’ Collection des Histoires de l’Arménie 1:16. 2 St. Martin, Mémoire sur l’Arménie 1:281. 3 Mar Apas Catina. Langlois 1:15–18. Moses of Khorene. Langlois 3:63–64. 4 St. Martin 1:306. 5 Ibid. 1:282–3. Moses of Khorene 2:67–69. Mar Apas Catina 1:26–27. The first Arsacidae king of Armenia, Valarsace, whose reign began in 149 B.C. found the kingdom in general disorder and was the first to organize the country along national lines. As a Parthian he was unacquainted with the
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Section 1. Pre-Christian Mythology and Religion
Section 1. Pre-Christian Mythology and Religion
The second and third daughters of Aramazd were Astghik, the goddess of beauty, and Nane, or Noone, the goddess of contrivance. 12 The former was the wife of Vahakn, the mythical king-god, the legend in respect to whom has been told, and corresponded to the Phoenician and Sidonian Astarte. It is stated by Raffi that the goddess of contrivance was a necessary power to womankind, for then as now woman had to make big things out of small. Sandaramet, the wife of Aramazd, was an invisible goddess and
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Section 2. Legends of Abgar, Thaddeus, and St. Bartholomew
Section 2. Legends of Abgar, Thaddeus, and St. Bartholomew
The tradition of the Armenian church, or the Gregorian church, as it is more commonly called, acknowledges St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew as the original founders, who are therefore designated as the first illuminators of Armenia. 19 Concerning the recognition of the tradition of St. Bartholomew, which includes his apostolic journeys, his preaching, and his martyrdom in Armenia, all Christian churches are unanimous. The name Albanus given as the place of his martyrdom, is the same as the name
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Section 3. Legends of Rhipsime and Gregory
Section 3. Legends of Rhipsime and Gregory
Such are the legends of Gregory and of Tiridates’ conversion to Christianity. In all justice, the highly imaginative material which was probably the work of an enthusiast, and in all certainty a surreptitious insertion in the work of the historian, should be distinguished from the less fanciful material concerning the imprisonment of Gregory and the martyrdom of the virgins, which though legendary, may probably be connected with the events of history. Although Dubois de Montpèreux recognizes tha
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Section 4. The Armenian Church as a Social Force
Section 4. The Armenian Church as a Social Force
I shall consider the second point first. As already stated, the year 428 marked the end of the Armenian Arsacid dynasty. The nation was divided between Persia and Rome at this time, largely as a result of internal dissensions. In the year 450 the Persian king sent a letter to the Armenian princes, setting forth the excellence of fire-worship and the foolishness of Christianity, and summoned the Armenians to accept the Persian religion. 42 A council of bishops and laymen was held and a reply of u
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Section 1. Ararat
Section 1. Ararat
The legend of the monk is usually given in a form which confirms still more the sacredness of the mountain. St. Jacob, as the monk was named, tried three successive times to climb the mountain. Each time he fell asleep intending to resume his journey the next morning, only to wake up finding himself at the same point he had started from the preceding day. An angel came to him after the third time, and told him that God had forbidden mortal foot ever to tread on the sacred summit, but that he sho
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Section 2. Khor-Virap and Erzerum
Section 2. Khor-Virap and Erzerum
1 Genesis 8:4. 2 James Bryce, Transcaucasia and Ararat p. 210. St. Martin 1:264. 3 St. Martin 1:267–68. 4 Tavernier, Voyages 1:43. 5 Bryce, Transcaucasia and Ararat , chapter on Ararat. 6 Dubois 3:465. 7 Arghuri means “ Il sema la vigne .” St. Martin pp. 266, 267. 8 Dubois 3:465–68. 9 Bryce, chapter on Ararat. 10 Dubois 3:468. 11 Countess Evelyn Martinengo Cesaresco, chapter on Armenian folk-songs. Fraser’s Magazine (n.s.) 13:283–97. 12 Fraser’s Magazine (n.s.) 13:283–97. 6 Dubois 3:465. 7 Arghu
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Chapter V Interpretation and Conclusions
Chapter V Interpretation and Conclusions
That the national self is organic, i.e., that it is functional, a vital, living thing which grows and dies is clearly brought out by the second group of legends considered. This is the second general conclusion. The legends and traditions mentioned in this group are of course again part of a larger body, all of which have to do with the introduction of Christianity into the country. The important point is that from this larger body of beliefs there resulted a new national sentiment, new because
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Chapter I The Gregorian Church
Chapter I The Gregorian Church
The bishops are chosen as chiefs of dioceses by the council of the diocese, six sevenths of whose members are laymen, the remainder being ecclesiastics. 10 The patriarchs, including the Katholikos, the supreme authority of the church whose seat is at Etchmiadzin, the religious center of the nation, are chosen by an electoral assembly of the religious heads (bishops or archbishops) and lay deputies who are nominated by the dioceses as a whole. 11 The eight members of the synod, which is an adviso
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Section 1. Vartavar and the Festival of Mihr
Section 1. Vartavar and the Festival of Mihr
The festival in commemoration of the dead is celebrated on the first day after Easter, and may be regarded as a reaction against the lenten fasts. Families of Armenians, loaded with picnic baskets, packages of food, and bottles of wine, flock to their cemeteries in great numbers. Priests are paid small fees for standing over the graves of the dead to chant prayers for the salvation of the departed souls. Over the graves of the recently dead stand the bereaved relatives of the deceased, lamenting
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Section 2. The Day of the Dead and Vartan’s Day
Section 2. The Day of the Dead and Vartan’s Day
There is yet another festival of this group, which, however, is not to be traced to paganism, and it would be a mistake to suppose that the church is connected with it in the same way and to the same extent as it is with the first three festivals considered. The festival is called Vartan’s Day, and although the church sanctions the festival and sets apart a day for the celebration, it comes about as near being apart from the church as any single festival. Vartan was the general of the Armenian a
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Section 3. Fortune-Telling Day
Section 3. Fortune-Telling Day
Long and lone this night to me Passing slow and wearily; Passing full of sighs and tears— Love, what doth it bring to thee? Eden’s smile my vineyard wore, Flowers bloomed, a goodly store; Handsome youth and ugly maid— This was never seen before! 19 Thus each one carries its bit of prophesy, daintily and prettily expressed, which when sung at the foot of some mountain, in the bright eastern sunlight of the morning, while a little child is holding tokens beside a bowl surrounded by the group of be
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Section 1. Christmas, Easter, and New Year
Section 1. Christmas, Easter, and New Year
There is thus considerable similarity between Easter and the Christmas festivities, which is probably due to more or less sameness in the church ceremonies. These ceremonies, always well attended, are made attractive to the people by beautiful displays of flowers, vested choir boys, the charm of whose singing can only be understood by those who have heard them; also by special singing, not by the congregation, but by those who can sing, and with such enticing little additions as the Lighting of
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Section 2. Special Church Ceremonies
Section 2. Special Church Ceremonies
Some of the prayers that are repeated and the texts that are read during this ceremony are well worth noting, for they illustrate the candid interest of all participating. After the reading of the texts, the deacon repeats the following proclamation: “Let us pray unto God who loveth mankind and hath given for hope and refuge his victorious holy cross, which is armor invincible against the inworkings of Satan, to the end that whatsoever it touches, this water and all creatures. He shall through t
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Section 1. Baptism
Section 1. Baptism
It is the popular belief among Armenians that the practice of early marriages dates from the proclamation of a Persian shah of the sixteenth century, to whom part of Armenia was tributary. 6 This edict was intended to wipe out Christianity, and provided for the marriage of Armenian boys and girls with Persian children. In order to evade the edict, the Armenian parents ran secretly from house to house for several nights marrying off their children to each other. The custom on the part of the pare
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Section 2. Betrothal
Section 2. Betrothal
Elaborate and gay as are the festivities of betrothal, the celebrations of marriage are so much more so that one is inclined to look upon the essential religious ceremony as a pretext for the merry-making. 9 The interval of a month which ordinarily intervenes between engagement and marriage is devoted to making the necessary preparations for the wedding. The bridegroom must get ready the promised ornaments, a white wedding-dress for his bride, a fine veil to cover her face, and a pair of shoes,
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Section 3. Marriage
Section 3. Marriage
The funerals, as one would naturally suppose, are more ceremonious, more ritualistic, and although there is now generally a minimum of festivity connected with them, this has not always been so. 16 When the condition of a sick person is beyond hope, the priest is notified and the person is given confession, communion, and extreme unction. After death the eyes and mouth are closed, the body washed and dressed up in the newest and cleanest clothes to be had, and the arms crossed on the breast. 17
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Section 4. Funeral
Section 4. Funeral
Baptism and funeral rites come nearest being pure ceremonies. But even the baptismal rite has its procession to and from the church participated in by all the friends and relatives of the family, and though the event is an occasion neither for rejoicing nor for sorrow, it is important enough, occurring as it does but once in the lifetime of each individual. There are, to be sure, the social calls that follow the ceremony. But the event can not be said to have any attraction for the young; and if
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Conclusions
Conclusions
The characteristic familism reveals itself not only in the customs of family life, but also in the very nature of the Armenian. In Russian Armenia there is a very active propaganda carried on by Russian girls to secure Armenian husbands because of the domesticity of the latter, which is in striking contrast to the adventurous unfaithfulness of the Russian husband, whose house becomes his prison, from which he therefore flees, leaving his wife and children to shift for themselves. The discontente
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Bibliography
Bibliography
Blackwell, Alice, S. Preface to Seklemian’s tales. New York. 1898. Boyadjian, Z. C. Armenian legends and poems. London. 1916. Brightman, F. E. Liturgies eastern and western. Oxford. 1896. Bryce, J. Transcaucasia and Ararat. London. 1896. Chikhachev, P. A. Reisen in Kleinasien und Armenien. Gotha. 1867. Clark, W. Armenian history. New Englander 22:507, 672. Conybeare, F. C. Armenian church. Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed. —— Armenian language and literature. Ibid. —— Key of truth. Oxford. 1898.
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Studies in the Social Sciences
Studies in the Social Sciences
6. Albert Ernest Jenks , Indian-White Amalgamation: An Anthropometric Study. 1916. $0.50. 7. C. D. Allin , A History of the Tariff Relations of the Australian Colonies. 1918. $0.75. 8. Frances H. Relf , The Petition of Right. 1917. $0.75. 9. Gilbert L. Wilson , Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: An Indian Interpretation. 1917. $0.75. 10. Notestein and Relf , Editors , Commons Debates for 1629. In press. 11. Raymond A. Kent , A Study of State Aid to Public Schools in Minnesota. 1918. $1.00. 12.
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Studies in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Studies in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics
1. George Alfred Maney , Secondary Stresses and Other Problems in Rigid Frames: A New Method of Solution. 1915. $0.25. 2. Charles Franklin Shoop , An Investigation of the Concrete Road-Making Properties of Minnesota Stone and Gravel. 1915. $0.25. 3. Franklin R. McMillan , Shrinkage and Time Effects in Reinforced Concrete. 1915. $0.25....
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Studies in Engineering
Studies in Engineering
1. Herbert G. Lampson , A Study on the Spread of Tuberculosis in Families. 1913. $0.50. 2. Julius V. Hofmann , The Importance of Seed Characteristics in the Natural Reproduction of Coniferous Forests. 1918. $0.25. 3. William Moore and A. D. Hirschfelder , An Investigation of the Louse Problem. 1919. $0.50....
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Studies in the Biological Sciences
Studies in the Biological Sciences
1. Esther L. Swenson , An Inquiry into the Composition and Structure of Ludus Coventriae : Hardin Craig , Note on the Home of Ludus Coventriae . 1914. $0.50. 2. Elmer Edgar Stoll , Othello : An Historical and Comparative Study. 1915. $0.50. 3. Colbert Searles , Les Sentiments de l’Académie Française sur le Cid : Edition of the Text, with an Introduction. 1916. $1.00. 4. Paul Edward Kretzmann , The Liturgical Element in the Earliest Forms of the Medieval Drama. 1916. $1.00. 5. Arthur Jerrold Tiej
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Studies in Language and Literature
Studies in Language and Literature
6. Marie C. Lyle , The Original Identity of the York and Towneley Cycles. 1919. $0.75. 7. Elmer Edgar Stoll , Hamlet : An Historical and Comparative Study. 1919. $1.00. 8. Martin B. Ruud , An Essay toward a History of Shakespeare in Denmark. In press. 1. William Anderson , The Work of Public Service Commissions. 1913. $0.15. 2. Benjamin F. Pittenger , Rural Teachers’ Training Departments in Minnesota High Schools. 1914. $0.15. 3. Gerhard A. Gesell , Minnesota Public Utility Rates. 1914. $0.25. 4
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Current Problems
Current Problems
6. Joseph B. Pike , Bulletin for Teachers of Latin. 1915. $0.25. 7. August C. Krey , Bulletin for Teachers of History. 1915. $0.25. 8. Carl Schlenker , Bulletin for Teachers of German. 1916. $0.25. 9. William Watts Folwell , Economic Addresses. 1918. $0.50. 10. Margaret Kent Beard , The Relation between Dependency and Retardation: A Study of 1,351 Public School Children Known to the Minneapolis Associated Charities. 1919. $0.25. 11. Thomas S. Roberts , A Review of the Ornithology of Minnesota. 1
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Corrections
Corrections
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