A Glimpse Into Armenian Epics And Mythical Heroes
Movses of Khorene, who also managed to preserve some of the heroic songs in their original form, left behind some records and summaries of the epics, most of which can be found in his History from the fifth century A.D. The lives of historical and mythical Armenian figures who are credited with the creation and advancement of the Armenian nation are described in these epics.
These epics are closely related to the pre-Christian religious practices of “Armenian Paganism.”
Parik and Hushka Parik
Each woman was supposed to have a guardian nymph. While some people thought the nymphs were immortal and endowed with eternal youth, others thought they were mortals despite never growing older. Other male spirits were divided into two groups: those who thought they were mortal and those who thought they were immortal. They strolled through open areas like gardens, fields, and others together. They were depicted as being very tall, with features resembling those of men; some of them were half-man and half-animal. Others were referred to as “dancers to a melody in a minor key,” or “Hushka Parik,” while some were simply called “dancers,” or “Parik.”
Some places still hold the belief in these nymphs (or fairies) today. There are numerous legends describing their beauty, amazing dancing, and wonderful music. The people of the country never refer to them as “nymphs,” but rather as “our betters.” However, in some areas of Armenia, a festival is held twice a year in their honor, usually in May and October by the female users of the public baths. They gather in the early morning and stay until late at night while dancing, eating, and taking baths.
Pre-Christian Armenia
Before they ever thought about constructing temples, the people used to worship their gods in forests and on mountains. One of these forests was the Forest of Sos. According to legend, Ara the Beautiful’s son Anushavan, who devoted his entire life to the worship of this sacred site, was given the name Sos after the forest. The priests received oracles from the rustling of the leaves in this sacred forest.
There were numerous temples in Armenia, but there were also numerous altars, shrines, images, and pictures all over the country.
In conclusion, Armenia’s pre-Christian religion evolved into polytheism over time from a type of nature worship. The two facets of the Armenian religion were indigenous and foreign.
Along with nature worship, the Armenians recognized both good and evil spirits, with the former having precedence. It’s strange that the protagonists of Armenian epics are consistently shown to be at odds with demonic forces and that there isn’t a god of evil in the Armenian pantheon.
