Hayk (Armenie: Հայկ) or Haik, Haig, kent as Hayk Nahapet an aw (Հայկ Նահապետ, Hayk the Tribal Chief) is the legendar patriairch an foonder o the Armenie naition. His story is tauld in the History o Armenie attributit tae the Armenie historian Moses o Chorene (410 tae 490).
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Etymologie[eedit | eedit soorce]
The name o the patriairch, Հայկ Hayk is no exactly homophonous wi the name for "Armenie", Հայք Hayk’. Հայք Hayk’ is the nominative plural in Clessical Armenie o հայ (hay), the Armenie term for "Armenie." Some claim that the etymologie o Hayq' (Հայք) frae Hayk (Հայկ) is impossible an that oreegin o the term Hay ("Armenie") is verifiable. Nivertheless, Hayk an Haig are uisually connectit tae hay (հայ) an hayer (հայեր, the nominative plural in Modren Armenie), the sel-designation o the Armenies.
Hayk wad then be an aitiological foondin figur, like e.g. Asshur for the Assiries, Indra for the Indies, etc. Ane o Hayk's maist famous scions, Aram, settled in Eastren Armenie frae the Mitanni kingdom (Wastren Armenie), whan Sargon II mentions a keeng o pairt o Armenie who bore the (Armenie-Indo-Iranian) name Bagatadi ("Theodore").
Genealogie[eedit | eedit soorce]
Moses o Chorene gave Hayk's genealogie as follaes: Japhet, Gomer & Tiras, Torgom, Hayk, an his descendants as Amasya, Ara, Aram, Aramais, Armanak, Gegham, an Harma. Hayk wis the foonder o the Haykazuni Dynasty an aw. Some o the prominent Armenie ryal hooses such as the Arran, Bagratuni, Bznuni, Khorkhoruni, Manavazian, Syuni, an Vahevuni, amang ithers, hae tracit their genealogie tae Hayk Nahapet. Accordin tae Juansher Hayk "..wis prince o the seiven brithers an stuid in service tae the giant Nimrod (Nebrovt') who first ruled the entire warld as keeng."
Fowklear[eedit | eedit soorce]
Hayk an Keeng Bel[eedit | eedit soorce]
In Moses o Chorene's accoont, Hayk son o Torgom haed a bairn namit Armanak while he wis livin in Babylon. Efter the arrogant Titanid Bel made hissel keeng ower aw, Hayk emigratit tae the region near Munt Ararat wi an extendit hoosehauld o at least 300 an settled thare, foondin a veelage he namit Haykashen. On the way he had left a detachment in anither dounset wi his grandson Kadmos. Bel sent ane o his sons tae entreat him tae return, but wis refused. Bel decidit tae mairch against him wi a massive force, but Hayk wis warned aheid o time bi Kadmos o his pendin approach. He assembled his awn airmy alang the shore o Lake Van an tauld them that they must defeat an kill Bel, or dee tryin tae dae so, rather than become his slaves. In his writins Movses states that:
|“||Hayk was a handsome, friendly man, with curly hair, sparkling eyes, and strong arms. He was a man of giant stature, a mighty archer and fearless warrior. Hayk and his people, from the time of their forefathers Noah and Japheth, had migrated south toward the warmer lands near Babylon. In that land there ruled a wicked giant, Bel. Bel tried to impose his tyranny upon Hayk’s people. But proud Hayk refused to submit to Bel. As soon as his son Aramaneak was born, Hayk rose up, and led his people back to the land of his forefathers, the land of Ararat. At the foot of the mountains, he built his home, Haykashen.||”|
The Battle o Giants an Defeat o Bel[eedit | eedit soorce]
At Dyutsaznamart (Armenie: Դյուցազնամարտ, "Battle o Giants"), near Julamerk sootheast o Lake Van, on 11 August, 2492 BC (accordin tae the Armenie tradeetional chronologie) or 2107 BC (accordin tae "The Chronological table" o Mikael Chamchian), Hayk slew Bel wi a nearly impossible shot uisin a lang bow, sendin the keeng's forces intae disarray.
The hill whaur Bel wi his warriors fell, Hayk namit Gerezmank meanin "tombs". He embalmit the corpse o Bel an ordered it tae be taken tae Hark whaur it wis tae be buriet in a heich place in the view o the wives an sons o the keeng.
Suin efter, Hayk established the fortress o Haykaberd at the battle steid an the toun o Haykashen in the Armenie province o Taron (modren-day Turkey). He namit the region o the battle Hayk, an the steid o the battle Hayots Dzor
Comparative meethologie[eedit | eedit soorce]
The figur slain bi Hayk's arrae is variously given as Bel or Nimrod. Hayk is the name o the Orion constellation in the Armenie translation o the Bible an aw. Juist as Hayk fled frae Babylon acause o Bel, whom he eventually killed, so Zeus haed escapit tae the muntains o the Caucasus, later tae return tae Sicily an hurl fatal arraes intae the bodies o his titanic foes. Some Armenies hauld that the Greek stories o Hercules are based on Hayk.
See an aw[eedit | eedit soorce]
References[eedit | eedit soorce]
- Template:Thomson 1978
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia; the ISBE uses the outdated terms "Aryan" for "Indo-European".
- Eduard L. Danielian, "The Historical Background to the Armenian State Political Doctrine," 279–286 in Nicholas Wade, Armenian Perspectives (Surrey, UK, 1997) 279, citing E. Forrer, "Hajassa-Azzi," Caucasia, 9 (1931), and P. Kretschmer, "Der nationale Name der Armenier Haik," Anzeiger der Acad. der Wiss. in Wien, phil.-his. Klasse (1932), n. 1–7
- History 1.5 
- The Georgian Chronicle
- (Khorenatsi, History\\ I.10–12)
- dated by Mikayel Chamchian; Razmik Panossian, The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars, Columbia University Press (2006), ISBN 978-0-231-13926-7, p. 106.
- Gerezmank: the nom. pl, Gerezmans being acc. pl., "tombs"
- History 1.11; a district to the southeast of Lake Van, see Hubschmann, AON, p.343
- P. Kretschmer. "Der nationale Name der Armenier Haik"
- Vahan Kurkjian, "History of Armenia," Michigan, 1968