The Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern
Sources of the Armenian Epic
Monograph No. 42 — By Armen Y. Petrosyan
The eminent Armen Y. Petrosyan of the Armenian National Academy of
Sciences, author of this 236-page monograph, provides us with an
immense wealth of information about the mythology of not only
pre-Christian Armenia (pre AD 3001), but also of the many sister
Indo-European speaking peoples with whom Armenians share a common
linguistic heritage.
While Petrosyan believes that proto-Armenian myth had its roots in what
he sees as the (reconstructed) beliefs of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, he
also traces the multitude of subsequent influences acquired from the
myths of the highly diverse variety of peoples and cultures of
neighboring Asia Minor and Mesopotamia with whom Armenians had contact
over the course of time.
The result is a treasure trove of data that is not only of extreme
value to Indo-Europeanists but also to scholars and researchers
interested in the ancient classical civilizations of the Middle East.
Beyond that, it makes an intriguing and inspiring resource book that
will be welcomed by mythologists around the world.
INDO-EUROPEAN AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN MYTHOLOGICAL PARALLELS:
The Sasna Cŕer And the “Basic myth”; Covinar Inara, And *Ḥner; The
Equine Myths; Bull and Cow as the Symbols of the Thunder And Storm
Deities; The Sun God, Divine Twins, and Their Sister; The Early Twins
and Triplets of the South of Armenia; Sanasar and Baldasar, Indra and
Agni, Teššub and Tašmišu; Sanasar, Eruand, and Pirwa; Angel, Nergal,
and Kur; The “Third God” Vahagn, Davit`, and Asag; The Indo-European
“Dog Slayer”— Hayk, Davit` and David. EPONYMOUS PATRIARCHS, THUNDER GOD, AND “BLACK AND WHITE MYTH”:
Aram, the “Black Hero”; Hayk and Aram; The Birth of The “Black Hero”;
The “White Hero”; The Myth of the Black and White Cities. THE “DYING GOD” AND THE ADVERSARIES OF THE ARMENIAN HEROES: Ara Gelec`ik, Mher, and Their Cousins; Adversaries of Heroes. ARMENIAN AND INDO‐EUROPEAN MYTHOLOGICAL PATTERNS:
Black and White, Boar and Dog; The Principal Genealogical Scheme of the
Armenian Epics; The Three Functions of Indo-European Mythology;
Daredevils of Sasun, Ethnogonic Patriarchs, Urartian and Armenian Gods.
MYTH AND HISTORY:
Historical Prototypes of the Sasna Cŕer; Muš and
Tarun—“Thraco-Phrygians” And Armenians; Davit`, Mušel, And Muršili; The
Iliad And the Epics Of the Sasun Tarawn. ETHNOGENESIS AND PREHISTORY:
Cosmogony And Ethnogeny; Ethnonymic Ar(a)m – Armenians And Aramaeans;
The Proto-Armenians and the Caucasus; HA.A, Hayaša, Hatti, And Etiu;
Hurrians And Urartians; The Ancestors and Descendants of
Hayk—Prehistoric Movements. Abbreviations. Works of Medieval Armenian Authors. Bibliography. Index. Note on Armenian Phonology.
ISBN 0-941694-81-X
|
2002, Pages 236
Paperback: $52.00
|
JIES
Private Individual Subscribers receive 20% discount
|