Hayk (Armenian: Հայկ, Armenian pronunciation: [hajk]), also known as Hayk Nahapet (Հայկ Նահապետ, Armenian pronunciation: [hajk nahaˈpɛt], lit. 'Hayk the Patriarch'), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. He is a central figure in Armenian mythology and national identity, and is traditionally regarded as the eponymous ancestor from whom the Armenian people, the "Hay", derive their name. His tale is recounted in the History of Armenia attributed to the 5th-century historian Movses Khorenatsi, as well as in the anonymous Primary History. Additional fragments of his legend survive in other medieval sources and continue to be echoed in Armenian oral tradition and epic poetry. According to legend, Hayk was a mighty archer and chieftain who defied the tyranny of the Babylonian ruler Bel. After leading his people out of captivity, he established their freedom by slaying Bel in the legendary Battle of Hayots Dzor, near Lake Van in the Armenian Highlands. This foundational battle, in which Hayk is said to have struck Bel with a powerful arrow, symbolized both the spiritual triumph of justice over despotism and the birth of the Armenian nation.
Etymology
The name of the patriarch, Hayk (Հայկ), is not exactly homophonous with the Armenian name for "Armenia," Haykʻ (Հայք). In Classical Armenian, Haykʻ is the nominative plural of hay (հայ), the Armenian word for "Armenian." While Robert W. Thomson considers the etymology of Haykʻ (Հայք) from Hayk (Հայկ) to be impossible, other scholars consider the connection between the two to be obvious and derive Hayk from hay/Haykʻ via the suffix -ik. Armen Petrosyan proposes a possible connection between the name Hayk and the Proto-Indo-European *poti- "master, lord, master of the house, husband." Armenian historiography of the Soviet era connected Hayk and hay with Hayasa, a people mentioned in Hittite inscriptions. Some authors derive Hayk and hay from Khaldi/Ḫaldi, the chief god of the Urartian pantheon, and also identify Hayk with the Urartian deity. The Armenian word haykakan (հայկական, 'pertaining to Armenians') derives from the name Hayk. Additionally, the poetic names for the Armenian nation, Haykazun (հայկազուն) or Haykazn (հայկազն, consisting of Hayk and azn 'generation, nation, tribe'), also derive from Hayk (Haykazn/Haykaz later became a masculine given name among Armenians).
Genealogy
Integrating the Armenian tradition into biblical tradition, the old Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi describes Hayk as a descendant of Noah through the latter's son Japheth: "Yapheth begat Gamer [Gomer]; Gamer begat T‘iras; T‘iras begat T‘orgom [Togarmah]; T‘orgom begat Hayk." Hayk's descendants through his son Aramaneak (Aramanyak) are listed as follows: "Aramaneak begat Aramayis; Aramayis begat Amasya; Amasya begat Gełam [Gegham]; Gełam begat Harmay [Harma]; Harmay begat Aram; Aram begat Ara the Handsome." Hayk's other sons, according to Khorenatsi, were Khoṛ and Manavaz. Khorenatsi also gives the names of numerous other descendants of Hayk (Haykazunis, "of Hayk's lineage," also known as the Haykids), such as Sisak, Skayordi, Paruyr, and Vahe, some of whom he identifies as kings of Armenia. In reference to Hayk's descent from Torgom/Togarmah, medieval Armenian sources sometimes referred to Armenia as T‘orgoma tun ("House of Torgom") and to Armenians as T‘orgomyan azg ("the people of Torgom"). Khorenatsi was not the first to identify Togarmah as the ancestor of the Armenians. The earlier Armenian history attributed to Agathangelos contains this tradition, which derives from the Greek Chronicle attributed to Hippolytus, compiled before AD 235. Less frequently, medieval Armenian authors traced the Armenian nation's ancestry to Ashkenaz, Togarmah's elder brother. The connection between Hayk and the descendants of Noah was created by Christian authors following the Christianization of Armenia in order to connect Armenians to the biblical narrative of human history. In the Georgian History of the Kings of Kartli (part of the compendium called The Georgian Chronicles) written or edited by Leonti Mroveli, Hayk (whose name is rendered Haos) is named as one of eight brothers who were sons of Togarmah; these eight brothers are said to have "served the giant Nebrot' [Nimrod], who was the first king of the whole world" and are identified as the ancestors of the "Armenians and Georgians, Ranians and Movkanians, Hers and Leks, Megrelians and Caucasians". In the corresponding section of the Armenian version of The Georgian Chronicles, which includes an abridged translation of History of the Kings of Kartli, Hayk is called "lord of the seven brothers". Earlier Armenian sources do not mention any brothers of Hayk.
Legend According to the accounts of Movses Khorenatsi and the anonymous Primary History, Hayk fought against and killed the tyrannical Babylonian king—described as a titan—Bel. Depending on the mythological tradition, Belus can refer to a symbolic Babylonian/Akkadian god of war or mythical founder of Babylon. Moses identifies Bel with the biblical Nimrod and gives a list of his ancestors and successors, drawing from the Bible and Abydenus via Eusebius's works. In Movses Khorenatsi's account (which he claims to have learned from Mar Abas Catina's writings), Hayk, son of Torgom, had a child named Aramaneak while he was living in Babylon. After the arrogant Bel made himself king over all, Hayk emigrated to the region near Ararad with his extended family, servants, followers and about 300 warriors and founded a village called Haykashen. On the way he had left a detachment in another settlement with his grandson Kadmos. Bel sent one of his sons to entreat him to return, but Hayk refused. Bel decided to march against him with a massive force, but Hayk was warned ahead of time by Kadmos of his pending approach. He assembled his own army along the shore of Lake Van and told them that they must defeat and kill Bel, or die trying to do so, rather than become his slaves.
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