Hayk, also known as Haik Nahapet, is considered the legendary founder and patriarch of the Armenian nation. According to Moses of Chorene's account, Hayk fled from Babylon to Mount Ararat after refusing to submit to the tyrannical King Bel. When Bel later marched against Hayk with a large army, Hayk assembled his own forces and defeated Bel in the Battle of Giants, slaying him with an arrow shot. Hayk then established fortresses and towns in the region, including Haykaberd near the battle site and Haykashen, effectively founding the Armenian nation and giving the land its name.

2. end
Leg
The
and
ayk
of H
Bel

3. Hayk’s monument in Abovyan, Armenia
Hayk or Hayg, also known as Haik Nahapet is the legendary patriarch and
founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the History of Armenia attributed to
the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene.
In Moses of Chorene's account, Hayk son of Torgom had a child named Armanak while
he was living in Babylon. After the arrogant Titanid Bel made himself king over all, Hayk
emigrated to the region near Mount Ararat with an extended household of at least 300
and settled there, founding a village he named 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 was 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. In
his writings 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.

4. Hayk Nahapet ( by Mkrtum Hovnatyan)

5. feat of Bel
of Giants and de
The Battle
d Bel's army
n soon discovere
Hayk and his me
f Chorene
in pass (Moses o
ounta
positioned in a m
e king in the
astakert), with th
sD
located the site a
vanguard.
ts"),near
rt( "Battle of Gian
At Dyutsaznama
, on August 11,
east of Lake Van
Julamerk south
ditional
the Armenian tra
ing to
2492 BC (accord
ording to "The
) or 2107 BC (acc
chronology
mchian), Hayk
le" of Mikael Cha
g a long
Chronological tab
possible shot usin
early im
slew Bel with a n
into disarray.
the king's forces
bow, sending
rs fell, Hayk
Bel with his warrio
The hill where
g "tombs".
rezmank meanin
named Ge
ordered it to
corpse of Bel and
He embalmed the
e buried in a
where it was to b
be taken to Hark
sons of the
of the wives and
view
high place in the
king.
rtress of
stablished the fo
e
Soon after, Hayk
e town of
e battle site and th
Haykaberd at th
vince of Taron
the Armenian pro
Haykashen in
gion of the
. He named the re
ey)
(modern-day Turk
Hayots Dzor.
e site of the battle
th
battle Hayk, and
Hayk defeats Bel
with an arrow.

6. The figure slain by Hayk's arrow is variously
given as Bel or Nimrod. Hayk is also the
name of the Orion constellation in the
Armenian translation of the Bible. Just as
Hayk fled from Babylon because of Bel,
whom he eventually killed, so Zeus had
escaped to the mountains of the Caucasus,
later to return to Sicily and hurl fatal arrows
into the bodies of his titanic foes.
Some Armenians hold that the
Greek stories of Hercules
are based on Hayk

7. Ara the
Beautiful and
Semiramis

8. oyality. The
story of Love and L
t
This is a magnificen
hamiram,
oman of her time, S
evil w
king of
Most beautiful and
in love with godlike
an, falls
the Queen of Asurist
loyal to his
fuses her and stays
ra re
promises
Armenia, Ara. But A
ard.When Shamiram
uty Nu
wife- armenian bea
in, Shamiram
and Ara refuses aga
him all her kingdom
begins a war.
nian legend,
on an Ancient Arme
This drama based
'History of
Movses Khorenatsi's
in
which can be found
nd Semiramis
'Ara the Beautiful a
r Ara the
Armenia
ra the Handsome o
l (also A
A re th e B e a u ti fu
eghetsik) is a
: Արա Գեղեցիկ Ara G
Fair; Armenian
le in Armenian
n hero. He is notab
legendary Armenia
he was so
lar legend in which
pu
literature for the po
is waged
ian queen Semiram
Assyr
handsome that the
st to get him.
r against Armenia ju
wa
the historical
es associated with
He is sometim
led in the 9th
wn as Arame who ru
king of Ararat kno
century BC.

9. wrecker and a
Semiramis
er as a home
h
ition portrays
by observing
be explained
Armenian trad
ly to
facts are part
well as in her
harlot. These
in her birth as
,
to the legends
ppears as a
at, according
th
, Semiramis a
nd
e from earth
s Atargatis, a
disappearanc
e fish-goddes
daughter of th
r or Astartë.
goddess, the
oves of Ishta
d
cted with the
ian tradition
herself conne
nds in Armen
e
st popular leg
king, Ara the
One of the mo
an Armenian
arian retold
iramis and
e poet Nairi Z
involves Sem
th
rk
20th century,
iram, in a wo
eautiful. In the
B
ful and Sham
ra the Beauti
ian literary
the story of A
iece of Armen
be a masterp
considered to
ard about the
drama.
iramis had he
em
d she lusted
the legend, S
According to
n king Ara, an
ia
dsome Armen
y her, but he
me of the han
fa
d Ara to marr
e. She aske
d the armies
after his imag
, she gathere
hearing this
.
refused; upon
ainst Armenia
t
d marched ag
ce in the Arara
of Assyria an
have taken pla
y
ttle, which ma
arfare with the
During the ba
continuous w
oid
s slain. To av
ress, took his
to be a sorce
valley, Ara wa
ted
e dead.
miramis, repu
ise Ara from th
rmenians, Se
ra
A
ader, she
to the gods to
avenge their le
dy and prayed
to
bo
ns advanced
ad the rumor
n the Armenia
W he
s Ara and spre
of her lovers a
nding the war.
disguised one
back to life, e
ra
had brought A
that the gods
exist, they
[9]
of the legend
ns
ifferent versio
hough many d
Alt
e back to life.
Ara never cam
agree that

10. THANK YOU
FOR ATTENTION
Presentation created by
Gayane Stepanyan and Anna
Pepanyan