An absolutely unique phenomenon, which is found only on the territory of historical Armenia, has not yet received an unambiguous interpretation. Stone steles made in the shape of a fish can mean much more than what we know about them …
Along with khachkars, which are a stone stele with a carved image of a cross, vishapakars (dragon stones) or simply vishaps are found only in those regions where Armenians lived or live. However, unlike the khachkars - the meaning, significance, and also the time of their appearance are well known, the vishapakars still conceal many mysteries …
Where did the "dragons" live?
Chief Researcher of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography, Doctor of Philology Armen Petrosyan considers these steles to be an absolutely unique phenomenon in world archeology and the culture of the ancient world.
“There is no such thing anywhere else. Thanks to these monuments, we can outline the mythological representations of the ancients and their objects of worship,”the scientist said.
Vishapakars are made from a single piece of stone, often in the shape of a fish with ornaments of snakes, bulls, sometimes rams or birds. Some of them are more than five meters long. As a rule, megaliths were set high in the mountains, often near the shores of lakes, at the sources of rivers.
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Large accumulations of "dragon stones" are found on the territory of modern Armenia, in particular, on the Geghama ridge (near the western coast of Lake Sevan) and the slopes of Mount Aragats, at an altitude of over 2,500 meters. In addition, they are found in the Armenian-populated region of Georgia - Javakhk and in the Taik province of Western Armenia (now the territory of Turkey).
In total, about 150 vishapakars are known. The vast majority were found in modern Armenia. According to recent studies, the oldest of them are more than four thousand years old.
Today, some of the menhirs have been transferred to the State Museum of Ethnography and National Liberation Movement of Armenia "Sardarapat", as well as to some parks in Yerevan, so that everyone can see them.
A dragon without wings and fire?
There are many versions about the purpose of vishaps. According to one of them, these are statues of a mythical dragon that blocks the water source. According to others, the megaliths were dedicated to the goddess of love and fertility Astghik or the dying and resurrecting character of Armenian mythology Ara the Beautiful. It is also believed that in ancient times they were used as markers to indicate the location of underground water sources.
However, in the opinion of Armen Petrosyan, the vishapakars clearly demonstrate the connection between Armenian and Indo-European mythology.
“It is generally accepted that the Persian one had a strong influence on the Armenian mythology. Indeed, the Iranian cultural influence extended not only to Armenians, but also to other peoples living in the territory from Asia Minor to Mesopotamia. However, initially Armenian mythology was associated with Indo-European …”, - says the scientist.
The word "vishap" is translated as "dragon". But the European dragon is a winged serpent that spews fire. Vishap in Armenian means “big mythical fish or snake”. In addition, the menhirs are also called "Ajdaha", after the character from Iranian mythology Azhi Dakhak.
The scientist associates this image with the mythological Serpent - the antagonist of the Thunder God, that is, the God of Thunder. It is worth recalling that the confrontation between the Thunderer and the Serpent is one of the central plots of Indo-European mythology (the theory of the “main myth” was created by Soviet linguists Vyacheslav Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov in the 60-70s of the XX century).
“The fact is that the root of the name of the Serpent-Demon is * wel-, the same root in Armenian developed into գեգ-“gegh-”(in Russian it sounds like“geg-”or“gegh- “). It is from him that such names as Geghama or Geghama (the ancient name of Lake Sevan - ed.), Geghama ridge, Gegharkunik originate. And it is here, on the Geghama ridge, that the most vishapakars are found - about 60. And their largest concentrations are on Mount Gegh and near the fortress of Geghi. This means that initially these steles were called “gegh”, and the Iranian “vishap” came much later,”Petrosyan says.
The scientist claims that this fact is an obvious evidence that traces of the original Armenian - Indo-European mythology have been preserved in the Armenian tradition. That is, vishapakar, which long before the influence of Iranian culture was called "gegh" and meant the mythical Serpent, is the best proof of Indo-European elements in Armenian mythology.
In support of his words, Petrosyan also cites the fact that in the folklore traditions of many peoples, including the Armenians, Hittites, Scandinavians, the Thunder God antagonist - the Serpent - was depicted in the form of a huge fish. Another reference to the main plot of Indo-European mythology is the images of a bull's head on vishapakars, since the bull is a symbol of the storm god in the traditions of many peoples of the world, including the Indo-European tradition.
Author: Lilit Harutyunyan