The Armenian Studies Program web page is sponsored by a grant from
The Bertha and John Garabedian Charitable
Foundation, Fresno.
On Wednesday, November 5,
Dr. Azat Yeghiazaryan, Director of the Abeghyan Institute of Literature of the
Armenian National Academy of
Sciences, visited the
David of Sasun is an Armenian national hero
who is best known
for defending
Dr. Yeghiazaryan explained
that the epic presents a rich
legacy of accumulated folk wisdom, as it tells
the tale of the lives, loves, and heroic struggles of four generations of the
House of
Sasun. In his book, he discusses the epic in the context of the
Western European, Slavic, and Caucasian traditions.
Originally, the
epic was
transmitted only orally from generation to generation, until it was recorded
for the first time in 1873 by Garegin Srvandztiants
(1840-1892). The epic has
an alternative name of “The Daredevils of Sasun,” however it is popularly
referred to as David of Sasun, for
the hero of the third and major branch of
the epic.
There are four cycles in
the epic, each named after their hero.
The first cycle
is about two brothers Sanasar and Baghdasar. Sanasar’s son, Lion Mher, is the hero of the
second cycle. The third cycle is about David
and the fourth cycle is about
David’s son, Little Mher.
The epic begins with
David’s great-grandmother, Lady Dzovinar, who agrees to
marry the King of
Baghdad in order to save the Armenian people. Lady Dzovinar became miraculously
pregnant by bathing in a spring, thereby
giving birth to Sanasar and Baghdasar,
who are both extraordinarily powerful. Once he was old enough, Sanasar founded
Sasun, the fortress-town
of
All of the heroes embody
characteristics that are significant in Armenian culture. They represent the
strong, fearless men
who protect their country. All four Armenian epic figures
were great role models for the
Historians think that the
epic dates to the eighth century because
life for the Armenians
then was very similar to the way it was described in the
epic. Dr. Yeghiazaryan discussed the fact that there remains much research
to
be done on the epic . Unfortunately, the Armenian Genocide of 1915 spelled the
end of the oral transmission of the epic.
The epic
oral traditions
are a part of the Armenian culture that defines the people. The existence of
these stories established national heroes
and role models for the Armenian
people, and molded an outlook for future. Although the epic of David of Sasun
is no longer orally transmitted,
its historical and cultural importance
remains.
