Aramazd

For the Zoroastrian deity, see Ahura Mazda.

Aramazd is the principal deity in Armenia's pre-Christian pantheon. He was considered the father of all gods and goddesses, the creator of heaven and earth. Aramazd was the source of earth’s fertility, making it fruitful and bountiful. The celebration in his honor was called Amanor, or New Year, which was celebrated on March 21 in the old Armenian calendar (also the Spring equinox). Aramazd was a syncretic deity, a combination of the autochthonous Armenian legendary figure Ara and the Iranic Ahura Mazda. In Hellinistic period Aramazd in Armenia was compared with Greek Zeus. The principal temple of Aramazd was in Ani (Kamakh in modern Turkey), a cultural and administrative center of ancient Armenia. The temple had been ruined at the end of the 3rd c. AD, after the adoption of Christianity in Armenia as state religion.

See also

• Ahura Mazda
• Haik
• Anahit
• Vahagn
• Astghik

External links and references

• Armenian Mythology from the Tour Armenia site