Dev ( Armenian դև ) - in Armenian mythology, a good or evil spirit [1] . It is described in myths, legends and fairy tales as a giant with a huge head on his shoulders and eyes the size of clay pots or plates (some virgins are one-eyed), sometimes combining animal features in his image [2] . Virgos can be both good and evil - all virgins are divided into white and black, and the color does not always correspond to the character (i.e., white can be evil, and black can be good). In legends, magicians were able to force a virgin to inhabit the human body [3] .
Of the good virgins, Araleses and Urvakans are known , of the evil ones - Ala , Ice , Chivala and Vishap . Spirits like the hajj are neutral to people in mythology. The appearance of each maiden is different - for example, pyriks take the form of both beautiful women and donkeys living in ruins [2] .
In the tale of Hovhannes Tumanyan "Paradise Flower", the maidens are the guardians of the Paradise flower.
See also
- Divas (mythology)
- Deva (Hinduism)
Notes
- ↑ Tashjian, Virginia A. (ed.). The Flower of Paradise and Other Armenian Tales. - Libraries Unlimited, 2007. - P. 27. - ISBN 9781591583677 .
- ↑ 1 2 Ananikyan, 2010 .
- ↑ K. Ishkol Kerovpian: Mythologie der vorchristlichen Armenier. In: Hans Wilhelm Haussig (Hrsg.): Götter und Mythen der kaukasischen und iranischen Völker (= Wörterbuch der Mythologie. Abteilung 1: Die alten Kulturvölker. Band 4). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-12-909840-2 , S. 109
Literature
- M.A. Ananikyan . Myths of Armenia. - Centerpolygraph, 2010 .-- 371 p. - ISBN 5457026736 .
- Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie. Droemer Knaur, Augsburg 2001, ISBN 3-8289-4154-0 , S. 118 f.