My Goddess Anahit print was a lovely commission I received last year and I have to admit, I had never heard of her. As I was researching I found that there was very little detailed information about her on the internet in English. Every website I found repeated the same phrases over and over, except for one.
I did find a wonderful website dedicated to Armenian goddesses called flaming of the rose and I would highly recommend visiting it if you are interested in the history of Armenian Mythology and their beautiful goddesses as she describes Anahit much better than I have below.
The making of Anahit
Goddess Anahit of Armenia arose in part from earlier goddesses of the ancient tribes of Armenia and also from the Zoroastrianism of Persia. She is similar but distinct from Goddess Anahita of Persia. She is a syncretism of the many goddesses that came before.
Associations
She is a Mother Goddess, a goddess of fertility, healing and wisdom. She has strong associations with marriage and childbirth and is also associated with the heavenly waters and purity. She became one of the most venerated deities in the region and is still beloved by her people.
Temples were built in her honour throughout Armenia and she was worshiped and loved even after the conversion to Christianity by King Trdat.
Worship
There are few remnants of the worship of Anahit, most temples and statues to her were destroyed. The head of one such statue is in the possession of the British Museum and although it is so far the only one recovered, they refuse to give her back to Armenia, which saddens me greatly.
Modern Day
Anahit is a symbol of Armenia, she is on banknotes, stamps and coins. She is recognised by her people as their emblem and their love for her is still strong. It was an honour to get to know her whilst researching this linocut print and a difficult one for me as she is shrouded in mystery. I hope I did her justice.
Thanks for reading,
Jen
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