An Anthology of Legends and Poems of Armenia

The tile is a translation of selected Armenian poems and legends. Included in those are a number of episodes from the chronicles of Moses of Khorene, a fifth century Armenian historian, which recount legendary incidents of ancient Armenian history. The book concludes with a long essay by Aram Raffi, which contextualizes the long history of Armenian literature. The essay also details the long religious history of Armenia, starting with an extended discussion of the ancient Pagan deities. Armenia is in a region which is a cross-road between Asia and Europe, and has more often than not been conquered by the dominant regional power of the day, starting with the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Macedonians, through the Ottomans and finally the Russians. Nevertheless, Armenia has managed to hold onto a unique cultural and linguistic identity. Armenians have produced a substantial literature. Unfortunately, not much of this has been translated into English. This anthology is one of the few Translations of Armenian literature, pertaining to legends and poems of Armenia, particularly that of the pagan era.