Neo Paganism In Armenia: The Arordiner Movement By Roubina Seropian Presented to the Department of English & Communications In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts American University of Armenia Yerevan, Armenia May 5, 2017 Introduction Armenia is considered the first nation to accept Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD. The seventy-year rule of the Soviet Union secularized the country and the practices of religious activities were prohibited. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the declaration of the independent Republic Of Armenia in 1991, the country slowly regained its national identity and religion. According to IndexMundi (Index Mundi , 2016), 98.1% are of Armenian ethnicity and 92.6% of the population is Armenian Apostolic. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, new religious movements arose in Armenia. Neopaganism is considered a new religious movement that was founded in order to re-establish the ancient pagan Armenian identity. Not much attention has been given to this group of nationalists, its leaders, ideologies and rituals. Although Armenians are vaguely familiar with their pagan history before the conversion to Christianity, the majority of the people in Armenia and in the diaspora do not know of the existence of Armenian neopagans as a newly emerged phenomenon in the society. This paper will explore Armenian Neopaganism or the Arordineri Ukht, and have a better understanding of its structure, ideologies, foundations, beliefs, leaders, traditions, holy book and the relations with the Apostolic Church. Before getting into the specificities of the Arordineri Ukht, I will briefly elaborate on paganism in general, ancient Armenians’ beliefs and the new concept of Neopaganism. Literature review Abrahamic religious authorities, called non-believers pagans in order to differentiate these people from the followers of the Abrahamic religions according to them the true religions (Davies, 2011). Paganism is a broad concept and contains different branches. Paganism is a polytheistic religion and worship based on nature. Neo paganism is one of the many new religious movements that rose in the 20th century. According to According to Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe (Aitamurto & Simpson, 2014) there are leftist Neo pagans who are considered as western form and the right wing pagans, which is the eastern form. According to Ghevont Alishan Armenians were nature worshipers and polytheistic. Armenians had their own pantheon gods, customs and rituals. The main worshiped god is the father god Aramazd, goddess Anahit portrayed and the mother and Mihr the son. Sun worshiping was the most important totem worshiped by the ancient Armenians, their rituals, dances and chants were dedicated to the sun. Till date many popular sayings evolve around the sun. Many Armenian folkloric dances, shourch bars, depict the battle between he sun and the moon with left and right steps and movements as tribute to the sun. Many rituals and religious symbolism were transferred to Christianity, mainly because pagan literates became Christian priests and adjusted pagan rituals and customs to Christianity. Armenia Neo paganism rose after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when freedom of religions was established in Armenia. Slak Kakosyan was the founder of Arordiner, the children of Ara, returned to Armenia after his exile to the states (Antonyan & Siekierski, 2014). While he was there he was familiarized with the writings and ideologies of the Armenian nationalist hero Karekin Njteh. Therefore he formed the Arordiner based on his nationalistic views and the Arian nature of the Armenians. The neopagans were well accepted by the ruling party and were registered as a new religious movement. Neopagans have their own scripture which was collected and created by Slak Kakosyan and is separated in to seven parts. For them the scripture is not godsend therefore can be modified and should be with time (Antonyan & Siekierski, 2014). Neopagans have their own rituals and places of worship; the most famous one is the temple of Garni, the only surviving pagan temple in Armenia. The Armenian Apostolic church does not see the Arordiner as a threat, because the Arodiner do not consider them a religious entity. The church was more conserved with the other rising religious movements such as Protestantism and the spread of Jehovah’s witnesses who were recruiting huge amounts of believers (Antonyan & Siekierski, 2014). The Arordiner had more of nationalistic ideology, to recover the lost identity of the ancient Armenians and protect the Armenian people and nation. Pagans used mystical powers to attain supernatural forces from the nature and their ancestors. Those powers were used for healing purposes and to communicate with the gods. Shamanism is practiced in Armenia, where several women use their mystical powers to heal people from different sicknesses. Research questions: Q1: Who are the Arordiner? Q2: how is Armenian paganism different from Armenian Neopaganism? Research findings and analysis Paganism: The word pagan was created by the early Christians to describe people who followed religious rituals and beliefs other than the main world religions. Throughout history the word pagan or paganism was used in a pejorative sense, and labeled to non-Christian believers as followers of “false religions” (Davies, 2011). The earliest forms of religions embraced the worship of the earth mother represented by female deities. The worship of ancestors was due to the belief that the dead exist and can affect the living. Animism was another form of worship, believing that every natural entity and wildlife has a spirit and soul. Shamanism was an early Stone Age religion of pre-agrarian societies. The shaman (healer) uses narcotics or trance practices to communicate with the spirits in order to be empowered and heal the living. The primary literary documentations of the near and Middle Eastern civilizations prove the existence of a structured polytheistic pantheon of gods and goddesses who controlled the heavens, nature, and life. Armenian Paganism: ancient beliefs and major Gods According to Ghevond (Alishan, 2002), Armenians were initially nature worshipers. Since they could not understand how nature functioned and were astonished by the changing force of nature, having beautiful and majestic features at times yet ferocious and brutal at other times, the fear of nature’s overwhelming powers brought about their worship. Sun worship was the prime veneration element for the Armenians. Mihr, the son of Aramazd, was considered as the divine force of the sun, fire, fairness and equity (Barseghyan, 2015). The lion was the totem of the sun, its companion and protector. God Mihr was portrayed as a lion, and this can likewise be seen in the post- Christianization national epic "Lion Mher". The sun was the most important fetish of worship for the ancient Armenians and an inseparable particle of their history and present. Sun worshiping customs and rituals are passed to Armenians and practiced till date. According to the writings of Agathangelos, the Garni temple was dedicated to Mihr and was the only pagan temple that survived St. Gregory the Illuminator’s raid and pillage of pagan monuments during the Christianization of the Armenian highlands. Anahit, the goddess of fertility, love, motherhood, and harvest, was admired and had a major influence on the Armenian national mindset. She was the most respected and popular goddess in the Armenian pantheon (Barseghyan, 2015). According to Alishan, Anahit’s feast was celebrated on the 15th of Navasard, which is the month of August. The assumption of the holy mother of God, Mary, is celebrated on the nearest Sunday to the 15th of August (Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, 2015), the same timing as the feast of Anahit. Aramazd is considered the first figure in the Armenian mythological trinity. Very little has been transmitted about his worship. The only information we have is that Aramazd is considered the father of all divine beings and the creator of heaven and earth. These three gods, Aramazd, Anahit and Mihr were the prime gods of the pagan Armenians. There is a clear similarity of elements between these three divine beings and three noteworthy Christian characters: Aramazd has similar attributes of God the father, Anahit as Mary, and Mihr as Jesus. Neo Paganism: A new Religious Movement A new religious movement appeared in the 20th century, post World War II. Neopagan movements have various forms throughout the world, depending on their geographic, cultural, linguistic concepts. According to Modern Pagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe (Aitamurto & Simpson, p. 2014), the western form (North America and British Isles) of Neo paganism are leftist and are shaped by 19th century romanticism and individualism. They are interested in magic and seek freedom from traditional gender and sex roles. As for the eastern form (ex-Soviet Union), they are concerned with ethnicity, nationalism and local traditions, and lean more to the right, overpowered by communism and post communism chaos. However, these two forms share common ancestors, they consider themselves as a continuation of ancient religions, and deny the Abrahamic religions. They show great concern about nature and the world through activism (Aitamurto & Simpson, 2014). Neopaganism in Armenia: Arordineri Ukht ( Order of Children of Ara) Founder and Chief Priest Slak (Eduard) Kaksoyan After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Eduard Kakosyan returned back to Armenia after being in exile in the United States in the 1970’s. While in the states he was inspired by the teachings of the Armenian national hero Karekin Njteh and his nationalistic ideologies and philosophy “Tseghakron”. In 1991 Kakosyan founded the Arordineri Ukht. After meeting with the last living fellow – soldier of Njteh and had “shaken the right hand of Njteh” (Antonyan & Siekierski, 2014), Kakosyan was ordained as a supreme pagan priest and changed his name from Eduard to Slak Kakosyan, after his tribe’s forbearer’s name. Karekin Njteh and “Tseghakron” ideology In the book Pilisopayaganuh yev Kaghaparakhosaganuh Garegin Nzhteh i Desagan Jarankutyan Mej (Sargsyan, 2011), Armen Sargsyan, writes about the life, the ideologies and philosophies of the National hero Karekin Njteh. Karekin Der Haroutiounian, was born in the province of Nakhichevan in 1886. His father was a priest who died when Karekin was only two years old. He received his education in Nakhichevan and Tiflis. He temporarily studied law in Saint Petersburg, then he joined the military academy in Sofia with the help of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), and therefore was required to commit his work to the ARF. Njteh fought for the Armenian highlands against, the Turks, Azeris, Kurds, the Bolsheviks, and whoever was a threat to the sovereignty of Armenia. He was a fierce and courageous fighter and commander and was a source of intimidation to many. Njteh was Karekin’s penname. He was a prominent writer and his writings were a source of encouragement for the Armenian people to rebel against foreign occupation. Karekin’s main concern was the assimilation of the Armenian diaspora, especially after the dispersion of the 1915 Genocide survivors, fearing the loss of the Armenian identity and their existence. Therefore he established the Tseghakron movement with the help and blessing of the ARF, and the purpose was to promote national identity, and the awakening of Armenian nationalism and patriotism within Armenian communities. This movement was essential to organize the Armenian youth in the United States and to retrieve the rights of Armenians. Tseghakron, can be understood in two ways. First, it can mean the religion of a race or carrier of a race. Tsegh means race and kron has two connotations, one being religion and the second roots from the verb krel, meaning to carry (Antonyan & Siekierski,2014). The Tseghakron movement was renamed in 1941 as the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) in order to avoid assumptions and connections with fascism and racism within the American society, due to its name and the connotations mentioned above. For Karekin Njteh, the values of a nation should be protected and praised at any price. To him an individual cannot exist outside of his own national group (Antonyan & Siekierski, pp. ,2014). Armen Sargsyan has included several quotes from Njteh’s writings, about his ideas of the divinity of the homeland and patriotism as religion. For him the Armenian nation is divine and above all religions. The book also marks the Taronakan movement, founded with the help of Njteh’s close friend, Haig Asatrian in 1938. Taronakanutyun or Taronism was inspired by the Mamikonian’s self-defense in the 4th century AD, which was based on preserving Christianity and the Armenian nation’s protection. Although in Karekin’s writings there is criticism of some of the Christian doctrines and praising of some of the ancient Armenian gods, Vahagn, Karekin writes: “We will talk with Vahagn now, the god of the ancient Arian Armenians. A new book will be placed in the hands of our people, the gospel of the Arians.” (Sargsyan, 2011). Armen Sargsyan does not accept the writings about Armenian hetanism as Njteh’s rejection of the Christian religion rather the acceptance of the Armenian heathen origins and ancient believes describing the Armenians as courageous brave. In the beginning of the 1940’s, there was widespread anti-Armenian propaganda in Nazi Germany. Armenians were considered Semitic, therefore worthy of extermination, just as the Jews. This came after Germany was allied with the Turks in 1941to attack the USSR. Njteh was aware of the trouble this friendship would result in another genocide of the Armenians. Taking the Armenian nation’s security in mind, Karekin offered his services to the Nazis, and proved the Aryan origins of the Indo European Armenians. Therefore, Tseghakronutyun or Taronism was associated with fascism. Facing many challenges and threats throughout his life, Njteh spent a decade in prisons, and eventually died of sickness in his prison cell in 1955. His remains were buried at the slope of mount Khustup in Kapan, Armenia. To this day, Armenians follow the ideologies and legacy of Karekin Njteh, and he is considered a national hero and martyr of the Armenian people. His writings were published after the collapse of the Soviet Union and new generations are inspired by his ideologies to preserve the Armenian identity and nation. Ideology of the Children of Ara Ara is the god creator in the Armenian Pantheon, considered the father of gods. Therefore, the Armenian Neopagan community is called “Arordineri Ukht”, meaning the Order of Children of Ara. Vahagn is the main worshiped god, the god of war, thunder and lightning the son of Ara and Anahit. He was also acknowledged as the dragon slayer, vishapakagh, (Barseghyan, 2015).