Armenian Mythology Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Myth

The Shahapet is a serpent-ghost, a guardian spirit tied to specific places such as fields, forests, mountains, homes, and especially graveyards. It can appear either as a snake or in human form, but its serpent aspect is the most common and deeply rooted.

In its role as a household spirit, the Shahapet was believed to be an ancestral presence, watching over the home and ensuring prosperity. When respected, it brought protection, fertility, and sometimes even wealth. However, if angered or driven away improperly, it could bring misfortune, poverty, and disorder upon the household.

The same spirit also existed beyond the home. As Shvaz, it guarded agricultural lands and was connected to seasonal cycles, appearing particularly in spring when farming resumed. As Shvod, it remained within the house, acting as a domestic guardian feared especially by children.

A unique ritual marked its transition between these roles. At the end of winter, villagers performed a ceremony to drive the household spirit out into the fields so it could aid agricultural work. They struck the walls of their homes, shouting for the spirit to leave, while placing water at the threshold to help guide its departure. Though forced away, the spirit was believed to labor in the fields and later return.

The Shahapet was not inherently malevolent. It was protective and beneficial by nature, but highly sensitive to human behavior. Hospitality, respect, and proper ritual ensured its favor. Neglect or disrespect, however, could transform it into a source of harm.

In some traditions, larger territorial serpent-spirits guarded entire regions, distinguishing between locals and outsiders—protecting their own while attacking strangers.

Overall, the Shahapet represents a complex fusion of ancestral ghost, land spirit, and protective serpent, deeply tied to both the home and the cycle of life, death, and fertility.

Tradition / Region: Armenian mythology
Alternate Names: Arlez, Yaralez (Haralez)
Category: Dog

The Myth

The Aralez are winged, dog-like spirits spoken of in Armenian tradition. They are said to descend from the sky onto the bodies of fallen heroes. By licking the wounds of the dead, they are able to restore life to those whom fate has taken in battle. Because of this power, they are remembered as beings tied to war, kingship, and the hope that a great warrior might yet rise again.

Their most famous appearance is in the tale of Ara the Handsome, the legendary king of Armenia.

Ara was renowned for his beauty and strength, and his fame spread far beyond his kingdom. The Assyrian queen Semiramis, called Shamiram, heard of him and desired him for herself. She sent envoys offering riches and power if he would come to her, but Ara refused, unwilling to abandon his homeland.

Enraged and determined to possess him, Shamiram gathered her army and marched against Armenia. She commanded her soldiers not to kill Ara, but to capture him alive. Yet in the chaos of battle, he was struck down and killed.

When the fighting ended and Ara lay dead among the fallen, Shamiram was filled with grief and fury. She ordered that his body be taken and placed high upon a platform. Then she called upon the Aralez, the spirits who revive the dead. She prayed that they would descend from the heavens, lick the wounds of the slain king, and restore him to life.

It is said that she waited, hoping the winged spirits would come and raise him again, but Ara did not return to the living.

Stories of the Aralez did not end with Ara. In later times, when the noble Mushegh Mamikonian was killed, his relatives placed his body upon a high tower. They believed that if the corpse were left exposed to the sky, the Aralez might descend and bring him back to life, just as they were once called upon for the ancient king.

Because of such beliefs, towers and high places were sometimes linked with the hope that the Aralez might come, for they were thought to travel from the heavens and seek out the fallen who were worthy of resurrection.

Thus the Aralez remain in Armenian memory as sacred beasts of the sky, watchers over the dead, who come only for heroes whose fate may yet be undone.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Aralez (mythology). In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aralez_(mythology)