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Hayk


Hayk (Armenian: Հայկ) or Hayg, also known as Haik Nahapet (Հայկ Նահապետ, Hayk the "head of family" or patriarch) is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the History of Armenia attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (410 to 490).

The name of the patriarch, Hayk is not exactly homophonous with the name for "Armenia", Hayk’. Հայք Hayk’ is the nominative plural in Classical Armenian of (hay), the Armenian term for "Armenian." Some claim that the etymology of Hayk' (Հայք) from Hayk (Հայկ) is impossible and that the origin of the term Hay ("Armenian") is verifiable. Nevertheless, Hayk and Haig are usually connected to hay (հայ) and hayer (, the nominative plural in Modern Armenian), the self-designation of the Armenians. Armen Petroyan believes that the name Hayk can "very plausibly" be derived from the Indo-European *poti- ‘master, lord, master of the house, husband’.

Hayk would then be an etiological founding figure, like e.g. Asshur for the Assyrians, etc. One of Hayk's most famous scions, Aram, settled in Eastern Armenia from the Mitanni kingdom (Western Armenia), when Sargon II mentions a king of part of Armenia who bore the (Armenian-Indo-Iranian) name Bagatadi ("Theodore").

Armenian historiography of the Soviet era connected Hayk with Hayasa, mentioned in Hittite inscriptions.


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