Anahit
The Great Mother — goddess of fertility, healing, wisdom and the honour of the land; the most beloved of the Armenian gods.
Golden Mother, Great Lady, Glory of the Armenians
Anahit was called 'the great lady Anahit, mother of all sobriety, benefactress of all human nature, offspring of the great and valiant Aramazd'. Her golden statue at Erez in Akilisene was known as the Glory of the Armenians, and King Tiridates swore that by her the land itself lived.
Her sanctuaries at Erez, Armavir, Artashat and Ashtishat received the greatest wealth in the kingdom. Daughters of noble houses served a term in her temple precinct; herds were dedicated to her and marked on the ear.
She is a healer above all: the sick slept in her precincts to receive dreams of cure. Where Anahit's spring rises, the water is medicine.
Sacred Associations
Associations
Կապեր- Fertility of women, herds and fields
- Healing, especially by water and by dream
- Chastity understood as self-possession and honour
- Motherhood, midwifery, the protection of children
Realms
Տիրոյթներ- Springs and river sources
- The birthing room
- Orchards and pastures
- Temple precincts of healing
Sacred Offerings
Ընծաներ- Clean spring water in a bronze or clay bowl
- Milk, honey and dried fruit
- Green boughs and the first flowers
- A gold or gilded object left at a spring
Taboos
Արգելքներ- Never foul or pollute a spring; it is her body.
- Do not approach her altar with cruelty toward a woman or a child unatoned.
- Do not bargain with her over a healing — you ask, you do not trade.
Sacred Colours
Գոյներ- Gold
- White
- Spring green
Sacred Numbers
Թիւեր- Three — maiden, mother, healer
- Seven — the days of a healing vigil
Establishing a Relationship
- 1
Find water. A spring, a river source, even a bowl of water kept fresh on a shelf — Anahit meets you at the place where water comes clean out of the dark.
- 2
Keep her altar spotless. Cleanliness is not decoration here; it is the whole of the offering.
- 3
Serve someone who is sick or newly a mother. She is honoured far more by the care you give than by the incense you burn.
The Water Vigil of Erez
Evening, waxing moon; for healing, repeat seven nights
- 1Fill a clean bronze or clay bowl with fresh water. Do not use it for anything else afterward.
- 2Set a single flame beside it and a sprig of green — mint, basil or a young branch.
- 3Say: 'Anahit, golden mother, glory of our land — lady of the pure water, turn your face to this house.'
- 4Speak the name of the person who needs healing, including your own if it is you. Speak it three times, plainly.
- 5Wash your hands and face from the bowl, then your forearms, working from the heart outward.
- 6Sit in silence and watch the water until the flame steadies. Note any image that comes; her answers arrive as dreams and pictures, not words.
- 7At dawn, pour the water at the root of a living plant. Never down a drain.