Vahagn
God of fire, war, lightning and courage — born from the reeds of the sea in flame, slayer of the vishaps.
Vishapakagh, the Dragon-Reaper
The birth-hymn of Vahagn is the oldest surviving fragment of Armenian poetry: heaven and earth were in labour, the purple sea was in labour, and out of the water rose a red reed from which smoke, flame and a youth ran forth — his hair of fire, his beard of flame, and his eyes two suns.
He is Vishapakagh, the reaper of dragons: he hunts down the vishaps who hoard water in the mountain lakes and cut off the rivers, and by killing them he frees the storm and the spring flood. The Milky Way was called the Straw Thief's Way after Vahagn stole straw from Barsamin and scattered it across the sky in flight.
His great temple stood at Ashtishat in Taron beside those of Anahit and Astghik, and kings sacrificed to him before war.
Sacred Associations
Associations
Կապեր- Fire, lightning and the smith's forge
- Courage, victory, the just fight
- Storms that break drought
- The sun at its fiercest
Realms
Տիրոյթներ- The battlefield
- The forge and the hearth-fire
- Reed beds and the shores of lakes
- The thunderhead
Sacred Offerings
Ընծաներ- Fire itself — a lamp, a bonfire, a candle burned to the end
- Strong wine, undiluted
- Iron or steel: a nail, a blade kept sharp
- Sweat: physical effort dedicated to him
Taboos
Արգելքներ- Do not call on him for a fight you know to be unjust or merely vain.
- Do not let his flame be smothered or spat on; let it burn out.
- Never boast of a victory he gave without naming him.
Sacred Colours
Գոյներ- Flame red
- Copper
- Burnished iron
Sacred Numbers
Թիւեր- Three — smoke, flame, the youth
- Nine — the ninefold strength of the hero
Establishing a Relationship
- 1
Vahagn is met through effort, not contemplation. Dedicate hard training, hard work, or a difficult act of courage to him and he becomes present quickly.
- 2
Keep a flame for him — even a small oil lamp lit when you need nerve. Light it before the hard thing, not after.
- 3
Speak his birth-hymn aloud. It is the oldest address anyone has to him, and it still works.
Kindling of the Reed
Before any ordeal, contest or confrontation; or at Trndez
- 1Stand. Do not sit for Vahagn.
- 2Light a single flame in a metal or stone vessel. Add a dry reed, straw or wood shaving.
- 3Recite the birth-hymn: 'In travail were heaven and earth, in travail too the purple sea; the reed brought forth smoke, the reed brought forth flame, and out of the flame ran a youth — his hair of fire, his beard of flame, his eyes two suns.'
- 4Name aloud the thing you are afraid of. Do not soften it.
- 5Pour a little strong wine into the fire or onto the ground beside it, and say: 'Vahagn Vishapakagh, dragon-reaper — cut the coil that holds the water. Give me the nerve for one hour.'
- 6Hold your open palm near the heat until you feel it clearly, then close your fist.
- 7Let the flame burn out on its own. Go and do the thing that same day.