About the Heroic Image in the Epic «David of Sasun»

Mu Azhen Doctor of Philology Senior Lecturer, Department of Russian Language, Shanghai University of Politics and Law 2000333, China, Qingpu region, Shanghai, Weizingson Highway, 7989, office 104 944530282@qq.com

Introduction "David of Sasun" is an epic dedicated to ancient Armenian heroes and is the pinnacle of ancient Armenian folk literature.

Most eposologists attribute the last stage of the formation of the epic "David of Sasun" to the VIII-IX centuries, although traces of an earlier period are noticeable in it. According to this point of view, this literary work reflects the struggle of the Armenian people against the foreign yoke. However, traces of historical events and personalities belonging to different periods of the history of the Armenian people can be seen in it. The original name of the epic is "Sasna Tsrer", but it is better known as "David of Sasun" - in honor of his most beloved hero by the people. This is a collective work consisting of many legends. The earliest written reports about this epic were made by Portuguese travelers of the XVI century. The main text of the legend was recorded in the village of Arnist, near the town of Mush in 1873 by the Bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Garegin Srvandztyants (Srvandztyants, 1874). Another variation of it was found in 1886 in Etchmiadzin and recorded by the famous Armenian scholar Manuk Abegyan (1889). In general, in the period up to the end of the 1970s, many variations of this story were recorded, found mainly in Eastern Armenia (Republic of Armenia). 160 versions of the epic, recorded for more than 100 years in three dialects: Mush, Moka and Sasun. From the moment when this epic was first recorded, due to the fact that the main version of the story was recorded in different dialects and underwent numerous changes, this led to the fact that the narrative became chaotic and difficult to understand. Most versions of the epic were published in Yerevan in five volumes (1936, 1944, 1951, 1977, 1979, 1999). The printed version is called "Sasna tsrer".

In September 1938, the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia decided to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the epic "Sasunzi David", which is "a remarkable literary monument of the Armenian people, where the freedom-loving spirit and heroism of the people are expressed with exceptional strength and vividness."^{[1, p. 29]} In honor of this event, in 1939, the official version of the work was published in the Soviet Union. M. Abegyan, G. Abov, A. Ganalanyan prepared and published a summary text of the epic, based on 65 versions, containing over ten thousand lines; it was translated into Russian by poets Vladimir Derzhavin, Alexander Kochetkov, Konstantin Lipskerov, Sergey Shervinsky. This version of the publication was called "David of Sasun", and not "Sasna Tsrer", since the word "tsrer" from the original title was difficult to translate into other languages. I. A. Orbeli, in his preface to the version published in Russian on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the epic, translates the title as "The Furious from Sasun", "The Furious Sasunians".

Here he also points out that the word in Armenian "has several meanings: – possessed, crazy, eccentric, crazy brave – and all these meanings in some moments of the life of the heroes of the epic are more or less applicable to them, though not in a negative sense. It is difficult to express the full meaning of this word in the translation of the title of the epic."^{[2, p. xi]There are also various reworkings of this work, which were created according to different principles and for different purposes.}

The most famous and popular version belongs to Hovhannes Tumanyan - "David of Sasun" (1903, David of Sasun). This is a poetic version of the third branch of the epic, written for children. This is a poetic version dedicated to the third generation of Sasun heroes and written especially for children. "Sasunzi David" by Nairi Zaryan (1966, David Sasunsky) – a prose version similar to Tumanyan's poem, has been translated into Russian, English and Dutch. Two other popular versions are Avetik Isaakian's "Sasma Mher" (1938, Mher Sasunsky) and Yeghishe Charentsa Sasunsky David (1933, David Sasunsky). They reflect the socio-political position of their authors.

In the article we rely on the 1982 version, which is a reprint of the Russian consolidated text of 1939. It was this variant that was used when translating into Chinese. In addition, we studied other materials of Armenian epic studies, which were available in Russian, English and Chinese. In particular, the issues and problems analyzed in our article have at various times been the focus of attention of other well-known epic scholars and to some extent have been investigated from their point of view. For example, Manuk Abegyan, Azat Yeghiazaryan, Hayk Hambartsumyan, Sargis Harutyunyan have already considered these issues in one context or another. But over time, a sufficient amount of new material has accumulated, which allows, on the one hand, to investigate this problem more comprehensively, on the other hand, to consider some issues more specifically and specifically in order to interpret them, which is what our research is aimed at.   

Origin, appearance and mighty strength of the Sasun heroesIn the epic "David of Sasun"

 the images of four generations of heroes of the Sasun family who defended their kingdom with courage and fearlessness are presented: twin brothers Sanasar and Bagdasar, Mher the Elder, David and Mher the Younger. These heroes have similar characteristics and together make up the mythical representation of the Armenian people about the heroic image. And although the epic reveals connections with the heroes of myths and legends of other peoples, which is quite natural, nevertheless, by their nature, actions and deeds, the heroes of the Armenian epic are quite original, demonstrate unique qualities - and this is their difference from the heroes of other epical works.  

The study of the origin of the heroes of the Armenian epic shows that they are more or less associated with the ancient Armenian deities, repeat the images of the heroes of mythology, and at the same time can be identified with the gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. For example, according to the principle of their origin (divine or noble): their parents are either gods or kings, so they themselves are demigods or descendants of the royal family. In a sense, it is obvious and no coincidence that almost all the epic scholars who dealt with this problem pointed to this similarity. Another thing is that in the development of the plots of the epic, there is a constant desire, let's say, to "simplify" the characters, to bring them to the level of a simple farmer. This, in our opinion, is due to the social position and aspirations of the storytellers of the epic. For them, the ideal image of the tsar, prince, leader, who has the same social origin as the narrators. This is one of the most remarkable differences between the heroes of the Armenian epic and the heroes of Greek and other myths.

The latter, of course, participate in the life of ordinary mortals, interfere in it, but they never become one of them. The heroes of the Armenian epic, even having a noble origin, constantly strive to be close to the common people. Not to order them, but to learn from them. The same thing is observed in comparison with the heroes of residents of other regions.

The content of the epic, the origin of the heroes and the further development of the plot are also connected with world mythology. In particular, there are many elements in the work that go back to the text of the Bible, and this is noted by such epic scholars as M. Abegyan and A. Yeghiazaryan. However, if we study the text of this epic more closely, then, having met another episode that reminds us of the events of other well-known myths or legends, we can come to the conclusion that after all, each of them is endowed with local flavor and features. Thus, the heroes of Sasun are descendants of the beautiful Armenian princess Tsovinar. The old Armenian king did not have a single son, there was only one daughter Tsovinar. In order to protect her country from the invasion of the Turkish Caliph, the charming Tsovinar was forced to agree to marry him. Just before leaving, she went to the sea with her nurse, she was terribly thirsty and prayed to God that he would create a spring there and show her light in the darkness. "And now, by the grace of God, the sea receded, a boulder covered with white foam was exposed. From that boulder, a white-foamed spring beats. Tsovinar put her hand under the jet, took a full handful of water, drank, held her hand again, but this time there was not a full handful - the spring dried up. Tsovinar drank another half handful and conceived." ^{[3, p. 64]} Sanasar came from this full handful, and bedokur Bagdasar - from that incomplete one. Then the twins Sanasar and Bagdasar created Sasun and became the first generation of heroes of the Sasun family. Later, Sanasar married the beautiful Dehtsun-tsam, the daughter of the king of the Kajas, and they had The Mher is Old. Mher the Old married Princess Armagan, the daughter of King Tevatoros, and David was born to them. David married Khandut-khatun, the daughter of the Kaputkoh king Vacho Marjo, and they had Mher the Younger. Thus, the genealogical scheme of four generations of heroes of the Sasun family was formed.

In fact, they are all descendants of Zovina and the sea, a combination of man and God and the ancestors of giants. The blood of demigods flows in their bodies, thanks to which they possess supernatural powers and noble genes. Thus, speaking about the origin of Sanasar, the epic scholar Armen Petrosyan calls him "the epic transformation of Vahagn", who was the god of thunderstorms, lightning, war, bravery, courage and victory in ancient Armenian mythology. Vahagn, in turn, is identified with the Greek god Ares. In the "Sasun Madmen", the ancestor of the kind of heroes is Sanasar, whom Abegyan calls the "thunderer" - an epic embodiment of the same Vahagn - he finds in the depths of the sea a lightning sword - the weapon of the god of thunder and the heroes of the next generations of the epic ^{[4, pp. 97-106]}. Similarly, the hero of the Armenian epic Mher is identified with the ancient Armenian god of the Sun and science Mihr. Of course, you can point to other such connections. However, in our opinion, in general, the heroes of the epic "David of Sasun" are unique, and have no analogues.

Speaking about the description of the appearance of the heroes, we see a strong and beautiful physique inherent in the gods. They have a very tall stature, a slender and strong figure, a beautiful face, and their origin corresponds to the simple aesthetics of their ancestors. Thus, "the reason why a hero becomes a hero does not depend absolutely on his own efforts and sweat, and an innate noble bloodline is also the key to becoming a hero." ^{[5, p. 1 77]} It is noteworthy that the heroes of the epic grow up with lightning speed: the transition from childhood to adulthood occurs within one episode. "In the Armenian epic about the Sassoon braves, such a sudden transformation (increase in size) is inherent in David and his grandfather Sanasar, who in childhood, unlike his twin brother Bagdasar, underwent "initiation" tests" ^{[6, p. 49]}. For example, Sanasar enters the water and immediately comes out of there grown up, he also gets his armor and weapons from the bottom of the sea.

When Samsar entered the church of the sea, he dozed off and had a dream – the Mother of God was standing in front of him and said: "Hey, Sanasar, get up! / The military cross is found here, / Stand up, bow before it seven times, pray. / If you are worthy of him, he will be yours, / Put it to your right hand - you will overcome everyone with him, / There is a sea horse Jalali standing nearby. / A lightning sword that fell from the sky, on it, / A horse is waiting under the saddle, gnawing the bit, / If you are worthy of it, you will sit in the saddle. / Here you will see a secret chest, / The Caftan keeps an iron chest, / Hides abusive boots, / In it lies a belt of armor, / A helmet that cannot be pierced, / And in it is a Pyglor-a trumpet, and a shield, / And a club, whose appearance is formidable. / Spear, Dagger, Arrow and Bow, / You will find everything in it. / And then plunge into the palace pond, / Get stronger, mature, gain courage, / Become seven times bigger! / You will grow seven times and you will become stronger, / You will find everything that your soul wants then."^{[3, pp. 91-92]} Sanasar obeyed the Mother of God: he left the church, went to the pond, threw off his clothes, bathed, drank the spring water and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, by the will of God, he stretched out, expanded, became a real hero: the armor became just right for him. He took a lightning sword and a Military cross, which is a symbol of the invincibility of the hero. Sasuna, conquered the fiery horse Jalali and became his master.

This equipment has been passed down from generation to generation as a sign of maturity and a symbol of the Sassoon gods. When one of them received it, that is, put on armor, sat on a Jalali, put a Military cross on his right shoulder and took a lightning sword, it meant the birth of a new hero, ready for feats for the benefit of the Sasun people.

As clan leaders and national defenders, heroes always have features that exceed the capabilities of ordinary people. For example, Jason was an excellent navigator and knew how to lead sailors; Hercules was good at archery and fighting; Theseus was very smart in politics and country management; Oedipus was extremely wise. These talents played a key role in the legends of the heroes, helping them achieve great success.

Sasun heroes are distinguished from other people by their divine power. Their origin gives them amazing strength, which is mainly reflected in their super-fast growth rate and super-fighting abilities. They were extremely strong and powerful from birth. Describing the process of growth of each hero, the epic takes the trouble to emphasize their innate extraordinary strength again and again: "they are growing by leaps and bounds."^{[3, p. 53]} When Sanasar and Bagdasar turned one year old, they already looked five years old. When they were six, they became mighty Pahlevans, which greatly frightened the Caliph. When the eldest Mher was seven years old, his height was already about fifty centimeters, he quickly learned everything and had already managed to become proficient in various sciences. He was not yet fifteen when he managed to engage in a battle with a lion with his bare hands and received a formidable nickname - the Lion-Eater Mher. As for David, he was even stronger and more powerful. Already in infancy, he was able to tear off the lullaby straps, break the iron chain and rope made of non-woven hemp. Not being able to count to two, he was already able to catch a large round hammer, throw a heavy royal club, which weighed three hundred pounds, and even kill five pakhlevans on the spot. All this made King Melik very frightened of his forces and determined to kill him at any cost. As the son of David, Mher the Younger inherited his father's strength and even surpassed him. At the age of thirteen, he entered into single combat with his father, both fought for life and death. During the fight, his mother Khandut-khatun noticed that her husband David's strength is waning, but his son's The Mher are just arriving. It was after this single combat, when his son knocked him down and disgraced him, David began to pray to the righteous God that Mher was not only immortal, but also childless.

This divine power is also reflected in the super-fighting abilities of the heroes of Sasun. They are heroic and fearless, protect Sasun and help people out of trouble. This is their way of life. If, for example, in the myths of Ancient Greece, heroes can get angry at people, take revenge on them, punish them, then such qualities are completely alien to the heroes of the Armenian epic. This is also one of the features that distinguishes them from others. For example, after learning that a dragon is sitting at a spring in the Green City, which does not allow water to flow to the city and the people are dying of thirst, the twins Sanasar and Bagdasar together killed the insatiable svire poe monster, freed the water, saved the people. Princess Armagan languished for seven years in the bosom of the Hlat king White Dev, who was considered the strongest of all earthly kings. People hated him and asked the senior Mher to kill him. Mher the Elder fought with him for two days and two nights on spears. Only by the end of the third day, Mher killed a White Deva, put Armagan on a horse and returned to Sasun with her. Sasun bogatyrs fight alone, without assistants. Their fighting strength is often put to the test against thousands of soldiers and their horses. For example, David alone destroyed the innumerable army of Msyr-Melik and expelled the tax collector Msyr, consisting of a thousand giants, thereby protecting Sasun and his people. Mher the Younger also single-handedly defeated the troops of the seven enemy kings, although there were no numbers of them. Mher p picked up the lightning sword and, like thunder, struck at the enemy.

Summarizing, it should be noted that the description of the power of the Sasun heroes in the epic has a strong mythical motif, which reflects the worship of the ancient people before the supernatural divine power.

Noble and valuable qualities of Sasun heroesSasun's heroes have many noble qualities.

Despite the fact that they are strong and good in battle, they fight only to protect the city, and not to achieve feats, increase personal wealth, or acquire heroic glory. This is a very important quality, rarely found in world mythology, so we want to emphasize: the heroes of the Armenian epic never wage wars of conquest, their struggle is only defensive or liberation. They do not have such a strong personal consciousness as the heroes of Homer's epic, which manifests itself as "the consciousness of personal property, the consciousness of personal rights and the consciousness of personal reputation" ^{[5, p. 178]}. The most typical example is that after Agamemnon kidnapped Achilles' favorite slave, Achilles refused to fight in anger, despite the interests of the country. In his opinion, Briseida was not only his slave, but also the spoils obtained in the war, she was his private property. In order to regain their "property" and protect their personal reputation, the heroes of classical myths often ignore their personal lives and even the fate of the country.

In "David of Sasun," a similar character is Msra-Melik. In order to expand his hegemony, he conducted constant, causing enormous damage to the lives of many peopleI have many many brave youngsters

Needed for the war!

I have many many widows ' sons

Needed for the war!

I like a lot of black - bearded fighters

Needed for the war!

I like a lot of red-haired, like lions, daredevils

Needed for the war!

And lots of old people as white as snow

Needed for the war! ^{[3, p. 251]}

Unlike Msra-Melik, the Sasun heroes are firm supporters of peace. As David said, peace is maintained by order, not violence. He killed the Pope and all the dignitaries, pardoned the whole city, appointed ordinary people in their place and acted as a defender of the people. He told people: "As long as you are alive, do not know the war" ^{[3, p. 306]}. This statement is the embodiment of the idea of the Sasun heroes about a world without wars and violence. In their opinion, feats are performed not for the sake of glory, battles - not for the sake of battles, but for the sake of eternal peaceful life.

Since the Armenian people are not forgiving, they are not hostile to anyone, they do not feel a thirst for revenge. Even if he becomes an avenger (when a knife is put to his throat), it is temporary, until, oppressing the enemy, he expels him from his country. He "respects" the opponent so much that he does not want to catch him by surprise. So, when David is going to engage in battle with an enemy army, he warns the enemy every time before the attack:

Hey, who's sleeping — get up quickly!

Who woke up — bridle the horse!

Who bridled — put on the armor!

Who with a sword — get on the horse!

Don't say then that David,

Like a thief, he came and went secretly!^{[3, p. 266]} 

Moreover, the heroes of Sasun also have compassion, a strong collective spirit and national consciousness. This is primarily reflected in the fact that Sasun is a city built for the poor. This is a city where taxes are not levied. Everyone there is equal, fair, there is no so-called aristocratic class. There is order and justice, and the Sassoon people live according to a simple folk order. The first inhabitants of Sasun were forty poor families. Refusing to inherit their grandfather's kingdom, the Sanasar brothers returned to their poor village to help the residents build a house. Later, Mher the Elder fed all the inhabitants of Sasun for seven years, relying only on the fruits of his hunting. He also built a beautiful garden and a beautiful monastery of Maruta on Mount Sasuna and allowed blind and elderly people, the poor and the disabled to move to live in this monastery. Then David built a bridge between the Sasuna River and Mount Maruta so that people would not fall into the river and drown. Moreover, when he discovered a large treasure, he distributed all the treasures to the villagers and took only one horse for himself. Mher Jr. also did a lot for the people. In order to protect the Sassoon people, he refused to be the king of other kingdoms. Thus, there is no "clan aristocratic heroism" in the heroes of Sasun^{[7, p. 50]}, as in the heroes of Homer.

On the contrary, with the exception of their amazing strength, the Sasun heroes are more ^{like ordinary residents of their homeland}.

Their mission is to build a city Sasun, protect the lives and property of its inhabitants. They are not intoxicated with power and are not greedy for money. Being folk heroes, they defend the interests of the weak and defenseless every time. In a word, they are the builders, leaders, and guardians of the city of Sasun. These qualities of the heroes of the Armenian epic are also unique and are their distinctive feature. The character and fate of the Sasun heroes

It is important to note that the characters of the heroes of the epic "David of Sasun" and their opponents are built on the principle of antithesis.

In their research, epic scholars have stated that the Sasun heroes are kind, simple, sincere and straightforward, but not without flaws. However, in our opinion, it is not so much their personal qualities that are important, as their opposition to the essence of the enemy. This is exactly how the people wanted to see them.  

Chinese scientist Yan Yongxing, translator of "David of Sasun" into Chinese, believes: "While the epic describes the heroes of Sasun as extremely powerful, it also emphasizes their dispassion, childishness and naivety, which are reflected in the fact that they are not very clever in conspiracy, too pure and innocent, and do not know how to draw the right conclusions and make decisions in difficult situations."^{[8, p. 24]} When the lion was approaching Mher With tarshem, the latter ordered everyone else not to attack the lion with weapons M. Instead, he laid down his weapons and fought with his bare hands. The heroes of Sasun have no desire to arrange intrigues and tricks. They even trust their enemies, so they are often deceived by them. Let 's take Mher as an example again From tarshego. Old Msra-Melik knew that he was old and would die if he fought Mher for a long time, so he pretended to be his brother, and Mher was deceived. He sincerely believed in this lie, and due to the fact that Msra-Melik canceled contributions and forgave debts to all debtors, this belief only strengthened. After The old Msra-Melik died, Mher was deceived again, this time by his widowed wife Ismil-khanum. As a result, they had a younger one Msra-Melik, who later became the new leader of Msera and Sasun's new strong enemy. As for David, he was no better than his father. When the younger Mr. Melik set a trap in the camp and invited him to sit down so that he would fall into it, the extremely simple-minded David did not feel a trick in anything. As a result, he fell into a deep pit and almost died before starting the battle.

Compared to the heroes of Homer, the heroes of Sasun are really simpler, a little rougher and devoid of strategic thinking. However, the epic does not ridicule their stupidity and recklessness, but emphasizes their human side. They are not ideal gods, but a combination of man and God. They have human emotions: they laughed, cried, were afraid, angry and made mistakes like any other person. Their shortcomings contained the weaknesses of human nature and that is why they added attractiveness to them. As a Russian scientist stated: "David is the most real and the most earthly of all the heroes of the epic. Like his ancestors - grandfather Sanasar and father Mher the Elder - he is endowed with superhuman, titanic strength, gifted with many virtues, but he is especially attractive precisely because human weaknesses and experiences are not alien to him.^[9] On the other hand, the epic also shows the shortcomings of the heroes in order to reveal their kindness and simplicity. This opinion was also supported by Yan Yongxing: "Sasun heroes cannot and are not obliged to master the art of creating insidious tricks and various conspiracies. They only need to know how to be brave, strong, fair and humane, that's what these epic heroes deserve."^{[8, p. 25]} It should be noted that in general, the character and personalities of the Sasun heroes are of the same type and have the meaning of a symbol. There are "no obvious differences" between different generations of Sasun's heroes^{[10, p. 80]}, one can even say that their characters are identical.

The fates of all the heroes of this epic end in tragedy. "Comedy is a myth of rebirth, and tragedy is close to life itself"^{[11, p. 97]}. According to the American writer Eudor Welty: "Mythology is a dramatic description of the tragic failure of heroic deeds in ordinary social life, therefore mythology is reality."^{[12, p. 27]} 

In this epic, the main reason for the tragic ending is connected with the violation of the oath to God. For example, Mher the Elder and his wife broke their vow: "you will not come to my bed for forty years!"^{[3, p. 161]}, which led to the fact that both died after the birth of their son David. David A also suffered a similar fate. He swore to his former lover Chymshkik-sultan: "I swear by the Almighty virgin Maruta. / With a military cross on my right hand, / Only for seven days, / I will return to fight with you!"^{[3, p. 309]} However, after returning to Sasun, he married Khandut-khatun. Immersed in family happiness, David completely forgot about his oath to Chymshkik-sultan u and, in the end, was killed by their daughter. What about Mher The youngest, because of his father's curse, he was immortal and childless. Tired of endless wars and hypocritical and cruel environment, he decided to live in seclusion in the cave of the rock Agravakar. He declared: "If I get up, I will go out into the light - / The earth will not hold me! / As long as this world is full of evil, / As long as the earth is false, / I will not live in the world. / When the world is destroyed and re-erected, /When wheat is like a hazelnut, / Like a rosehip berry will be barley, / Then my day will come - / From here I will go out on that day!" ^{[3, p. 341]}. Unfortunately, so far he has not waited for this day. It should be borne in mind that Mher the Younger also has a divine beginning, and we are dealing with a dying-resurrecting deity. The son of Sanasar, Mher the Elder, and the son of the latter, David, die because of the violation of the oath. The last hero, Mher the Younger, is cursed by his father David and imprisoned in a rock. He will come out of the rock only when the world becomes kind and fair. In these episodes, the descendants of Sanasar are comparable to the image of the son of the god of thunder, which was combined with images from other typical myths of the region – "a dying and resurrecting god" and "a hero born of stone," as Armen Petrosyan wrote.

ConclusionThe famous American mythologist Joseph Campbell believes: "Society needs heroes, because the epoch needs a strong heroic image to unite the spirit of the times"^{[13, p. 163]}. 

In "David Sasunsk om" formed the ^{images of the heroes of Sasun, who are both powerful national} defenders from external enemies, and leaders of the Sasun clan, and saviors of the Armenian nation. They bear the "strong color of salvation"^{[14, p. 105]}, because they are associated with the long-term needs of Armenia, which is constantly facing fierce ethnic struggle and national conflicts. Being a small country in Transcaucasia, Armenia does not have a strong army and has been subjected to division, invasion, annexation and ruin by other powers for thousands of years. Therefore, the Armenian people are extremely eager for the appearance of such a strong "patron saint" as David, who can withstand thousands of troops alone. In fact, the images of the Sasun heroes are a kind of symbol that reflects the deep desire of the Armenian people for a strong national defender, national independence and world peace.

It should be noted that the heroes of Sasun are not only heroic and fearless, decent and fair, not greedy for fame and wealth, but also have kindness and compassion, a high degree of collectivism and patriotism. These qualities are applicable to the standards that we attribute to the classic "heroes" today. Especially in modern society, where material aspirations prevail and individualism is excessively promoted, this epic has a high value for the reader.

Thanks. The research was carried out with the financial support of the Shanghai University of Politics and Law within the framework of the scientific project No. 2022XQN17.