The Legend of Lake Anahit

 

At the top of Mount Ararat lies a lake of unusual beauty, associated with many stories and legends. One of them has been known to the residents of Ararat valley for a very long time. They say that one day, the goddess of fertility and harvest, the golden-haired Anahit, was strolling past the floating clouds at sunset and fell in love with the great Mount Ararat, which gleamed in the mist. Her love was so strong that every moonlit night, she left the waters of Araks* and, suffering from insomnia, wandered through the valley in circles, mumbling words of love and affection that rose to the top of Mount Ararat like a gentle zephyr. As the moonlit nights followed each other, her days were filled with unrequited love. Yet the great Ararat was still silent, and that silence tore at Anahit’s heart and soul.

Then, forgetting all shame and prudence, the goddess could not help herself any longer and went up the mountain. Covering her seductive body in morning mist, she turned with words of love to her beloved. Those words soared from her mouth like beautiful birds, but Ararat remained unmoved, indifferent and cold. Then, the rejected, confused goddess fell to her knees. There, on top of the mountain, she sobbed openly, no longer holding in her tears and they flowed from her eyes freely like rivers. Only those tears could console her slightly in her boundless grief because the mighty giant had not said a word. Anahit wept for a very long time… Until her tears formed a lake at the top of Mount Ararat. That is why it is called Lake Anahit.

Source:

  • The 100 Legends of Ararat by Tzeh (n.d.).
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