Mentioned to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides within the caves within the mountains, ready for intruders to quench his thirst.
Within the landlocked mountains and valleys of Armenia, the place silence stretches throughout cracked earth and night time falls with a chilly, empty wind, a bloodthirsty creature is alleged to dwell the mountain vary round Yerevan. Often known as the Dakhanavar, this entity occupies a novel place in Armenian delusion.
The Dakhanavar, or դախանավար, is much less a revenant of human loss of life and extra a vampiric guardian of the wild, defending the valley from intruders. It’s mentioned that he by no means killed the locals dwelling there, and solely these trespassing had been in danger.
The Armenian Vampire Dakhanavar of the Mountain Valleys
In contrast to many spectral legends that hang-out graveyards or ruins, the Dakhanavar stalks the empty areas between settlements within the south Caucasus area, significantly the place water is distant and the celebrities are vibrant. It’s a creature of the open night time, roaming the lonely roads that join villages throughout the Armenian highlands.
From the Library of Apollodorus, an Armenian superstition tells concerning the concern of wakening the undead: In Armenia, when an individual falls sick quickly after the loss of life of a member of the household, it’s supposed that the illness is brought on by the lifeless man, who can’t relaxation in his grave till he has drawn away one in every of his kinsfolk to the spirit land. To forestall this disaster, the physique of the deceased is disinterred and decapitated, and to make assurance doubly certain the top is smashed or a needle is caught into it and into the guts.
Bloodthirsty Monsters from Armenian Mythology: The Nhang was a river-dwelling serpent-monster with form shifting powers, usually related to the extra typical Armenian dragons. The creature might change right into a seal or lure a person by remodeling into a lady, then drag in and drown the sufferer to drink its blood. The phrase “Nhang” is typically used as a generic time period for a sea-monster in historic Armenian literature.
A few of the first and solely writing we have now of the entity was reported by Baron August von Haxthausen in his mid-Nineteenth century account of Armenia and Russian Transcaucasia, the e-book Transcaucasia: Sketches of the Nations and Races Between the Black Sea and the Caspian. The story was informed to him by his journey information, Peter Neu once they had been travelling by the glaciers of Allagas and at two miles from Erivan (Yerevan) by the mountains of Ultmish Altotem as he calls them in his writings. It isn’t actually recognized what particular mountains he’s referring to. There have been mentioned to be 366 Valleys there, and the area of the Dakhanavar.
The Legend of the Vampire and the Travelling Brothers
There as soon as dwelt in a cavern on this nation a vampire, known as Dakhanavar, who couldn’t endure anybody to penetrate into these mountains or rely their valleys. Everybody who tried this had within the night time his blood sucked by the monster, from the soles of his ft, till he died.
The vampire was nonetheless ultimately outwitted by two crafty fellows: they started to rely the valleys and when night time got here on they lay all the way down to sleep, taking care to position themselves with the ft of the one below the top of the opposite. Within the night time the monster got here, felt as regular and located a head: then he felt on the different finish, and located a head there additionally.
‘Properly,’ he cried. ‘I’ve gone by way of the entire 366 Valleys of those mountains, and have sucked the blood of individuals with out finish, however by no means but did I discover anybody with two heads and no ft!’ So saying he ran away and was by no means extra seen in that nation; however ever after the folks have recognized that the mountain has 366 Valleys.”
The Ale and Tpgha Spirits: In response to people superstitions, pregnant girls and newborns had been most weak to evil spirits and demons. the ale (Alk) might enter the womb of a pregnant lady and drink the blood of the kid or blind it. The alers, who took the type of younger or previous girls (usually with snake hair and fiery eyes), primarily stole the lungs, liver, or coronary heart of newborns, or kidnapped a wholesome new child, leaving her fragile demonic offspring as an alternative.
Even as we speak some vacationers in Armenia, significantly these going into the area of Mount Ararat, usually take precautions towards evil beings resembling Dakhanvar. Usually, they put small cloves of uncooked garlic in varied pockets or mash it up and rub the paste on their footwear. At night time, if tenting outside, these vacationers construct a big fireplace and toss garlic bulbs into the flames. The mix of garlic aroma and a blazing fireplace will drive virtually all the world’s many species of vampires away.”
Survival and Legacy
The Dakhanavar represents a concern older than cities and roads. It’s the concern of being alone at the hours of darkness. A reminder that within the huge areas of earth, the place water is scarce and night time arrives quick, the unseen should watch. Its identify might come from the Armenian phrase dajan, which means merciless.
However the place did the story actually come from? As talked about, the journey tales from Haksthausen are principally the one written supply,and there’s completely no information on this in Armenian sources, in addition to in fashionable analysis. The half about folks defending themselves with garlic when going by way of the Mount Ararat period comes from American author Jonathan Mayberry.
Nobody is aware of the place the story actually comes from, and nobody actually is aware of the place it’s going. Maybe it’s because the legend mentioned, the vampire was vanquished and by no means returned to the valleys. Or maybe it’s nonetheless there, within the remoted highlands of Armenia.
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References:
Unusual Armenian Superstition – PeopleOfAr
Armenian mythology – Wikipedia
https://panarmenian.internet/m/arm/particulars/232437
August von Haxthausen – Wikipedia
