TORK ANGEGHYA: ETYMOLOGICAL REVIEW – 2012-1

Summary

Armen H. Gharagyozyan
There have been many conflicting and contradictory points of view in academic literature regarding one of the most remarkable characters in Armenian mythology, Tork Angegh (about the deprecatory nature of the Turkish ethnic name of Tork/Turk). This study shows that the depiction of Tork Angeghya (Angegh – Ugly) had a positive function and reflected the meaning of beauty. It is noteworthy that in Armenian, the Sun’s beautiful name is connected first and foremost with the notion of light. Thereby, Angeghya-Ugly meant heavenly lamp, lantern, light (at the foundation, Sun). It is obvious that the names Tork and Turk and their Asian parallels originated from the Indoeuropean sun god Tor’s (Tur or Dur) mythological name. At the same time, the perception of Tork/Turk as a god brings one to the conclusion that Tork the Ugly, in his composition meant the god of heavenly light. In this case, the semantic transfer of Tork the Ugly = Ara the Beautiful is obvious.

In this way, Tork the Ugly is presented as a heavenly light dominator, giver, distributor, grantor; at the same time the patron of crafts and tillers and the god of fertility. He was also the most-abled, the bearer of power and strength, always the winner, fierce, the diety of lightening and thunder.

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