Aytsyam Anetsi

[Arpa]

Այծյամ Անեցի

 

Aytsyam Anetsi

 

Did anyone know about her?

I didn’t. I just ran into her by accident.

 

We take it for granted that after Gagik II’s capture and exile the Ani saga came to an end. Not so. The Anetsis stayed and bravely fought against many invaders like the Seljuks, the Mongos and the Arabs.

In one of those battles in 1126 when Ani was attacked and surrounded by the hordes of Patloun Sheddad (an Arab?) the defenders put a courageous defense against all odds and starvation . During that battle a young woman of common birth proved to be the most celebrated hero when she, even though wounded, climbed up the wall and hurled missiles at the enemy with her slingshot.

She is known as Aytsyam Anetsi. (the Deer of Ani).

Edited October 30, 2005 by Arpa

[Dave]

Nice info. I didn't know about her either.

 

Mongols and Tatars - especially the Tatar-Turkic empire of Tamerlane, or Timur Lenk - destroyed almost everything in their paths. For example, certain kingdoms (Khwarezmian Empire) and nations literally vanished from the face of the earth. Mountains of skulls and rivers of blood were formed in Baghdad, Damascus, and in Armenian cities. During the invasion of Sassoun, Tatars were throwing ordinary people down from the mountains. The pile of corpses was so big, that some of the people who were thrown last were able to survive. I think there's also a story (but I'm not sure if it happened during the Tatar or Ottoman invasion) of a Sassountsi woman who would rather throw herself and her baby down the cliff, than to end up in the hands of the ennemy.

 

 

btw, Patloun Sheddad isn't an Arab. The Shaddadid Kurdish dynasty ruled over Ani and its' surroundings a few years after the Seljukian invasion.

 

Plus, there is no ''p'' in Arabic.

[Arpa]

Thank you Dave for your input and correction.

As you can see I was hesitant to assert that he was an Arab, the reason why I used the parentheses. I did searched to see who and what the Sheddadians(original spelling in the Armenia source) were, and after a while I gave up. Although, I must confess the Kurdish element eluded me, plus the historical sequence made little sense as well. You are right about that.

 

btw, Patloun Sheddad isn't an Arab. The Shaddadid Kurdish dynasty ruled over Ani and its' surroundings a few years after the Seljukian invasion.

Plus, there is no ''p'' in Arabic.

You’re right about the lack of P in Arabic(Semitic) which I knew. I was tempted to spell his name as “Fadloun”, however, again not being sure about his ethnicity I left it as in the Armenian text knowing full well that any word or name written with the 35th letter (Pyur/Փ) is not native Armenian as there may be very few if any native Armenian words using the letter. That letter was mainly designed to accommodate transliteration of foreign words be they from the Greek as Pharos/Փարոս or Arabic/Semitic Fil/Փիղ.

As to her name Aytsyam/Այծյամ, it may be just a nickname or descriptive of her graceful agility and speed. Even though, it seems at one time it was used as a personal (feminine) name, at the present the diminutive/endearing Aytsemnik/Այծեմնիկ is more common.

http://armenian.name/index.php?a=term&d=4&t=104

ԱՅԾԵՄՆԻԿ

հայ. այծյամ /այծեամն/ “ եղնիկ”, բառից՝ իկ փաղաքշական ածանցով ՝ “հեզաճկուն”, “նազօրոր”, “սիգաճեմ” նշանակությամբ: Գործածական է նաև Այծիկ կրճատ ձևով: Այժմ էլ տարածված անուն է ժողովրդի մեջ:

Also, most sources identify the animal as Capreolus capreolus (I had looked it up at that time but decided not to get into zoology or the philology aspect), a deer native to Asia Minor and Europe known as Roe(red) Deer in common English.

Here is one of many sites;

http://www.deer-uk.com/roe_deer.htm

Edited October 30, 2005 by Arpa

[Arpa]

Nice info. I didn't know about her either.

 

Mongols and Tatars - especially the Tatar-Turkic empire of Tamerlane, or Timur Lenk - destroyed almost everything in their paths. For example, certain kingdoms (Khwarezmian Empire) and nations literally

Alright Dave, you opened the Pandora's box , and now you are responsible to let us know what a Tatar is. .

I can find very little precious about them except that they are a Turkic people with an autonomous enclave within the Russian Federation. Many sources place them as Mongolians , or even Chinese (Dadan, often spelled as Tartar).

 

(Hey Sip, Azat, and all of our cuccinal, cuisine, khohanotsakan geniuses. What is "tartar sauce" and what does it have to do with "tartaric acid" :).)

 

We run into this name in Armenian sources to mean synonymous with the Azeris, most often during the pogroms of late 19th c. and early 20th c., and even today, at times used alternately to describe the Azeris, besides the fact that at that time the word "Azeri" was not quite invented yet.

In Armenian sources the name is spelled as Թաթար, which in reverse transliteration would be "thathtar" as the 9th letter Թ like the Greek Theta is supposed to sound like the English TH as in "theory", while in reverse translit. Tatar would be Տատար.

Please do not respond here, let us open a whole new thread, as this is a whole new new can of worms, another Box of Pandora, if you will, as to why we use the term Tatar/Թաթար in reference to certain people. Yes, some Azeri sites do admit to have minorities, among others, as Tats and Talysh.

Who and what are Tatars in the Armenian perspective?

 

As above, please initiate a separate thread to see who and what is a Tatar in the Armenian context.

Edited October 30, 2005 by Arpa

[Dave]

Arpa,

 

I think that the aydziam was an animal that Armenian villagers tried to hunt, but were never capable to catch, because the Aydziam always ran into the mountains. Villagers thought that those hunters who go searching for the aydziam would never be able to come back, and would be lost forever in the mountains.

 

I'll create another thread in just a few minutes.

Edited October 31, 2005 by Dave

[Arpa]

Yes Dave, he was of Kurdish origin from Dvin just like Saladdin, a Kurd born in Dvin who ended up being one of the most celebrated champions of Islam ridding Jerusalem of the Crusaders. WE have talked about him in length here at HF.

 

The Shaddadians;

(Note. An internet search using any variation of the name will run into many Azeri sites we will see why below. I did not open or read any of them.)

A clan of amiralty of Kurdish origin in Armenia during X-XII c. The first of them on record is Mohammed Ibn Shaddad who conquered Dvin in 951AD, subsequently the marzpan of Aderpatakan took over the city forcing Mohammed to seek refuge in Vaspurakan, following that he moved to Gantsak . In 1022 another Shaddadian, AbdulAswar retook Dvin where they ruled until 1130. In 1072 one of their braches moved and settled in Ani where they ruled intermittently until 1199. The chief of this latter branch, Manucheh was half Armenian as his mother was the daughter of King Ashot IV of Armenia. During his time Armenian landowners of Ani, namely the Pahlavunis and the Apiratians were allowed to keep their properties but the following chieftains took this privilege away and practiced usury and oppression causing uprisings, the first in 1161, eventually Armenian and Georgian forces defeated them, however they once again conquered the city but in 1199 the Armenian forces with the leadership of the Zakarians once and for all retook the city.

======

Below one of the very few sites =dealing with the subject.

Can everyone see the ArmText?

 

http://projects.ascp.am/history/vedi3/2.htm

 

Գուրգենին հաջորդած Դավիթը (մոտ 996 —1048/49) առաջին իսկ տարիներին ընդարձակեց երկրի սահմանները հյուսիսային ուղղությամբ, գրավեց Գմանիսը և իրեն ենթարկեց Տփղիսի արաբ ամիրային; Դավիթը հաջողությամբ պայքարեց նաև վտանգավոր ախոյան՝ Գանձակի Շադդադյան ամիրայութւան դեմ։

Շադդադյանները X դարի 70-ական թվականներին հիմնելով իրենց իշխանությունը Գանձակում, ժամանակի ընթացքում գրավել Էին մի շարք շրջաններ Հայաստանի սահմանամերձ գավառներում և ընդհուպ մոտեցել Էին Վրաստանին ու Գուգարքին։ Շադդադյան Փատլուն ամիրան նվաճել Էր Գուգարքին հարևան Փառիսոս գավառի կեսը, Խաչենը և այլ վայրեր։ Նրա հետագա խորացումը Հայաստանում անխուսավւելի Էր դարձնում բախումը Կյուրիկյանների հետ;

Դավիթ Բագրատունին կարողացավ պարտության մատնել Փատլունին և ետ շպրտել Գու-գարքից։ Դեպքերի ժամանակակից պատմիչ Ասողիկը չի նշում թվականը, սակայն պարղ Է, որ ընդհարումը պետք Է տեղի ունեցած լիներ մինչև 1003 թ.Տ,

Դավիթը ճնշում Է նաև կենտրոնախույս ուժերին, որոնց օժանդակում էին հարևան իշխանավորները։

1030 թ. Փատլունը հարձակվեց Վրասաանի վրա։ Այս անգամ ընդհանուր թշնամու դեմ կազմակերպվեց դաշնակցություն, որի մեջ մտնում էին Վրաց աշխարհի Կախեթի թագավորները, Տփղիսի արաբ ամիրան և Դավիթ Կյուրիկյանը։ Դաշնակիցները ջարդում են Փատլունի զորքը։ Չդիմանալով ստացած ծանր հարվածին, Փատլունը շուտով մահանում է։ գլուխ կանգնեցնել Կյուրիկյանների հակառակորդներին։ Նրանց հաջողվեց Կյուրիկյանների դեմ հանել Գագի իշխան Դեմետրեին։ Պատմագիր Ասողիկը վկայում է, որ Դեմետրեն օժանդակություն ստանալով դրսից, իր որդուն նշանակեց Տաշիրի կառավարիչ։ Սակայն խռովարարները հաջողություն չեն ունենում։ Դեմետրեն պարտվում է, կորցնելով իր բոլոր տիրույթները

Edited October 31, 2005 by Arpa