Hayk
Hayk In Armenian folklore, hero who freed his people from the tyranny of King Bel of Babylonia. Hayk was a handsome giant with fine limbs, curly hair, bright smiling eyes, and strong arms. The bow and the triangular arrow were his weapons. Hayk freed his people, who lived in the plain of Shinar, from the tyranny of King Bel and brought them to the mountains of Armenia. There, however, he placed the native population in subjugation. The forces of King Bel pursued Hayk, and the hero shot an arrow, piercing the chest of the king and causing his forces to disperse. Hayk’s son was Armenak, another Armenian hero. Hayk is used in Armenian as a term for a giant as well as “great beauty.” St. Gregory of Narek called the Virgin Mary “Hayk-like.”
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow-Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
