The Image of the God Hephаestus in the “History of Armenia” by Movses Khorenatsi

The ancient Greek gods, especially the Olympian gods, have gained worldwide fame since the eastern campaign of Alexander the Great. Thus, the Hellenistic era became a springboard not only for the socio-economic development of countries, but also for their cultural and economic rise. One of the cultural and economic phenomena of that time was the ancient Greek god Hephaestus (his Roman equivalent Vulcan). However, according to the “History of Armenia” by Movses Khorenatsi, the Armenians needed the “help” of Hephaestus even before the Hellenistic period. Armenian artisans and all representatives of creative work were looking for their patron, since the supreme Armenian deities mainly patronized only natural phenomena: Aramazd patronized the sky and earth, the Sun god, respectively, the Sun, Anahit – fertility, Vahagn – rain, Astghik – love and beauty and etc. The workers, who made up the majority of the population, could not remain without a supreme patron for long, which corresponds to the logic of ancient man. And if the national (Armenian) pantheon did not provide its god, then it had to be “imported” from outside. This god became Hephaestus. That is why Movses Khorenatsi connects the appearance of Hephaestus directly with the appearance of the Armenian people on the historical arena.