Armazi

Armazi is the chief deity of the Iberian Pantheon. According to the Kartlis Tskhovreba (Life of Kartli), the cult of Armazi was introduced by the founder of the Iberian Kingdom, King Parnavaz, who placed the deity's statue on the Mta-Kartli (Mount Kartli), near the grave of Kartlos, a mythical ancestor of Georgian people. In the country's spiritual center, two other deities previously existed: Gatsi and Gaim. Parnavaz named the deity according to his own name because “his name in Persian was Armazi." The newly found idol was well respected and worshiped accordingly.

With the influence of the cult of Armazi, some areas near Mtskheta were named after it, including mountains, villages, forests, valleys, and rivers. For example, Armaz-tsikhe (Armazi Fortress) is mentioned in foreign sources (Strabo, Pliny, and Claudius Ptolemy), which confirm the validity of Georgian historical sources. The idol of Armazi was made of copper and clad in golden chains; it had “solid mail coif” on top and beryl and emeralds instead of eyes, while holding a glittering sword in hand. The statue was visible from every point in town, and the Mtskheta population would worship the idle every morning from the rooftops.

The deities in the Armazi pantheon had different functions. Each had specific work associated with their functions. Armazi, along with Zadeni, was considered equal to the great gods, who established order in the country and acted as the guardians of the productive lands. There are descriptions of celebrations dedicated to Armazi that fell on a certain date in the first ten days of August.

The cult of Armazi had many local characteristics, which are evident by the location where these idols were erected. The idols of Armazi, Zadeni, Gazi, and Gaimi were placed on the tops of the mountain. Such places, according to Georgian mythological beliefs, were traditionally considered the sites of worship for Jvar-Khati and were often used to build shrines.

There are various hypotheses about the origins of the Armazi. Some believe it is a version of the Persian Ahura Mazda. According to others, Armazi was introduced to Georgia from Hittite-Anatolian culture.

According to the latest, more reliable information, Armazi is not of Persian origin. Armazi religion should be a consequence of reform, which was initiated by the state's founder, King Parnavaz. He introduced this new cult as a state religion to oppose local pagan cults that got in the way of creating a robust and organized state.

However, Armazi was not of Georgian origin. Because it soon disappeared from every facet of daily life. Furthermore, every aspect of the Armazi cult was connected to Anatolian culture. Although the values of this religion might have been closely related to local pagan beliefs, Georgian culture shared a lot of similarities with Anatolian, Aegean, and other ancient cultures. The Armazi cult should be considered one of the variants of the religions of that time because it emerged in this grand historical agricultural region. The Armazi cult in Georgia continued its existence until Christianity became a state religion here.

Literature: გიორგაძე გ., ათასი ღვთაების ქვეყანა, თბ., 1988; ჯავახიშვილი ივ., ქართველი ერის ისტორია, წგ. 1, თბ., 1979 (თხზ. თორმეტ ტომად, ტ. 1; Болтунова А. И., К вопросу об Армази, «Вестник древней истории», 1949, № 2; Марр Н. Я., Боги языческой Грузии по древнегрузинским источникам, СПб., 1901.

I. Surguladze