ABSTRACT
The religion of pre-Christian Armenia had much in common with that of its neighbours and the most ancient peoples of Mesopotamia. There was Vahagn, the counterpart of the Iranian Verethragna or Vahram and the Greek Heracles; his wife was Astghik, the Greek Aphrodite, goddess of love. Nanē is the counterpart of Athena-Minerva, goddess of power and wisdom, preserver of the state and a divinity of a purely ethical character. Tir-Apollo was the patron of Augurs, interpreter of dreams (Erazahan); the god of the arts and sciences and the recorder of man’s morals for his master, Aramazd (see below). Dreams were interpreted by his temple priests.
