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Anahit Անահիտ | |
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Major cult center | Erznka |
Gender | female |
Ethnic group | Armenian |
Festivals | Navasard |
Genealogy | |
Parents | Aramazd |
Siblings | Vahagn, Nane and Mihr |
Equivalents | |
Etruscan | Artume |
Greek | Aphrodite or Artemis |
Roman | Diana |
Anahit (Armenian: Անահիտ) was the goddess of fertility and healing, wisdom and water in Armenian mythology.[1] In early periods she was the goddess of war. By the 5th century BCE she was the main deity in Armenia along with Aramazd.[2] The Armenian goddess Anahit is related to the similar Iranian goddess Anahita. Anahit's worship, most likely borrowed from the Iranians during the Median invasion or the early Achaemenid period, was of paramount significance in Armenia. Artaxias I erected statues of Anahit, and promulgated orders to worship them.[3]