Գագիկ Մարտոյեան2025-10-172025-10-172000Մարտոյեան, «Երուանդ Լալայեանի «Արա Գեղեցիկը» ժողովրդական հեքիաթներում», «Հայկազեան հայագիտական հանդէս», 2000, Պէյրութ, էջ 119-137https://haigrepository.haigazian.edu.lb/handle/123456789/833The author highlights the mythological concepts of some ancient peoples through a comparison of the popular fairy tale called "Ara geghetsik" with fairy tales of Daghestani and Russian origins, as well as with several other Armenian fairy tales with similar themes. The fairy tale was first transcribed by the renowned ethnographer Yervand Lalayan and published in 1902. In his analogy, the author relies on Indo-Iranian and Indo-Arian literary sources and relevant mythological characters, as well as goddesses symbolizing darkness, eternity, life and death. The fairy tale is about an ailing king whose eyesight is weakened by age. The king sends his three sons to find the apple that will cure his eyesight. Only the youngest son succeeds in getting the apple, so his envying brothers throw him into a well which has a gate to the "dark world" or the underworld. The young hero kills the devils that have threatened that "dark world". The grateful king of this underworld in response helps him return to his country. Other similar fairy tales differ in details: the ailing king's eyesight or health; the apple; the queen who owns the apple; the relationship established between her and the youngest hero; the dark world; the devils or the dragons; the way the hero returns to his fatherland. Through identifying the different characters of these fairy tales with the mythological, legendary figures and gods and goddesses of these peoples, Martoyan draws parallel lines between them, their characteristics and their functions, thus highlighting some of the very basic concepts these ancient people had regarding the perception of daylight and night, the magic powers of nature certain animals and trees.