Noah’s Wife in Armenian Folk Tradition and Intercultural Context: Mother of Demons and Righteous Woman
Noah’s Wife in Armenian Folk Tradition and Intercultural Context: Mother of Demons and Righteous Woman
Tadevosyan Tadevos
Summary
Key words: Asmodeus, Astghik, Kabbalah, Ark, Lilith, Noema, Sons of Noah, Titea
This article is dedicated to the figure of Noah’s wife in Armenian folk tradition and its intercultural parallels. The author examines a complex symbolic construct in which biblical, apocryphal, and folkloric motifs intertwine, along with pre-Christian archetypes of the feminine principle. In Armenian tradition, Noah’s wife is portrayed not only as a righteous woman saved alongside her husband, but also as a mediator between the human world and demonic forces. Particular attention is given to the localization of the myth in Armenia – Marand and Nakhichevan – where, according to tradition, Noah’s wife, Noah and sons are buried. Comparative analysis reveals the ambivalence of her image: in European folk plays and apocryphal texts, Noah’s wife is depicted as a bearer of destructive magic and temptation, whereas in Islamic tradition, she is portrayed as a nonbeliever rejecting her husband’s prophecy. Armenian traditions preserve the archaic functions of the feminine principle, linking it with fertility, chthonic forces, and sacred authority. Thus, the study demonstrates how the figure of Noah’s wife unites motifs of sanctity and destruction, reflects the interaction of pre-Christian beliefs with Christian doctrine, and serves as a marker of cultural memory, illustrating the dynamics of mythological and gendered transformations in the region.