Iran and Armenia have shared extensive political, cultural, and religious ties throughout history. During the Median period, Armenia came under the rule of the Iranian Empire, marking the beginning of Iran’s influence on Armenian politics, culture, and religious practices. This influence persisted even up to the Christianization of Armenia. Considering the common ancestry of Armenians and Iranians and the geographic proximity of the two lands—especially by the third century CE under Gregory the Illuminator—it is likely that the two peoples mutually influenced each other in many areas, including religion and belief systems.
The deity Mehr held a prominent place in ancient Iranian and Armenian traditions. Mithraism in Iran and the veneration of Mehr in pre-Christian Armenia were highly significant. Religions have always absorbed elements from one another, strengthening their continuity. Ancient Armenian beliefs were strongly shaped by the ideas and traditions of the Iranian Empire.
Examining the role of Mehr in both cultures reveals that much of Armenia’s mythological history and indigenous belief systems prior to Christianity were deeply influenced by Iranian mythological and cultural heritage.
Mehr and Mithra: Prominent Deities in Zoroastrianism
In Zoroastrianism, Mehr is a powerful and highly revered deity. Often invoked alongside Verethragna as Mitra-Verethragna, Mehr was so esteemed in ancient Iran that his name was sometimes mentioned alongside Ahura Mazda and Anahita. He is a liberating god who brings abundance and freedom—either by slaying the sacred bull in Mithraic rituals or guiding people in Manichaean practices. Mehr rides a chariot drawn by four immortal white horses with golden and silver hooves.
Mithra is a multifaceted deity whose authority is recognized through oaths. He maintains order and justice, judges souls after death, and is a valiant warrior with a silver spear and golden armor, crushing the forces of malevolent gods.
According to the Tenth Yasht, he is the god of pastures, covenants, warriors, and dawn. Rising from Mount Alborz (Hara), he brings rain and prosperity, aided by divine messengers and accompanied by Verethragna in the form of a boar. Surrounded by divine waters, plants, and the frawashis of the righteous, he protects those who uphold their oaths and punishes those who break them.
Surviving texts suggest that Iranian Mithraism was esoteric and secretive. Followers were expected to enter the faith consciously upon reaching maturity, making it distinct from other ancient religions.
Mehr: The Earliest Sun Deity Among Armenians
In ancient Armenia, the deity Mehr—whose name derives from the Iranian Mehr (or Indo-Iranian Mitra, meaning friend, benevolent, oath, or covenant)—was the oldest sun god and a prominent figure among Armenian deities. Considered the son of Aramazd, Mehr was associated with celestial light. During the Hellenistic period, he was also linked to fire and blacksmithing, and the Garni Temple is thought to have been dedicated to him.
Greek sources from the 5th century BCE indicate that Armenians sacrificed horses to their sun god, Helios. Strabo reports that under the Achaemenid Empire, the satrap of Armenia sent 20,000 specially bred nisayun to the Persian king during Mehr festivals. From the 3rd century BCE, worship of Mithra-Mehr spread to parts of Asia Minor, including Lesser Hayk, following Roman influence.
While the practice of Mehr worship in the west differed from that in Iran, its essential features remained: solar order, warrior attributes, bringing earthly prosperity through the bull ritual, and acts of human salvation. These elements, as reflected in the Armenian epic David of Sassoun, continued to define the Armenian veneration of Mehr.
Armenian Mehr Returns to a World of Justice
In Western traditions, Mithra is described as being born from a rock, earning the title “rock-born deity,” with shepherds witnessing his arrival. In Armenian epics, although his birth from rock is not explicitly mentioned, Mehr is said to have been imprisoned in the Agrawkar rock, known as the “Gate of Mehr.” According to tradition, the cave opens once a year, allowing a shepherd or herdsman to enter and see Mehr. It was believed that at the end of time, Mehr would emerge from the cave to separate the guilty from the innocent. Armenians awaited his return with hope, believing he would free them from oppressors.
In the epic David of Sassoun, Great Mehr kills a black bull, yet the slaying of a lion is particularly prominent. Mehr defeats the lion blocking the paths of Sassoun, bringing abundant blessings to the land. This lion, associated with Mehr, is also depicted in Western rock carvings, showing his head atop the lion.
Through his deeds in David of Sassoun, Armenian Mehr embodies both the covenantal and martial aspects of the Iranian Mithra-Mehr and the Western Mithraic traditions. Just as Iranian kings would seclude themselves in caves to gain sacred power from Mehr, Armenian Mehr remains in the cave for a time before returning to a world in need of justice.
Traces of Mehr Worship in the Ancient Armenian Calendar
Evidence shows that Armenian Mehr combined elements of both Iranian and Western Mithra, acting as a link between Iranian and Western Mithraic traditions. Worship of Mehr is reflected in the ancient Armenian calendar: the eighth day of each month was dedicated to Mehr, and the seventh month—roughly corresponding to modern February—was called Mehkan.
The term Mahian, used for sacred sites in Armenian, also derives from Mehr’s name. One notable rock sanctuary dedicated to Mehr in the city of Van is known as the “Gate of Mehr.” In ancient Iran, temples called Dar-e Mehr housed sacred fires, and Armenians are believed to have celebrated their Mehkan festival in a similar manner. Today, the celebration continues as Diarandaraj on February 14 in Armenian churches.
Archaeological excavations in Garni, Armenia, conducted before the fall of the Soviet Union, revealed a sun or Mehr temple built during the reign of Tiridates I (80–63 CE). Mehr had major temples across Armenia; in Bagayarich, a grand Mithraic temple remained in ritual use until around 300 CE. The name Bagayarich, derived from the Iranian Bagavash (“worship of gods”), indicates that Mithra was worshiped as Bag to the fullest extent—similar to the center of his worship in Shiz, Azerbaijan, among the Magi of Media.
Garni, one of Armenia’s most famous ancient monuments, was also a temple of Mehr, known locally as Mahian. These examples reflect the enduring devotion to Mehr among the Armenian people.
Mehryasht: The Oldest Yasht in the Avesta
“We honor Mehr, these divine words, the Aryan “farr”, and our homeland, who brings peace and prosperity, resolves difficult tasks, and grants happiness and victory to the people. He is courageous, present everywhere, and always deserving of praise and reverence. Mehr, master of the wide plains, is fully aware of the righteous deeds of humans. With a thousand ears to hear and a thousand eyes to see, he remains ever watchful over the actions of mortals from the heights of the heavens.
Mehr is not only the god of light and covenants but also of war and victory. On the battlefield, when two armies face each other, he aids the side that first calls upon him with a pure heart and sincere worship, turning his favor toward those warriors and granting them support and triumph.”
