Ara the Beautiful

Ara the Beautiful or Ara the Handsome ( _hy. Արա Գեղեցիկ - Ara Geghetsik in Armenian), according to legend, was an Armenian king who ruled the Kingdom of Ararat from 1769 to 1743 B.C. He is notable in Armenian literature for the popular legend in which he was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis waged war against Armenia just to get him.

The legend

According to the legend, Semiramis, queen of Assyria, had heard about Ara's good looks and charm and desired him for herself. Ara, being married, declined her advances because he did not want to betray his home and his family.

This infuriated Semiramis and she soon declared war on Armenia. With a powerful army, she attacked the Armenians. In a battle fought in the Ararat valley, Ara was slain despite Semiramis having explicitly ordered that he be captured alive. This led her to become depressed, as had been the case with thousands of other women who had longed for the beauteous king. In order to halt continuous warfare with the Armenians, it is said that Semiramis prayed to the gods to revive Ara from the dead. Semiramis, reputed to be a sorceress, took his body and tried in vain to enliven him. When the Armenians advanced to avenge their leader, she disguised one of her lovers as Ara and spread the rumor that the gods had brought him back to life. As a result, the war was ceased.

The ending

There are different endings to this legend, some even stating that Ara came back from the dead. Arguably, most of the time, the legend consists of Ara dying, and never returning.Here are a few different endings:

* [http://www.littlearmenia.com/html/history/detail.asp?id=10 Body on top of castle ending]
* [http://www.armenianhistory.info/origins.htm The disguise]

References

* [http://www.armenianhistory.info/ara.htm Short Summary]
* [http://www.armenianhistory.info/origins.htm Armenian legends]
* [http://www.littlearmenia.com/html/history/detail.asp?id=10 Ara]

See also

*Haik
*Semiramis