Anahit
Goddess of motherhood, fertility and Armenia’s well-being
Anahit was the daughter or wife of Aramazd — the most beloved and revered goddess of the Armenians. She was a Mother Goddess, depicted holding a child in her arms and wearing the traditional Armenian women's headdress: a veil falling to the shoulders. She was called “The Great Lady Anahit” — mother of all wisdom and virtue, benefactress of humanity, guardian and glorifier of the Armenian people. It was believed that the Armenian world had always existed, existed then, and would continue to exist solely through her grace. Before undertaking any endeavour, the Armenian kings would seek the protection and blessing of the Great Lady Anahit. As a mother deity, she was the sacred embodiment of motherhood, fertility, and abundance. Together with Aramazd and Vahagn, Anahit formed the divine holy trinity of the Armenian pantheon.
The cult of Anahit was widely venerated throughout ancient Armenia: temples dedicated to her were built in the province of Ekegheats, in Taron, Vaspurakan, Armavir, and Artashat. The most celebrated was the Temple of Anahit in the village of Eriza in the province of Ekegheats (later known as Yerznka), to which priests and priestesses dedicated their service. Noble and wealthy families offered their grown daughters to this temple; only after serving there for a time were they permitted to marry. White-marked heifers — those bearing a white spot on the forehead — were also consecrated to Anahit's shrines and grazed in herds around her temples.
In the temple at Eriza stood a solid gold statue of Anahit, which earned the goddess the epithets Golden-Armed (Vosketsghi), Golden-Grained (Voskehat), and Golden-Born Golden Mother (Vosketsın–Voskemayr). Garlands woven from dense, fresh leafy branches were placed upon the statue. The statue was of such immense size that when the Roman general Mark Antony entered Eriza in 34 BC during his Parthian campaign, his soldiers smashed the golden statue of Anahit to pieces, divided the spoils among themselves, and carried them off to Rome. One soldier who had taken part in the plunder organized a lavish banquet in honour of Emperor Augustus. When the emperor inquired about the statue of Anahit, the soldier replied that he had been among the first to strike it — and that the entire cost of the banquet had been covered by a single piece of gold taken from the goddess's leg.