Sanatruk
From a miraculous childhood rescue to a king’s rebuilding of a city
The Armenian King Sanatruk was the son of Abgar, King of Osroene's sister. Abgar's sister, Avde, was traveling to Armenia in the winter with her nursing child when she was caught in a blizzard in the Gordyene Mountains. Due to the heavy snowstorm, the entourage accompanying Avde got lost, scattered in different directions, and lost one another.
The child was with her nurse, Sanot, who was the sister of Byurat Bagratuni and the wife of Khoren Artsruni. Sanot, having separated from the group and getting lost in the Gordyene Mountains, remained under the snow for three days and nights, keeping the little one close to her breasts. During that time, the gods sent a wonderful white animal, likely a dog, to Sanot, which protected the child for three days until the blizzard calmed down, and the people who had set out to search for them found them unharmed. For this reason, the child is called Sanatruk, meaning “given by Sanot” or “Sanot's tribute.”
Sanatruk rebuilt the city of Nisibis, which had been destroyed by an earthquake, surrounded it with a double wall and rampart, and erected his statue in the city, holding a coin in his hand, which signifies that all my treasures were spent on the construction of this city, and only this coin remained. Sanatruk was killed during a hunt by an arrow that was accidentally released.