The Evil That We Do Not Know: `Medz Yeghern’ and the `Old Language’
by Vartan Matiossian
December 12, 2012
Then he stopped and announced, `You know, there was on this land a medz yeghern,
a great cataclysm,’ as the survivors called the genocide.
‘Aris Janigian (2009)1
The following spring, the Armenian and Turkish ministries announced
that they had agreed on a plan of good relations, which allowed
President Barack Obama, in his anticipated April 24 address, to refer
to the events of 1915 not by the desired designation but by an
Armenian alternative: Medz Yeghern, meaning `great calamity.’
‘Garin Hovannisian (2010)2
If you are not Armenian, you probably know little about the
deportations and the massacres:
the death of a million and a half civilians. Meds Yeghern. The Great
Catastrophe.
‘Chris Bohjalian (2012)3
Above are quotes from Armenian-American fiction and non-fiction
writers. These excerpts indicate that `Great Calamity’ and similar
terms have become a common translation for `Medz Yeghern.’ The trend
has also been seen in academia, where non-Armenian academics have used
the term. Among them is diaspora theorist William Safran, who wrote,
`These events took place in the homeland, but they served to mark the
ethnonational consciousness in the diaspora as well, especially events
of a negative nature, such as¦the Armenian yeghern (catastrophe), the
Turkish genocide¦’4 Of course, the dominant discourse of the Turkish
mainstream, be it as `Great Calamity’5 or as `Great Catastrophe,’ is
seen in books authored or co-authored by Turkish and Turkish-Armenian
writers and scholars.6We may assume that the latter either follow the
flow or are genuinely convinced that this is the actual translation of
the phrase.
The oldest attestations of yeghern appear in the Armenian translation
of the Bible in the 5th century.
However, an internet search may also yield many English-language
Armenian outlets that translate Medz Yeghern as `Great Calamity,’ or,
sometimes, `Great Crime.’ There is a duality that makes necessary,
after the survey of Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-English
vocabularies, to explore their ultimate source: the Armenian language.
The meaning of `yeghern’ in Classical Armenian
We may start by pointing out that calamity and crime are related to
each other in that they both stem from the same underlying concept of
evil. Evil and crime are closely linked to each other because an evil
intent produces an evil act, a crime. Evil and calamity are also
closely linked; the Armenian word charik (which etymologically comes
from char, `bad’) means both `evil’ and `calamity.’
Armenian monolingual dictionaries and literary texts also help us
understand both the literal meaning of yeghern and the context in
which it was used.
This word is a prime example of a curious entanglement. The Dictionary
of Classical Armenian (henceforth, Haigazian Dictionary), compiled by
Mekhitar of Sebastia (1676-1749), the founder of the Mekhitarist
Congregation in Venice, attests to the existence of the words yeghar
(Õ¥Õ²Õ¡Ö) and yegher (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Ö) in Classical Armenian as meaning
`lamentation, cry.’ They originated words like yegharamayr >
yegheramayr (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥ÖÕ¡Õ´Õ¡ÕµÖ, `mourner’) and yegheragan (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥ÖÕ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶,
`lamentable’). The same dictionary cited the word yeghern (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Õ¼Õ¶) as
meaning charik (evil, calamity), tarnutiun (bitterness), zhandutiun
(perniciosity), medzavnas kordz (harmful act), abiradutiun
(lawlessness).7
An unidentified medieval author of a commentary on Armenian mystic
poet Gregory of Narek’s Book of Lamentation wrote that a
yeghernakordz (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Õ¼Õ¶Õ¡Õ£Õ¸ÖÕ®) or a charakordz (Õ¹Õ¡ÖÕ¡Õ£Õ¸ÖÕ®, `evildoer’) was
someone `who commits an act that merits lamentation.’ The reference
was quoted by the New Dictionary of Classical Armenian (henceforth,
New Haigazian Dictionary), published by three Mekhitarist monks in
1836-37, which defined yeghern as charik (Õ¹Õ¡ÖÕ«Ö?, `evil, calamity’),
vdank (Õ¾Õ¿Õ¡Õ¶Õ£, `danger’), vojir (Õ¸Õ³Õ«Ö, `crime’), aghedk (Õ¡Õ²Õ§Õ¿Ö?,
`catastrophe’), badahar (ÕºÕ¡Õ¿Õ¡Õ°Õ¡Ö, `event’) and vnas (Õ¾Õ¶Õ¡Õ½, `harm’).
The dictionary also mistakenly derived the word yegheragan
(`lamentable, tragic’) from yeghern on the basis of that reference.8
The conflation of the two terms in the New Haigazian Dictionary is
likely the source of our modern confusion between `calamity’ and
`tragedy’ when translating yeghern. In attempting to explain the
origin of yegheragan in Modern Armenian, one would perhaps be led to
think that since yegher (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Ö) does not exist as a single root, then
yeghern (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Õ¼Õ¶) may have something to do with `tragedy’ or
`lamentation,’ as Armenian linguistic laws establish that Õ¼ (rr)
becomes Ö (r) and not the other way around (compare Õ¤Õ¡Õ¼Õ¶Õ¡Õ¬ > Õ¤Õ¡ÖÕ±).
Dictionaries of Modern Armenian even list the use of yeghernagan
(Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Õ¼Õ¶Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶, `criminal’) and yegheragan (Õ¥Õ²Õ¥ÖÕ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶, `lamentable,
tragic’) as synonyms, labeling it as `antiquated.’9
In his Dictionary of Armenian Roots (1926-35), linguist Hrachia
Acharian (1876-1953) compiled all etymological attempts for yeghern,
but did not offer an etymology of his own.10 His disciple, Guevorg
Jahukyan (1920-2003), suggested an Indo-European origin and derived it
from the reconstructed root *el (`to annihilate, to harm’), of which
we have the Greek ollumi, oleko (`to annihilate, to destroy’) and
perhaps Hittite hullai (`to triumph, to defeat, to annihilate’).11 It
is less possible, but not completely unlikely, that the same root
yielded the reconstructed word *Õ¥Õ²Õ¥Õ¼ `crime,’ which originated both
yeghern and yegher.
It is noteworthy that the New Haigazian Dictionary defines aghed
(Õ¡Õ²Õ§Õ¿) as `anhnarin charik, vnas; vojir, abiradutiun,’12 which shows
that both yeghern and aghed meant `crime’ and `calamity’ in Classical
Armenian.
The meaning of `yeghern’ in 5th-century texts
The oldest attestations of yeghern appear in the Armenian translation
of the Bible in the 5th century. Amos 3:10 states: “They do not know
how to do right,’ says the Lord, `those who store up violence and
robbery in their strongholds” (Revised Standard Version, RSV); the
Classical Armenian translation of the same biblical passage would
translate into English as, “They did not know the yeghern that would
happen to those,’ said the Lord, `who stored up violence and misery in
their provinces.” In this context, where `An adversary shall surround
the land, and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds
shall be plundered’ (Amos 3:11, RSV), yeghern should be interpreted as
`evil’ to remain within the framework of the RSV version.
Nevertheless, the interpretation `calamity’ cannot be excluded.
Interestingly, the Western Armenian translation, directly from the
original Greek and Hebrew, renders the same passage as “for they do
not know to do ughghutiun,’ says the Lord; `they store up privation
and robbery in their palaces,” where ughghutiun means `right’; it
implies that if they do not to do right, they do evil.13 The Eastern
Armenian translation (from Classical Armenian) repeats the phrase as
`They did not know the yeghern to happen to them¦’ The translators
contextualized the word with the meaning of `evil’; otherwise, they
would have rendered it as aghed (`calamity’).14
Yeghern appears once again in the Bible in a quite problematic passage
of 2 Maccabees 4:50: `But Menelaus, because of the cupidity of those
in power, remained in office, growing in wickedness, having become the
chief plotter against his fellow citizens’ (RSV). The Classical
Armenian translation is literally: `And so through the greed and
avarice of those who were in power, Menelaus remained. He established
malice, being medz yeghern vnas to his citizens.’ It is quite likely
that the words medz yeghern functioned as a qualifier of vnas
(`harm’). The adjective medzyeghern (one word), which is not used in
Modern Armenian, appears in early bilingual dictionaries translated as
`crimeful, heinous’ or `execrable, abominable; very wicked,
heinous.’15 The Eastern Armenian translation renders `medz yeghern
vnas’ as `great evils’ (`medzamedz charikner’).16 (bringing? Or leave
as being?)
Yeznik Koghbatsi, a remarkable scholar who was among the group of
translators of the Bible, used yeghern three times in his Refutation
of the Sects:17
1) `[W]e say that that has happened to man not for yeghern, but for
goodness’ (I: 11);
2) `If Ormizd [Ahura Mazda] learned his father’s thought, why did he
not also learn his evil brother’s intention to perforate the abdomen
and come out, and go to take the kingdom, which would be yeghern for
him and his creatures?’ (II: 4);
3) `Or when someone sees his friend going to bandit-filled places and
says that he will encounter yeghern, he will not be the cause of harm’
(II: 16).
The first occurrence clearly means `evil’; the second can also be
interpreted either as `evil’ or as `calamity’; while the third
definitely associates `bandit-filled places’ with `crime.’18
The New Haigazian Dictionary included the following quotations from
the Armenian translations of one of the Church Fathers, John
Chrysostom:
1) `That yeghern fell on their heads’;
2) `When the greatness of evil [char] succeeds, yeghern is at its head.’19
We assume that the first case likely corresponds to the English
translation, `The evil will come round upon his head,’20 while the
second reference may be translated as `crime.’
The dictionary even quoted historian Eusebius of Caesarea as part of
its inaccurate identification of yeghern and yegher: `Cries [yeghers]
and crimes [vojirs] were rampant throughout the land of Egyptians.’21
The following table summarizes the seven uses of yeghern and their
most suitable translation:
Source Meaning
Amos 3:10 Evil/Calamity
2 Maccabees 4:50 Crimeful, heinous (medzyeghern)
Yeznik I:11 Evil
Yeznik II:4 Evil/Calamity
Yeznik II:16 Crime
John Chrysostom Evil (?)
John Chrysostom Crime
Acharian defined the Classical Armenian meaning of yeghern as
`portzank, charik,’ both denoting `evil’ and `calamity.’ While it may
be argued that he did not translate yeghern as `crime’ in Classical
Armenian, it is highly significant that he defined vojir as yeghern;
moreover, he noted, yeghern `in the new literary language, means vojir
[crime].’22 Jahukyan correctly defined yeghern in Classical Armenian
as `portzank, charik, vojir.’23
Yeghern belonged to the semantic fields of `evil,’ `crime,’ and
`calamity’ in the 5th century CE. We will see whether it continued to
have these three meanings in modern times, in `the new literary
language’; and whether Acharian, the greatest Armenian linguist of all
times, was right or wrong.
Notes
1 Aris Janigian, Riverbig, Berkeley: Heyday Books, 2009, p. 66.
2 Garin K. Hovannisian, Family of Shadows: A Century of Murder,
Memory, and the Armenian American Dream, New York: HarperCollins,
2010, p. 249.
3 Chris Bohjalian, The Sandcastle Girls, New York: Doubleday, 2012, p. 6.
4 William Safran, `Comparing Visions of the Nation: The Role of
Ethnicity, Religion and Diasporan Nationalism in Armenian, Jewish and
Sikh relations to the Homeland,’ in Mitchell Young, Eric Zuelow and
Andreas Sturm (eds.), Nationalism in a Global Era: the Persistence of
Nations, Oxford and New York: Routledge, 2007, p. 39
5 Fuad Dundar, Crime of Numbers: The Role of Statistics in the
Armenian Question (1878-1918), New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers,
2010, p. 6.
6 Selçuk AkÅ?in Somel, Christoph K. Neumann, and Amy Singer,
`Introduction: Re-Sounding Silent Voices,’ in Amy Singer, Christoph K.
Neumann, and Selçuk AkÅ?in Somel (eds.), Untold Histories of the Middle
East: Recovering Voices from the 19th and 20th Centuries, Oxford and
New York: Routledge, 2011, p. 6; Susae Elanchenny and Narod
MaraÅ?liyan, Breaking the Ice: The Role of Civil Society and Media in
Turkey-Armenia Relations, Istanbul: Istanbul Kültür University, 2012,
p. 14.
7 Bargirk haykazian lezvi (Dictionary of Classical Armenian), vol. 1,
Venice: Antoni Bortoli, 1749, p. 227, 239.
8 Nor bargirk Haykazian lezvi (New Dictionary of the Classical
Armenian Language), vol. 1, Venice: S. Lazarus Press, 1836, p. 654.
9 See, for instance, Eduard Aghayan, Ardi hayereni batsadrakan bararan
(Explanatory Dictionary of Modern Armenian), vol. 1, Yerevan:
Hayastan, 1976, p. 323.
10 Hrachia Acharian, Hayeren armatakan bararan (Dictionary of Armenian
Roots), vol. 2, Yerevan: Yerevan University Press, 1928, p. 694.
11 Guevorg Jahukyan, Hayeren stugabanakan bararan (Armenian
Etymological Dictionary), Yerevan: Asoghik, 2010, p. 213.
12 Nor bargirk Haykazian lezvi, p. 39.
13 Astvatzashunch girk Hin yev Nor Ktakaranats (Holy Bible: Old and
New Testament), Constantinople: M. Hohan, 1857, p. 1025.
14 Astvatzashunch matean Hin yev Nor Ktakaranneri (Holy Bible: Old and
New Testaments), Holy Echmiadzin: Bible Society of Armenia, 1994, p.
1093.
15 Father Paschal Aucher and John Brand, A Dictionary English and
Armenian, Venice: Armenian Academy of S. Lazarus, 1821, p. 213, 421;
Rev. Matthias Bedrossian, New Dictionary Armenian-English, Venice: St.
Lazarus, 1875-1879, p. 464.
16 Astvatzashunch matean Hin yev Nor Ktakaranneri, p. 697. The
deuterocanonical books such as II Maccabees have not been translated
into Western Armenian.
17 Yeznka Koghbatsvo Bagrevanda yepiskoposi Yeghdz aghandots
(Refutation of the Sects by Yeznik Koghbatsi, Bishop of Bagrevand),
Venice: St. Lazarus Monastery, 1926, p. 46, 140, 180.
18 The Eastern Armenian version gives the meanings of `evil,’
`evildoing,’ and `tragedy’ (Yeznik Koghbatsi, Yeghdz agandots
[Refutation of the Sects], A. A. Abrahamyan, translator, Yerevan:
Hayastan, 1970, p. 48, 91, 110).
19 Nor bargirk Haykazian lezvi, p. 654.
20 The Homilies of S. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople,
on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1851, p. 835.
21 Nor bargirk Haykazian lezvi, p. 654.
22 Acharian, Hayeren armatakan bararan, vol. 2, p. 694; vol. 5,
Yerevan: Yerevan University Press, 1931, p. 501.
23 Jahukyan, Hayeren stugabanakan bararan, p. 213.
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