ԳՐԻԳՈՐ ԲՐՈՒՏԵԱՆ / GRIGOR BROUTIAN 
(arm)
Տարածութեան եւ ժամանակի մասին պատկերացումները ըստ հայկական հրաշապատում հէքեաթների 
The understanding of time and space according to Armenian fairy tales 

Bazmavep 2011 / 3 - 4, pp. 459-484

The analyze of Armenian fairy tales and the epic Sasna Tsrer makes pos­sible to restore some essential elements of understanding of time and space in an­cient Armenia. According to this analyze the space has three-part structure: it consists of three worlds – the Light world, the Magic world and the Dark world (Under­ground). The time also has three-part structure. The parts of time and space themselves consist of three parts each. The division of time and space is always done by dividing each unit into three parts. The movement in different worlds is always one-sided, which is the performance of time nature of this movement. The space worlds are arranged along the vertical axis from down to up. Both in the understanding of time and space we see identification of the whole and its smallest part, that is – we have correspondence of the single spot and the whole. We see causal connection between the lower and upper worlds: the events of the upper worlds are consequences of the events in the lower (causal) worlds. There exists also low-gradefeedback between the events of the upper and lower worlds: the events of the upperworlds are slightly reflected in the lower (causal) worlds. The objects and events (actions) of one world are represented in the lower (causal) world not directly, but by means of their corresponding symbols. As a result of this analyze we find out also that according to the oldest Ar­me­nian belief there was unity and identity of time and space in the state of the Uni­verse preceding the creation of the world.