ՀԱՄԼԵՏ ՄԱՐՏԻՐՈՍԵԱՆ / HAMLET MARTIROSYAN
(arm)
Հայկական նշանագրերի ուղին պալէոլիթից մինչեւ միջնադար
(«ծին» նշանագիր)
The Way of Armenian Hieroglyphs from Paleolithic to Medieval Eras
(The Symbol “Cin”)
Bazmavep
2010 / 1 - 2,
pp.
75-93
The usage of the symbol that resembles the Greek capital letter Omega (Ω) is found in Sumer and Egyptian pictography. This symbol was the ideogram standing for the name of the mother goddess Ninhursag in Sumer and Mwt in Egypt. The Babylonian goddess Sassuru corresponds to the Sumer goddess Ninhursag, which literally means “womb”.
The ways in which the name of goddess Mwt is written offer a key to explore the phonetic value and meaning of the Omega symbol. It is written both in the form of the symbol Omega as well as in the form of a hieroglyph depicting a bird - the kite (c'in). This predator bird does not seem to have any other symbolism, but its name stands for the ideogram of the mother goddess. The link between the mother goddess and the bird is provided by the Armenian language. In Armenian, the word “c'in” (= kite) is homonymic to the word cin = “to give birth; womb, placenta”, which expresses the core notion of giving birth and the two important organs for delivering birth (the womb and placenta). Therefore it is assumed that the ideogram standing for the name of the mother goddess with the image of the c'in bird is done through Armenian homonyms. As a result the reading of cin should be ascribed to the symbol Omega, which graphically depicts the feminine organ (vulva) and the womb together; i.e. depicts the entire organ of delivering birth. The ancient samples of the symbol “cin” trace back to the Upper Paleolithic era and can be found on the petroglyphs of Syuniq. In the territory of Armenia, this symbol has continuously been used since the Upper Paleolithic era to the present days. It exists in the lists of medieval symbols, church architecture, on cross-stones, in carpet making etc.