Haik

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This article is part of the series on: History of Armenia
Early History
Haik
Hayasa-Azzi
Kingdom of Urartu
Orontid Armenia
Kingdom of Armenia
Artaxiad Dynasty
Arsacid Dynasty
Medieval History
Marzpanate Period
Byzantine Armenia
Bagratuni Armenia
Kingdom of Vaspurakan
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Foreign Rule
Persian Rule
Ottoman Rule
Russian Rule
Hamidian Massacres
Armenian Genocide
Early Independence
Democratic Republic of Armenia
Soviet Armenia
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
Modern Armenia
Republic of Armenia

For the name of the lake and town in Hayq, Ethiopia, see Lake Hayq.

Statue of Haik in Yerevan.

Haik (Հայկ, also transliterated as Hayk or Haig) is the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation. His story is told in an epic, taken down from oral tradition by Moses of Khorene in the fifth century AD. In the epic, Haik is a chieftain of the Armens, an Armenian tribe, and leads them against the invading forces of Bel of Babylon. On August 11, 2492 BC, in a battle at Hayoc Dzor near Lake Van, Haik kills Bel, and calls on his kinsmen to unite into a single nation. He establishes the castle of Haykaberd at the battle site and the town of Haikashen in the Armenian province of Taron (modern-day Turkey). Haik was also the founder of the Haykazuni dynasty. Some other Armenian princely houses - Khorkhoruni, Bznuni, Syuni, Vahevuni, Manavazian, Arran etc. - trace their genealogy back to Haik.

Some historians think Haik was a real Armenic leader of the third millennium BC; others believe he is a purely mythical figure.

Additionally, it is possible that the name Haik is a precursor to the word for "Armenian" in the Armenian language ("Hye").

There are several theories regarding the origin of the name Haik. One of them suggests that Haik is derived from the ancient proto-Armenian nation of Hayasa mentioned in Hittite inscriptions. Others believe that the name Haik was the Armenian form of the Urartian supreme god Khaldi.