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''Daredevils of Sassoun''〔Also known as ''Daredevils of Sasun''.〕 ((アルメニア語:Սասնա ծռեր) ''Sasna tsřer'') is an Armenian heroic epic poem in four cycles (parts). In the initial decades following the discovery of the epic in the late nineteenth century a general consensus emerged attributing its theme to the struggle of four generations of Sassoun's warriors against Arab rule in the 8th to 10th centuries. The pioneers of this interpretation of the epic were the philologist Manoug Abeghyan in Armenia and academician Hovsep Orbeli in Leningrad who argued that there are no characters in the epic who could be attributed to a historical figure before the 10th century. This historicist school held its sway until the Armenian philologist Grigoryan first in an article (1981), then in a book (1989) argued following an incisive analysis of the epic, "it is indisputable that the roots of the epic go back deep into the centuries, and they reach not only the cuneiform times when monarchy was underway in Armenia, but even the prehistoric era." Grigoryan identified various episodes in the epic as of patently matriarchal origin, prompting various scholars both in Soviet Armenia and elsewhere to probe deeper into the proto-layers of the epic. The Daredevils of Sassoun is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Armenian folklore. This recital of the legendary deeds of four generations of strongmen in a warrior community in the Armenian highlands is in the tradition of heroic folktales that dramatize the story of a whole nation and voice its deepest sentiments and aspirations, but unlike such well-known epics as the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'' (Greek), ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' (Sumerian), ''Beowulf'' (English), ''Chanson de Roland'' (French), ''Cantar de Mio Cid'' (Spanish) and others one might mention, it has survived solely by word of mouth, transmitted from one generation to another by village bards. The literary merits of the Sasun saga surpass its value as a historical or linguistic document. The performance of the ''Daredevils of Sassoun'' is included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage representative list in 2012. ==Background== Սասնա (Sasna) in Armenian refers to Sasun – a region and a city located in Western Armenia, in the rugged mountain country southwest of Lake Van – in what is currently Batman Province, eastern Turkey. Ծուռ (Tsour) means crazy, mad, strongman, daredevil. The most accurate and complete title of this epic is "Սասնա Ծռեր" (Daredevils of Sasun). It has however been published under various titles such as "Սասունցի Դավիթ" (David of Sasun), "Սանասար և Բաղդասար" (Sanasar and Balthazar), "Սասունցի Դավիթ կամ Մհերի դուռ" (David of Sasun or Meher's door) and many others. All these titles correspond with four cycles of the epic. The written literature of Armenia goes back to fifth century CE, its Golden Age, when the Bible was translated into the vernacular from the original Greek and Syriac texts, Plato and Aristotle were studied in Armenian schools, and many original works of great interest to the modern specialist were produced by native historians, philosophers and poets. The oral literature is older than the written, and folk poetry had flourished in Armenia for the past two thousand years, not to go farther back. Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Khoren) tells us in his classic "History of Armenia" (fifth century) that Armenians still loved the pagan "songs" the minstrels sang on festive occasions, and he quotes from them. Only these fragments of pagan "songs" have survived to this day. Songs celebrating memorable events have retained their hold on the popular imagination, and one might say that Armenians are preeminently a nation made by the book and the folk song, the word, written and spoken or sung. But the spoken word is more perishable than the written, and little has survived. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Daredevils of Sassoun」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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