LEGEND OF YOUNG MEHER

The story of Meher goes back to the Middle Ages and is depicted in an Armenian epic story called “The Daredevils of Sassoun,” a heroic folktale that dramatizes the story of a whole nation voicing their aspiration and dreams of freedom.

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It springs from the legendary deeds of four generations of noble strongmen who dwelled in the Armenian highlands of Sassoun:

• King Sanasar, who was born of the water;

• Arutz Meher (Lion Meher), who earned his nickname “Lion” because he killed a terrorizing lion and saved his village;

• His son, David of Sassoun, who fought single-handedly against the occupying King of Egypt;

• David’s son, Young Meher (depicted in the sculpture), who was condemned by his father to be deathless.

After many heroic battles against the enemy, Young Meher was imprisoned in a cave called Raven’s Rock.  The story goes that once a year the cave’s door would open, and Young Meher would come out but immediately return back to the cave, asserting he would not come out until justice and freedom fully prevailed on the land. 

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The story of these heroic warriors, deeply ingrained in the hearts of all Armenians, is a record of determination and courage ringing with the fervent desire for liberty and justice. The spirit of Young Meher epitomizes the Armenian peoples' undying love for freedom and their Christian faith, and symbolizes the ideals that have sustained them through the turbulence and tragedies of their history.