Armenians Are Kind of Like Dwarves…

“So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings.”― J.R.R. Tolkien, THe Hobbit

Armenians are kind of like dwarves. They tend to be short, have big noses and have the gift of growing glorious beards.  Both are proud of their rich heritage, are masters at crafting jewelry, and like to find any excuse to throw a party.

Armenians and dwarves are also both from the mountains. The dwarves have Lonely Mountain. The Armenians have Mount Ararat. Before The Hobbit begins, the dragon Smaug, desolated the dwarves of the line of Durin. He took over their home Erebor, leaving their great city under the mountain in ruin. Those who survived the attack were exiled, scattered across Middle Earth.

During World War I, the Turkish forces murdered 1.5 million Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire. They uprooted the Armenians from their historic lands leaving their churches in ruin. Those who survived the Genocide were exiled, scattered across the earth.

This week, the final installment of The Hobbit trilogy opened in theaters. The Dragon gets defeated and the dwarves return to their mountain. Armenians still have a dragon to defeat that comes in the form of denial. Turkey sees the Armenian Genocide as a mere fantasy. The American government doesn't recognize the events of 1915 as Genocide for political reasons. This coming April 24th, marks one hundred years of accumulated lies. This dragon of denial has lived far too long. It must be defeated with the truth.