David of Sassoun

David of Sassoun (Armenian: Սասունցի Դավիթ Sasuntsi Davit) is the main hero of Armenia’s national epic Daredevils of Sassoun, recounting David’s exploits as he drove Arab invaders out of Armenia.

David of Sassoun is the name of only one of the four acts, but due to the popularity of the character, the entire epic is known to the public as David of Sasun. The epic’s full name is Sasna Tsrer (The Daredevils of Sasun).

The Daredevils of Sassoun is an oral history, it dates from the 8th century, and was first put in written form in 1873 by Garegin Srvandztiants. He also published other ethnographic books.

In 1902 the prominent Armenian poet and writer Hovhannes Tumanyan penned a poem of the same name retelling the story of the David of Sasun in a more modern language.