I do not think coincidence explains it

Vaհe H Apelian

Today I just happen to come across an article about native plants of Massachusetts. Among them there was a plant that was named FOX GRAPE. It said that “Fox grape grows on high climbing vines that drape over trees and fences. Its fruits grow in loose clusters, each grape about the size of a marble, with a dusky bloom and thick skin”.

It occurred to me that in Kessab we had native plant we called ԹԻՊԻԿԻ ԽԱՂՈՂ – TEABIGE KHAGHOGH. It also grew in the wild on climbing vines on fences or clusters of stones. Its fruits too grew in clusters, and each grape is about the size of marble.

I asked my cousin Stepan J Apelian and Hagop Tcholakian to validate my recollection. Both confirmed my recollection. ԹԻՊԻԿԸ  ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGE KHAGHOUGH, Hagop Tcholakian confirmed.

Hagop Tcholakian recently published a book on the native plants of Kessab. I have not seen the book, let alone read it. He said that in that book he has explained around 600 native plants of Kessab. Among them, in native pronunciation ԹԻՊԻԿԸ ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGEH KHAGHOUGH.  He sent me several pictures of the grape like fruit and the plants. I posted the pictures of two grapes above.

Armenians call fox, aghoues -աղուէս։ If teabig is not an aghoues, what kind of foxlike animal is it? I wondered. Hagop said the following: “in Old Armenian it’s 'topek'- թոպեկ.  In Modern Armenian 'it’s Shnakayl – շնագայլ.  In Turkish it’s chakal – չագալ.” Wikipedia claims that “yes, there are foxes in Syria, including the Arabian red fox and Rüppell's fox.” There are no coyotes in Syria. Consequently, I can safely say that teabig is Arabian red fox or Rüppell's fox, or some foxlike animal, that belongs to the genus  that “includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and dingoes.”

In my youth in Keurkune, my paternal grandparents and uncle, used to buy me a sheep. It was my duty to take care of it during my summer stay. Have it grazed, water it and so forth. But one summer, early in the morning, we found out that my sheep had gotten loose from its leash and had wondered. My uncle and I went all over to find it. We found its carcass, at the foot of the sarp, Keurkune’s “mountain” side. The teabigs had devoured it. Kids of that era remember the howling of the teabigs at night, confining the kids indoors. 

 

Upper row: Kessab native
Lower Row: Massachusetts native

The fox-grapes and teabig-grapes definitely have different colors. Fox-grapes are black. The teabig-grapes are red. I have attached pictures of their plants. 

But what is amazing, is the naming of these wild grapes after a fox and a foxlike animal, teabig.  My cousin Stepan sounded the same. He commented: “The fruit are not exactly the same, nor the colors. They are different. The size the grapes appear to be different. But their naming?”

Yes, their naming. How to explain the naming of these wild grapes?

Is it simply a coincidence that Massachusetts natives call the plant Fox-Grapes and the Kessab Natives call it Fox-like (teabige) Grapes (Khaghoug) ?

I am not so sure. 

But, it could very well be that the two natives, oceans and continents away from each other; one in the great state of Massachusetts in the United States of America; the other, the living Armenian Cilician historical enclave Kessab in the great Arab country of Syria, found these wild grapes growing in the wild, "clever, cunning, playful, adaptable", much like foxes and teabigs are known to be, and hence called one FOX GRAPE and d the other ԹԻՊԻԿԸ ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGEH KHAGHOUGH.