Armenian story, the king Ara was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis waged war against Armenia to capture him and bring him back to her, alive, so she could marry him. During the battle, Semiramis was victorious, but Ara was slain despite her orders to capture him alive. To avoid continuous warfare with the Armenians, Semiramis, reputed to be a sorceress, took Ara's body and prayed to the gods to raise him from the dead. When the Armenians advanced to avenge their leader, Semiramis disguised one of her lovers as Ara and spread the rumor that the gods had brought Ara back to life, convincing the Armenians not to continue the war. In one tradition, Semiramis' prayers are successful and Ara returns to life. Armen Petrosyan suggests that Plato's version reflects an earlier form of the story where Er (Ara) rises from the grave. See also Allegorical interpretations of Plato Axis mundi Dante's Inferno Daniil Andreev Dream of Scipio Near-death experience Zalmoxis References Further reading External links The Myth of Er – text from Luke Dysinger, O.S.B. Platonism Visionary literature Religious cosmologies Early scientific cosmologies Ancient astronomy Philosophical arguments