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Jantirar (Amharic: ጃንጥራር) was a title of theEthiopian Empire[1] given to the ruler ofAmba Geshen.
Jantirar is borne historically by the head of the family holding the mountain fortress ofAmbassel inEthiopia; similar toWagshum, the hereditary ruler of the province ofWag, and unlike other aristocratic titles likemeridazmach orras. While that artistocratic family is said to be one of the most noble in Ethiopian history, they never ruled any larger realm than their own district.Menen Asfaw,empress consort ofHaile Selassie, was a daughter of Jantirar Asfaw.
The meaning of the title Jantirar makes it unique. The elementJan is the same as theJan inJanhoye or "Jan Amora", meaning "great" but often translated as "royal" and another word used to refer to theEmperor of Ethiopia. Also, both words after Jan have almost similar meaning inAmharic.Hoye orhoyi can be roughly translated into "hear me, hear my call", whiletirar is a form ofTira, which means "call" or "calling".
However, the claim that 'they never ruled any larger realm than their own district' can be challenged in many fronts. For example, while the mother ofYekuno Amlak was fromSagarat in theDessie Zuria, his father came from the highlands of Ambassel.[citation needed] All the local folk histories and some remnants of theKingdom of Aksum, even before theZagwe dynasty appears in history (aroundLake Hayq of Ambassel with a church that was founded in the 8th century), suggest that Ambassel and the immediate surrounding Amhara regions were well prepared to produce a king and a legend as it suits its kingdom. It is arguable that their Jantirar can not be so without some connection of their being the origin of Yekuno Amlak.
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