The Persian Empire

by Kia, Mehrdad;

  Vohu Manah (Middle Persian: Vohuman, New Persian: Bahman): One of the six holy immortals associated with good purpose/good thought/good mind who acts as the protector of the cow/animals. It appears as Bahman, the 11th month in the Iranian calendar.

  wuzurgān: Nobility, grandees, during the Sasanian period.

  Wuzurg Arman Shāh: Great King of Armenia.

  wuzurg-farmadār: Chief minister, grand vizier.

  Xerxes (Old Persian: Khshayarsha): The name of two kings of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty.

  Yasht: One of the hymns of the Avesta honoring a particular deity or spiritual being.

  Yasna: The sacred liturgical texts of the Avesta, the Zoroastrian scriptures, which include the Gathas, the sacred hymns of Zoroaster.

  yazata/yazad: A created spiritual being, worthy of being honored and praised.

  yazatas: Gods and deities in Zoroastrianism.

  Yazdegerd: Name of several kings of the Sasanian dynasty.

  Yima: A hero in the Avesta who appears as King Jamshid in the legendary history of Greater Iran.

  Yüeh-chih/Yuezhi: The Chinese name for the Iranian-speaking Tochari nomadic groups who eventually created the Kushan Empire based in present-day Afghanistan and India.

  Zab/Zav: A king of the legendary Kayanian dynasty.

  Zahhāk: A legendary king of Iran known for his tyranny and brutality. He appears as the monster Azhi Dahaka in the Avesta.

  Zāl: A hero in the legendary history of ancient Iran, ruler of Sistan, and the father of Greater Iran’s legendary hero, Rostam.

  Zarir/Zarer: A hero in the legendary history of the Kayanian dynasty, son of King Lohrasp, brother of King Goshtasp (Vishtaspa).

  Zurvān: God of infinite time.

  zurvān akarānā: Unlimited time.

  Zurvanism: Ancient Iranian religious movement centered on the belief in Zurvan, the god of infinite time.

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