Why Does Ferīdōn Mean the "Third"? Decoding the Mystery of Ferīdōn’s Name According to Function Analysis of Myth : A Study in Historical Linguistics (Diachronic Etymology)

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Author
F. ghaemi
Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran;
Abstract
Introduction

“Ferīdōn” is an Indo-Iranian myth whose story is narrated in the Avesta and Hindu Rigveda with little difference, and the meaning of his name is "third". From two hundred years ago up to now, researchers have been looking for the cause of this naming and have not yet responded. In this article, after the introduction and Research background, in which the linguists' opinions about the etymology of Ferīdōn's name are criticized, the mythical Theoretical framework is analyzed.

2. Discussion

In this part Ferīdōn Function is explained in three steps:

3 1. Transfer « Farreh-e Kiāni » and Function of the Priest-King from Jamshid to Ferīdōn:

In this step, we showed that the important role of the Priest-King has been transferred from Jamshid to Ferīdōn. The force to which this transfer depended is the « Farreh-e Kiāni ».

3- 2. Possession of twin pairs that are a symbol of fertility (Jamshid Sisters: arənavak. and saŋhavak):

These two sisters, like the goddesses of fertility, never grow old and ugly, and are symbols of fertility that, like the throne and Farreh-e Kiāni , are transferred from one kingdom to another.

3- 3. Transfer of the function of the totemic position to (in the body of the totem cow):

The cow is a sacred animal in Indian and Iranian culture and mythology which is the symbolic ancestor of and the common surname in her family who were generally farmers.

The next part was Data Analysis. In this section, the mythological function of the myth is analyzed on the basis of Diachronic semantics. In the naming of mythology, the "name" makes abstract of the first function of a myth. When no written documentation exists, historical linguistics can extract this function of the myth from the name of that myth. This essay attempts to reveal the secret of the naming of Ferīdōn, by adopting diachronic etymology of the name of the myth with its function. In Vedas, the meaning of the name of his two older brothers is "first" and "second". This research proves that, at the earliest time, the cause of the name of Ferīdōn was the third and best producer of Haoma (= Vedic Soma), or that he was the son of the third producer. Diachronic Etymology has also proven that he was the son of the god of waters and inherited the throne of the father.

Conclusion

In Iranian mythology, the Dissociation of characters has complicated the problem. Therefore, the results of this paper have shown that in the analysis of Ferīdōn 's mythical function, three dissociations have occurred. The first is the dissociation from āθwya to Trita. In this step, the synthesis of mythology has included the state of Transforming "Trita āθwya" into the second and third producer of Haoma

The second dissociation, was dissociation from Ferīdōn to Garshasp. In this step, the synthesis of mythology has included the state of Transforming third producer of Haoma two heroes with Farr-e Kiani and Farr-e Mehi

And finally the third dissociation, was dissociation from Ferīdōn to Iraj. In this step, the synthesis of mythology has included the state of Transforming the function of the third brother to his third son to belong to Farr-e Kiani to Iran.

This function recently has become the model of the victory of the third son and the myth of the three brothers, due to the sublimation and holiness of the Myth number of "three" in all religions.






Keywords

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Language Related Research
Volume 11, Issue 2 - Serial Number 56
May and June 2020
Pages 337-362