Azhdaha
/ˌæʒ.dəˈhɑː/noun
A dragon or serpent-like monster in Persian mythology.
Did you know?The mythological Aži Dahāka was a monstrous, often three-headed being who was ultimately defeated by the heroic figure Thraētaona, later known in Persian tradition as Fereydun.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ogʷʰis
“Serpent or snake; the reconstructed ancestral root associated with later Indo-Iranian and Latin serpent words.”
Ancient Iranian
Proto-Iranian
*Hāžis Da(h)āka
“A serpent-monster whose name developed into the mythic figure Aži Dahāka.”
1st Millennium BCE
Avestan
Aži Dahāka
“A monstrous serpent or dragon in Zoroastrian religious literature.”
Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Azdahāg
“The demonic dragon figure descended from Aži Dahāka.”
10th–11th Century
New Persian
Aždahā
“Dragon or serpent-monster in Persian myth and epic tradition.”
Modern English
English
azhdaha
“A Persian mythological dragon or serpent-like monster, used as a loanword.”