Airyanem Vaejah
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Airyanəm Vaējah is the Avestan name of the original homeland of the Iranian peoples, referred to in the Avesta (Zoroastrian holy texts) and other legends of Persian mythology.
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[edit] Etymology and derived words
Airyanəm Vaējah (nominative: Airyanəm Vaējō) is the Avestan form of Proto-Iranian *aryanam waijah "the Iranian vaējah". The meaning of vaējah is uncertain; it has been interpreted as "seed" or "germ", but it is more likely to have meant "stretch" or "expanse". A related Proto-Iranian phrase, *aryānām waijah "expanse of the Aryas (Iranian peoples)" gave rise to the Middle Persian name Ērānwēz, used as an equivalent for Airyanəm Vaējah.
The term Airyanəm Vaējah or Ērānwēz is echoed in the name of the country Ērān (Modern Persian: Iran), from proto-Iranian *aryānām"(land) of Aryas/Iranians", and also in the name Ērānšhahr (Realm of Aryas/Iranians).[1] These names first appear in the reign of Ardashir I, at the beginning of the Sāsānid Empire.[2]
The term Vaejah can possibly be derived from the Vedic "vij" and would thus suggest the region of a fast-flowing river. [3]
[edit] Religious concepts
In the Yashts, Airyanəm Vaējah is the land where Zaraθuštra sacrificed to the yazatas. It is considered the best of places, but on the other hand the Vendidad claims that there are two months of summer there and ten of winter. It suffers from flooding at the end of winter. Yima was taught by Ahura Mazda how to build a shelter to protect the inhabitants of the land from the dreadful winter.
[edit] Historical concepts
It is believed that the Aryan tribes moved away from this homeland in an early era, probably in more than one wave of emigration. Areas to which these tribes finally relocated include Iran, Afghanistan and northern India.
Airyanem Vaejah is reckoned to have been located somewhere between the Caucasus and south Asia. In the Avesta, Zoroaster states that he lived in Airyanem Vaejah also called Eranvej, the Iranian expanse. In the first chapter of the Vedidad is a listing of sixteen countries, and Airyanem Vaejah seems to lie to the north of all of these.[4] Some experts (Bahram Farahvashi and Nasser Takmil Homayoun[5] among others) suggest that Airyanem Vaejah was probably centered around Khwarazm, a region that is now split between several Central Asian republics. These sources claim that Urgandj, which was the capital of ancient Khwarazm for many years, was actually "Ourva": the eighth land of Ahura Mazda mentioned in the Pahlavi text of Vendidad.[6] Michael Witzel, a researcher in early Indo-European history, believes that Airyanem Vaejah was located in what is now Afghanistan[7], the northern areas of which were a part of Ancient Khwarezm and Greater Khorasan. But others, such as University of Hawaii historian Elton L. Daniel believe Khwarazm to be the "most likely locale" corresponding to the original home of the Avestan people [8], and Dehkhoda calls Khwarazm "the cradle of the Aryan tribe" (مهد قوم آریا).
In the book "Arctic home of the Aryans", B.G. Tilak combines indications from the Rigveda and the Avesta to conclude that "Airyanem Vaejah," the homeland of the Aryans, lies within or very proximate to the Arctic Circle. It has also been suggested that Airyanem Vaejah could refer to Kashmir.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911, "IRAN", 2003, Online Edition, (LINK)
- ^ D.N. Mackenzie, "Ērān", Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK)
- ^ see Edwin Bryant, The Quest for the origins of Vedic culture, 2001: 327
- ^ Zoroaster’s Time and Homeland: A Study on the Origins of Mazdeism and Related Problems by Gherardo Gnoli, Instituto Universitario Orientale, Seminario di Studi Asiatici, (Series Minor VII), Naples, 1980
- ^ Nasser Takmil Homayoun, Kharazm: What do I know about Iran?. 2004. ISBN 964-379-023-1
- ^ Javan, Musa. Tarikh-i Ijtima'i Iran-i Bastan (The social history of ancient Iran), 1961.
- ^ M. Witzel, "The Home Of The Aryans", Harvard University, Published Online, (LINK)
- ^ Elton L. Daniel, The History of Iran. 2001. ISBN 0-313-30731-8
- ^ Where summer lasts 2 months, and which lies in the north (as described in the Vendidad). Talageri, Shrikant. (2000) The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis
