Kayanian dynastyThe Kayanians (Persian: دودمان کیانیان; also Kays, Kayanids, Kaianids, Kayani, or Kiani) are a legendary dynasty of Persian/Iranian tradition and folklore which supposedly ruled after the Pishdadians. Considered collectively, the Kayanian kings are the heroes of the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, and of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Greater Iran. As an epithet of kings and the reason the dynasty is so called, Middle 𐭪𐭣 and New Persian kay(an) originates from Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬌 kavi (or kauui) "king" and also "poet-sacrificer" or "poet-priest".
JamshidJamshid (dʒæmˈʃiːd) (جمشید, Jamshēd; Middle- and New Persian: جم, Jam) also known as Yima (Avestan: 𐬫𐬌𐬨𐬀 Yima; Pashto/Dari: یما Yama) is the fourth Shah of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty of Iran according to Shahnameh. In Persian mythology and folklore, Jamshid is described as the fourth and greatest king of the epigraphically unattested Pishdadian Dynasty (before the Kayanian dynasty). This role is already alluded to in Zoroastrian scripture (e.g.
Hvare-khshaetaHvare-khshaeta (Hvarə-xšaēta, Huuarə-xšaēta) is the Avestan language name of the Zoroastrian yazata (divinity) of the "Radiant Sun." Avestan Hvarə-xšaēta is a compound in which hvar "sun" has xšaēta "radiant" as a stock epithet. Avestan hvar derives from Proto-Indo-Iranian *súHar "sun", from which the Vedic Sanskrit theonym Surya also derives. In Middle Persian, Hvare-khshaeta was contracted to Khwarshēd, continuing in New Persian as Khurshēd/Khorshīd (cf. a similar contraction of Avestan Yima-khshaeta as Jamshid).
ZamZam (𐬰𐬆𐬨) is the Avestan language term for the Zoroastrian concept of "earth", in both the sense of land and soil and in the sense of the world. The earth is viewed as a primordial element in Zoroastrian tradition, and represented by a minor divinity, Zam, who is the hypostasis of the "earth". The word itself, changed to Zamin in Modern Persian, is cognate to the Baltic Zemes, Slavic Zem, Greco-Thracian Semele, meaning the planet Earth, as well as soil.
ArshtatArshtat (𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬙𐬁𐬝) is the Avestan language name of a Zoroastrian principle and signifies either "justice" or "honesty." As a substantive, arshtat designates the divinity Arshtat, the hypostasis of "Rectitude" and "Justice". Her standing epithet is "world-furthering" or "world-promoting." Although there is a yasht nominally dedicated to Arshtat (Yasht 18), this hymn does not mention her, and it has been supposed that "the occurrence of arš- 'correct' may have been the reason" for the dedication.
BundahishnBundahishn (Middle Persian: , "Primal Creation") is the name traditionally given to an encyclopedic collection of Zoroastrian cosmogony and cosmology written in Book Pahlavi. The original name of the work is not known. Although the Bundahishn draws on the Avesta and develops ideas alluded to in those texts, it is not itself scripture. The content reflects Zoroastrian scripture, which, in turn, reflects both ancient Zoroastrian and pre-Zoroastrian beliefs.
ZahhakZahhāk or Zahāk (zæhɒːk) (ضحّاک), also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder (Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka (اژی دهاک), the name by which he also appears in the texts of the Avesta. In Middle Persian he is called Dahāg (دهاگ) or Bēvar Asp (بیور اسپ) the latter meaning "he who has 10,000 horses". In Zoroastrianism, Zahhak (going under the name Aži Dahāka) is considered the son of Ahriman, the foe of Ahura Mazda.
FaravaharThe Faravahar (فَرَوَهَر), also known as the Foruhar (فروهر) or the Farre Kiyâni (فر کیانی), is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion. There are various interpretations of what the Faravahar symbolizes, and there is no concrete universal consensus on its meaning. However, it is commonly believed that the Faravahar serves as a Zoroastrian depiction of the fravashi, or personal spirit. The Faravahar is one of the best-known and most used pre-Islamic symbols of Iran and is often worn as a pendant.
KeyumarsKeyumars or Kiomars (کیومرث) was the name of the first king (shah) of the Pishdadian dynasty of Iran according to the Shahnameh. The name appears in Avestan in the form of 𐬔𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬊 𐬨𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬙𐬀𐬥 Gaiio Mərətan, or in medieval Zoroastrian texts as Gayōmard or Gayōmart. In the Avesta he is the mythological first human being in the world. The corresponding name in Middle Persian is 𐭪𐭣𐭬𐭫𐭲 Kayōmart. In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh he appears as the first shah of the world. He is also called the pišdād (پيشداد), the first to practice justice, the lawgiver.
FravashiFravashi (𐬟𐬭𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬴𐬌, frəˈvɑ:ʃi) is the Avestan term for the Zoroastrian concept of a personal spirit of an individual, whether dead, living, or yet-unborn. The fravashi of an individual sends out the urvan (often translated as 'soul') into the material world to fight the battle of good versus evil. On the morning of the fourth day after death, the urvan returns to its fravashi, where its experiences in the material world are collected to assist the next generation in their fight between good and evil.
