Aži

Aži (nominative ažiš) is the Avestan word for "serpent" or "dragon." It is cognate to the Vedic Sanskrit word ahi, "snake," and without a sinister implication. Azi and Ahi are distantly related to Greek ophis, Latin anguis, Russian and Old Church Slavonic уж (grass-snake), all meaning "snake". The original meaning of dahāka is uncertain. Among the meanings suggested are "stinging", "burning" (cf. Sanskrit dahana), "man" or "manlike" (cf. Khotanese daha), "huge" or "foreign" (cf. the Scythian Dahae and the Vedic dasas). In Persian mythology, Dahāka is treated as a proper noun, and is the source of the Ḍaḥḥāk (Zahāk) of the Shāhnāme. The Avestan term Aži Dahāka and the Middle Persian azdahāg are the source of the Middle Persian Manichaean demon of greed Az, Old Armenian mythological figure Aždahak, modern Persian Ejdehâ and Tajik Persian azhdahâ and Urdu Azhdahā (اژدها) as well as the Kurdish Hazhdiha (هه‌ژدیها) which usually mean "dragon". Despite the negative aspect of Aži Dahāka in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of Iranian peoples. The Azhdarchid group of pterosaurs are named from an Persian word for "dragon" that ultimately comes from Aži Dahāka.