خون سیاوشان

Persian

خون سیاوشان – Dracaena cinnabari

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Persian *xōn-⁠i siyāwaxš⁠ān equivalent to Neo-Persian خون (xūn, “blood”) + a by-form of سیاوش (siyāwuš), within the ancient Iranian religion mythicized as a character whose blood purified everyone, paralleled by the wide range of application of the red resin of the dragon tree.

The S͟ẖahnāma then preserves the idea in the recount that the legendary prince falls victim to افراسیاب (afrāsiyāb) and where his blood was spilled the dragon-tree grew, accompanied by پر سیاوشان (par-i siyāwašān, “maidenhair fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris”) representing the crest on his helmet.

To this day the passion is reenacted in the course of the bloody Muḥarram mourning rituals, after a history of transformation in which during the emergence of S͟ẖiʿa Islam Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī took the place of the likewise violently killed Siiāuuaršan of the Avesta.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [xuː.ni si.jɑː.wa.ʃɑːn], [xuː.ni si.jɑː.wu.ʃɑːn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wä.ʃɑːn], [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wʊ.ʃɑːn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wä.ʃɑːn], [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wʊ.ʃɑːn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wä.ʃɑːn], [xuː.nɪ si.jɑː.wʊ.ʃɑːn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [xu.ni si.jɔː.wä.ʃɔːn], [xu.ni si.jɔː.wu.ʃɔːn]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [xuː.ne si.jɒː.væ.ʃɒːn], [xuː.ne si.jɒː.vo.ʃɒːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [χu.ni si.jɔ.vä.ʃɔn], [χu.ni si.jɔ.vu.ʃɔn]

Readings
Classical reading?	xūn-i siyāwašān, xūn-i siyāwušān
Dari reading?	xūn-i siyāwašān, xūn-i siyāwušān
Iranian reading?	xun-e siyâvašân, xun-e siyâvošân
Tajik reading?	xun-i siyovašon, xun-i siyovušon

Noun

خون سیاوشان • (xun-e siyâvašân, xun-e siyâvošân)

1. dragon's blood (Dracaena cinnabari)