Mitra Onomastics; The Indo-Iranian Deity

Abstract
This article is based on Mithra/Mitra onomastics. The purpose is a qualitative diachronic survey about changes in Mitra and Mehr words in Phonological, etymological, and semantic fields. The domain of research was Old Iranian languages along with Sanskrit; then Middle Iranian languages to New Persian. The analysis showed that Mitra is considered a male deity by grammatical and biological gender in Ṛigveda, Avesta, and other ancient texts. Accordingly, the deixis for Iranian Mitra is “god” and not “goddess’’. Due to phonetic evolution, Mitra became Mehr in the Middle Iranian languages period. Due to the broadening of the meaning, this word accepted a new meaning, “sun”, plus previous meanings (friendship, promise, and treaty). Mehr shows a vast variety in the structure of Middle and New Persian compound personal names. This study showed that methods of compound personal name formation in Hindi and New Persian are similar. Religion, as a non-linguistic element was observed in Mitra onomastics: In contemporary Iran and the Muslim community (Urdu speakers) of India, Mitra is a female name; but in the Hindu community it is unisex.
Keywords: Personal Name, Mithra/Mitra, Mehr, gender, Indo-Iranian languages.

Introduction

Each name consists of a mixed web of beliefs, values, interests, and other items which could be considered as a part of the identity. The connection between names and identity does not only affect people. Names and naming constitute an important part of the work of the building of a nation (Windt, 2012:275). Names come ready-made with etymological meaning usually unknown to the namer or they derive meaning by association with past and current-day heroes. These sound and meaning associations may be selected to induce wished-for qualities in the child to be named (Seeman, 1983:239). Mitra is one of the most applied names as a proper name in the different periods of the Persian language as well as Sanskrit and Hindi. According to the various contemporary baby-name dictionaries in Iran, Mitra is a female name. This is opposite to the fact that Mitra as a deity in Iran and India mythology is masculine in gender grammatically and biologically. The purpose of this article is to find out the reason for this contradiction by determining the diachronic evolutions in the etymology and the meaning field for Mitra. Some non-lingual factors consisting of social, cultural, and religious changes during the time, which could affect naming, are also studied in this research.
1.1. Research Methodology
The method is descriptive analysis with a qualitative and comparative approach. At first Mitra’s mythical character in RigVeda and Avesta is introduced briefly. The next step is showing the phonological and etymological evolution of Mitra and Mehr with proper and general function in the three periods of the Persian language as well as Sanskrit. The changes and broadening of the meaning are also shown in the tables. After the linguistic survey, some baby-name dictionaries from different decades of the recent century in Iran were chosen to look up Mitra and/or the combination of Mihr with other names making two-term words. Some non-Iranian online baby-name dictionaries were also searched for the aforementioned names. The final step was to find the non-lingual factor amongst the social, cultural, and religious changes influencing Mitra as a proper name.

Discussion
A) Mitra etymology and meaning: The etymology of Mitra is uncertain. Since this word means ‘friend’ in the Rigveda, and the kindness of god is often referred in the Rigveda, Mitra and trusteeship even appears as its trait in the Avesta, it must have originally signified ‘ally’ or ‘friend’. This term has later been applied to the god of sun considering his aspect of preserving the nature (Macdonell, 2004:44). In the etymological dictionary of the Persian language, the root of the word is considered from verb ‘may-/mi-; meaning ‘to fasten’, ‘to hold’ or ‘to exchange’ or according to professor Baily the root is ‘mai-/mi-,’ meaning ‘to be kind’, ‘to be friends’ (Hassandoust,2014:2668). For the first time, in the Middle Persian texts, ‘mihr’ is recorded as a new form of Mitra due to the phonological evolution and has accepted the meaning of ‘sun’, (general word). Both words Mitra and Mihr, as a proper name have survived in the Middle and New Persian language as well as in Sanskrit and Hindi.
B) Onomastic studies in India and Iran: Religion is the mainstay of Hindu society. The vast majority of Hindi names are derived from the Hindu religion, particularly Hindu gods and goddesses, saints and philosophers, sacred rituals, and centers of pilgrimage (Mehrotra, 1982:43). In ancient times, most of the Hindu names were after the names of gods and goddesses. The personal names of Hindus in ancient and medieval periods were mostly of single word structure. These are preserved in their Sanskritized form in the old Sanskrit literature. Since the late nineteenth century, the structure of single-word personal names become less frequent and they were replaced by two-term or compound personal names. The Perso-Arabic borrowed personal names have undergone various phonological changes to conform to the phonetic and phonological structure of the spoken language (Koul, 1995:1-3). Names of divinity when borrowed for personal names generally tend to follow four patterns (Mehrotra, 1982:44). These four patterns are similar to the personal name structures applied in the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods of Iran.
Conclusion

According to the diachronic etymologic survey, Mitra (later changed to Mehr) is an Aryan deity, masculine in grammatical gender. In Iranian and Indian mythology this god is introduced and pictured as a male deity. In the Middle Persian languages, due to the phonological evolutions, the word Mitra is transformed to Mihr. He had been worshipped in Iran as a god in the pre-Islamic era. Mitra and Mihr have survived in Persian vocabulary from the ancient era to the present time. Mitra in RigVeda is the same male deity with almost the same characteristics in Avesta.
The etymology of Mitra is uncertain, but according to the various texts analyses, most scientists believe that the main meaning is ‘ally’ and ‘friend’. Later, this word has accepted the meaning of ‘sun’. One of the main reasons for this broadening of the meaning could be the new role of Mitra/Mihr as a sun deity in the New Avesta along with his previous role as the god of light and the one who observes the vows.
Considering the importance of Mitra in Iran and India mythology and the presence of this myth during millenniums, it is obvious that this word is used as a personal name in Iran and India. Mitra is a female name for Muslim Indians and is a unisex name for Hindu Indians. The study of the non-Iranian dictionaries indicated that both general and proper meanings of Mitra are considered in baby-naming. As naming is an action mostly performed in the unconscious layer of mind and most of the time without the knowledge of the etymology of the name, it is not possible to determine which meanings of Mitra had been considered for the boy or the girl. In some Indian dictionaries, general meanings were for boys and the proper meaning was for girls.
In recent Iran, Mitra is a female name. Two reasons could be guessed: 1. There is a slight possibility that in the unconscious semantic layer, the general meaning of ‘friend’, ‘honey/dear’, and/or ‘sun’ had been considered. 2. According to the etymologic evidence for the Persian and Hindi common structure in the two-term personal name combinations, the more probable scenario is that Mitra as a mighty god is used for personal naming and Mitra for girls is the short form of Mitra-Duxt (Mitra’s daughter). As well, Mitra is just a female name between Muslim Indians. The very long-term common background of Iran and India alongside the influence of the Persian language in India as its formal language and also its second official language for seven centuries could be the reason.
In Iran, from the Middle Persian language period onwards, Mihr, as a proper name, is applied in many different combinations for making new girl and boy personal names. It seems that the purpose had been to create a semantic distinction between Mitra as the ancient deity and Mihr as a god of sun.

References

Alamdar Moghaddam S.H. (2009). Comparative Study of Vedas and Ancient Iran Worships. Ph.D. Thesis, India: University of Pune.
Aryan Pour Kashani, M. (2005). The Glossary of Indo-Iranian Roots of the Persian Language, Isfahan: Jahad Daneshgahi publication.
Bahar, M. (1978). Religons in Asia, Tehran: Cheshmeh Publication.
Barden, A.E. (2009). Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse-Dictionary of Baby Names, Simon and Schuster.
Bartholomae, Ch. (1961). Altiranisches Wörterbuch. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter & CO.
Bartholomae, Ch. (2005). The history of Iranian Phonemes, Persian translation by V. Domanian, Tehran: Institute of Human science & cultural studies.
Bhattacharyya, T. (1970). THE AVESTA, ṚGVEDA AND BRAHMĀ CULT, Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 51(1/4), 31-50. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/41688672.
Brendler, S. (2012). Identity of Name(s) as a Crucial Problem in Name Studies, Or: Towards the Recognition of Onymic Identity as a Principal Onomastic Concept, Oslo Studies in Language, 4(2): 29-44.
Calvet, L.J. (2000). Introdcution à la Sociolinguistique Urbaine, Persian translation by M.J. Pouyandeh, Tehran: Naqsh-e Jahan Publication, 2000.
Cox, J. (2004). The perfect name: A step-by-step guide to naming your baby, Barnes & Noble Publishing.
Cumont, F. (2001). Les Mysteres de Mithra, Persian translation by H. Razi, Tehran: Behjat Publication.
Danesh, Y., Ghorbani, A.A. (2017). The Study of Social Factors Influencing on Baby Naming in Iranian Families (Case Study in Hormozgan Province), Biannual Journal of Participation and Social Development, 3(5), 87-109.
Dehkhoda, A.A. (1998). Dehkhoda Dictionary, Vol.14, Tehran: Tehran University Publication.
Dogra, R.C. (1976). Notes on Hindi names, International Library Review, 8: 3, 327-347, DOI: 10.1016/0020-7837(76)90040-6.
Fallah, M. (2009). The Position of Persian Culture and Language in Subcontinent India, Quarterly of National Studies, 10(2), 127-151.
Hassandoust, M. (2004). An Etymological Dictionary of Persian Language, Vol.1, Tehran: Iranian Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Hassandoust, M. (2014). An Etymological Dictionary of Persian Language, Vol.5, Tehran: Iranian Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Hinnells, J.R. (2009). Persian Mythology, Persian Translation by J. Amouzgar & A. Tafazzoli, 14^th edition, Tehran: Cheshmeh Publication.
JAIN, M.R. (1972). Hindi Names, Libri 22, 3, 200-226, doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/LIBR.1972.22.3.200.
Jamshidiha, Gh., Fouladiyan, M. (2011). The study of public cultural evolution in Iran, based on changes observed in baby naming, Cultural Studies and Communication, 24, 39-64.
Kent, R. (1953). Old Persian Grammar, Connecticut: American Oriental Society.
Koul, O.N. (1995). Personal names in Kashmiri, Sociolinguistics: South Asian perspectives, New Delhi: Creative Books.
Kumar, K. (1990). Quest for Self-Identity: Cultural Consciousness and Education in Hindi Region, 1880-1950, Economic and Political Weekly, 25(23), 1247-1255. Retrieved July 28, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/4396377.
Lansky, B. (2006). 100,000+ Baby Names: The Most Complete Baby Name Book, Simon and Schuster.
Latifikhah, P. (2014). The complete culture of Iranian names from the beginning to today. First Edition. Tehran: Vistar.
Lincoln, B. (1977). Mitra, Mithra, Mithras: Problems of a Multiform Deity. History of Religions, 17(2), 200-208. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/1062362.
MacDonell, A.A. (2004). History of Vedic Mythology, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
Mackenzi, D.N. (2000). A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary, Persian Translation by M. Mirfakhrayi, 2^nd edition, Tehran: Institute of Human science & cultural studies.
Mazdapour, K., Zarshenas, Z., Goshtasb, F., Salimi, M., Gholizadeh Gahleh, Kh., Namiraniyan, K., Tabrizinejad, Z., Nouri, Z., Aghamiri, M. (2016). The Religions of Ancient Iran, 2^nd edition, Tehran: SAMT.
Mehrorta, R.R. (1985). Hindi Personal Names and Nicknames, Sociolinguistics in Hindi Contexts, 123-152, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110854633-006.
Mehrotra, R. (1982). Impact of religion on Hindi personal names, Jouranl Names,. https://doi.org/10.1179/nam.1982.30.1.43.
Mehrotra, R.R. (1979). Name Change in Hindi: Some Sociocultural Dimensions, Anthropological Linguistics, 21(4), 205-210. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/30027631.
Mirzayi Hesariyan, M. B.; Kord Zaferanlou Kamboziya, A. (2018). The Most Common Girl and Boy Names Born in Iran at Year 2012: Phonological Study, The 1^st National Conference on Onomastics, Tehran: Persian Nevisseh Publication, 173-200.
Moayeri, H. (2002). Moqs in the Ancient History, Tehran: Institute of Human science & cultural studies.
Mobbs, M. C. (2010). Two languages or one? The Significance of the Language Names “Hindi” and “Urdu”, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2(3), 203-211.
Moeen, M. (1992). Persian Dictionary, Vol. 4 & 6, Tehran: Amir Kabir Publication.
Mohammadlouy Abbassi, M. (1966). A Dictionary of the Iranian Names, Tehran: Bonyad Publication.
Mollayi, A., Mahmoudi, M. A., Zahrazadeh, M. A. (2017). A common postcolonial discourse in Iranian and Indian fictional literature (the study of Interpreter of Maladies fictions, A suitable boy Novel, and Savushun Novel), Journal of Subcontinent Researches, 9(13), 97-120.
Nyberg, H. (1974). A Manual of Pahlavi, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
Panahi, S. (2008). A Review on Some Names Common between Persian, Hindi and Urdu, Farhangestan Letter, 10(4), 203-212.
Rengaranjan, T. (2006). Dictionary of Indian Epics, Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers.
Sarkarati, B. (1998). About Etymological Dictionary of Persian Language and its Importance, Farhangestan Letter, 4(1), 21-72.
Seeman, M.V. (1983). The unconscious meaning of personal names, Names A Journal of Onomastics, 31(4): 237-244. DOI: 10.1179/nam.1983.31.4.237.
Shahin, D. (1971). A Dictionary of the Popular Personal Names, Tehran: Qazali Publication.
Sharp, N. (1971). Les Inscriptions Cunéiforms En Ancien Persan Des Empereurs Achéménides, Paris: Le Conceil Central.
Shmith, H.P. (2006). Mithra in old Indian and Mithra in old Iranian, https://iranicaonline.org/articles/mithra-i Retrieved June 10 2020.
Sick, D. (2004). Mit(h)ra(s) and the Myths of the Sun, Numen, 51(4), 432-467. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/3270454.
Vasheghani Farahani, E. (2020). The story of Arash, a Survivor of the myth: "God of Archer Lighting" in the ancient Indo-European tribes, Journal of Subcontinent Researches, 12(29), 263-282.
Williams, M. (1974). Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 6^th edition, London: Oxford University Press.
Windt-Val, B. (2012). Personal Names and Identity in Literary Contexts, Oslo Studies in Language, 4(2), 273-284.
Zandi, B., Ahmadi, B. (2017). Cognitive Socio-Onomastics; A New Domain in Interdisciplinary Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities, 9(1), 99-122.
https://hamariweb.com/names/hindu/hindi/boy/mitra-meaning_29860, Retrieved July 26 2020.
https://www.babynamemeaningz.com/Mitra-meaning-21400, Retrieved July 12 2020.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/mitra-1. Retrieved June 05 2020.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0, Retrieved June 05 2020.
https://www.moonastro.com/babyname/baby%20name%20mithra%20meaning.aspx, Retrieved July 26 2020.
https://www.urdupoint.com/names/search/mitra.html, Retrieved October 10 2020.