ĭespite the negative aspect of Aži Dahāka in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of Iranian peoples. The name also migrated to Eastern Europe, assumed the form ' azhdaja' and the meaning 'dragon', 'dragoness' or 'water snake' in Balkanic and Slavic languages. 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 ' aždehâ/ aždahâ', Tajik Persian ' azhdahâ', Urdu ' azhdahā' (اژدها), as well as the Kurdish ejdîha (ئەژدیها) which usually mean 'dragon'. In Persian mythology, Dahāka is treated as a proper noun, and is the source of the Ḍaḥḥāk (Zahhāk) of the Shāhnāme.
Khotanese daha), 'huge' or 'foreign' (cf. Sanskrit dahana), 'man' or 'manlike' (cf. Among the meanings suggested are 'stinging' (source uncertain), 'burning' (cf. The original meaning of dahāka is uncertain.
