Zilant: Encyclopedia II - Zilant - Nomenclature and etymology

Zilant - Nomenclature and etymology

The word Zilant is the English transcription of Russian Зилант, itself a rendering of Tatar yılan (i.e., "snake", sometimes pronounced as /ʓɨlɑn`/).

The Tatars, on the other hand, frequently refer to this creature with the Persian word Ajdaha (/ʌʒdɑhɑ`/ Dragon, Iske imla: اژدها) or Ajdaha-yılan (Dragon-snake). For Tatars, it is also a negative personage, corresponding to European dragons and to Persian dragon. According to Tatar beliefs, every snake, on attaining the age of 100 years, turns to Ajdaha dragon.

Zilant/Ajdaha should be distinguished from Aq Yılan (White Snake), which is a king of snakes. Aq Yılan (or Şahmara /ʃʌhmʌrɑ`/ ) used to advise or give presents to epic heroes, batirs. As a positive personage, the White Snake is similar to Chinese dragons. (The word Şahmara (Iske imla شاهمار) is from Persian Shah (King) + mar (snake)).

For Kazan Russians, Zilant had but negative connotations, being represented as a Slavic dragon rather than a snake. Today the common imagination of Zilant among citizens of Kazan is strongly influenced by Western culture and the most of modern citizens imagine Zilant as classical wywern or dragon as they are pictured in films.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Nomenclature and etymology", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki