ON ZARER’S NAME AND “THE FORTRESS OF ZARER” ARTHUR HAMBARTSUMIAN This paper deals with the problem of Zarer’s name and the place names of his abode. The name Zarer was widely observed by Mary Boyce in her well-known article published in 1955. The ‘Avestan Zairivairi was replaced by the Middle Iranian period Zarér [Pahl. zlyl], cf. New Persian Zarir. Mary Boyce has shown that the form Zarér is not a regular development of the Avestan Zairivairi, which would be in Middle Persian rather Zarwar or Zarit, like his son’s name Bastavairi became Bastwar in Middle Persian and Bastdr (Nastiir) in New Persian (Shah-nameh) [Boyce M., 1955, p. 466]. According to Emile Benveniste’s opinion, Zarér could be a derivative of Zarivari, likewise dipér of *dipibara- [Benveniste E., 1932, p. 246]. As Mary Boyce states it is strange enough that Zarer is the exact Middle Persian equivalent of Zariadres, mentioned in Greek sources (Athenaeus, Strabo) and the same name in Armenian spelling Zareh (Zariadr, Zarehr). Two names fell together in the Middle Iranian period and became indistinguishable. The name Zariadres is known from the charming love story of Zariadres and Odatis. The story belonged to the historian Chares of Mytilene who served in the court of Alexander the Great as his official reporter and participated in his Central Asian campaign (the tenth book of his unpreserved work “The History of Alexander”). Now we know the content of his story due to the other Greek writer Athenaeus of Naukratis (2-3 AD), who in his work “The Deipnosophists”, in book XIII “Concerning women”, retells this story to his friends (Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, Vol. IIL, Lib. XII, 575.35). In brief the story was as follows: Hystaspes and his younger brother Zariadres were said by the people of their land to be born of Aphrodite and Adonis. Hystaspes ruled Media and the lands below it, Zariadres the region above the Caspian Gates up to the Tanais. Beyond the Tanais, lived the Marathis, 49ruled by Omartes, whose daughter Odatis was the most beautiful woman in Asia. Odatis dreamt of Zariadres, and loved him; and he too loved Odatis through dreams. He sought her vainly in marriage, for her father did not wish to give her to a stranger. Soon after, Omartes held a marrage feast attended by his own kinsmen and nobles, and bade Odatis give a cup of wine to him whom she wished to marry. Zariadres, forewarned by Odatis, came in full haste across the Tanais, accompanied only by his charioteer, and entered the hall in Scythian dress as, weeping, Odatis slowly filled the cup. She recognized him with joy, and he carried her off. Chares stated that this tale was greatly esteemed by the barbarians of Asia, who painted scenes from it on the walls of temples, palaces, and even private houses, the nobles often giving the name of Odatis to their own daughters. Rapp and Spiegel pointed out the striking similarity between this story and the story told by Firdousi where Zariadres and Odatis had been replaced by the love story of Zarer’s brother Gushtasp (Vishtasp) and Katayun [Rapp A., 1866, Ss. 65-66; Spiegel F., 1891, S. 197]. Many discussions has been made about the origin and identification of the mythological “parents” of Zariadres and Histaspes from the story told by Chares of Mytilene. Spiegel suggested that Vishtaspa actually was a child of the Sun-god as he was identified by Chares with Adonis. The Sun is said to have swift horses (aurvasaspa) as the brothers had father Aurvat-aspa by name. J. Darmsteter suggested that Adonis could have been identified with Apam Napat, who as the Sun had the same epithet, and Aphrodite with Anahita. It is strangely enough but in Zamyad Yasht (Yt 19) the divinity Apam Napat Aurvat-aspa is placed as capturer of the Kavian Khvarenah before the main its holder Kavi Vishtaspa (Yt 19. 51-52, 84-85). Mary Boyce and Ilya Gershevitch considered the story as Median [Gershevitch I., 1968, pp. 2, 10], but one couldn’t agree with these opinions because Chares, being involved in Alexander’s campaign, might have heard this story during his stay in Central Asia, so this legend should be considered of the Eastern Iranian 50origiri, as Chares stated that “the tale was highly esteemed by the barbarians of Asia”. i Another Zariadres is known from the Armenian sources. Strabo mentions him as Zariadris (Strabo, Geography, Lib. XI, Vol. XIV.5,15), general (strategos) of Antiochus III, who ruled in the south-western regions of Armenia (Sophene and Acilisene). In the Old Armenian historical writings this name is attested as Zareh. Manichaean form Zarél is mentioned in the fragment of the “Book of the Giants” with the names of the peaceful king Vishtasp ruling in Aryan-Vezhan, his wife Hudos and someone named Vahman. In opinion of Prods Skjervg, the Manichean form Zarél could be dissimilated form of Zarér, but it is also possible that form Zaré| is derived from *Zariardés by simple metathesis from Zariadres [Skjzrvo P. O., 1996, p. 621]. Another form of this name Zarvar (Zarwar) is attested in the very distorted and mythical Manichaean legend about Zrushch and Zarvar in Babylon that preserved in Manichaean Sogdian text and was published by Werner Sundermann [Sundermann, 1986; Skjzrvo P. O., 1996, p. 617-618]. Zarvar, performing a demonic role, consulted with the “evil councillor” and the prophet’s slanderer Zamasp, killed his own two sons, tried to kill his brother Vishtasp and the righteous Zrushch (Zarathushtra). Prods Skjzrvo states that he can find no textual reason for Zairivairi’s transformation into a minion of the Powers of Evil, and assumes that there might be an pseudo-etymological one, because Mani may have interpreted his name as “Zahr-war” - “poison-bearer”, and connected him with his opponent in AZ, Namkhvast, who throws a poisoned spear at Bastvar [Skjzrvo P. O., 1996, p. 618]. Concerning the name of the Armenian prince of Great Sophena Zareh (Zarehr) and its Greek pronunciation Zariadris, J. Marquart makes a note that it corresponds to New Persian Zarér (as dalér from Old Persian *darda-dara), when Iranian -dr- changes to Armenian -h-, as we have examples in Armenian Meh, Merh from Old Persian MiOra (Pers. Mihr). He states that Avestan Zairivairi is “falsche umsetzung von pehl. Zarér ins Awestische” and “die 51