The Complete Parsina Saga

Glossary abaaya: a cloak or mantle worn by women abdug: a cold yogurt drink Adaran: the second-highest class of sacred fires; must be tended by priests adarga: plain round or oval shield, covered with leather or metal Afrit: a member of the third rank of the djinni alif: the first letter of the Parsine alphabet Atluriya: citizen of the sunken city of Atluri; pl.: Atlurim ba: the second letter of the Parsine alphabet Badawi: (pl.) tribes of the desert nomads Bahram: the holiest class of sacred fires; must be tended only by highly purified priests; the king of fires, overhung by a crown baklava: pastry rolls filled with chopped almonds, flavored with cardamom, and drenched in honey after baking bazaar: an open-air market of many individual stalls burga: a stiff mask worn by women, often embroidered or embellished with coins and other decorations cadi: a judge or civil magistrate camekan: the outer room of the hammam, where clothes are taken off and piled neatly caravanserai: an inn providing merchants and wayfarers with shelter, food, and storage facilities for their beasts and goods; fee is generally based on one’s ability to pay chelo: a steamed rice preparation cubit: a unit of length, approximately twenty inches or fifty centimeters Dadgah: the third-highest class of sacred fire; may be tended by laymen daeva: a demon, spawn of Rimahn, created to torment mankind and promote chaos dahkma: a tower of silence, on which corpses are placed for vultures to eat the dead flesh dhoti: a loincloth fashioned from a long narrow strip of cloth wound around the body, passed between the legs and tucked in at the waist behind dinar: a gold coin of high value, equal to 1,000 dirhams; one dinar could buy a small village brewery dirham: a silver coin of moderate value, equal to 100 fals; 1,000 dirhams equal one dinar; one dirham could buy a pony keg (150 glasses) of beer diwan: a couch for reclining; also, an official audience or court held by a king or other ruler djinn: a descendant of the illicit union of humans and daevas in the early ages of the world; mortal, but magically powerful and long-lived; pl.: djinni druj: (s. & pl.) an evil creature who worships Rimahn and the lie; may have some magical abilities durqa: a square, depressed area in the center of a qa’a, usually paved with marble and tile and containing a small fountain emir: a nobleman ranked below a wazir fal: a copper coin of low denomination; 100 fals equal one dirham; one fal could buy one glass of beer fauwara: an ablutions fountain in the center of a sahn fravashi: a person’s heavenly self, to be reunited with the soul after the great Rehabilitation at the end of time ghee: clarified, browned butter gnaa: a rectangular headcloth for women, usually worn over the top of the shayla grimoire: a magician’s book of incantations, runes, and magical formulas hammam: a public steam-bath house haoma: the ephedra plant; grows on mountains; is ritually pounded and pressed to yield a fluid that is tasted during rituals, symbolizing man’s eventual gaining of immortality hizam: a waistbelt to secure weapons to the body, hold money and other items homunculus: a creature of clay made to resemble a human being and magically given life hookah: a water pipe hosh: the central courtyard of a house, off of which other rooms open hummus: a mixture of ground chick peas, garlic, and spices Jann: (s. & pl.) a member of the fifth and lowest rank of the djinni Jinn: (s. & pl.) a member of the fourth rank of the djinni kaftan: a long, floor-length overrobe with full-length sleeves khandaq: a sewage sump, a pit for gathering the city population’s bodily wastes khanjar: a curved bladed dagger, worn in a sheath in the hizam kismet: unavoidable Fate kohl: a powder of antimony, used as makeup to darken the eyelids Kushti: (s. & pl.) a ritual rope or thread given to a child at investiture; its interwoven threads and tassels are highly symbolic; used during prayers leewan: a paved platform about one -quarter of a cubit above central floor level, usually covered with mats or carpets madrasa: a school, usually attached to a temple; teaches both secular and religious topics maidan: a central square or plaza within a city Marid: a member of the second rank of the djinni milaaya: (s. & pl.) a colorful sheet worn by women as a mantle milfa: a semitransparent black scarf drawn over the lower part of the face; worn in public by women minaret: a tall, slender tower attached to a temple, where an everlasting flame burns in tribute to and as a symbol of Oromasd minbar: a high, raised pulpit with a flight of steps, from which sermons are preached in a temple musharabiya: a carved wooden grill of close latticework covering the street-facing windows of a house nan-e lavash: a thin, dinnertime bread similar to flour tortillas, but crisper niaal: (pl.) thonged sandals parasang: a unit of length, approximately three miles or five kilometers peri: a descendant of the union of humans and yazatas in the early ages of the world; mortal, but magically powerful and long-lived pilau: a boiled rice dish, often with other spices and ingredients such as almonds, raisins, etc. qa’a: principal room of a house, where guests are entertained rahat lakhoum: an expensive confection of lichi nuts, kumquat rind, and hashish rimahniya: (pl.) fanatical cult of assassins who worship Rimahn and welcome chaos riwaq: a covered arcade with pillars dividing it into open sections surrounding on three sides an open area (sahn) in the center of a temple rukh: a gigantic, magical, flesh-eating bird saaya: a jacket with gold embroidery, worn by men Sadre: a white shirt given to children at their investiture, which they are supposed to wear always next to their skin; putting it on symbolizes donning the Good Religion sahn: an open courtyard in the center of a temple where the faithful gather to pray and hear sermons saif: a sheathed short sword worn in the hizam at the waist salaam: a word of greeting, meaning both “hello” and “peace”; also, a deferential bow of greeting or respect sari: a full-length dress wrapped around the body satrap: a provincial governor Shaitan: a member of the first, and most powerful, rank of the djinni sharbat-e porteghal: an iced drink of orange and mint sharshaf: an oversized shawl worn when a woman leaves her mother’s home for her future husband’s; also worn at prayer shaykh: the leader of a tribe, profession, or other group; usually elected for his age and wisdom shayla: a rectangular, tasseled headcloth worn by women as part of a two -piece headgear; the tassels at the top dangle on either side of the face shish kebob: a dish of beef or lamb and vegetables, cooked on a skewer over an open flame sicakluk: the inner room of the hammam; the steam room sidaireeya: a high-collared, open-front, waist-length jacket with elbow-length sleeves, worn by women over the Sadre; often highly decorated simurgh: the magical bird who perches in the Tree of Knowledge sirwaal: (pl.) long baggy trousers, gathered at the ankles, with a sash to draw in the waist; worn by men and women sofreh: a cover placed over a carpet or over the ground while eating to give stability to the plates and protect the carpet; usually one of stiffer, waterproof leather is covered by another of cloth soguluk: the middle room of the hammam where bodies are washed and massaged taraha: a rectangular, black gauze scarf with beaded, embroidered, braided, or tasseled ends; worn over the head by women thawb: a full-length, long-sleeved garment similar to the kaftan but fuller cut; also a capacious overdress worn by women turban: a fine cloth worn wound around a man’s head wadi: a ravine formed by runoff rainwater wali: a superintendant wazir: a royal minister and political adviser yasht: a special hymn composed to a yazata yatu: an evil magician zarabil: (pl.) cloth slippers, often embroidered zibun: an ankle -length outer garment opening down the front; closes right over left at the waist, forming a waist-deep open vee in front; slits upward along each side from the hemline and slits at underarm seams from the edge of the short sleeve to the shoulder seam, to allow the decorated robes underneath to show through ziyada: an outer courtyard surrounding a temple on three sides The Parsine Pantheon