The Power of Etymology: Uncovering History Through Language (2024)

By Benjamin Breen

"Little bit you speak Farsi?" This was the question posed to me recently by my two-year-old daughter, Yara.

My wife and I are currently raising Yara and her younger sister in a bilingual environment, blending English with Farsi (Persian). While I spend the vast majority of my time speaking English, I have been diligently attempting to acquire Farsi. As a historian, I find the process particularly exhilarating because the vocabulary acts as a living archive, containing embedded clues about ancient events.

The Paradox of the Div

A compelling example of this is a century-long debate among historical linguists centered on the Farsi word div. In modern Persian, a div refers to a demon from mythology.

Detail from a 16th-century Mughal manuscript depicting "Two Div Following the Order of King Solomon."

Farsi belongs to the Indo-European language family. The word div can be traced back to a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root from approximately 5000 BCE:

$\text{deywós} \approx \text{Sun God / Divinity}$

This root evolved into several words that still mean "god" today:

Why the shift to "Demon"?

If the root means "god," why does the Farsi version mean "demon"? The answer is found in the ancient "sister" languages of Old Persian and Avestan (spoken by Iranian peoples between 1000 and 500 BCE).

According to linguistic research, ancient Zoroastrians began to view the daeva (including deities like Indra) as divine beings to be worshipped gods to be rejected. They shifted their devotion toward Zoroastrian deities, most notably Ahura Mazda. By the 16th century, the div had fully transitioned into a monstrous entity, similar to a Greek monster or an evil djinn.

Meanwhile, the Indian branch of Indo-Iranian languages (such as Sanskrit) maintained the original meaning, continuing to worship the deva.

This linguistic divergence suggests a profound social and religious schism among Indo-Iranian speakers during their migrations south and east, possibly occurring around 1500 BCE. While we cannot know the exact details, the language provides the evidence.

Surprising Connections Across the Family Tree

Even languages that seem distant, like English and Farsi, share striking cognates.

• Abru $\rightarrow$ Eyebrow
• Baradar $\rightarrow$ Brother
• Dokhtar $\rightarrow$ Daughter
• Garm $\rightarrow$ Warm

Similarly, Farsi and Spanish share links, such as the Farsi word Dust (friend/liking) and the Spanish gusto (taste/liking).

One of the most incredible examples of linguistic stability is the word for "salmon," which has remained virtually unchanged for 6,000 to 8,000 years. It stems from the PIE root *laḱs-.

The "Salmon" Lineage:

• German: lachs
• Middle Dutch: lacks, lachs, lasche
• Latvian: lasis
• Russian: losós
• Tocharian B: laks (meaning "fish")

Why Etymology is a Tool for Historians

Cognates are more than just linguistic curiosities; they are essential for historians of science, culture, and religion. They allow us to form evidence-based hypotheses about the pre-literate world.

A fascinating example is a 2016 phylogenetic study by anthropologist Jamshid Tehrani and folklorist Sara Graça da Silva. They concluded that some legends found in The Arabian Nights, Aesop’s fables, and Grimm’s fairy tales may date back 6,000 to 7,000 years to the era of Proto-Indo-European.

One of the most ancient narratives identified was "The Smith and the Devil," which served as a precursor to the story of Doctor Faustus.

The Plot: A blacksmith—a figure often linked to the supernatural from Europe to Africa—makes a pact with a devil. The Smith gains the ability to forge any material and uses this power to trap the devil in a heavy piece of metal, thereby escaping his sinister bargain.

Comparative analysis of Indo-European folktales.

Other Bronze Age legends include:

• #330: The Smith and the Devil
• #328: A version of Jack and the Beanstalk

These stories likely predate the Odyssey, the Bible, and the Vedic hymns. It is particularly noteworthy that one of the oldest human stories is centered on technology (blacksmithing).

Finding these echoes across millennia connects cultures that modern media often portrays as disparate. The pursuit of etymological origins is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is a reminder of our shared human heritage.