Folio § zin
Zîn
Zîn — die Heldin von *Mem û Zîn*; der Name wird häufig als ‚Leben, die Lebende‘ gedeutet
Symbol der Liebe und der Sehnsucht des kurdischen Volkes nach Freiheit
Die Geschichte des Namens
Zîn is the heroine of Mem û Zîn — the epic Ehmedê Xanî wrote in 1692, and which has been the Kurdish national epic ever since. Her story with Mem braids love and the betrayal of an age. As a given name, Zîn is more than the beloved: she carries the longing of a people — a sigh aimed at freedom.
Etymologie
Wurzel: zîn · Kurmancî
The etymology of Zîn as a personal name is debated. The most widely accepted reading places it within the Indo-Iranian root family of gʷeih₃- ‘to live’ — the same root that yields Kurdish jiyan (life) and zindî (alive). A separate Persian word zin (saddle) is sometimes invoked but is generally rejected as the source of the heroine's name. In modern Kurdish naming the name is read in the life family.
Namensfamilie
- Mem · cognate — her companion in the epic
- Jiyan · cognate — ‘life’ as a given name
- Vejîn · cognate — ‘rebirth, new life’
Sprachliche Parallelen
- Jiyan Kurmancî — ‘life’ — same root family
Aktualisiert: 2026-05-02