1840.] from Bactrian and Indo- Scythian coins. 451 



long to those coins where the name is already corrupted to 

 OOHPKI. Mueller p. 236. 



The original form in Zend is Mithra, to which the MiOpi 

 of the names of the Cappadocian months corresponds : hence 

 is produced Mihir in Pazend, and Mihir {j$*>) in modern Persia, 

 which forms are connected with the Cappadocian forms Mlripav 

 (pronounced Muran) and Mimp in a more corrupted form. In 

 the same manner MI9P0 upon the Kanerki coins is transformed 

 into MIIPO, which latter must probably be pronounced Mihiro. 

 (v. Mueller at the same place.) 



I beg only to add, that Mitra, though in Sanscrit likewise 

 denoting Sun, is merely one name of the sun among many 

 others, nor is it distinguished in a way, that it can have 

 given rise to this peculiar name of the supreme Helios. Mihira 

 also denotes sun in Sanscrit, and though this cannot be corrupt- 

 ly altered from Mitra, yet it is to be derived from a Sanscrit 

 root, as grammatists do. But it must depend wholly upon the 

 fact being carefully ascertained, that Mihira was not only used 

 in modern writings, but also in the Vedas to denote sun, whe- 

 ther we can approve of this derivation, or we have to bring 

 back this word, together with the worship of the Indo-Scy- 

 thians to India, after its corruption in the countries of Iran 

 from Mithra to Mihira. 



II. MAO, the moon. A youth in the dress of the East, 

 similar to the dress of Phrygia, with flowing robe, a kind of 

 turban on the head, with a large half moon behind his should- 

 ers, such as the Deus Lunus bears upon coins of Asia Minor, 

 the situation in the whole, the same with Mithras, (v. Mueller 

 at the same place.) 



Mao is the nominative of the Zend form of mas, the word in- 

 deed is likewise Sanscrit, as it is a common word of all the Asian 

 languages, denoting the moon as a measure for time ; the root 

 is md, (measure) but the Sanscrit nominative is mas. The forms 

 Mav, Mr/v, are only various off-shoots of the same root. The 

 genitive MANAO, shortly to be alluded to, which presupposes 

 the root MAN, appears to warrant, that the lunar god in the 

 form he is possessed of upon our coins, was received from 

 the West. But here may likewise be admitted the interpreta- 



