Yusuf B Gursey wrote:
> James.G wrote:
> > Hi.
> > I've been studying Arabic for a little over a year now, and I'm
> enjoying it
> > immensely.
> >
> > I have a tattoo of a dragon and a phoenix, and I was hoping someone
>> out
these are mythical creatures, so one rarely has complete cross-cultural
identity as one has with real ones.
> > there could tell me if there is an Arabic translation for Phoenix -
I
>> have
> > Dragon already - as I wish to have both words tattooed next to
their
astronomical Draco was trranslated from greek as al-tinni:n which is
about identical with the Hebrew word that greek translated in the Bible
as Draco. but the Biblical creature was thought of as aquatic acc. to
recent scholar****p.
> > respective images.
you won't accept a general advice against tattooing?
> >
> > I tried using a translation website, but when I showed my tutor the
> results,
> > ???????
>
> I can't read it but I'll guess you have 3anqa:'
al-3anqa:' speaking of it generically or if one thinks of it as unique.
>
> >
> > she said the word only implied a creature with a long neck, such as
a
>
> as an adjective that's what it means, "long necked".
>
> > giraffe. However, my Elias dictionary translates this as Griffon.
>> The
>
> so does Wehr, but Enc. of Islam II "Anka" says that the `Anqa:' was
> identified with the greek Phoenix and the ancient greeks had
identified
> their mythical bird with Arabia. al-Mawrid dictionary uses `Anqa:' as
a
> translation of phoenixs and I have heard the equivalence myself used
in
> connection with describing modern heraldry. acc. to EI2 the medieval
> descriptions of the bird were based on herons, not raptor like as
> griffons are. it's not impossible though that say modern arab museums
> call ancient mesopotamian griffons "3anqa:'" . al-mawrid gives
> *gh*ari:f (a trascription or arabization)for "griffon" but I don't
know
also *gh*irfi:n , with al- under the conditions mentioned previously.
> if this is traditional, european lore was less known to medieval
arabs.
>
>
> > Elias dictionary also mentions what I take to be Ta'ir Maj'hul
> (unknown
> > bird?), but I was hoping for something a little more specific.
yes, or unreal. also ta:'ir xura:fiyy (belonging to superstition). OTOH
it was given Islamic sanction in the Hadith literature.
> >
> > Any help would be much appreciated.
> >
> >
> > James Galloway
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