ĀZĪN JOŠNAS

 

ĀZĪN (ĀḎĪN) JOŠNAS, a military commander of the Sasanian Hormazd IV (r. A.D. 579-90), killed in Hamadān on his way to fight the rebellious general Bahrām Čōbēn (Ṭabarī, I, p. 995; Yaʿqūbī, I, p. 190; Baḷʿamī, Tārīḵ, p. 1079; Šāh-nāma [Moscow] VIII, pp. 394, 428). He has also been referred to as minister (wazīr) (Masʿūdī, Morūj I, sec. 634; Gardīzī, ed. Ḥabībī, p. 34), chief minister (Dīnavarī, p. 85), or scribe (dabīr) (Šāh-nāma VIII, p. 394) of the king. Ṯaʿālebī (Ḡorar, p. 659) says the king consulted with him but does not specify his official title. The title dabīr does not seem appropriate since he seems to have belonged, as most sources confirm, to the warrior class. He has been referred to as Ḵūzī, i.e., native of Ḵūzestān, by Masʿūdī (ibid.) and Ḥūrī (Jūrī?) by Gardīzī (ibid.).

Most sources report that when the news of Bahrām’s victory over Šāva, the king (ḵāqān) of the Turks, arrived at the court with war booties, Āẕīn Jošnas, envious of Bahrām’s achievement, accused him of having kept the best and most of the spoils for himself, sending only a token share to the king. Other sources, however, make others such as Bahmūḏa, the ḵāqān’s son, who lived as a captive at the court (Yaʿqūbī, p. 189) or some courtiers (Ṯaʿālebī, p. 657) responsible for the king’s suspicion. According to Dīnavarī and Baḷʿamī Āẕīn Jošnas was dispatched in order to apologize to Bahrām and console him, but death did not allow him to fulfill his mission.

The Arabicized form Āẕīn Jošnas recorded by Ṭabarī (ibid.) and Yaʿqūbī (p. 190) indicates that the original form of the name was Āẕēn Gošnasp, which occurs as Āẕīn Košasb in Ṯaʿālebī (p. 659) and Āyēn Gošasb in Šāh-nāma (ibid.). Other corrupted forms are Arīḵsīs (Masʿūdī), Arḥasīs (Gardīzī), Yazdān Jošnas (Dīnavarī), and Yazdān Baḵš (Baḷʿamī), etc.

Bibliography: See also Nöldeke, Geschichte der Perser, p. 276.

Search terms:

  آذین جشن

(A. Tafażżolī)

Originally Published: December 15, 1988

Last Updated: August 18, 2011

This article is available in print.
Vol. III, Fasc. 3, p. 260