Proposed Khotan Saka Titles for SCA Use
The following title possibilities come from H.W. Bailey’s Dictionary of Khotan Saka and appear in documents, some including personal names, dating from roughly 300-1000 CE. Based on claims made by Bailey, I would suggest these titles might be useful for Khotan-based personas, and potentially Saka personas more generally, for the period running roughly from 200 BCE to 1000 CE. In his article “Saka Studies: The Kingdom of Khotan” (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4299633), Bailey indicates that “[t]hough contemporary statement is not found, it is likely that the two languages of Khotan and Tumshuq were spoken by two tribes of the Saka who about 200 B.C. or earlier settled with a monarchical or occarchical system in this region of the Taklamakan” (p. 68).
I have done my best to use the correct characters appearing in Bailey’s Dictionary, but the available options are somewhat limited (e.g., the n-with-tilde should be an n-with-macron).
Titles and Gender-Related Usage
| Title | Gender Neutral | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown | Gyasta, Jasta | Rre | Rrīṇa |
| Coronet | Raudäkä, Rräspūra | Rräysduträ | |
| Peerage Order | Stānaḍa, Ñatcūkä, Pūrauysa | Hiye, Paśa | Biṩāyä |
| Knight | Spātā, Pūrauysa | Candarno | |
| Award of Arms | Āysña | Hiyaudi | Būjsaṃja |
I admit I am not incredibly well-versed in Khotan Saka grammar; the examples Bailey provides seem to indicate that constructions might involve both/either [title] [name] or [name] [title]. I have indicated the constructions I can identify in Bailey’s examples. Please note that, as with so much other writing of the period, spelling was not always consistent across various documents.
Term (and Variations) : Proposed Construction
Rre, rai “king” : [name] rre
Rrīṇa, , rrinä, rrīna “queen” : [name] rrinä
Gyasta, jasta, jaista “royal person” : [name] jaista
Raudäkä, ādrraka-, adrraka, “prince” : [name] raudäkä, raudäkä [name]
Rräspūra, rrespura, rruspurä “son of the director, prince” : [name] rrespura
Rräys-dutar-, rraysdvyārä (pl.) “daughter of the director, princess” : maybe [name] rräysduträ (working from the previous “prince” example)
Stānaḍa- “appointed [official], teacher”
Ñatcūkä “instructor, adviser”
Pūrauysa “leader” : pūrauysa [name]
Hiye, hiyai, hiyāda “master” : [name] hiye
Paśa “husband” (noted as possibly connected to Greek despotes “house-master”) : [name] paśa
Biṩāyä “house-mistress” (may be more synonymous to “wife” than any official title): [name] biṩāyä
Pūrauysa “leader” : pūrauysa [name]
Spātā- “military official” : [name] spāta
Candarno “military captain”
Āysña-, āysāta-, āysā “well-born, noble”
Hiyaudi “lord” : hiyaudä [name]
Būjsaṃja “ruler, lady” būjsaju [name]
Some possibilities that, while appearing in Bailey's Dictionary, seem less compelling than the above options
Mijşę “woman” (“probably honorific”) mājşęi [name]
Huśąina “lady” (“Chinese title”)
Haḑaa-, haḑai “guard leader, guardian” : [name] haḑai
Baraucāṃ “official title” possibly subordinate to “commandant”
Şşau, şau “official title” (for lord/lady/noble?)
Hīna-bāyai “army commander” : hīna-bāyai [name]
Hināysā “captain” : [name] hināysā
Kālä “title, official” (noble?)
Haubarai “title” (possibly an official overseeing something?)
Āṡarya, āṩiri “teacher” : āṡarya [name], [name] āṩiri
Kalātcyarai “title of an official”
Tumshuq Saka notes (p. 413)
These are included for completeness' sake.
King: rid-
Queen: rrinä- \\
Prince: rrispūra-, respū(r-)
Lord: rräysan-