Ksiądz or Xšaça

The Polish word ksiądz refers to a priest but it has other related meanings. For example, its diminutive, księżyc means the Moon. That is a little ksiądz. But why would the moon be called the little priest? Well, it does not. As Brückner correctly points out, the word ksiądz referred to a duke, prince or lord and, hence księżyc refers to a little duke, lord or, yes, prince. The “big” duke, prince, lord, etc., was, supposedly, the Sun – Brückner’s magnus dominus.

Maybe. But what Brückner gets wrong is the derivation of the word. He says that the Slavic as well as Baltic (kuni(n)gas) and Finnish (kunigas) come from the German König, that is “king”. Oddly, he also observes, that that name is not present in Gothic. Whatever the merits of Brückner’s derivation of the Lithuanian or Finnish etymology of their kuningases, the Slavic word just does not seem to fit. In fact, the Slavs may well have a term for a ruler that is derived from or at least similar to the German (and Finnish, Baltic). It is kniaź where the g > ź, probably.

But what about the Polish ksiądz? Well, the answer may be found on the borders of ancient Persia in the famous Behistun (or Behistan) inscription. That inscription celebrates the victories of Darius over local rebels. This is the inscription that famously features placenames such as Asagarta which has been interpreted to mean Sagartia but also to be a potential shoe-in candidate for a namesake of Asgard. There, in Persian lands we see the word xšaça be used in a number of places. The University of Texas at Austin has a great linguistics department and, more relevantly, an excellent website that discusses some old languages and the below text comes from there. 

<xšaça-> ‘kingship, sovereignty, kingdom‘ — [Pokorny kþē(i)-, kþə(i)- :: to gain, acquire, possess]

41- ašiyava utā Pārsa utā Māda utā aniyā dahyāva xšaçam hauv

42 – agarbāyatā Garmapadahya māhyā IX raucabiš θakatā āha avaθā xšaçam

50 – tyam magum xšaçam dītam caxriyā kārašim hacā daršam atarsa

59 – dahyāuš Mādaiy avadašim avājanam xšaçamšim adam adīnam vašnā

60 – Auramazdāha adam xšāyaθiya abavam Auramazdā xšaçam manā frābara