Khotanese aysmua‑ and other souls

The etymologies offered by Ernst Leumann, Sten Konow, and Harold W. Bailey for Khotanese aysmua- ‘mind, thought, intention’ are unsatisfactory. On the basis of Ernst Arbman’s and his pupils’ typology of soul conceptions, which postulates their basically dualistic nature in archaic societies (free soul vs. body souls, including life soul and ego soul), aysmua- and other Khotanese words (uysānaā- , uṣṭana- , uvi’- , ysira- ) are recognised as pre-Buddhist terms for various kinds of soul. In particular, aysmua- is recognised as the main ego soul and its origin is traced back to Iranian *Hadza-miHu̯a- , literally ‘what drives (one’s) actions’ (cf. Ossetic Iron mi, Digoron miwæ ‘action etc.’).