The name Elbrus seems to have a connection with Alborz (also called Elburz), which is also the name of a long mountain range in northern Iran, but the two should not be confused. The name is derived from Avestan Harā Bərəzaitī, a legendary mountain in Iranian mythology. Harā Bərəzaitī reflects Proto-Iranian *Harā Bṛzatī, which was reformed into Middle Persian as Harborz, and into Modern Persian as Alborz. Bṛzatī is the feminine form of the adjective *bṛzant (high), the reconstructed ancestor of Modern Ossetian bærzond (high, peak), Modern Persian barz (high), berāzande (elegant), and boland (high, tall), and Modern Kurdish barz (high). Harā may be interpreted as watch or guard, from Indo-European *ser (protect). The name Mingi Taw used by Karachays and Balkars means Eternal Mountain in Turkic.