[gothic-l] Re: More on the Gothic-Slavic link

[Francisc Czobor]

--- In gothic-l at y..., "Sigmund" <sigmund at a...> wrote:
> ...
> Francisc, do you have anything comments on the plethora of related 
or associated names like 
Sclavinia/Slavonia/Vandals/Wends/Venethi/Vinniles etc? 
> 
> Sigmund

Hello, Sigmund,

I'm not a professional in such matters, so I will tell you what I have 
read and seems to be accepted by many.

Wends/Venethi: in the early antiquity, the eastern neighbors of the 
Germanic peoples were represented by the old Indo-European (probably 
Illyrian) tribe of the Veneti (the name is also connected with the 
name of the region Venetia, now Venezia in NE Italy, and the name of 
the city of Venice). When the Veneti were later replaced/assimilated 
by the Slavs, the old Germans transferred the name Venethi/Venedi to 
them. Initially, it was a generic term for the Slavs (Iordanes: 
Venethi, OHG: winid-, MHG: winde). Later the term was confined to the 
direct Slavic neighbors of the Germans: the Lusacian Sorabs, called in 
German "Wenden". The term was borrowed also by non-Germanic languages 
and denominates Slavic neighbors:
Finnish: Venäjä "Russia", venäläis "Russian"
Hungarian: vend "Slovenian of Hungary"

Vandal: several ethymologies proposed, discussed also on this list. 
None looks to me convincing.

Vinnili: don't know.
It seems that the terms "Vandali" and "Vinnili" are not connected to 
"Veneti", nor to each other.

Regarding Sclavinia/Slavonia, they are derived from the own 
degnitation of the old Slavs: Slovene. One possible etymology is that 
quoted in my previous mail (slovo "word"), but there are also other 
hypotheses. From the time when the Avars dominated the Slavs and used 
them as slaves, dates also the Latin term sclavus "slave".
Why an old Germanic territory is named "Sclavinia", I can not imagine, 
only speculations...

I hope that someone more informed than me could help you better.

Francisc



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