*gutiska vs.*gutisko

[llama_nom]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "thiudans" <thiudans at y...> wrote:
>
> There is also Gothiscandza, often construed *Gutisk-andja "Gothic
> frontier" or "border".

Yes, although I think this is fairly speculative, and contradicts 
Jordanes's interpretation--not that that's infallible.

Ex hac igitur Scandza insula quasi officina gentium aut certe velut 
vagina nationum cum rege suo nomine Berig Gothi quondam memorantur 
egressi: qui ut primum e navibus exientes terras attigerunt, ilico 
nomen loci dederunt. nam odieque illic, ut fertur, Gothiscandza 
vocatur.

Mierow: "Now from this island of Scandza, as from a hive of races or 
a womb of nations, the Goths are said to have come forth long ago 
under their king, Berig by name. As soon as they disembarked from 
their ships and set foot on the land, they straightway gave their 
name to the place. And even to-day it is said to be called 
Gothiscandza."

Could it be that Jordanes's interpretation of Gothiscandza is more 
or less right?  I wonder whether the name was taken as a whole from 
Gothic, or invented by Jordanes or Cassiodorus or another writer.  
It could always just be a distortion of some name from classical 
geography.  Then again, it might be taken from a Gothic source, at a 
greater or lesser remove, or alternatively from a contemporary 
Scandinavian source.  Or the hypothesis might be right.  How is 
*Gutisk-andja interpreted grammatically?  Are there parallels 
anywhere to this type of compound in Germanic placenames.  If the 
reconstruction, wherever it originates, is intended to be cast in 
Biblical Gothic form, it looks like dative singular (compare the 
dative plural in *Aujom, Oium).  Could it be a contraction of 
something like 'at (þana) *gutiskin andja' "at the Gothic 'end'"?  
Or is it meant to be a different word from the same root?

Llama Nom of the Many Questions, as Usual

P.S. I like the amusing way this idea is backed up in Wikipedia and 
its spawn: "One interpretation of the name is gutisk-andja, ''gothic 
end (or frontier)'' (cf. Scandza <- Scandia)." (!)





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