Month Names [Re: New file uploaded to gothic-l (Christmas and Yule)]

[thiudans]

I started that post before and ended after lunch, and LN sent his
helpful link in the meantime.

I quote a portion here:

"So... Here's my  attempt at a reconstructing the Gothic months based on
Old English.
____OE______MnE________Gothic_______
Ærra  Geola - December - *AFARJIULEIS
Æfterra Geola - January - *SULAMENOTHS
Solmonath  - February - *HROTHIMENOTHS
Hrethmonath - March - *AUSTRAMENOTHS
Eostremonath  - April - *THRIMILUKIMENOTHS
Thrimilci - May - FRUMA *LINTHJA? or *leitha?
Ærra  Litha - June - AFARLINTHJA? or *leitha?
Æfterra Litha - July - *WIUDAMENOTHS,  *RUGJA-ASANS
Weodmonath - August - *HAILAGAMENOTHS, or * (SA) HAILAGA MENOTHS, 
*ASANAMENOTHS
Haligmonath (later: Hærfestmonath) - September - *WINTRUFULLITHS
Winterfylleth  - October - *BLOTAMENOTHS
Blotmonath - November - FRUMA JIULEIS

Of  course, chances are the real Gothic calendar diverged from the
Anglo-Saxon much  more than this, both in names and their application,
just as the Norse and German  did. Maybe it shared features with the
calendars of other Germanic peoples. Or  maybe the old names were soon
abandoned in favour of the Roman ones. Or maybe  just a few relics
survived like Fruma Jiuleis alongside the Latin names. Possibly  there
were multiple variants across the wide area settled by the Goths, just
as  there were within the other Germanic traditions. Probably we'll
never know.


Here's  an alternative speculative calendar, being mainly a mix of
English and (Old High)  German names, mostly using (hypothetical)
cognates although Friusa- is a calque  on Lauwmaand, Eismond, etc.):

January - *FRIUSAMENOTHS,  *EISAMENOTHS, *HARDUMENOTHS, *HARDIGGS,
*WULFAMENOTHS
February - *HAURNIGGS,  *SULAMENOTHS (or *Muldamenoths)
March - *LAGGATEINS, *HROTHIMENOTHS
April  - *AUSTRAMENOTHS (or *Paskamenoths)
May - *WINJAMENOTHS
June - FRUMA *LINTHJA,  *GRASAMENOTHS
July - *AFARLINTHJA, *HAUJAMENOTHS, *RUGJAASANS
August - *ASANAMENOTHS
September  - *HAILAGAMENOTHS, *WIDUMENOTHS, *AKRANAMENOTHS
October - *WINTRUFULLITHS
November  - FRUMA JIULEIS
December - *AFARJIULEIS

I wonder if there is any  other evidence lurking out there... I guess it
might be possible to narrow down  when the harvesting of these various
crops would have been in various Gothic territories.  Peter Heather
mentions the following as the most important crops in Chernjakhov 
agriculture: wheat, barley & millet. Also harvested were: rye, oats,
peas,  acorns & hemp (Heather, 1998, p. 77)."

Which precisely echoes my thoughts given below.


> Good idea. It seems month names could be more flexible and adaptable
> in the Germanic world. I think it reasonable to take those month-names
> which most closely harmonize with the agricultural schedule of the
> societies in the area where Goths lived during the 4th century.
> According to the wiki page on Germanic calendars, December has Jul or
> its variant.


I think it will be helpful to have variants for each month, but it would
be most unhelpful to have the same name used for more than one month.

Also, I support latter Jiuleis having a separate marker and not a prefix
(despite Go. afardags, for which, however, there is no partner **fruma
dags). Perhaps Go. Anthar Jiuleis or Go. Aftuma Jiuleis. Alternately Go.
spediza / spedists Jiuleis.


-Th.



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