etymology of Belarus

[Jules Levin]

This may be a more complex question than many believe.
Consider that the Belarusians may be Slavicized balts, i.e., there is a
great Baltic substratum.  This is still an ongoing process along the
Lith/Pol/BR border.
         Lith. baltas = 'white', Slav belyi
This region also has a lot of swamps,
        Lith bala = 'swamp', ESlav boloto.  Note that the latter must be from
*balto, cf. Lith. "white" above.
Note also the curious complementarity of the Lith and Slav terms above.
Of course the term Baltic itself is designates the usual greyish color of
the B. sea.
So, the Belarusians live in a "baltic", "marshy" "white-sea-ish" land.  The
hair-color may be a secondary explanation that evolved after the toponym
became an ethnym...
Jules Levin

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