[gothic-l] I am new too the list

[M. Carver]

Goleins, Godareiks!

> OK, thanks
> For instance Reiks = King/ruler
> 
> What would be : Queen, Prince/Princess, Duke/duchess, count/countess,
> viscount/viscountess, Knight, Baron/Baroness, Honorable Lord, Lord, Lady.
> Milord/Milady?

Well, this could prove more tricky than it at first seems since we really do
not have mediaeval titles for the Gothic political system. King is mainly in
titles "Thiudans" though in names "-reiks" is a popular nymic element for
chiefs of any kind. Terms for prince and princess do not exist; periphrase
gives us Sunus Thiudanis or Barn Thiudanis; perhaps also other terms meaning
ruler, chief, lord, or similar could have been used to denote the son of the
king, perhaps also with a suffix like -iggs (cf. ON Drottning). Likewise no
term exists for the Queen, who might have simply been "Weif Thiudanis" or
"Qens Thiudanis", i.e. wife of the King. If she ruled in her own right,
however, perhaps she would herself wear the title of Thiudans or perhaps a
general term signifying ruler with or without feminine ending: Kindins,
Fraujinondei, *Fraujo, Fauramaþleis, Faurastasseis, Reiks, *Reikjo, Faþs
among others. The Duke was called "Harjatuga", i.e. Army-leader or dux
exercitus; this might have been the same man as the Drauhtins, or General of
the army. 

Titles of nobility below these are not generally existent in the 6th
century, let alone among the Goths. They might be reconstructed however for
modern purposes. 

The Count in Britain is called Earl (though this differ somewhat from the ON
Jarl), thus ? "*Airils." Count originally was Lat. 'comes' (compatriot, i.e.
fellow government official), which would give us an alternate, something
like "Gawaurstwa"--not quit the same noble flair admittedly. The Viscount or
vice-count (substitute count) seemingly requires periphrase, perhaps
"*Uf-Airils" or "*Undar-Airils" or "Anþara *Airils".

For a Baron (Lat Baro "man" = Go. "wair", "guma"), something along the lines
of ruler (see above), perhaps a lowlier sounding one like "Faurastasseis" or
"Fauramaþleis," lit. President and Predicant, or even "Fauragagga,"
governor, steward; it might help here to use a regional designation, say for
instance "*Gawikindins," district ruler, or similar.

Lords and Ladies may be referred to by the titles "Frauja"/"Fraujis" and
"*Fraujo" respectively. These may be augmented by a myriad of adjectives or
preceding composite elements such as mikila-, wulthu-, swera-, abra-,
airmana-, athala-.

The knight of course did not exist either, but might have been "*Reidja," or
under heavier German influence, "*Reidareis," both meaning rider. A soldier
was a "gadrauhts". 

> Also, does anyone know the chain of command for a Gen? Or did they follow
> Roman examples?
> Many Thanks
> X
> (That spells Gothen, squire of Kurn)

A Gen(eral) would be "Drauhtins."

And how does X spell Gothen? I hope Kurn is not a Gothic name, for then its
name would be outright improper, since u cannot exist before r in such a way
without being "broken" into au, i.e. Kurn > Kaurn /Korn/ :)

ainfalþiba,
Matþaius



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