[gothic-l] Re: The Letter H

[Troels Brandt]

Hi Keth

Your letter was very long - with a very interesting part about the 
development of the words in Northern Europe.

I have to give you a shorter answer as I have to go back to work.

I have accepted Matþaius' theory which I believe explains my view 
using following assumptions:

As I wrote, I used the H.P.Dewing-version of Procopius printed in 
Greek and English (reprint Cambridge Mass 1971), but I asked for a 
more original version. Procopius was from Caesarea, but he worked as 
a secretary for the Byzantine general Bellisarius using both Herulian 
officers and about 3000 soldiers in his army under the Gothic Wars. 
Procopius also met Herulian officers later in Byzans, where he wrote 
his book Gothic Wars - being fascinated of the Heruls.

Maybe he did not speak Germanic, but the important fact is that he 
must have heard them talk several times. Therefore his way of 
spelling is more important than the Roman way, where the "H" was 
silent (a.e. Jordanes).

In the early Greek sources (mentioned by Andreas in February) there 
is more doubt about the spelling and Dexippos originally described 
both Goths and Heruls as Scythes - and more important: Even if a 
spelling with "H" was correct in the 3rd century it may have been 
silent in the 6th century, where the migration (not necessarily 
return) to Scandinavia took place.

But one of my questions is, if there may have been a consonant all 
the time starting as an "H" in Greece and ending as a faint breaking 
sound in Scandinavia.

Regarding the Herul Fara mentioned by Dirk he died in 535 before the 
Heruls disappeared, and his descendants were probably assimilated 
among the Bavarians just like groups of Heruls together with 
Ostrogoths were assimilated among the Lombards in Italy or among the 
Gepides in "Dacia". After 565 we do not hear about them anymore - but 
their language may of course have survived for decades.  

For a much later writer like Paulus the Heruls were probably a 
historical people described in old books - and therefore his spelling 
is useless.

Troels 



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