Ptolemy describes the fjords? [gothic-l]

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Hej Tore and Dirk,
>>I know that is not your main point, but just to add: Jordanes actually
>>wrote that the Goths have migrated from the Island of Scandza some
>>1000 years or so before our era!!
>
>Dirk,
>You are quite right that Jordanes actually wrote that the Goths have
>migrated from the Island of Scandza that looks like a Juniper leave, the
>shape of Gotland.



This remark about a "juniper leaf" made me pause a bit.
For, as you know, the Juniper has no leaves, but needles.
It is therefore difficult to visualize the shape.
Looking at the Getica text, I do however find that
it says (§ 16): "~De hac etenim in secundo sui operis libro
Claudio Ptolomeus, orbis terrae discriptor egregius,
meminit dicens: est in Oceani arctoi salo posita insula
magna, nomine Scandza, in modum folii cetri, lateribus pandis,
per longum ducta concludens se."
I think the plant name would here be contained in the
phrase "in modum folii cetri".
Here the spelling is odd, but it could be the "citrus"
that is referred to here. The dictionary then says
that this is  1) the lemon tree 2) Thuia orientalis =
an african thuja tree. Could that be the same tree
that is in many gardens?  In that case the mentioning of
this tree, an evergreen with a very scented wood,
could refere to its deeply cut leaves, and is hence a
reference to the deep fjords of West Norway. That is
then the most likely explanation of this passage.
In particular because he says the "island" is very
large and long stretched. (insula magna & lateribus pandis).
It simply could not refer to a minor island like Gotland.

Best regards
Keth

Msanuscript variants: cetri, citri, caedri, cedri, coedri.



>I don't think he mentions anything about 1000 years or so before our era.
>It is rather 300 -200 BC



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