[gothic-l] Re: Snorri on Reidgotaland

[trbrandt at POST9.TELE.DK]

Hi Keth

--- In gothic-l at y..., keth at o... wrote:
>
> >What does Maringa/Maeringer mean?
>
> Wasn't that the name of a district ?
> (or maybe "famous man"?)

Which district? Maehren?
Or was he a viking? (Mare)

>
> >What does Hraid/Reid mean?

> I recall two possible meanings that were much discussed in our
> previous discussion. One was "rede" (nest), the other was "ride"
> (to ride). If I then look at the etymology as well as the
> words corresponding to these two basic meanings in the different
> Germanic languages, I believe I find that only the first meaning
> (rede/nest) derives from a stem that originally had an initial
> "h". That means that we can then eliminate all meanings that
> have something to do with "riding", like in horse-riding, and that
> is certainly progress.
> ----
> I wish to maintain as important hypothesis, that the "Hreidgoths" is
> what the Scandinavians called the continental Goths - the ones who
> had followed the Vistula down towards the Black Sea.
>
> Best regards
> Keth


I am not able to evaluate your hypotheses from a linguistic point of
view, but if we follow your conclusions the Hreidgoths (Nest Goths)
should be the Goths in their continental nest - being then the
Vistula-region. This makes sense as a counterpart to the Goths of
Eygotaland (Island Goths) at the Hreidmare islands - being the
Scandinavian Peninsula, Gotland, Sealand etc. in the sea between
the "islands" and the nest. Remember that the Scandinavian Peninsula
as late as 553 by Procopius was called an island. The "Hraidkutum"s
at the Roek-stone from 800 indicates that these names were so old,
that we should expect the continental Goths to believe the Goths in
Scandinavia to live on islands - except for the Jutes if they were
Goths/Gauts. This might indicate that Gaut had his nest in the
Vistula-region.

It will also make sense if some remaining Hreidgoths migrated from
the Vistula-region to the "islands" and attacked people there, when
the Slavs penetrated Poland 400-600. If they migrated to Jutland this
will explain why Snorre once called Jutland Reidgotaland.

Ingemar will kill me if I do not mention the alternative conclusion,
that the nest of Gaut might be Goetaland at the Scandinavian
Peninsula - also making sense either being a part of the continent or
a mainland in shape of a very big island as a counterpart to the
islands in the sea around the nest - Hreidmare.

In both cases your interpretation of "Hreid" as "Nest" makes sense,
but are there also similarities to Gothic or other languages?

Troels



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