[gothic-l] Gepids

[Bertil Häggman]

Dear listmembers,

Further to my comments on the Gepids Jordanes
wrote in Getica XVII:94,95:

"You surely remember that in the begining I said
the Goths went forth from the bosom of the island
of Scandza with Berig, their king, sailing in only
three ships toward the hither shore of Ocean,
namely to Gothiscandza. One of these three
ships proved to be slower than the others, as is
usually the case, and thus is said to have given the
tribe their name, for in their language gepanta means
slow. Hence it came to pass that gradually and
by corruption the name Gepidae was coined for them
by way of reproach. For undoubtedly they too trace
their origin from the stock of the Goths, but because,
as I have said, gepanta means something slow and
stolid, the word Gepidae arose as a gratuitous
name of reproach. I do not believe this is very far wrong,
for they are slow of thought and too sluggish for
quick movement of their bodies."

So it was after all correct that at least Jordanes claimed
they were slow of mind. But the introduction of a Gepidic
word, gepanta, meaning slow seems dubious. Rather
the late Latin gepidus=slow, would be one explanation.

My personal belief, however, is that gepid is related to the
god Gaut or Gapt, the Gothic progenitor. Gaut or Gapt is of
course also another name for Odin.

Gepidically

Bertil


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