[gothic-l] Names of Heruls

[george knysh]

--- Troels Brandt <trbrandt at post9.tele.dk> wrote:
> It has been discussed at another list if the names
> of Heruls were of
> a clearly Germanic origin. As Gothic List has more
> linguistic experts
> I will ask the question here.
>
> We do not know the origin of the Heruls. Procopius
> called them Goths,
> but we do only know that they lived at the Black Sea
> between Goths
> and Alanes and followed the Huns to
> Pannonia/Moravia.
>
> I remember following names of Heruls - most of them
> mentioned by to
> Procopius:
>
> Alaric
> Aluith
> Aordus
> Arufus
> Aruth
> Datius
> Fara
> Fulcharis
> Naulobates
> Ochus
> Phanitheus
> Philemuth
> Roduulf
> Sintvalt (Sindualt)
> Suartuas
> Visandus
> Uligagus
>
> Silinga
>
> We have of course to be careful with the way they
> appear above, as
> this spelling is due to a translation to English
> from Latin or Greek
> versions written down by authors, who did not
> understand the Herulian
> language.
>
> Furthermore a later appearance among the Germanic
> nations does not
> tell us anything, as this may be due to Herulian
> descendants.
>
> Does such names indicate if the people was of a
> Gothic or another
> Germanic origin - or mixed with /influenced by /
> being a Hunnic or
> Iranian people?

*****GK: A study of names alone tells us very little
about ethnicity, esp. in Hunnic and post-Hunnic times.
Jordanes noted that these populations frequently
adopted "foreign" names. For instance a 1986 study by
the late linguist Struminski demonstrated that
practically all of the known names of the leaders of
the Antes and Sclavini of the 6th century were Gothic.
Yet these peoples were Slavic. I suspect much the same
would hold with respect to the Heruli, viz., that a
non-Germanic name would not mean that its carrier was
not Germanic.*****
>
> Troels Brandt
>
>


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