[gothic-l] Greutung, Terving, Reidgotaland

[Егоров Владимир]

Once more my gratitude to Francisc for his answer.

It's very important to me that the words "greutung" and "terving" appeared in Latin texts
rather than in original Gothic or German sources. This fact preserves a chance that their
spelling might be distorted. For example, as far as I know, Trebellius Pollio used a form
"grutung" (may be it's not quite exact because I transliterate from Russian) for a Gothic tribe.
Besides, there were some "reudignii" by Tacitus. Add to this the fact that "eu" in Latin was
a conventional way to designate the sound "oe" [o]. Following this way, we find (of course,
only as a possibility) a conjectural root "groet-"/"roed-" that is commensurable with
"rod/roed" of the Scandinavian languages and English "red". From this point we can move
further in two directions.

The first hypothesis would assume that all ancient Goths name themselves "Reds" meaning
that ancient Germanic people maid up (painted) themselves on ritual purposes in the red color
(as distinct to Celtic people maid up themselves blue) that was attested by Latin authors.
In this case, some relations to the term "Red" must be expected for Reid-Gotaland and
greutungi (reudignii). Moreover, a direct connection to the term "Red" might have also Tervingi.
Let we suppose that western Goths lose their native tong on a (proto)-Slavic substrate and
changed their ethnonym to Terving. Note that the South-Slavic languages have [tserven] for
English "red". Then the main distinction between Greutungi and Tervingi is opposition of
"Germanic-speaking" and "Slavic-speaking" rather than "Stony" and "Wooden" Goths.
I realize that all this sounds fantastically, but-- This assumption may appear a single way
to explain the existing difference between two South Slavic peoples, Croats and Serbs,
if we'd derive both from Greut- and Terv- (Tserv-), respectively.

The second hypothesis leaves apart Reidgotaland and Greutungi with Tervingi. It assumes
the term "Reds" relating only to some "wild" Germanic flocks that went in the vanguard
of the Germanic spreading to the southeast in I-II centuries. Just those "wild" tribes seized
in the middle of III c. the Bosporus Kingdom where from (in my opinion) history of the
ethnonym "Rus'" originates. This second hypothesis explains the Hermanaricus' struggle
against Heruls and Rosomons attested by Jordanes as both Heruls and Rosomons
belonged to "wild" flocks not submitted to Hermanaricus. Note also that Heruls and
Borans (Burgunds?) were mentioned in context of the first attack of "seafaring" Goths
on Roman Pitiuntus (Pitsunda).

Vladimir



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