[gothic-l] Greutung, Treving, Rus

[Егоров Владимир]

Continuing our polemics with George Knysh.

I have not intentions to dispute on ZR, I don't insist on authenticity 
of Shahriar's complains (I'd like only to note that nobody said "Russes" 
were equal to Khazars, in any sense), I'm far from dissuading many 
scholars from believing that "Rus'skoe" should be emended to "Rums'koe", 
I'd even agree that some centuries in my list were inaccurate (at least 
not proven). But would Finns agree with the George's belief that their 
self-naming Suomi has been thought out by Russians? Because if 
(as stated George) Finnish "ruotsi" is derivative from Russian "rus'" 
than inevitable Finnish "suomi" is derivative from Russian 'sum'". 
It's obviously nonsense. George can accept the Indo-Iranian 
derivation of the term "rus'" but what shall we do with "ruotsi"?

I'd like to tie up Reidgotaland with greutungi in order to find some 
linguistic basis for "Country of "russes" meaning a common root like 
Gothic '(h)rau?s". Arabian authors stated that the term "rus" meant 
"red" in the language of "russes". The same statement was repeated 
by Tatishchev (from an unknown source). Gothic '(h)rau?s" lies 
somewhere in the middle of an "resemblance area" close enough to 
all items: (H)raid-Gotaland, (g)reud-ung/ing, and "ruotsi". By the way, 
I did not found the word "rau?s" in Codex argenteus. Can anyone 
comment whether this form is restored (e.g. from ON "raud") or it is 
known from some other documents?

I also consider Reidgotaland as a "movable' notion. Since it is 
encountered in Icelandic sagas only a few times while (as far as 
I know) is represented on Swedish runic stones, the initial allocation 
of Reidgotaland should be searched somewhere in the east. 
Ermanaric's Empire seems to be a good place for this. Later this 
notion shifted to northwest along with general movement direction 
of Germanic tribes, Heruls specifically. Finally, it drifted to Baltic Sea 
and contemporary Denmark. Of course, I mean no direct connection 
between Reidgotaland and Russia. However, Goths remained 
in Crimea until XVI с. (at least). So-called tetraxites settled not only 
in eastern Crimea but also on the Caucasus coast of the Black Sea 
(refer to Procopius Caesariensis). So Goths could be preserved that 
area till end of VIII c. when all these territories were seized by Khazars.

Sure, Goths were not rulers of Bosporus Kingdom; they were its 
"grave diggers". However, having used Bosporus as an initial 
"jumping-off place", Goths regularly attacked islands of Aegean Sea 
and continental Greece on ships of own construction (!) already 
at the end of III c., i.e. this branch of Goths turned into a people 
of seafarers known later as "dromites". If these dromites preserved 
our hypothetic "(h)rau?s" (which may shift to "hro?s" due to 
contraction of the diphthong), than this explains everything: 
hros of ZR, people Rhos (who would object that Goths are, 
at least for medieval Europe, really "gente sueorum"?), 
Arabian "russes" of IX c. on Russian plain "to east from Slavs", 
and finally "ruotsi". Moreover, I wouldn't be surprised if 
the Viking age in Scandinavia were provoked by "russes" dromites 
reached into Baltic Sea.

Vladimir


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