[gothic-l] Re: Getae

[sunnytjatsingh]

Hi Francisc, I appreciate your input.  Question:

"As far as I remeber, the name Dahae is put in connection with the
Sanskrit word dasa "slave" and with the Modern Persian word
deh "village". The name of the Daci is considered to be derived from
a putative Thracic word *dak = "wolf", based also on the fact that
the wolf was a sort of totemic animal for the Daci (the war banners
of the Daci represented an animal with a wolf head and a snake body).
But, as far as I know, the name Getae, both in the case of the proper
Getae and in the case of Iranic tribes like Massagetae, Thyssagetae,
remains unexplained (I have read somewhere that Massagetae could be
interpreted as "fish eating Getae", Massa- being put in connectin
with the Sanskritic word matsya "fish")."

According to Alexander Cunningham, the Former Director General of the
Indian Archaelogical Survey, he takes Dahae to be the same as modern
Persian Dahyu, which he further take as the colloquial term "Daku",
which in Indic dialects mean "robber or thief", Indo-
English "Dacoit".  Interestingly, enough the Alexandrian writers,
when referring to the "Scythians" (actually the Massagetae) in
Alexander's Bactria and Sogdiana exploits, they repeatedly called
these people "Dakhs".  Their guerilla type tactics included raids and
retreat tactics.  These Dakhs then were well could be perceived as
thieves.

Incidentally, the Jat tribe called Virk of Birk, may correspond to
Iranian Vehrk, which means "wolf."

Massagetae, I take to mean the "Great Getae".  As the root "Mas" in
Pehlavi means "great".  Indic dialects have Mah or Maha meaning
Great.  Therefore, the Massa-Getae means Great Getae.

Regards,



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