[gothic-l] Re: Gothic identity

[faltin2001]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "Francisc Czobor" <fericzobor at y...>
wrote:
> --- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "faltin2001" <dirk at s...> wrote:
> > ...
> > I think that the idea about Tervingi and Greutungi being analogue
> to
> > Drevliane and Poliane has something going for it. About the
> Taifali,
> > I think that they were indeed an eastern horse nomadic tribe.
Taifa
> > means simply 'tribe' in Bulgarian and I think and the word may be
> of
> > turkic or so origin.
> >
> >
> > Cheers
> > Dirk
> >
>
> The word "taifa" comes ultimately form Arabic (ta:'if or ta:'ifah,
> pl. tawa:'if) and the original meaning was "group (of people),
band,
> mob". It spreaded also in other languages, directly or indirectly,
> including Spanish ("Reyes de Taifas"). In Bulgarian it came through
> Turkish intermediate. Since the spreading of this word was not
before
> the advent of Islam and the spreading of Arabic cultural elements
> (icluding Arabic loanwords) linked to it, I don't think that the
> Taifali have anything to do with the word "taifa".
> In what I have read, the Taifali are referred as an East-Germanic
> tribe, being in many cases cited together with another (presumably
> East-Germanic) tribe: Victoali or Victofali. It is for me a
mystery -
> who were in facte these Taifali and Victo(f)ali?
>
>



Hi Francisc,

thanks a lot for the information. Looks like I have to abandon the
idea that Taifali are linked to taifa. And yes this ending '-fali'
for Germanic people can be encountrered relatively freqently. Thus,
besides the Tai-fali and Victo -fali, we have the West-fali and the
Ost-fali as parts of the Saxons and infact still in existence today.
I have never seen a conclusive explanation or etymology for the word -
fali. I think not much can really be said about the ethnic/linguistic
background of the Taifali and Victofali only that they acted usually
together with other better known East Germanic tribes. The former
seemed to have been particularly active as horsemen. I think we don't
even have a single personal name of a member of either of these
tribes.

Cheers
Dirk



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