[gothic-l] Re: Runes

[llama_nom]

Thanks for the link!  This would certainly be an interesting and 
unusual runic find, if it did prove to be genuine.  There are only a 
very small number of runic inscriptions associated with East 
Germanic (the language or languages of the Goths, Vandals, Heruls, 
etc.).  These have been found on small objects such as 
brooches/fibulae, a gold ring, a spindle whorl and spear heads.  The 
only other monumental inscription that might be East Germanic, as 
far as I know, is the Breza pillar, containing the Futhark (runic 
alphabet).  But Looijenga attributes this rather to the Langobards.

These alleged Crimean runes are very clear, but they don't 
immediately suggest any meaning to me in terms of Gothic.  The first 
letter might be a reversed Þ (spelling the initial sound in 
English "think").  The others seem to spell from left to right: PRA, 
which doesn't look at all like a Germanic word or name.  Of course, 
with such a small sample of texts to go on, it would be unwise to 
dismiss it on those grounds alone.  And maybe it just isn't a 
Germanic name.  But you say there are other reasons to doubt the 
find?

Could it be initials?  (But I don't know of any early runic 
parallels for such a practice...)  Are there Roman or Byzantine 
parallels for such a sequence of letters?  There are inscriptions on 
the earliest English coins which are considered to be meaningless 
immitations of the lettering on Roman coins, added simply for 
prestige by illiterate moneyers.

The direction of the supposed Crimean runes suggests a reading PRA, 
but taken right to left (not unprecidented) it might be ARP + Þ.  
There is a Gothic 'arbi' "inheritance", 'arbja' "heir, inheritor", 
and an abstract noun forming suffix -iþa.  A Gothic cognate of Old 
Norse 'erfð' "inheritance" would look like *arbiþa.  Unstressed 
vowels tend to be preserved in Busbeque's Crimean Gothic word list 
from the 16th century, but runic spelling is notoriously erratic.  
An -i- is often left out, as on the Charnay fibula, and there are 
many Scandinavian examples even from before the period when these 
vowels disappeared in spoken Norse.  Supposing the /b/ wasn't 
devoiced to [p] by contact with /þ/, if the unstressed vowels did 
remain, it might be explained in the following way: Between vowels, 
Gothic /b/ is thought to have been a fricative, like Spanish 
intervocalic -b- and -v-; but after /r/ the Gothic /b/ was probably 
a stop.  In Wulfila's spelling these sounds aren't distinguished, 
but it's quite possible a runic writer adopted a different 
approach.  This is just a guess though, and I'm not particularly 
convinced.  I'm sure it would be possible to think of other equally 
unprovable explanations.  And it certainly isn't any use in deciding 
if the inscription is genuine.

There are many confusing texts among the Scandinavian runic corpus 
which are variously interpreted as codes or magical formulas, and we 
know some of the techniques used for encrypting runes used in later 
times, in the Viking and Medieval periods.  However, the few early 
inscriptions known from the East Germanic areas are all short and 
apparently simple, often consisting of a single name (Dahmsdorf, 
Kovel, Szabadbattján, Bezenye x2, Wapno), or word describing the 
object (Aquincum).  There are a few other very short illegible 
inscriptions, but I believe these are illegible because the letters 
are badly preserved, not because they are necessarily mysterious.  
If the runes are legible, a surprisingly high proportion of this 
admittedly small corpus of early southern and eastern inscriptions 
does make sense.

Of the those which are legible, I only know of three probable East 
Germanic inscritions of more than one word (Letcani & Pietroassa in 
Romania, and the Charnay fibula from Burgundy in France).

Llama Nom




--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, óÅÒÇÅÊ þÅÒÎÙÛ <authari at m...> wrote:
> 
> 
>  :think: There was a problem with link 
(http://mogilnik.narod.ru/Stella.htm). But now it is fixed. 
> Hello 
> I would like to draw your attention to limestone slab with runic 
inscription 
> (http://mogilnik.narod.ru/Stella.htm). It was found by South-
Bosporian 
> expedition of the Crimean branch of Institute of archaeology 
National Academy of 
> Science of Ukraine on mountain Opuk in Kerch region - Crimea (look 
at the map). Here 
> ancient authors mentioned the city of Kimmerik. In 4 AD on 
mountain the citadel 
> has been constructed when Uzunlar wall becomes a border between 
Chersonese and 
> Bosporus. The Citadel survived up to 6 century AD. 
> The size of a plate 0,62 È 0,49 È 0,20 m. Height of signs of 0,15 
m, relief 
> depth - 0,005-0,009 m (cut out was a background, so cross and 
signs are 
> elevated). 
> Publicators interpreted inscription as a herulic and descended 
from local pagan 
> sanctuary ( VK Golenko, VJ Yurochkin, OA Sin'ko, AV Djanov - 
Runicheskij kamen' 
> s gory Opuk i nekotoryje problemy istorii severoprichernomorskich 
germanzev ( 
> Runic stone from Opuk mountain and some questions of history of 
Germans on 
> North coast of Black sea ) . In: Drevnosti Bospora 2. (Antiquities 
of Bospor) 
> Their interpretation is disputable enough. Some of specialists 
considered 
> authenticity of this find as doubtful. 
> It would be interesting to know your opinion. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers.
At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/wWMplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>. 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gothic-l/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    gothic-l-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/