Alans in Spain, Giomar, Gayomart

[Baira]

--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, amicus at ... wrote:
>
> I have an offbeat question.  I understand that the Alans were a Persian
> people.  I guess then they spoke some language related to Persian.  The
> Alans passed through Spain.  Any evidence of their presence there now?
>

Yes, Alans were nomads speaking an eastern Iranian language of the
same family of Persian. Their descendants are the Ossetes, living
north of the Caucasus and extensively studied for language, mythology
and traditiond (see Dumezil's work).

I do not know anything of their traces in Spain, but I always thought
of the Mediaeval Spanish name Giomar, still used today. In the Persian
pre-Islamic tradition Gayomart (in modern Persian Kiumars)is the first
man, so I wonder if Giomar does not come from Gayomart in some way.
True, I seem to remember that in Ossetic mythology the nome Gayomart
does not appear, therefore this origin is not very likely, but I still
wonder.

Baira.

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