An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy ́s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum

VÁCLAV BLAŽEK Masaryk University Fields of research: Indo-European studies, especially Slavic, Baltic, Celtic, Anatolian, Tocharian, Indo-Iranian languages; Fenno-Ugric; Afro-Asiatic; etymology; genetic classification; mathematic models in historical linguistics. AN ATTEMPT AT AN ETYMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF PTOLEMY’S HYDRONYMS OF EASTERN BALTIC Bandymas etimologiškai analizuoti Ptolemajo užfiksuotus rytinio Baltijos regiono hidronimus ANNOTATION The contribution analyzes four hydronyms from Eastern Baltic, recorded by Ptolemy in the mid-2nd cent. CE in context of witness of other ancient geographers. Their revised etymological analyses lead to the conclusion that at least three of them are of Germanic origin, but probably calques on their probable Baltic counterparts. KEYWORDS: Geography, hydronym, etymology, calque, Germanic, Baltic, Balto-Fennic. ANOTACIJA Šiame darbe analizuojami keturi Ptolemajo II a. po Kr. viduryje užrašyti rytinio Baltijos regiono hidronimai, paliudyti ir kitų senovės geografų. Šių hidronimų etimologinė analizė parodė, kad bent trys iš jų yra germaniškos kilmės, tačiau, tikėtina, baltiškų atitikmenų kalkės. ESMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: geografija, hidronimas, etimologija, kalkė, germanų, baltų, baltų ir finų kilmė. Straipsniai / Articles 25 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK The four river-names located by Ptolemy to the east of the estuary of the Vistula river, Χόνος, Ῥούβων, Τουούντος, Χε(θ)ίνος, have usually been mechanically identified with the biggest rivers of Eastern Balticum according to the sequence of Ptolemy’s coordinates: Χόνος ~ Prussian Pregora / German Pregel / Russian Prególia / Polish Pregota / Lithuanian Prelius; 123 km (Manner 180: 257; Tomaschek, RE III/2, 189, c. 284). Ῥούβων ~ Lithuanian Nẽmunas / Polish Niemen / Belorussian Neman / German Memel; 937 km (Manner 180: 258; Rappaport, RE 48, 1914, c. 118); Τουούντος ~ Latvian Venta / Lithuanian Ventà / Livonian Vänta jõg / Polish Windawa / German Windau; 346 km long (Manner 180: 258); Χε(θ)ίνος ~ Latvian Daugava / Belorussian Zachodnaja Dvina / Russian Zapadnaja Dviná / German Düna / Estonian Väinä; 1020 km (Manner 180: 2580; Tomaschek, RE II/2, 189, cc. 273–74 also thought about the Gauja River). 1. TEXTUAL EVIDENCE 1.1. Ptolemy, c. 150 CE [3.5.] Εὐρώπης πῖνας η. Ἡ ἐν Εὐρώπῃ Σαρματία περιορίζεται ἀπὸ μὲν ἄρκτων τῷ τε Σαρματικῷ ὠκεανῷ κατὰ τὸν Οὐενεδικὸν κόλπον καὶ μέρει τῆς ἀγνώστου γῆς κατὰ περιγραφήν τοιαύτην· μετὰ τὰς τοῦ Οὐιστούλα ποταμοῦ ἐκβολὰς Χόρον ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ ν ν Ῥούβωνος ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ νγ νζ Τουούντου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ ν η — Χε(θ)ίνου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ ν η θ — “European Sarmatia is terminated on the north by the Sarmatian ocean adjoining the Venedicus bay and by a part of the unknown land, a description of which is the following. After the mouth of the Vistula River: mouth of the Chronus river 50°00 56°00 mouth of the Rubonis river 53°00 57°00 mouth of the Turuntus river 56°00 58°30 mouth of the Che(r)sinus river 58°30 59°30” For comparison, the coordinates of the mouth of the Albis and Vistula rivers were determined by Ptolemy [4.11.1 & 4] as follows: ἄλβιος ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαὶ λα´ νϛ´ “The mouths of the Albis river 31°00 56°15” 26 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum Οὐστοῦλα ποταμοῦ ἐβολαί μέ νά “The mouths of the Vistula river 45*00 56*00” Translated by Edward L. Stevenson (1932) http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Pe-riods/Roman/_Texts/Ptolemy/3/5*.html Ptolemy’s European Sarmatia by Sebasian Munster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_(Ptolemy)#/media/File-Sebastian_Munster_-_Tabula_europae_VII_(Sarmatia).jpg 1.2. In the th4 cent. CE Marcian of Heraclea Pontica repeated the sequence of these rivers, but with certain modifications of their names: [2.39] Μετὰ τὰς ἐβολὰς τοῦ Οὐιστούλα ποταμοῦ ἐδέχοντο Χρόνον τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐβολαί. ἀπὸ δὲ Χρόνου τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἔξης εἰσί Ρουθῶνος ποταμοῦ ἐβολαί. Οὗτοι δὲ οἱ ποταμοὶ εἰς τὸν Οὐενδικόν κόλπον ἐκίασιν, ὅστις ἀπὸ τοῦ Οὐιστούλα ποταμοῦ ἄρχεται παρέχων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον. Ἀπὸ Straipsniai / Articles 27 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK δὲ τοῦ Πουδᾶνος ποταμοῦ ξῆς εἰσὶ Τουρόντου ποταμοῦ ἐκβολαί ἀπὸ δὲ Τουρόντου ποταμοῦ ἐκδέχεται Χέρωνος ποταμός, καὶ αἱ τούτου ἐκβολαί. “Post Vistulae fluvii ostia sequitur Chroni fluvii ostia; post Chronum fluvium deinceps sunt Rhudonis fluvii ostia. Hi fluvii exeunt in sinum Vendeum, qui a Vistula flumine incipit, in immensum extenditur. Rhudonem fluvium subsequitur Turuntæ fluvii ostia; Turuntam fluvium excipit Chesynus fluvius, eiusque ostia.” Edion and Latin translation by Müller 1882. 1.3. In the end of the 4th century CE Ammianus Marcellinus [22.8.38] recorded the form Chronius of Ptolemy’s hydronym Χρόνος: [38] Ergo in ipso huius compagis exordio, ubi Riphaei deficiunt montes, habitant Ariphaei, isti homines placidate cogniti, quos amnes Chronius et Visula praeterfluunt; iuxta Massagetae, Halani et Sargetae, aliae plures obscuri, quorum nec vocabula nobis sunt nota nec mores. [38] “Well then, at the very beginning of this district, where the Riphaean mountains sink to the plain, dwell the Arephaei, just men and known for their gentleness, through whose country flow the rivers Chronius and Visula. Near them are the Massagetae, Halani, and Sargetae, as well as several other obscure peoples whose names and customs are unknown to us.” Ammianus Marcellinus, Rerum Gestarum, with an English translation by John C. Rolfe. Cambridge (Mass.): Harvard University Press—London: Heinemann 1935–1940. http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:stoa0023.sta001.perseus-lat1:22.8.38 http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:stoa0023.sta001.perseus-eng1:22.8.38 1.4. Probably the same hydronym, but belonging to a sea, was already used by Pliny in the mid-1st cent. CE: [4.38/94–95] ex eundem deinde est, ut extera europa eatur, transgresisque ripaeos montes Ius oceani septentrionalis in laeva, donec perveniatur Gadis, legendum. insulae complures sine nominibus eo situ traduntur, ex quibus ante Scythiam quae appellant baunonia unam abesse dei cursu, in quam veris tempore fluctibus electrum ejciatur, timus prodidit. reliqua litora incerta, signa fama septentrionalis oceani. amachum eum hecateus appellat a parapaniso amne, qua scythiam adluit, quod nomen eius gentis lingua significat congelatum. philemon morinorum a cimbis vocari, hoc est mortuum mare, inde usque ad promunturium rubes, ultra inde cronium. xenophon lampsacenus a litore scytharum tradi navigatione insulam esse inmensae magnitudinis baltiam tradit, eandem pytheas basilam nominat. http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-lat1:4.38 28 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Baltic “We must now leave the Euxine to describe the outer portions of Europe. After passing the Riphean mountains we have now to follow the shores of the Northern Ocean on the left, until we arrive at Gades. In this direction a great number of islands are said to exist that have no name; among which there is one which lies opposite to Scythia, mentioned under the name of Raunonia, and said to be at a distance of the day’s sail from the mainland; and upon which, according to Timaus, amber is thrown up by the waves in the spring season. As to the remaining parts of these shores, they are only known from reports of doubtful authority. With reference to the Septentrional or Northern Ocean; Hecataeus calls it, after we have passed the mouth of the river Parapanis, where it washes the Scythian shores, the Amalchian sea, the word ‘Amalchian’ signifying in the language of these races, frozen. Philemon again says that it is called Morimarusa or the “Dead Sea” by the Cimbri, as far as the Promontory of Rubes, beyond which it has the name of the Cronian Sea. Xenophon of Lampacus tells us that at a distance of three days’ sail from the shores of Scythia, there is an island of immense size called Baltia, which by Pytheas is called Basila.” http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-eng1:4.27 [4.41/104] sunt qui et alias prodant, scandias, dunam, bergos maximaque om- nium brien, ex qua in tylen navigetur. a tyle unius diei navigatione mare concretum a nonnullis cronium appellatur. http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-lat1:4.41 “There are writers also who make mention of some other islands, Scandia namely, Dunna, Bergos, and, greater than all, Nerigos, from which persons embark for Thule. At one day’s sail from Thule is the frozen ocean, which by some is called the Cronian Sea.” http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0978.phi001.perseus-eng1:4.30 Pliny the Elder: Naturalis Historia, ed. by Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff. Leipzig: Teubner 1906. Pliny the Elder: The Natural History, translated by John Bostock & H. T. Riley. London. Taylor and Francis, 1855: 4.30. 1.5. Dionysius Periegetes, 2nd (or 3rd) cent. CE repeated Pliny’s information about the Cronian Sea in the north, which had to be frozen or dead: 27 Πάντη δ’ ἀκαμάτου ῥόος Ὠκεανοῖο 28 εἰς μὲν ἕων, πολλῇσι δ’ ἐπωνυμίῃσι ἀρεσώς. 29 Ἥτοι ὁ μὲν Λοκροῖο παρ’ ἐσχατίην ζεφύροιο 30 Ἄτλας ἐσπέριος κυκλήσεται. αὐτὰρ ὑπέρθεν, 31 πρὸς βορέην, ἵνα παῖδες ἀειμακέων Ἀριμασπῶν, 32 πόντον μὲν καλέουσι πεπηγότα τε Κρόνιον τε. 33 ἄλλοι δ’ αὖ καὶ νεκρὸν ἐφήμισαν εἶναι ἄφαυρον Stripsnai / Articles 29 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK 34 ἠλίου. Dionysius Pierēgetes: Graece et Latine cum vetustis commentariis et interpretationibus, ed. Gottfried Bernhard. Leipzig: Weidmann 1828, 10. 27 “But on all sides flows the might of treless Ocean,28 and being one, yet endowed with many names.29 Well, by the furthest recess of the Locrian zephyr30 it is called the Western Atlas, but above,31 towards the north, where dwell the children of the war-mad Arimaspoi,32 they call it the Frozen and the Cronion Sea.33 Others, again, called it also the Dead, because of the weakness34 of the sun.” Dionysius Pierēgetes: Description of the Known World Translation: Ekaterina Ilyushchev http://wwwdh.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/IMMD8/staff/Goerz/Dionysius_Piergetes.html http://wwwdh.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/IMMD8/staff/Goerz/DP/DP.E5-ln.tx 1.6. Following Pliny, more brief was Solinus [19.2] in the 3rd cent. CE: Oceanum septentrionalem ex ea parte, qua a Propaniso amne Scythia adluitur, Hecataeus Amalcum appelat, quod gens illius lingua significat congelatum. Pileon a Cimbris ad promunturium Rubeas Morimarusam dicit vocari, hoc est mortuum mare: ultra Rubeas quicquid est Cronium nominat. Gaius Julius Solinus: De mirabilibus mundi http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/solinus2a.html “The North Ocean on that part where Paropamisus a Ruer of Scythia washeth into it, is named of Hecataeus Amalchium: which in ye language of that nation, signifieth the Frozen sea. Phylemon sais, that from the Cimbrians to the Promontorie Rubeas, it is called Morimarusa, which is as much to saie, as the dead Sea. Whatsoeuer is beyonde Rubeas is called Cronium.” Translated by Arthur Golding (16th cent.) http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A12581.0001.001/1:34?rgn=div1;view=fulltext 2. PURPOSES AND DETERMINATION OF THE LANGUAGE AFFILIATION OF THE HYDRONYMS In this contribution four hydronyms located by Pliny, Ptolemy and their followers in the eastern part of Balticum, namely Χρόνος/Chronius/Cronium, Ρούβων / Ῥούβων, Τονόντος, Χε(ρ)σίνος, are analyzed in etymological perspective. 30 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum The first task is determining the language affiliation of these hydronyms. Two of them, Χρόνος & Ξε(θ)οῖνος, are characterized by the initial χ-, i.e. [kʰ]. In the Indo-European languages of Europe this sound is typical of Greek, Slavic and Germanic. Greek and Slavic are excluded for geographical reasons (let us mention that in Slavic the initial *x- has usually been of German or Iranian origin). If Germanic remains as the most promising candidate, it is natural to ask, if there is yet another argument supporting the Germanic affiliation of these river-names. The answer may be positive – in Τορούntos it is possible to see the Germanic zero-reflex *-unþ-/*-unđ- of the present participle suffix *-nt-, which is rudimentarily productive in the old literary Germanic languages: Old High German weisunt “vein” ~ Old English wǣsend id., from IE *u̯ei̯s- “to flow” (Pokorny 1959: 1134), or Gothic hulundi “cave” vs. Old Norse holr, Old English, Old Saxon, Old High German hol adj. “hollow”, all from the verb attested in Gothic huljan “to cover”, Old Norse hylja, Old English be-hyllan, Old Saxon bi-hullean, Old High German hullan id. (Brugmann 1906: 216, 461; Pokorny 1959: 553; Lehmann 1986: 193–94; Kroonen 2013: 253). This role of the suffix *-unþ- is generally accepted in the formation of Gothic tunþus “tooth” (Brugmann 1906: 460; Kroonen 2013: 509–10). 3. ETYMOLOGICAL ANALYSES 3.1. Χρόνος [Ptolemy 3.5.2]; Chronius [Ammianus Marcellinus 22.8.38]; perhaps also Mare Cronium [Pliny 4.38/94–95, 41/104]. There are at least three possible Germanic etymologies: a) Mühlenhoff (1887: 35) tried to explain the hydronym with the help of Old Norse hrynja “stürzen, fallen, strömen”, Icelandic hrynja id., hrun “Sturz”, Norwegian ryna “lärmen, poltern”, Old Swedish ryna “lärmen”; perhaps also Old High German hrono “gestürzter Baumstamm”, Middle Low German rone id. and Old English hruna in place-names (de Vries 1962: 263; Holthausen 1963: 176). Although this idea is followed by Scheungraber & Grünzweig (AgT 138–39), it seems weakest in semantic perspective. b) Kuhn (1941: 113) thought about a connection of Mare Cronium and Old Norse hrǫn f. “wave; Ægir’s daughter”. Together with Icelandic hrön “wave” and Old English hrǣn ~ hærn f. “waves, tide, sea”, probably reflect Germanic Straipsniai / Articles 31 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK *hrōnjo(n)-¹ (de Vries 1962: 264; Holthausen 1963: 146). Related may be Middle High German (15ᵗʰ cent.) rünne f. “Sturmwoge”, if it is derived from *hrōnjo(n)- (Falk & Torp 190: 104; Orel 2003: 185; while Kroonen 2013: 418 prefers the protoform *runnjō(n)-). Just the reconstructed protoform *hrōnjō(n)- f., despite the difference in gender, stands very close to Pliny’s Mare Cronium and Ammianus Marcellinus’ Chronius. The initial C- is perhaps caused by influence of Κρονία ἅλς, used for the Adriatic Sea by Apollonius Rhodius [Argonautica 4.324, 509] in the 3ʳᵈ cent. BCE. The sea name is probably motivated by the theonym Κρόνος. On the other hand, in the 1ˢᵗ and 2ⁿᵈ cent. CE one would expect that in a hypothetical Germanic language of Eastern Balticum the cluster *-zn- was still preserved, if it was preserved in Biblical Gothic recorded around 350 CE, e.g. Gothic razn “house”, ga-razna “neighbor” (~ Old Norse granni) vs. Old Norse rann, Old English ræn ~ ærn. “house, dwelling”, Old Frisian fia-ern “animal barn” < *razna-, besides Old English ræsn n. “board” < *razna- (Lehmann 1986: 283; de Vries 1962: 433); German > Finnish (arch. & dial.) rahna “Holzstück, von dem Späne abgerissen werden; brennender Baumstamm auf der Schwelle; Ackerwalze”, Estonian rahn, gen. rahnu & raha “Block, Klotz, grosses Stück, ungespaltener Stamm”, Livonian rō’n(əZ) “umgeworfener Baumstumpf, Baumstamm am Meeresboden” (LGL III 105). Cf. also the personal name Rasne-hildi gen.sg. [CIL XIII 7660] (Schönfeld 1911: 185), dated to the 7ᵗʰ cent. CE. Suming up, although this solution is very attractive from the point of view of semantics, it should be abandoned for phonetic reasons. c) Another possibility is presented by Old Norse hraun n. “steinger Boden, Lava”, Icelandic hraun “steiniges Land ohne vegetation”, Faeroese reyn, Danish røn “Steinbank auf Meeresboden” > Shetlandic røn(i) “Steingrund”, Norwegian NL Røna, Swedish NL Rönö, Röne (de Vries 1962: 252; Helquist 1957: 1 The medial cluster *-zn- is confirmed by external comparison with Greek *χράσνα > Aeolic χράνα, Doric, Arcadian κράνα, Attic κρήνη “source, fountain” [I.]; besides *χρονος > χρονος “spring, well head, hence streams issue” [I. 22.147, 208], cf. the gloss of Hesychius κρούνα· κρήνη τελεία (see de Saussure 1881: 119; Frisk II 16, 27; Beekes 2010: 777). Later were added cognates in other languages too: Albanian krua ~ krue m., pl. kronj, kroje “spring, fountain” (Orel 1998: 198); Celtic: Old Irish crond, Cornish cronn ‘a name of a river’ (Stokes 1907: 247). The protoforms *kṛsṇā & *krosno/-ā (Beekes, EIEC 539) are compatible with one of the IE designations of “head”, attested e.g. in Greek κρανίον “skull, head”, Albanian krye n., pl. krerë ~ krenë “head” (Orel 1998: 199); Tocharian B krāni(ye) “(nape of the neck)” (Adams 2013: 230), etc. Concerning the semantic development, cf. Latin caput fontis or caput aquae and Greek κράνα· κεφαλή (Hesych.) – see de Saussure 1881: 119 and Frisk II, 16. This conclusion implies the reconstruction of *ḱ-. The Albanian reflex k- before -r- is regular. 32 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum 874). Udolph (1994: 88–92) adds the German oronym Rhōn2. German > Finnish runa “grober Kies, kleine Steine auf dem Grund eines See”, Finnish, Votic & Ingrian raunio, Karelian raunio “Steinhaufen”, Estonian raun, gen. rauna “Stein-, Granithaufen” (LGLÖ III 136). The ancient authors differentiated two variants, Χόνος & Chronius, which can be projected into proto-Germanic as *rauna- & *raunija-/*raunijō(n)-3. There is a suggestively matching pair in Balto-Fennic, *rauna & *raunio respectively. Thanks to this correspondence it is possible to determine the dialect affiliation of the German dialect of the hydronym – it was probably the same Germanic dialect which bequeathed the earliest Germanic borrowings in the Balto-Fennic languages. It remains to discuss the semantic motivation of this hydronym. Rocks or big stones are not typical of mouths and lower streams of rivers of East Balticum. That is why “gravel” seems to be a more promising semantic motive. Maybe, it could be the Vistula Spit (Polish Mierzeja Wiślana; German Frische Nehrung; Russian Balti-iskaja kosa) or Curonian Spit (Kuršių nerija), both consisting of the gravel and sand forming dunes4 which led to the designation Mare Cronium of the Vistula Lagoon or Curonian Lagoon, respectively. With regard to their fresh or brackish water the lagoons have been frozen more or less regularly, in contrary to the open and more salty sea. The frozen sea was probably understood as the dead sea by visitors from the Mediterranean. The term originally reserved for one of the lagoons was later may be transmitted to straits connecting the lagoons with the Baltic Sea, resembling the estuaries of rivers seen from the sea, or for rivers emptying into these lagoons. Let us analyze the river-names, compatible with the semantic sphere of Germanic *rauna- & *raunija- / *raunijō(n)-. The most frequent candidate for Χόνος & Chronius has been the Pregel / Pregla River. In reality, the latitude of its mouth is not too different from the mouth of the Vistula River (Ptolemy determined both to 56°00). The etymology of this hydronym is not unambiguous. Gerullis (1922, 135), summarizing old records, namely Priga (1302), Pregor (1359), besides the dissimilated forms Pregell, Pregel (1331), Pregil (1460), sought explanation in Lithuanian prāgas “grundloser Weg, Abgrund, Hölle” (also “Vielfrass”). It is related to pragė “Abgrund, unermeßliche Tiefe” and both have been derived from the 2 The mountain range Rhōn is located in the borderland of the states of Bavaria, Hese and Thuringia. Its highest top, Wasserkuppe, is 950 m high. 3 The proto-Germanic diphthong *au, confirmed in the Balto-Fennic borrowings, may have been changed into o in Greek and Latin transcriptions, cf. Austroti vs. Ostroti (Schönfeld 1911: 38). 4 The biggest dune of the Vistula Spit, called Wielbłądzi Garb = Kamelhöcker, is 48.50 m high. The biggest dune of the Curonian Spit, called Vecekrug, is higher, 67.20 m. Straipsniai / Articles 33 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK Lithuanian verb gerti “to drink” (Fraenkel 1962–65: 148, 643). Such a semantic motivation is naturally acceptable for a river-name, if the river flows in a canyon or at least a deep valley. This is apparently not the case of the flat landscape along the Pregel / Pregolja River. Mažiulis (2013) added the oldest record P regora (1273), reconstructing the Baltic starting-point as *Prēgarā. He separated here the suffix *-arā (cf. Lithuanian žiež-ara “griesgrämige, mürrische Person; Hexe”, from žiežti “brummen, murren, böse sein” – see Fraenkel 1962–65: 130). The root prep should be related to Lithuanian spragėti “(von Hitze oder Kälte) knarrend platzen, bersten, zischen, glitzern”, sprōgti “bersten, zerplatzen, zerspringen, aufspringen, in die Luft fliegen, explodieren” etc. (Fraenkel 1962–65: 877, 882). Although this solution is transparent from the point of view of word formation, the semantic motivation remains unconvincing. But the vowel o in the Prusian hydronym Pregora, Prigra, etc. is also explainable from Baltic *au, cf. the vacillation au/aw ~ o ~ u in the Prusian place-names as the lake Lauken (1306) vs. Locar (1308) = laucs “field” + assan “lake”, or the see Daben (1346) vs. Duben / Douben (1340), cf. Prussian pa-dabis, Lithuanian dubà “Schlucht”, etc. (Gerullis 1922: 26, 83). Taking in account this possibility, the root *gor- of the Prussian hydronym is compatible with the name of the Prussian lake Goryn, first recorded in 1293, in 1339 as Gureyn (Gerullis 1922: 44; Toporov 1979: 345), and further with Lithuanian gaurė “kalkartiger Boden”, gurus “locker, bröckelig, brüchig”, gū́lās “Brocken”, etc., all from the verb gerti “zerfallen, zerbröckeln, zerkrümeln, zergehen, zerfliessen; aufgelockert, aufgeweicht, schwach werden”, Latvian gurt “matt, schwach sein”, gaurs “locker” (Fraenkel 1962–65: 150, 179; Vanagas 1981: 109; Smoczyński 2007: 212–13). In the light of the etymological connection between Gothic malma “sand”, Swedish malm “sandy plain, ore”, Old English mealm “sandy”, English malm “light, loamy soil”, Old Saxon, Old High German melm, German mulm “dust” and Gothic malan “to grind”, Old Norse mola, Old Saxon, Old High German malan id. (Lehmann 1986: 242–43), it is legitimate to speculate that in Prusian there could have existed a word of the type *gurᵃ / *gorᵃ / *gurᵒ, meaning “sand, gravel, pebble” vel sim. Its traces may be identified in both the lake-name Goryn & Gureyn and the river-name Pregora, Prigra ‘Pre-gel’, perhaps “by sandy dunes” vel sim. Such a semantic motivation would also agree with the proposed meaning of the Χρόνος & Chronius River in the light of its Germanic etymology. Less probable seems the ‘stony’ variant of this etymology. In the narrow estuary of the Curonian Lagoon there is the mouth of the Dane-Akmena River. The Akmena means “stony”, cf. Lithuanian akmuõ, gen. ãkmenas “stone” (Vanagas 1981: 37). 3.2. Ῥύφων [Ptolemy 3.5.2. in Nobbe’s edition] / Ῥούδων [Marcian 2.39] 34 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum 3.2.1. If Marcian’s reading ‘Ρούβων is correct, the hydronym could reflect Germanic *ruð(n) “redness” > Old Norse roði id., Old English rud, Middle Low German rud id. (Orel 2003: 307). The exact match in Baltic from the point of view of word formation appears in Lithuanian ruduo “autumn”, while the exact semantic counterpart raudōnas = raudas “red” differs in the diphthong. 3.2.2. In the case that Ptolemy’s form ‘Ρούβων is correct, it could be connected with Latvian rubenis, rubins, f. rubene “Birkhuhn / Tetrao tetrix”, baltais rubenis “Moorschneehuhn, Morashuhn / Lagopus albus” (ME III 552), besides Lithuanian raũbas “graugesprenkel”, related to Old Norse rjūpa “Schneehuhn” (de Vries 1962: 449). Mühlenbach (ME I 709) and Fraenkel (1962–65: 193) speculated about the intensive reduplication *rerub-/*rirub-/*rērub- of the root *rub- in this ornithonym, leading to such forms as Lithuanian jerubė, jẽrūbė, dial. (j)ārubė “Haselhuhn”, Latvian īrbe, dial. irbe, i(e)rube “Feldhuhn, Ackerhuhn” (ME I 708–09); further also Old Norse jarpi “Haselhuhn” vs. jarpr “dunkelbraun”, Middle Low German erpel “male duck”, Old English eorp, earp, Old High German erpf “dunkelfarbig” (de Vries 1962: 291). This solution allows us to identify the hydronym with a concrete river, namely Irbe from the north of the Courland Peninsula (Kurzemes pussala), 32 km long, but with its longest tributary Stende it is altogether 132 km long. It is tempting to think about some connection between the hydronym ‘Ρούβων and the promontory Rusbeas recorded by Pliny, if Solinus’ version Rubeas is more correct. Not too far from the mouth of the Irbe River, identified here with ‘Ρούβων, there is Kolkarags, the northernmost point of the Curonian Peninsula. The sea beyond the Rubeas Promontory could be the Gulf of Riga. Its identification with the Cronian Sea may be caused by the fact that it also freezes over, like the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons. 3.2.3. Mühlenhoff (1887: 351), followed by Rappart (RE 48, 194, c. 1180) and others, offered the emendation ‘Ρούσων, seeking a support in the name Rusnė of one of arms of the Nemunas/Nemen/Memel. Let us mention that according to LKŽ, Lithuanian rùsnė means 1. “vieta, kur pagonių žyniai kūrendavo amžiną ugnį: Visos kitos tokios vietos, kuriose amžina ugnis ir garbės Dievo rusinama buvo, vadinos rusnės, nuo žodžio rusėti, arba amžinai degti”, i.e. “the place, where the pagan priests burnt an eternal fire; all other similar places, where the eternal fire was burnt in honour of God, were called rusnės, from the word rusėti, i.e. “to burn eternally”; 2. rusnė (Digitalis). 3.3. Τανουόντος (Τανουόντος) [Ptolemy 3.5.2]. It is attractive to derive the hydronym by the suffix *-un- from the base attested in Old Norse þori “Menge, Masse”, perhaps related to þora “wagen”, þoran “Mut, Tüchtigkeit”, and further Vedic túrá- “strong, rich”, etc. (de Vries 1962: 617; Pokorny 1959: 108). Straipsniai / Articles 35 VÁCLAV BLAŽEK In semantic perspective, this solution allows one to connect Ptolemy’s hydronym with the name of the biggest Latvian river Daugava, 102 km long, which is etymologizable on the basis of Latvian daũdz “viel”, Lithuanian daũg, daug(i)a “viel”, daug “Vielheit”, further Polish duży “gross, stark”, dużo “viel”, etc. (Fraenkel 1962–65: 84). Note: The German *b transcribed as τ by Ptolemy is a usual way of transcription in his work, cf. e.g. the place-name Τευδέου / Τουδέου / Τουτέου [2.11.27] between the Rhein and Ems Rivers, discussed in detail by Much (1897: 99, 115). 3.4. Χε(ε)σῖνος [Ptolemy 3.5.2 in Nobbe’s edition, p. 167] / Χέσνος [Marcian 2.39]. It could be a transcription of German *herznan > Old Norse hjarn “hard frozen snow”, Norwegian hjarn id., dial. jorn m. “layer of ice” < *hor < *her(n)u-; Old High German hornung “February” < *hurznungōn (de Vries 1962: 231; Orel 2003: 171; Kroonen 2013: 223), cf. Latvian sērsna “Reiffrost, Nachtfrost im Frühling” (ME II 831), Lithuanian šērkšnas & širkšnas “hoarfrost” (Fraenkel 1962–65: 973–74); Russian–Church Slavic срѣнъ “weiss”, Old Russian сренъ “gefrorener Schnee”, Russian серёд id., Old Polish śrzon “gefrorener Tau, Reif”, etc. (Falk & Torp 1909: 78). It is tempting to drew our attention to the Latvian river Salaca (95 km), emptying into the Gulf of Riga. If it is etymologizable on the basis of Latvian sált “frieren”, sals “frost” (ME III 675–76), Lithuanian šáltì “(ge)frieren, abkühlen, kalt werden”, pãšalas “Frost in der Erde, gefrorener Erdboden; Nachtfrost” (Fraenkel 1962–65: 958–61), Prussian passalis “Frost” [EV 57], Ptolemy’s hydronym seems to be a Germanic calque on the Baltic river-name, meaning probably “freezing over”. 4. CONCLUSION Four hydronyms from East Balticum mediated by Ptolemy in the mid-2nd cent. CE and repeated with certain modifications by Marcian in the 4th cent. CE look like Germanic calques on the primary Baltic river-names, probably with one exception, Πούβω, allowing the direct Baltic etymology and identification with the Irbe River. The Χῆνος & Chronius River was probably named after the Mare Cronium, perhaps corresponding with one of the Vistula or Curonian Lagoons or their tributaries, Pregel, 123 Pregora, or Akmena, respectively. 36 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Baltic Ptolemy Marcian Others Germanic Baltic Present hydronym Χόρος Χόρος ChroniusMarcamm Mare Cronium Pliny *hrauna- “stony soil, gravel” & *hraunja- / *hraunjō(n)- “heap of stones” Vistula Spit or Curonian Spit or straits in them or (1273) Pregora “by sandy dunes” or Aknēna “stony” Ῥούβων Ῥούδων *ruðō(n) “redness” Latv. rubenis “grouse” Irbe “grouse” Τουρούντος Τουρούντος *þurbn- “abounding” Daugava “abounding” Χε(ρ)σίνος Χέσνος *herzn-/*herzn- “frozen” Salaca “freezing over” REFERENCES AgT – Die altgermanischen Toponyme sowie ungemanische Toponyme Germaniens. Ein Handbuch zu ihrer Etymologie, von Corinna Scheungraber & Friedrich E. Grünzweig. – Philologica Germanica 32. 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Vilnius: Mokslo enciklopedijų leidybos centras. ME I–IV – Mühlenbach Karlis, Endzelin Janis. 1923–1932: Lettisch-deutsches Wörterbuch 1–4. Riga: Lettisches Bildungsministerium / Lettischer Kultursfond. Much Rudolf 1897: Die Städte in der Germania des Ptolemäus. – Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum und deutsche Literatur, N.F. 29 = 41, 97–143. Mülenhoff Karl 1887: Deutsche Altertumskunde, Zweiter Band. Berlin: Weidmann. Müller Carl 1882: Geographi Graeci Minores, Volumen primum. Paris: Firmin-Didot et socis. Nobbe C. F. A. 1966: Claudi Ptolemaei Geographia. Hildesheim: Olms. Orel Vladimir 1998: Albanian Etymological Dictionary. Leiden – Boston – Köln. Orel Vladimir 2003: A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Leiden – Boston: Brill. Plinius Claudius 1988: Naturalis Historiae / Naturkunde, Libri III–IV, herausgegeben und übersetzt von Gerhard Winkler. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. RE – August Pauly, Georg Wissowa, Wilhelm Kroll, Kurt Witte, Karl Mittelhaus, Konrat Ziegler, eds. Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft: neue Bearbeitung. Stuttgart: Metzler, 189–198. de Saussure Ferdinand 1881: KPNH. Mémoires de la Société de Linguistique 6, 119. https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/%CE%9A%CF%81%CE%AE%CE%BD%CE%B7. Schönfeld M. 1911: Wörterbuch der altgermanischen Personen- und Völkernamen. Heidelberg: Winter. Smoczyński Wojciech 2007: Słownik etymologiczny języka litewskiego. Wilno: Uniwersytet wileński. Toporov Vladimir 1979: Prusskij jazyk 2 (E–H). Moskva: Nauka. Udolph Jürgen 1994: Namenkundliche Studien zum Germanenproblem. Berlin – New York: Walter de Gruyter. Vanagas Aleksandras 1981: Lietuvių hidronimų etimologinis žodynas. Vilnius: Mokslas. de Vries Jan 1962: Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch₂. Leiden: Brill. 38 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXVI An Attempt at an Etymological Analysis of Ptolemy’s Hydronyms of Eastern Balticum Bandymas etimologiškai analizuoti Ptolemajo užfiksuotus rytinio Baltijos regiono hidronimus S A N T R A U K A Straipsnyje nagrinėjami keli Klaudijo Ptolemajo Geografijoje minimų rytinio Baltijos regiono, patenkančio į Europinės Sarmatijos erdvę, hidronimai. Kaip pažymi autorius, tai yra bandymas paaiškinti jų etimologiją. Geografija buvo paskelbta II a. viduryje. Straipsnyje cituojama Ptolemajo Europos Sarmatijos geografinė samprata, išvardijant upes: Chronus, Rudonis, Turuntus, Che(r)sinus, Albis, Visula. Žvilgsnis taip pat metamas į kitų autorių hidronimų interpretacijas ir komentarus, paminimi IV a. istorikai Marcianas iš Ponto Heraklėjos, kuris modifikuoja upių pavadinimus, ir Amianas Marcelinas. Šie vardai I a. tikriausiai buvo žinomi ir Plinijui. Plinijumi sekdamas, apie tai II a. rašė ir Gajus Julijus Solinas. Autorius išsamiai nagrinėja keturių hidronimų etimologiją, siekdamas paaiškinti, iš kurios kalbos jie kilo. Šie hidronimai – tai Chronas, Rudonas, Turuntas, Chesinas (vardai pateikiami pagal Eugenijaus Jovaišos monografiją Aisčiai. Raida. Vilnius: Lietuvos edukologijos universiteto leidykla, 2014, 121–162. Straipsnio autorius tik neseniai susipažino su E. Jovaišos Ptolemajo žemėlapio perskaitymu. – Red. kolegijos pastaba). Ptolemas II a. po Kr. viduryje paminėjo keturis rytinio Baltijos regiono hidronimus, o Marcianas IV a. po Kr. juos pakartojo šiek tiek pakeitus. Šie hidronimai yra pirminiai baltų upių pavadinimų germaniški vertiniai, išimtis tik ‘Pōbōv, kuris leidžia nustatyti tiesioginę baltų hidronimo Irbė etimologiją. Tikėtina, kad hidronimas Chronus (gr. Χόνος) yra kilęs iš Mare Cronium, galimai atitinkantis Visula ar Kuršių marias bei jų įtakus Priegų, 173 Pregorą ar Akmenę. Acknowledgement: The present study was prepared thanks to the grant of the The Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) GA15-1221S. I am grateful to John D. Bengtson for correcting the English. Įteikta 2017 m. gegužės 2 d. VÁCLAV BLAŽEK Ústav jazykovědy a baltistiky, Filozofická fakulta Masarykovy University, A. Nováka 1, CZ-60200 Brno, [email protected] Straipsniai / Articles 39