Gothic name
The Onomastics of the Gothic language (Gothic personal names) are an important source not only for the history of the Goths themselves, but for Germanic onomastics in general and the linguistic and cultural history of the Germanic Heroic Age of c. the 3rd to 6th centuries. Gothic names can be found in Roman records as far back as the 4th century AD. After the
History
The
Jordanes gives partly mythological genealogies leading up to historical 4th to 5th century rulers:
- Gapt, Hulmu, Augis, Amal, Athal, Achiulf, Oduulf, Ansila, Ediulf, Vultuulf, Ermanaric
- Vultuulf, Valaravans, Vinithariust Vandalarius, Theodemir, Valamir, Vidimer.
Another important source of early Gothic names are the accounts (hagiography) surrounding the persecution of Gothic Christians in the second half of the 4th century. Many of the Gothic saints mentioned in these sources bear resemblance to Syrian, Cappadocian and Phrygian names, following in the baptismal tradition of that time.
Even though the
In France, where remnants of the old Visigothic Kingdom still remained (Gothic March),Gothic names continued to be common up until the 12th century.[3]
List of names
Gothic names of the 4th to 6th centuries include:
recorded name | Gothic form (reconstructed) |
etymology | lifetime | identity/source |
Ariaricus | fl. 330s | Balthi Therving king
| ||
Aoricus | fl. 340s | Therving king | ||
At(h)alaricus | Aþalareiks | aþal(a) "noble" + reiks "ruler" | d. 534 | king of the Ostrogoths |
Athanaricus | Aþanareiks | aþni "year" + reiks "ruler" | fl. 369, d. 381 | Therving king |
Ermanaricus | Airmanareiks | Ermana "all men" + reiks "kingdom" | c.f. Arminius, Herman, Manrique | Amali king of the Greuthungi
|
Alatheus |
Audaþius or Alaþius | auda- "wealth", or ala- "all"(?)[4] plus þius "servant" | fl. 380s | king of the Greuthungi |
Alaricus | Alareiks | ala "all"(?)[4] + reiks | fl. 395–410 | Visigothic king
|
Fritigernus | Friþugairns | friþus "peace" + gairns "desiring" | fl. 370s | Therving leader |
Friþareikeis | Friþareiks | friþa "peace" + reiks "ruler" (i.e. Frederick) | d. 370s | martyr[5] |
Wingourichos, Jungericus | Wingureiks | fl. 370s | Therving official | |
Gainas | fl. 390s | Gothic Magister militum | ||
Sigericus | sigu "victory" + reiks "ruler" | d. 415 | Amali king of the Visigoths
| |
At(h)aulphus |
Aþaulf or Ataulf | aþa(l) "noble" or ata "father" + ulf "wolf" | r. 410–415 | Balthi king of the Visigoths
|
Theodericus | Þiudareiks | þiuda "people" + reiks "ruler" (see Theodoric) | r. 418–451 | Balthi king of the Visigoths
|
Ragnaris | Raginariþ[6] | ragina (c.f. Vandalic Raginari ) and riþ, both meaning "counsel" | d. 555 | A Hunnic leader allied with the Ostrogoths |
See also
- Name of the Goths
- List of Visigothic queens
- Amali dynasty
- Balthi dynasty
References
- ^ Arne Søby Christensen, Heidi Flegal (trans.), Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths: Studies in a Migration Myth 205f.
- ^ H Reichert, "Sprache und Namen der Wandalen in Afrika" in: Albrecht Greule, Matthias Springer (eds.), Namen des Frühmittelalters als sprachliche Zeugnisse und als Geschichtsquellen, 50f.
- ^ Wolfram (1990:p. 233)
- ^ a b the element ala- may be polygenetic
- Gothic calendar fragment
- ^ Schönfeld (1911), p. 184.
- Herwig Wolfram, Die Goten: von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des sechsten Jahrhunderts : Entwurf einer historischen Ethnographie, part I. "Die Namen", pp. 30–46.
- Richard Loewe, "Gotische Namen in hagiographischen Texten", BGDSL 47 (1923), 407–433.
- Moritz Schönfeld, Wörterbuch der altgermanischen personen- und völkernamen (1911).
External links
- Gothic names (infernaldreams.com)
- Gothic and Suevic Names in Galicia (NW Spain) before 1200 (celtiberia.net)