Kreka
Kreka | |
---|---|
Born | Unknown location, possibly Pannonia or Greece |
Noble family | Attilid (by marriage) |
Spouse(s) | Attila |
Issue | |
Father | Unknown |
Mother | Unknown |
Kreka or Hereka was the wife of Attila. She was described by Eastern Roman diplomat Priscus in his account of his stay at Attila's court in 448 or 449 AD. She and Attila had three sons: Ellac, Dengizich, and Ernak, who split among themselves what remained of Attila's empire after his death in 453.
Kreka also appears in Germanic heroic legend under the name of Helche or Herka.
History
At the last days of his mission to Attila, Priscus and Maximinus were "invited by Kreka to dinner at the house of Adames the man who oversaw her affairs. We joined him along with some of the nation's leading men, and there we found cordiality. He greeted us with soothing words and prepared food. Each of those present, with Scythian generosity, arose and gave us each a full cup and then, after embracing and kissing the one who was drinking, received it back. After dinner, we went back to our tent and went to sleep".[2]
Kreka also appears as a character in Germanic heroic legend, where, under the name Helche or Herka, she is the wife of Attila (Etzel/Atli) and a special confidant of the hero
Etymology
The name is recorded in various manuscripts of Priscus as κρέκα (κreka), ἡρέκα (hereka), ἡρέκαν (herekan), and ᾽᾽ἠρέκαν᾽᾽ (erekan).[4][5] Some copyists dropped the ending -v (-n).[4]
On the basis of the later Germanic forms of the name (Herche, Helche, Herkja, and Erka), Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen argues that the forms beginning with eta rather than kappa are original.[4] He argued in favor of Willy Bang Kaup's etymology, by which it derives from Turkic *arï(y)-qan (the pure princess), (cf. Karakalpaks name Aruvkhan (aruv, "pure")).[4]
Pavel Poucha derived Kreka or Hreka from Mongolian appellation gergei (wife),[4][6] a derivation also supported by Omeljan Pritsak.[7]
It has also been proposed that the name may be Gothic, meaning "Greek woman".[4][8]
A common Hungarian first name, Réka originates from this name.[9]
References
- ^ a b Given 2015, p. 67.
- ^ Given 2015, p. 77.
- ^ Gillespie 1973, pp. 66–67.
- ^ a b c d e f Maenchen-Helfen 1973, p. 408.
- ^ Pritsak 1982, p. 457.
- ^ Pritsak 1982, p. 458.
- ^ Pritsak 1982, pp. 458–459.
- ^ Gillespie 1973, p. 67.
- ISBN 9639069728
Sources
- Given, John P. (2015). The Fragmentary History of Priscus: Attila, the Huns and the Roman Empire, AD 430–476. Arx Publishing. ISBN 9781935228141.
- Gillespie, George T. (1973). Catalogue of Persons Named in German Heroic Literature, 700-1600: Including Named Animals and Objects and Ethnic Names. Oxford: Oxford University. ISBN 9780198157182.
- ISBN 9780520015968.
- ISSN 0363-5570. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2015-11-23.