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 Muslim invasion of Hispania and the fall of the Visigothic kingdom in the early 8th century, the Gothic tradition was largely interrupted, although Gothic or pseudo-Gothic names continued to be given in the Kingdom of Asturias in the 9th and 10th centuries.
(Not to be confused with names inspired by the modern-day Goth subculture.)
History
The names of the Goths themselves have been traced to their 3rd century settlement in Scythia. The names Tervingi and Greuthungi have been interpreted as meaning "forest-dwellers" and "steppe-dwellers", respectively. Later on, the terms Ostrogothi and Visigothi have also been understood to mean "Eastern Goths" and "Western Goths", although all four etymologies are not without detractors.[1]
Jordanes gives partly mythological genealogies leading up to historical 4th to 5th century rulers:
- Amali dynasty: 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 Muslim invasion of Hispania (715 AD) and subsequent fall of the Visigothic kingdom in the early 8th century caused most Gothic naming traditions to be lost, a type of Gothic or pseudo-Gothic[2] naming tradition continued in the Kingdom of Asturias, which by that time had become the central driving force behind the Christian reconquest of Andalusia. Thus, Alfonso I of Asturias was originally given the Gothic name *Adafuns or Adalfuns, becoming one of the most popular names in the medieval Iberian kingdoms.
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 forms indicated by *) | 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 "ruler" | cf. Arminius, Herman, Manrique | Amali king of the Greuthungi |
| Odotheus/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 | ||
| Geberic | fl. 4th century | Gothic king | ||
| Sigericus | sigu "victory" + reiks "ruler" | d. 415 | Amali king of the Visigoths | |
| Nanduin | fl. 500s | Gothic saio[6] | ||
| Nidada | fl. 3rd or 4th century | Gothic leader, ancestor of Geberic[7] | ||
| 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 |
| Triwila | fl. 520s | Saio of Theodoric and praepositus cubiculi[8] | ||
| Ragnaris | *Raginariþ[9] | ragina (cf. Vandalic Raginari ) and riþ, both meaning "counsel" | d. 555 | A Hunnic leader allied with the Ostrogoths |
| Sunifredus | 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌸𐌰𐍃 sunjaifriþas | c. 550 (Naples Deed) c. 700 (Visigothic Nobleman) | Visigothic Nobleman | |
| Wulfila | *Wulfila | wulfs "wolf" + -ila (diminutive suffix) | c. 311-383 | Bishop |
See also
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)
- the element ala- may be polygenetic
- recorded in the Gothic calendar fragment
- Bjornlie, Shane. The Selected Letters of Cassiodorus: A Sixth-Century Sourcebook. University of California Press. p. 305. ISBN 0520297350.
- Christensen, Arne (2002). Cassiodorus, Jordanes and the History of the Goths: Studies in a Migration Myth. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 131. ISBN 8772897104.
- Amory, Patrick (2003). People and Identity in Ostrogothic Italy, 489-554. Cambridge University Press. p. 163. ISBN 0521526353.
- 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 Archived 2015-06-28 at the Wayback Machine (infernaldreams.com)
- Gothic and Suevic Names in Galicia (NW Spain) before 1200 (celtiberia.net)