Category Archives: Croats

Crónica Albeldense

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Here is a short mention of the Suavs in the Asturian Crónica Albeldense.

64. Eraclius rg. an. XXXVI. Sclaui Greciam Romanis tulerunt, Persi Siriam et Egyptum. In Spania quoque Sisebutus Gotorum rex quasdam eiusdem Romane militie urbes cepit et ludeos regni sui subditos ad Xpi fidem conuertit. Eclesiam quoque sancte Leocadie Toleto mire fundabit. Post quem Suintila princeps ceptum regnum Romanis peregit celerique uictoria totius Spanie monarciam obtinuit. Reges quoque Gotorum a Suintilane usque Cintilane eo imperante fuerunt.

Sclaui Greciam Romanis tulerunt, Persi Siriam et Egyptum translates roughly as: “The Suavs handed Greece over to the Romans and the Persians [handed over] Syria and Egypt.”

The “Romans” are, of course, Byzantines and this refers to the events during the reign of Heraclius (610-641). The Suavs in question are likely Serbs though maybe also Croats. Both (or at least their rulers) were converted to Christianity during the reign of Heraclius.

The oldest preserved copy is in the Códice Vigilano or Albeldense aka Escorialensis d I 2 from the 9th/10th century and contains, in addition to the first known Arabic numerals written in the West, a bunch of cool pictures. However, that one was not available so the above pictures are from a few others.

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January 3, 2022

Ibn Hawqal’s Description of Palermo & Why You Should Not Eat Raw Onions

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Although we showcased the more famous Suavic passage by Arab writers, there are other works that mention Suavs that are less known. Thus, while we have previously discussed Ibn Hawqal (see here), a lesser known passage from this same writer also mentions Suavs on Sicily. The following translation comes from the William Granara translation (from 1983). The underlying edition is that of Michele Amari (Lipsia: F.A. Brockhaus, 1857). For the rest of Ibn Hawqal, Granara directs his readers to M.J. deGoeje’s edition in Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum (Leiden: Brill, 1973).

Note that some of these passages by Ibn Hawqal are repeated in the 13th century by Yāqūt in his “Dictionary of Countries”.

For other evidence of Suavs in Sicily see also Michele Amari’s Storia di musulmani di Sicilia, volume 2 (of the 1935 edition) which mentions a Suav military unit (or slave?) created by the Arabs which was successfully employed in the Arab-Byzantine conflicts as well as, in the year 939, a village of apparently Suavic origin (“Sclafani”). Note that there are other place names in Sicily that indicate Suavic origin.

Incidentally, Amari, hypothesizes that the origin of the Suav district in Palermo dates back to a raid in 928/929 by Suavic pirates from the Adriatic coast who were led by Sârib as-Saqlabi – presumably a Serb – and who, in league with Arabs, raided Calabria, Sardinia and Corsica. Amari’s source for this idea, however, is the later 14th century writer, Abulfeda (Abū al-Fidāʾ).

Be that as it may, it is clear that Suavic settlement on Sicily predated that incident. For earlier evidence of Suavs in Sicily in the 8th or maybe even 7th century see here (discussing Suavs in “The Life of Saint Pancratius of Taormina”).

On Suavs on the relatively nearby Malta in the 11th century see here (referencing claims made by the later chronicle al-Himyari).

The Suavic Quarter/District name later disappears and, according to Lewicki, is replaced by the name Seralcadi or Seralcadio (from the Arabic – sari-al-qadì – for the Street of the Judge). Today the area is referred to as Mount of Piety (Monte di Pietà).

The area in question

Note Sicily had been taken by the Muslims in 902 who would hold the island until the Norman conquest of the 11th century.


“Sicily is an island seven days long (walking distance) by four days. Much off it is mountainous and full of castles and fortresses. Most of the land is inhabited and cultivated. It has no city as popular nor as famous as that known as Palermo (Balarm), the capital of the island. Palermo is a seaport city in the North.

Palermo consists of five quarters, each one close to the others, but situated in such a way that the borders of each are clearly defined. The largest quarter is itself called Palermo. It is enclosed by a high defensive stone wall and inhabited by merchants. It houses the Friday mosque which was, at one time, a Christian church. The mosque has a huge sanctuary. I heard certain logicians say that  the Greek philosopher Aristotle is buried in a wooden box suspended in the sanctuary. The Christians used to venerate him and pray to him for rain. They preserved the traditions of Classical Greece which he ahd handed down to them from his forefathers. It was said that the reason for suspending the body mid-air was so that the people could go and see it there in order to pray for rain or seek cures for all sorts of calamities that befell them, be they natural disasters, death or civil strife. I myself saw a great big box which suggests that the tomb may actually be there.

The quarter of the city known as al-Khalisa* has a wooden wall which is not like the stone wall that surrounds the Old City (Palermo). The sultan and his entourage inhabit this quarter. It has neither markets nor inns. It does have public baths as well as a small but frequently attended Friday mosque. The quarter also houses the sultan’s prison, the naval arsenal and the administration offices. It has four gates facing south and west. On these sides, south and west, is the ocean. Also, there is a wall there that has no gate.

[*note: compare with Calisia :-)]

The Slav Quarter (Harat al-Saqaliba) is more populous and grander than the two mentioned above. It contains the port as well. It also has springs that run through it as well as through the Old City. These springs serve as the only border between the two quarters.

The so-called Quarter of the Mosque, also referred to as Ibn Saqlab, is also large, but does not have running water. Its residents get their drinking water from wells.

Outside of the city to the south is a great big valley, known as Wadi cAbbas, full of mills, but unsuitable for orchards and gardens.

The New Quarter (al-Hara al-Jadida) is a large section of the city, located close to the Quarter of the Mosque. There is no border nor divided between the two. Nor does it have a wall adjacent to the Slav Quarter.

The vast majority of the markets are situated between Ibn Saqlab Mosque and the New Quarter. There are, for example, markets for the oil merchants, money changers and pharmacists, all of which are located outside the city wall There are also cobblers armourers and coppersmiths. Finally, there are grain markets and markets for other types of crafts as well.

Inside the (Old) city, however, are over one hundred and fifty butcher shops. The other quarters, on the other hand, have only a few of these. Such a quantity is indicative of their value. The mosque there is so large that when I counted the people when it was completely full, I found over seven thousand. There were more than thirty-six rows at prayer time, each row counting almost two hundred people. The mosques of the Old City, of al-Khalisa and of the other quarters surrounding the city from beyond the wall, number more than three hundred, most of them built with roofs, walls and gates. Those on the island most knowledgeable and best informed agree on this number.

Outside the city, in areas that border it directly as well as those that are adjacent to its gardens and towers, are the closely connected inns (mahall). The one closest to Wadi cAbbas is near a place called The Barracks (al-Mucaskar), which actually extends from the countryside to Wadi-cAbbas. Some of these inns stand one after the other until they reach an area known as al-Bayda. This is a village which overlooks the city at a distance of about six kilometers. It had been destroyed and its inhabitants perished in a series of civil wars which plagued the country.

No one would deny the importance of these small towns since there are over two hundred mosques there alone. Personally, I have never seen such a number in any one of the major cities, even those twice as large as Palermo. In fact, I have not heard anything like it except what they say about Cordova. I have not been able to verify that. I am inclined to doubt it. I am quite sure about Sicily, however, since I have seen most of them with my own eyes.

One day I was standing beside the house of Abu Muhammad al-Qafsi, the lawyer, a specialist in contracts. Looking out from his mosque at a distance of a shot of an arrow, I noticed about ten mosques, some of them facing each other, often separated by a road, Inquiring as to the excessive number of them, I was told that the people are extremely proud, each wanting his own private mosque to share with only his family and his small inner circle.  Among them were two brothers who lived next door to each other, and whose walls were adjacent. Each one built his own mosque so that he could pray there in private.

Among these ten mosques which I mentioned is a mosque there Abu Muhammad al-Qafsi prays. Next to it at about twenty paces is a mosque which he built for his son so that he could study law in it. Each one wants it to be said that this is so-and-so’s mosque and no one else’s. This son of his thought himself something special. He admired himself and was so arrogant that he acted like the father instead of the son.

There are quite a few ribat on the coastline, full of freeloaders, scoundrels and renegades, both old and young, poor and ignorant. These people would pretend to perform their prostrations, standing in order to teal money given to charity, or to defame honorable women. Most of them were pimpts and perverts. They sought refuge there because they were incapable of doing anything else, and because they had no place to go. They were low-life and rabble…

The city is oblong shaped and has a market which cuts across it from east to west. This market is called al-Samat and is paved with stone. It houses all sorts of merchants, from one side to the other.

Palermo sits on many springs, from east to west, each one able to power two mills. From their sources to their mouths these waters fertilize much land. There one finds Persian sugar cane and succulent vegetable gardens. Throughout the land one also finds lots on which papyrus is grown, This is used for making paper. I do not know if Egyptian papyrus has an equivalent on the face of the earth with the exception of that in Sicily. Much of it is twisted into rope which is then used for ships. Some of it is used, as stated, for paper for the use of the sultan, depending upon the amount available…

Most of the water of the city quarters and the towns comes from wells. It is rather thick and unhealthy. They drink it for lack of fresh water. The crudeness of their manners and the dullness of their senses come from their excess in eating raw onions. There is no one among them, rich nor poor, who does not eat them day in and day out. This is what has thwarted their imaginations, impaired their minds, numbed their senses, altered their thinking, clouded their understanding and even ruined their facial features. It has, in fact, changed their dispositions so much that they do not always see things as they actually are.

There are more than three hundred teachers who educate the young. They see themselves as the most honorable and noble of people, God’s chosen people, His loyal servants. This is contrary to what is known of teachers, that is, their inferior intellects and dim-wittedness. For they have come to their professions escaping the duty of jihad, shirking from battle.

I have written a book with a full account of them.”


Although names are frequently recycled, and a connection between the Shekelesh of the Sea Peoples fame and the Siculi of Sicily is possible, it is worth noting for the overly ambitious that it would take a lot more to establish a connection with the Sclavi. The existence of today’s Modica (earlier Μότουκα, Mótouka, Mutyca or Motyca) certainly won’t be sufficient. That “Trojans” and others migrated to Sicily is, of course, possible though here some Germanic researchers might also claim the heritage as with, for example, Segesta on the other side of the island.

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September 16, 2021

Spanish Religious Connections

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In Polish folk songs we have the Names of Leli and Didzilela. These are frequently associated (whether correctly or not) with celestial objects. Similar Names appear in Croat songs and among other Suavs. We know we also have Yassa and Lada.

There is a coat of arms by the name Leliwa which, in its objects and the blue background also has celestial connotations:

Now, this obviously brings up the Moon and either the Sun or perhaps some other bright light in the sky – Venus maybe?

Note that the Moon and the Sun sometimes appear at the same time (same with Venus).

In any event, there is a town in Spain in the province of Toledo called Velada. Velada refers to a soirée or an evening party or late evening vigil. This is that town’s coat of arms:

What does this mean? Perhaps nothing but it is still interesting. Perhaps the ancients were intent to honor the time of day when the lunar bodies joined in the sky (as husband and wife or two lovers?).

For the Bructeri prophetess Veleda/Velaeda see an earlier post.

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July 26, 2021

Of Adrana and Wisera

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We are told that the name of the River Oder Odra – is cognate with the name of the Adriatic and both are considered to be “Venetic” or “Illyrian/Old European” in literature.

It is, of course, curious that these names appear where the Suavs appear and, as pointed out years ago on this site, there is even another Odra in Croatia (as well as a village by the same name, now, it appears, within the city of Zagreb).

But there are other Odras.

Tacitus’ Annals Book I, 56 says the following:

“Actually, his descent was so complete a surprise to the Chatti that all who suffered from the disabilities of age or sex were immediately taken or slaughtered. The able-bodied males had swum the Eder, and, as the Romans began to bridge it, made an effort to force them back.” (Loeb edition)

Now, what is this river Eder? According to the same Loeb translation, it is a “stream falling into the Fulda (the tributary of the Weser on which Cassel stands).”

This may well be though the Latin version of the text (you know, the actual original text) suggests a different prior name:

And indeed the Latin text is as follows:

Igitur Germanicus quattuor legiones, quinque auxiliarium milia et tumultuarias catervas Germanorum cis Rhenum colentium Caecinae tradit; totidem legiones, duplicem sociorum numerum ipse ducit, positoque castello super vestigia paterni praesidii in monte Tauno expeditum exercitum in Chattos rapit, L. Apronio ad munitiones viarum et fluminum relicto. nam (rarum illi caelo) siccitate et amnibus modicis inoffensum iter properaverat, imbresque et fluminum auctus regredienti metuebantur. sed Chattis adeo inprovisus advenit, ut quod imbecillum aetate ac sexu statim captum aut trucidatum sit. iuventus flumen Adranam nando tramiserat, Romanosque pontem coeptantis arcebant. dein tormentis sagittisque pulsi, temptatis frustra condicionibus pacis, cum quidam ad Germanicum perfugissent, reliqui omissis pagis vicisque in silvas disperguntur. Caesar incenso Mattio (id genti caput) aperta populatus vertit ad Rhenum, non auso hoste terga abeuntium lacessere, quod illi moris, quotiens astu magis quam per formidinem cessit. fuerat animus Cheruscis iuvare Chattos, sed exterruit Caecina huc illuc ferens arma; et Marsos congredi ausos prospero proelio cohibuit.

Here is another version from an older translation (Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb):

“But so suddenly did he come on the Chatti that all the helpless from age or sex were at once captured or slaughtered. Their able-bodied men had swum across the river Adrana, and were trying to keep back the Romans as they were commencing a bridge”

That this is cognate with the Odra and may be cognate with Ptolemy’s tribe of the Adrabaecampi or Adrabaikampoi (Ἀδραβαίκαμποι or, as some call them, Kampoi or Kampen – because that Adra seems to be irrelevant you know) ought to be obvious. The similarity with Obotrites and Abdera is also curious.

Now, as mentioned above, this river has been identified with the Eder. Nevertheless, the river appears as above with an “a” for quite a long time (following Greule):

  • Adrana (Tacitus, Annals I. 51)
  • super fluvium Adernam, usque ad flumen Adernam (Frankish Annals, A.D. 778)
  • super fluvium Adarna (same)
  • Adrina (about A.D. 800 from a 12th century copy)
  • Adara (1028)

Only in the 13th century does the name begin to develop an “E” at the beginning though even then it is Eddera, Ederna or Ederina.

Staying in Germany, we have another stream Eder (an eight mile long tributary of the River Diemel in East Westphalia):

  • in villa Nadri (887)
  • Uuestnetri (958)
  • Astnederi (1015-1025)
  • in villa Nederi, in Westnederi (1015-1036 written down around 1160)
  • in villa Nedere (1017 in a copy of the 11th century
  • curtem Nederi (1018, written around 1160)
  • Nedere (1183)

But why focus on Adras or Edras when we have more Odras? And in Germany no less. This is the Oder whose source is in the Harz (by Oderbrück):

  • inter Oderam et Sevenam (1287)
  • partem unam aque … Odera (1321)

All this before you even get to the Polish Odra.

The fact that the Suavic languages have retained the -adr stem with an H2O connection  (or with a potential connection to a descriptive meaning of a river) I’ve mentioned many times before:

  • wiadro (bucket)
  • wydra (otter!)
  • modra (very blue)
  • szczodra (bountiful – compare this with wylewny – effusive; thus audr or uber as in fruchtbar)
  • wydzierać (to rip out)
  • wydzierać się (to be loud)
  • maybe even wyżerać (to eat out but also to erode)

I also go back to the point that the suffix -a is fully appropriate for a language, such as Suavic, that views rivers as of female gender – rzeka (or reka/rega – for more on that see here). While the German languages have the feminine article die for die Fluss, this is hardly reflected in the river names themselves (hence the need for the article). And that’s true both in Germany and in the Scandinavian countries. The only exception, to some extent, is in the NW (for example, Leda).

Could this be a Teutonic word? What are other similar “wet” names? Otter (see above)? Maybe the “other” river (Via-dua) as compared to the? Vistula? Maybe but this is harder to see.

That being said, it is clear that all these words are cognates with IE stem uord found in such words as hydra (hydor).Some people have tied this to an Old Suavic name Vjord but if you do that you might just as well rope in fjords too. And then there is the word “word”. Do rivers speak? Or, in Polish do rzeki rzekają? And what’s the word for a bad smell? Odor, of course. Now just connect “reek” with “rzeka” / “reka”.

To add to that even further all we have to do is reach for Ptolemy. Here is a list (not necessarily exhaustive) featuring the stem –dr and similar stems:

  • island Adru east of Ireland (2, 1, Hibernia)
  • river Druentia (2, 9, Gallia Narbonensis)
  • river Vidrus (2, 10, Germania)
  • river Drave (2, 14, lower Pannonia)
  • Adra town (2, 15, Illyria/Liburnia & Dalmatia
  • Adria, town of the Piceni (3, 1 Italy)
  • Idrae, people of Western Sarmatia (3, 5, European Sarmatia)
  • Scydra, town in Macedonia (3, 12, Macedonia)
  • Syedra town in Pamphylia (5, 5, Pamphylia)
  • Bedoro, town in Palestina/Juadea (5, 15)
  • Adru, town in Arabia Petraea (3, 16, Arabia Petraea)
  • Adra, another town in Arabia Petraea (3, 16, Arabia Petraea)
  • Addara, town in Arabia Deserta (5, 18, Arabia Deserta)
  • Adrapsa, town in Hyrcania (6, 9, Hyrcania)
  • Acadrae, people of Sinae (7, 3, Sinae)

Of course, I am not claiming these are all cognates (or for that matter that they have either been written down correctly by the original scribes or have been delivered to us correctly throughout the ages.

For other appearances of Odra see here and here.


Incidentally, even names that have traditionally been regarded as Teutonic are a bit more complicated in their origins. Take, for example, the above mentioned verbs wydzierać or wyżerać. This is pronounced (roughly), in the first case, vydserat and the third person singular – vydsera; and in the second case vyzherat and the third person singular – vyzhera. I leave aside wysrać though you can look it up and yes it also is a cognate.

Now in West Germany we have the Weser which the Romans reported as Visurgis but the Carolingian chronicler and annalists later showed as Wisera. This is a low-German form apparently. Let’s turn to the infamous Pripyet Marshes. If the Suavs/Slavs originated in that area of Polesie then they should be responsible for the names of rivers there. So then we have (apparently):

  • Wizara (somewhere in Polesie region) “Wizara, WorotećPlesa, Losze, Kupa, Zaliska” (from a guide about Polesie so not a perfect source but feel free to try to verify)

In any event, separately we also have:

  • Wys, Wysia, Wisia (on the border of the former Kiev and Cherson government)
  • Wissa, Wyssa (near Warzno lake)

Could these be Gothic? I suppose but are there similar river names in Scandinavia? Honest question.

(I leave it as a separate matter that the names of Visurgis (Weser proper) and Vistula had been switched around on occasion by various writers at least since the Middle Ages).

Obviously these Old Europeans must have covered a huge land stretch. The only question remaining must be the question of their dramatically complete extinction.

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February 1, 2021

Spruner-Menke Atlas – Bavaria, Austria, Carinthia

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In the Alps we have the following names. Some of these are likely not Suavic and there may be others that are Suavic and which are which I do not show as such. As you can see, most of the indisputably Suavic names are concentrated in the East and, especially, in the Southeast. Nevertheless, curious names appear all over the map.  Here are some of them. Note that the orthography of the time made some Suavic -ic endings to be written as -itz but also as -iz. I’ve broken up the map to allow you to view it so the effect is that only the eastern portions are included (southern and northern). As a result some of these names may not be visible but you can find the whole map online.

  • Wizinburc?
  • Turtin
  • Wiltina
  • Pririna
  • Lusina
  • Luenzina/Luencina
  • Vellis
  • Bozsarinza
  • Trebina
  • Ribniza
  • Gurca
  • Gurca river
  • Curnoz
  • another Curnoz
  • Modrich
  • Selezna
  • Mochlich
  • Grivina
  • Ruissindorf
  • Zuric!?
  • Otmanica
  • Ostarviza
  • Kurciza river
  • Gravindorf?
  • Radentein (Radentin?)
  • Gradz
  • Pesniz
  • Iaering?
  • Zelnitz
  • Ruoste
  • Radewan
  • Razwai
  • Legindorf
  • Gamniz
  • Susil
  • Lipniza
  • Losnica river
  • Odelisniz
  • Otarniza
  • Gestnic
  • Lunkwiz
  • Grazlippa?
  • Strazinollum
  • Gestnic
  • Zlatina
  • Prucca
  • Chrawata
  • Lieznicha?
  • Woliza
  • Surowe
  • Chatsa, Chatissa
  • Liubina, Leubna
  • Muoriza
  • Chufarin?
  • Cremisa
  • Luipna
  • Sewarin?
  • Drousinindorf
  • Strithovin?
  • Medeliche?
  • Medilicha?
  • Nardina?
  • Turinbuoh
  • Weles
  • Wiwari
  • Wangin
  • Graban
  • Puoche
  • Nalubie
  • Bulka river

Of course, there are also the regional names:

  • Pustrisssa
  • Muoriza, Murztal
  • Liubenetal
  • Gurcatal
  • Crowati

I marked the Suavic sounding ones in red but also include some in blue that have -owa,-owo endings. Some of these may derive from “-oven” (compare with the Dutch Eindhoven and so forth). The suffix -awa is supposedly derived from the unattested Germanic name for “water”. As I wrote before, I don’t think that’s convincing and rather reflects an adjective ending reflecting the female “river” (that is “rzeka” or “reka” – compare with regatta). As to the -owa, -owo endings, it may be that they are derived from the word for “haven” meaning safe place (compare this with the Suavic chowac – that is to hide). However, what all these names seem to suggest is almost a population that uses Germanic vocabulary and Suavic grammar.

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July 6, 2020

Jaryło

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Although information about Jaryło, under that name, comes from rather late sources – 18th and 19th centuries – the feasts of the East Suav Jarilo (Polish Jaryło though that specific name is not attested in Poland – rather we have Jasza or Jesza or Jasień) are easily recognizable in earlier recorded festivities. Perhaps the best Western source on the topic is Felix Haase and his Volksglaube und Brauchtum der Ostslawen. I’ve already previewed here – when discussing Svarozic – a passage from a Jaryło story told by Old Believers that Haase put in that book. Now let’s include more of Haase’s musings on the subject and the rest of the story. Also included are the cites of Haase’s to the Russian authors who actually collected the stories of these customs and beliefs.


Haase’s Jarilo Interpretation


“…Originally, there stood Jarilo in Kupalos place. While he is first mentioned first in the year 1763 in the instruction (poucene) of Saint Tichon Zadonskyi. He had suppressed the old celebration which he labeled idolatrous and devilish and declared it illegal. There had once been an old statue that people had called Jarilo and he [Tichon] had heard from old people that one had called this celebration igrisce (Polish igrzyska) [and] it began on Wednesday or Friday after the Green Holidays and ended on a Sunday. The name is probably derived from jar meaning spring or jaryi meaning bright, strong, tempestuous, young. And also the grains were called jarovyi or jare [compare this with the Polish jarzyny meaning “greens” as in “vegetables”]. In the Cernigov department one speaks of a Jariloviga. In Kostroma there is a Jarilovo pole (Jarilo’s field); in the department Orenburg, a Jarilo annual market [Jahrmarkt or jarmark with a double meaning]. In certain regions of Russia, there were two holidays involving Jarilo, at the end of April and on the last day of the year. Young people played the role of Jarilo. There is the Ivasko Jarilo, the Moscow marksman, known from a 1605 document and Ivasko Jarilo who lived in Astrakhan (mentioned in 1672).”

“In Voronez one celebrated the games of Jarilo till 1673 [lasting] from the last day before the Great Fast/Lent, before Peter’s Fast till the Monday of the Fast [?]. A man was adorned with flowers, ribbons and little bells, and on his head there was a flower decorated hat. His face was painted red and white and in his hand he held bells. Using the name Jarilo he went majestically through the city, followed by youth who laughed at him but also kept him fed with sweets. The feast ended with fistfights, drunkenness and frequently with killings.”

“In Kostroma, where the celebrations were held till 1771, an old man would toss a doll – featuring male genitals – into a grave. Drunk wailing women would accompany him and then the doll was buried. In governorate Tver the celebrations took place on the first day of the Apostles’ Feast on the River Lazur until the year 1805. The youth danced a blanza – a round dance in pairs of eight). In the governorate Penza and Simbirsk, they buried the gorjuna during the Green Holidays; and in Murom on the first Saturday after the Green Holidays. A straw doll was carried out of the village with singing and finally thrown into a river. The custom degenerated into a game: in such children’s games an old woman called Kostroma was declared dead and then suddenly she jumped up and frightened the children. In the governorates Ryazan and Tambov this celebration is called: the burying of the prince.  This is portrayed by a young boy who is wrapped in a towel and his sickness is wept over. When the prince has ‘died’ he is laid down in a cornfield and people sing their lamentations. In central Russia the holiday was celebrated with the first or last sheaf collected. In Vladimir on the Kljazma, in Suzdal, Penza, Simbirsk it was celebrated on the Green Holidays or on the eve of the Green Holidays as the funeral of Kostroma or Kostrobowka; in Murom it was celebrated on the first Sunday after the Green Holidays; at Nizniy Novogorod and Vjatka on Saint Peter’s Day [June 29 which in the Gregorian calendar of today is July 12]; in the governorates Novgorod and Kazan, prayers we held during the Green Holidays on collecting rye or summer cereals and there were dances to honor Jarilo. The fields and the livestock were sprinkled with holy water. In Nizniy Novogorod and Tver there it was common to hold a bridal show on this day and young people were permitted to kiss and hug.”

“From the fact that the holidays were celebrations on different days and in different ways, one can deduct that the meaning of the holiday had changed. In the governorates Penza and Simbirsk a girl was chosen to play the part of Kostroma. The other girls bowed before her, placed her on a plank, tossed her singing into a river and washed her. Then all jumped into the water and bathed. Then one went back to the village and concluded the day with games and dances. In the region of Murom the Kostroma was portrayed using a straw puppet; people danced around her, threw her in water and lamented her death.”

“The Jarilo week held a special potency for love spells. The following spell was especially used: ‘I,   God’s servant, stand up and go into the clean sea. There come towards me fire, polynja? [these days this means something like a watery polana, that is a clearing, amongst ice (as opposed to trees)] and a stormy wind. I bow down before them deeply and say: hail [Haase uses Heisa] fire and polynja.'”

“Since this spell was used precisely during the Jarilo week, we can infer from this that Jarilo was a God of Love. Yet this that this was a love spell can only be shown by connecting this data with other information. From the Old Believers we learn that: ‘the Jar goes by during the nights that are called chmelevyja.’ In certain areas Jarilo is called Ur Chmel’ and the chmelevicy nights are treated by village youth as the merriest. The Jar goes through the nights wearing a white silk fabric with gold and silver patterns, on His head a wreath with red poppies, in His hand ripe ears of corn of all different kinds of grains; where the God Jar steps on the chmel‘, there grains grow high unseeded. He touches with the golden ear a young man in his sleep and ignites his blood; Jar chmel’ touches the sleeping girl with the red flowers and sleep escapes her, resting becomes difficult and she dreams of her beloved.”

“Thus, here we have the proof that Jarilo stood for Eros. Other customs also remind us of this. As already mentioned, there was the custom of putting a puppet in a grave, a man with his member which was often portrayed as a giant phallus. The accompanying women sang during this procession ‘obscene’ songs. Allegedly, during these celebrations ‘male seed’ was released into a bucket [of water?] which was then drunk. And when we have already heard the complaints of the Christian preachers about the shameless practices that were connected with the festivities, these may refer precisely to the Jarilo celebrations. Jarilo is here without a doubt portrayed as a God of love and fertility.  But that is still not the original [function of his]. Jarilo is not originally simply the God who gives people love and fertility, he is the Sun God who celebrates his wedding with Mother Earth, embraces her with love and through this embrace creates fertility for the Earth, even produces man therefrom. We have proof of this here from an old tradition of the Old Believers by whom the old customs have been preserved more purely since they did not concern themselves with the prohibitions that came from church and government places, and since they retained the old customs and ideas consciously in opposition [to the established religious and state order].

A legend of the Old Believers tells of how Jarilo loved the wet Mother Earth:

“Mother Earth lay in cold and darkness. And the always young, always happy Jar of the light spoke so: ‘let us look at the wet Mother Earth, [to see] whether she is pretty, whether appeals to us.’ And the flaming look of the light Jar in one moment cut through the unending layers of darkness which lay over the sleeping Earth. And there where Jarilo’s glance filled the darkness, there the red Sun began to shine. And the hot waves of Jarilo’s light poured out by means of the Sun. The wet Mother Earth awoke from sleep and in her youthful beauty she stretched herself out like a bride on the marriage bed. Eagerly she drank the golden rays of the invigorating light and from this light there spilled out hot life and the bliss of craving into her limbs. And the Sun rays conveyed the sweet words of the God of Love, of the ever young God Jarilo: ‘Oh you wet Mother Earth! Love me, the God of light, as my beloved I shall decorate you with blue seas, with yellow sand, with green grass, with red and blue flowers. By my you shall give birth to an unending number of dear children.'”

“And Mother Earth liked the speech of the God Jarilo, she loved the happy God and thanks to his hot kisses she became pretty and decorated herself with grasses and flowers, with dark woods and blue seas, with light blue rivers and silver lakes. She drank the hot kisses and from her bosom there flew birds, from the caves there there ran out forest and field animals, and in the streams and seas there swam fish, in the air there whirred about the little flies and mosquitoes… and lived, all loved, all sang praise hymns to the father Jarilo and to the wet Mother Earth.”

“And once again there sounded from the light Sun the love words of Jarilo’s: ‘oh, hey you wet Mother Earth! I have adorned you with beauty, you have given birth to many dear children. love me some more and you will give birth to your love children. Mother Earth liked these words. Eagerly did she drink the life-giving rays and she gave birth to Man… and as he rose from the Earth’s bosom, the God Jarilo hit him on the head with his golden leash, his lightning. And from this blow, there arose reason inside of Man… And the God Jarilo greeted his dear Earthborn son with heavenly thunder, with rays of lightning; and these thunder rumbles shook all living things on the Earth… little birds fled into the heavens and wild animals hid in the holes, only Man raised his head towards the sky and answered the speech of the thunder God with eternal words. And as they heard this word and saw their king and ruler, so bowed before him all the trees, all flowers, all grasses, all animals, all birds, all of living creation and they became his servants.”

“And Mother Earth exulted in luck and happiness. She felt that Jarilo’s lover was no mere fortune and that there was no limit to it. But after short time, the Sun began to lower itself, the long days became shorter, the cold winds were blowing, the singers, the little birds fell silent, the wild animals howled and there shuttered from the cold the kong and the ruler of the entire living and inanimate Creation… And the countenance of Mother Earth changed and from grief and worry she washed her face with bitter tears… and so cried Mother Earth: ‘o wind, o wind, why do you blow so ice cold on me? You, eye of Jarilo, you light Sun, why do you not warm me and shine on me as before? Does the God Jarilo not love me anymore? Shall I lose my beauty? Shall my babes go into the ground? Shall I again lie in darkness and cold? Why have I then gotten to know the light? Why have I experienced life and love? Why have I gotten to know the bright rays, the hot kisses of the God Jarilo?’ Jarilo was silent. ‘I do not cry for me,’ complained Mother Earth shuddering from the cold, ‘my heart mourns my dear children.’ Then spoke Jarilo: ‘Cry not, mourn not, wet Mother Earth, I left you not for long. Had I not left you then you would have burned down under my kisses. To protect you and our children, I lessen the warmth and light for a while. The leaves will fall from the trees. The flowers and grasses will wilt. You will dress yourself in a snow garment. You will sleep till my return… And when the time comes, I will send you a messenger, the happy spring and right after spring, I will come myself.'”

“But Mother Erath cried further. ‘Don’t you feel sorry for me Jarilo? Do not the cries of your children reach you? Have mercy at least on your love child, who answered your thunder speech with eternal words. It is naked and weak, it will shortly perish if you take away heat and light from us.’ And the God Jarilo struck a stone with lightning, his flaming blitz hit the trees. And he said to Mother Earth: ‘Now I have brought fire to the stones and the trees. I myself am in this fire. With his mind will Man figure out how to take light and fire from wood and stones. This fire is my gift for my love son. For the entire living Creation will this gift be a fright and terror. Only for him alone will be of service.’ And so the God Jarilo left the Earth. Terrible winds blew, dark clouds covered Jarilo’s eye, the red Sun [and] white snow felt and enveloped Mother Earth like a pall. All froze, all fell asleep, only Man slept [but] did not slumber. He had the great gift of Father Jarilo and with it light and warmth.”

“Here Jarilo is clearly referred to as a Sun God, who brings love and fertility by means of his domain over fire, which causes nature to grow and bloom and gives magical powers to plants which [in turn] benefit people. For this reason is the fern to be explained as the mysterious fire plant, which only flowers on the day of Kupalo; out of this we have explanations for the fire worship associated with Kupalo-Jarilo, for the jumping through fire, for the wheel as symbol of the Sun wheel. The water in the sea and the lake and the streams owes its existence only to Jarilo; it is a element given to the moist Mother Earth that increases fertility. The constantly repeated expression ‘moist Mother Earth’ indicates a natural connection of the Earth with water so as to preserve fertility. We find the above description the idea of the dying of the Sun and of Nature. And so are explained the customs of burying of the originally majestic, possessing the full strength of youth, Jarilo, of that fertility God and love God, [customs] that morphed into obscene pleasures and mocking games, when people had forgotten the original meaning of the festivities. Now it becomes clear why the man who stood in for Jarilo in Voronez was all made up in white and red. Red is the color of the glowing Sun and of the fire. When girls playing the role of Jarilo were bathed or buried by the river, it may still have been the memory of Mother Earth as Jarilo’s beloved.”

Lathander may be the gaming world’s version of Yarilo – at least in concept

Interestingly, Man is the son of Yarilo but can be analogized here also to the fruit of the land, the bounty, the harvest, that is to say, the birth/rebirth has a human but also agricultural aspect. This is further described below when the same cognates/concepts appear in connection with agriculture and growth – ultimately, “wealth” we ought to remember is what is associated with Plutus, the wealth of the soil and the son of Iasion and Demeter. As discussed below, it seems that Iasion/Jasień/Jasion/Jason (?) and Yarilo are the same Deities.


Some Cites for Jarilo


Note that the earliest mention of Iarilo appears to be from 1765 when the Russian Orthodox Church forbade the Iarilo holiday in Voronezh. In Kostroma (see above discussion by Haase) a straw effigy with an enormous phallus was being burned as late as 1771. Since actual mentions of Jarilo are somewhat difficult to find in primary sources here are some cites to secondary sources given by Haase:

  • Golubinsky, Yevgeny Yevsigneyevich (or Evgenij E. Golubinskij, Голубинский Е.) История Русской Церкви or Golubinskij, E. Istorija russkoi cerkvi I 1. 2 1902 II 1 1900; I 2; 2. 855
  • Sobolevsky, A. (or Sobolevskij): Velikorusskija narodnyja pesni 7 Bde 1985-1902; 267, 269
  • Zabylin, M. Russkij narod, ego obycai, obrjady, predanija, sueverija i poezija 1880; 83
  • Zabelin, I Istorija russkoi zizni s drevneiscich vremen 1879
  • Trudy 24, 1 (1883) Nr.10, 292
  • Zapiski: Zapiski russkogo geograf. obsc Etnografija I (1871) ff.; II 85, 87/88

Other cites relating to Jarilo:

  • MelnikovThe Complete Collection of Works (or Collected Works) Polnoe sobranie sochinenii (Полное собраніе сочиненій) by Pavel Ivanovich Melnikov (alias Andrey Pechersky, Russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Ме́льников (Андре́й Пече́рский); hence Melnikov-Pechersky) volume 4, pages 202-203.
  • Anickov, Evgenij Vasilevic, Vesennaja obrjadovaja pesnja na Zapade i u slavjan.
  • Shpilevskiy, Pavel Mikhailovich (Павал Шпілеўскі or Павел Михайлович Шпилевский or Paweł Szpilewski (1827-1861) was a Belarussian ethnographer who wrote a study of Belarussian folklore – Belarussian Folk Traditions (Белорусские народные предания). The first two volumes were written under a pseudonym – Pavel Drevlyanskiy (П. Древлянский). The first volume saw print in 1846 as part of the Supplements to the Journal of the Ministry of Education (Прибавления к Журналу Министерства народного просвещения). 
  • PogodinMythologische Spuren in russischen Dorfnamen.
  • Kulisic, Petrovic & Pantelic, Srpski Mitoloski Recnik; 156-157.
  • Ivanov, V. V. & Toporov, V. N. Issledovanija v oblasti slavjanskih drevnostej, 1974; 215.

Other Related East Suavic Sources


Although Jarilo/Iarilo only appears in the above cited sources, similar names pop up in various other places.

  • In the Laurentian Codex, we have a mention in the Chronicle of Novgorod, under the year 1216 of a commander by the name of Yarun/Jarun/Iarun (compare with Peron/Perun; compare this pairing too with Jason/Paron or Iasion/Pareantus): “And Yarun had shut himself up in the town with a hundred men and beat them off. And Mstislav [Mstislavich the Daring] went and took Zubchev and they were on the Vozuga; and thither came Volodimir Rurikovitch with men of Smolensk. They were coming along the Volga, making war, and said to him: “Knyaz, go to Torzhok.” Mstislav and Volodimir said: “But Mstislav and Volodimir said: “Let us go to Pereyaslavl; we have a third friend.” And there was no news where Yaroslav was, whether at Torzhok or in Tver. And Yaroslav’s guards attacked Yarun behind Tver, and God helped Yarun and they killed many, others they captured, and others escaped to Tver.” [from the Mitchell/Forbes translation]. Jarun is also a neighborhood of Zagreb in Croatia as well as the ancient Greek name of the Iranian island of Hormuz (yes, from the Straight of Hormuz).

Note that though the above name as used in the Chronicle may not have overtly religious connotations, such connotations can be inferred from other sources described here. Indeed, Oskar Kolberg, in his ethnographic description of Chełm area (in eastern Poland, east of Lublin – it seems in Ukrainian villages) says that  “the oldest devil is called Jarynec and he lives on a tall mountain and from their he issues orders to his subordinates, the lesser devils who dwell in the hills and bogs.”Jarynec” is a diminutive form of Jarun/Yarun.

  • In the Chudov codex (16th century) we have the Saint Gregory’s Sermon, where it is said that the ancient pagans worshipped a Yadrey: “…and other pray to the God of the Household, to the Goddess Vela, to Yadrey…” [the below is from Mansikka’s Die Religion der Ostslawen]  

Incidentally, the “d” is not problematic here. Note that there are many similar words in Suavic languages that have approximately the same meaning and are cognates with the yar and yas forms:

  • jędrny (firm, youthful)
  • jądro (kernel)
  • Jędrzej (form of Andrew)

Incidentally, the nasal “ę is clearly cognate with the “en” form and hence jędrny is also cognate with jendry which is clearly cognate with Indra.

Likewise the consonants that follow the y sound are aplenty, again though, with similar meanings. Compare, for example, the above “a” and “e” with the “u” sound in: jurzyć się (to be lustful) or  jurność (virility). Check out Aleksandr Nikolaevich Afanasyev’s Поэтические воззрения славян на природу [typically, though awkwardly translated as “The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs”].


Musings on “Jar” the Green


What else can we say here? Well, apparently, Jarilovo appears four times as a village and there is also a Jarilovic near Great Novgorod. In the Laurentian Codex we hear of a Jarun (compare this form with Perun). 

We note that Shpilevsky portrays Jarilo as a man on a white horse or as a woman wearing a white cloak. Apparently, if he was a man, he would appear naked. His head was covered by a wreath of spring flowers and in his hands were cereal ears/spikes. Jarilo was shown as young, with light eyes and curly, blonde hair. Wherever he walked by the harvest would be good. Whoever he glances at, that person falls in love (though not necessarily with Jarilo!). In many folk songs, people would ask him for a hot summer and a great harvest. Haase weaves this into his theory as shown above.

The Belarussian description is interesting in that the Jarilo songs would be sang by groups of walking women, one of whom was sitting astride a horse that was tied to a pole. Obviously, the a horse tied to a pole cannot get far so how could these women be walking anywhere? A solution would present itself if the horse were walking around the pole, perhaps simulating the revolving Sun. The women apparently sang the following song:

Jarilo wandered / The world whole / Birthed rye in the field /
Sired people’s children / And wherever he took a step / There came rye aplenty /
And wherever he’s on the seeds / There a rye ear blossoms

We have this summary from Jerzy Strzelczyk‘s dictionary-like list entitled “Myths, Legends and Beliefs of Ancient Suavs” (Mity, podania i wierzenia dawnych Słowian):

And Max Vasmer says the following regarding the Suavic word jar:

Obviously the word is the same as the English year or German Jahr and refers to vegetation. As shown in the Vasmer dictionary above, jar also means a “canyon” but not just any canyon; instead, referring to a vegetation covered canyon that had been carved out by a stream.

A jar

In Polish the various yar/jar cognates also include jary – meaning “rushing” or “swift” as in “a rushing river” and jarki – meaning “fast moving”; (compare this with the English verb “to jerk”). Apparently, jarowanie may refer to preparing seeds or prepping a horse for a race.

Along the same line of reasoning, it is important to note also that there was a Thracian Divinity, that these days is commonly referred to as the Thracian Horseman. He was known simply as “hero”. Now, the Thracian language expert Dimiter Detschew speculated (in Die thrakischen Sprachreste, Vienna, 1957) that the Thracian for hero was *ierus or *iarus... (of course you have to be careful some of the stuff in CIL that he cites to support that proposition may actually say IFRU not IERU). This nicely ties into words such as horse or Horsa (Hengist and Horsa) or, for that matter, hero and Chors. For more on the Horseman see here and here.

If you want to get an even bigger kick out of this, note too that the related Dacian Riders were apparently derived from the Thracian Rider. Now, these Dacian horsemen are sometimes shown with a Goddess holding a fish. There is a stone sculpture of such a figure at Ślęża Mountain (see here).

There also a ridiculous number of agricultural connections. For example, you have the Polish (and other Suavic) jarzyny for “vegetables.” A young wheat is in some places called jarkisz and the hordium grain, jarzec.

Finally, an interesting piece of trivia is that in Hebrew the word for “green” is ya-rokh (יָרֹוק) which   (interestingly too, “white” is pronounced, lah-vahn). That rok means “year” in Polish/Czech (Ukrainian, rik and in Russian… god) seems a rather interesting coincidence (?). Of course, we could go further. Take the name Jerusalem – Yerushalayim. Though this is far from clear (and is claimed to be a later development), the ending -ayim indicates the dual form in Hebrew. Since the city has two hills some have suggested that the name may refers to those two hills (rather than a local god Shalem). If so the city name could mean something like “Green Hills”… (For that matter, the Greek ἱερός (hieros) means “holy”).


More Than a Sun Deity or Pure Lunacy?


As already mentioned hereya-ra-ti (jarać) refers to “burning.”  We are a step away from the “Burning Bush”… BTW This is the same concept as the Russian yarkiy (яркий) meaning “flamboyant” or “bright.”

That Jarilo had solar connections Haase proved in sufficient detail above. The lunar connections of the deity are interesting as well, however. Let’s turn to that.

An interesting connection may be drawn from Egypt and the Levant. The Egyptian Moon was referred to as Yah which name later also came to signify a Moon Deity. Of course, we all know that Ra was the Egyptian Deity of the Sun. So, put together, what we already alluded to before, we mention again because the Y-r form of Jarilo or Yarilo practically invites drawing this connection.

Focusing on Moon Gods, with similar names to Jarilo we have the Moon Deity Yarikh in Canaan (mentioned in the Ebla texts before 2000 BC and another – Yarhibol – at Palmyra.

And then there are these Hittite texts (Johan de Roos translation/edition).

Of course, Osiris too was as much or perhaps more a Moon Deity as a Sun Divinity. The person who noted this earliest in modern times was James Frazer when he wrote the following:

“There are far more plausible grounds for identifying Osiris with the moon than with the sun:

1. He was said to have lived or reigned twenty-eight years; Plutarch, Isis et Osiris, cc. 13, 42. This might be taken as a mythical expression for a lunar month.

2. His body was rent into fourteen pieces (ib. cc. 18, 42). This might be interpreted of the moon on the wane, losing a piece of itself on each of the fourteen days which make up the second half of a lunation. It is expressly mentioned that Typhon found the body of Osiris at the full moon (ib. 8); thus the dismemberment of the god would begin with the waning of the moon.

3. In a hymn supposed to be addressed by Isis to Osiris, it is said that Thoth

“Placeth thy soul in the bark Ma-at,
In that name which is thine, of God Moon.”

And again,

“Thou who comest to us as a child each month,
We do not cease to contemplate thee,
Thine emanation heightens the brilliancy
Of the stars of Orion in the firmament,” etc.

Records of the Past, i. 121 sq.; Brugsch, Religion und Mythologie der alten Aegypter, p. 629 sq. Here then Osiris is identified with the moon in set terms. If in the same hymn he is said to “illuminate us like Ra” (the sun), this, as we have already seen, is no reason for identifying him with the sun, but quite the contrary.

4. At the new moon of the month Phanemoth, being the beginning of spring, the Egyptians celebrated what they called “the entry of Osiris into the moon.” Plutarch, Is. et Os. 43.

5. The bull Apis, which was regarded as an image of the soul of Osiris (Is. et Os. cc. 20, 29), was born of a cow which was believed to have been impregnated by the moon (ib. 43).

6. Once a year, at the full moon, pigs were sacrificed simultaneously to the moon and Osiris. Herodotus, ii. 47; Plutarch, Is. et Os. 8. The relation of the pig to Osiris will be examined later on.

Without attempting to explain in detail why a god of vegetation, as I take Osiris to have been, should have been brought into such close connection with the moon, I may refer to the intimate relation which is vulgarly believed to subsist between the growth of vegetation and the phases of the moon .See e.g. Pliny, Nat. Hist. ii. 221, xvi. 190, xvii. 108, 215, xviii. 200, 228, 308, 314; Plutarch, Quaest. Conviv. iii. 10, 3; Aulus Gellius, xx. 8, 7; Macrobius, Saturn. vii. 16, 29 sq. Many examples are furnished by the ancient writers on agriculture, e.g. Cato, 37, 4; Varro, i. 37; Geoponica, i. 6.” 

Importantly, as seen above, Frazer saw Osiris not as the Sun and not just closer to being a lunar Deity but as the God of Vegetation. He goes on:

“In the course of our inquiry, it has, I trust, been made clear that there is another natural phenomenon to which the conception of death and resurrection is as applicable as to sunset and sunrise, and which, as a matter of fact has been conceived and represented in folk custom. This phenomenon is the annual growth and decay of vegetation. A strong reason for interpreting the death of Osiris as the decay of vegetation rather than as the sunset is to be found in the general (though not unanimous) voice of antiquity, which classed together the worship and myths of Osiris, Adonis, Attis, Dionysus, and Demeter, as religions of essentially the same type…” 

Now the connection of Jaryło to vegetation is obvious from the above and is further discussed below. In the meantime it remains to show the connection to the Moon.

Here we can be helped by one of the best webpages on Polish pre-Christian beliefs (unfortunately, thus far, only in Polish), appropriately named Polish Gods: Bogowie Polscy.* According to an essay on this page by Kazimierz Perkowski:

“The most direct and popular (other than biblical) in the pool of connotations that appears around the name Jaś are those connotations, we stress that come from rituals, connected with brightness and with a person that is widely respected and, we can say, luminescent. For Jaś as well as Jasień are the names given to the bright moon, the maker of storms and rain, a flying persona of a brave warrior, a wanderer, unmarried, a suitor, a groom as well as of a Polish folk name of a devil and a partner of the Goddess Marzanna, which we will write about more extensively in subsequent parts of this piece. Finally, we note that the name Jaś is not any diminutive [of John] but rather a folk name in and of itself. If that were not enough, in one of the traditional Christmas carols from the region of Greater Poland, the name Jaś appears in place of… Jesus and the other way around…”

*note: the site bogowiepolscy.net has been subsumed into something called Weneda which seems an inferior project; many of the essays and posts have been removed. 

It may also be relevant to note here that, aside from Dionysos or Osiris, another deity that may have something to do with the Thracian/Phrygian Sabazios (Ancient Greek: Σαβάζιος) whose name may be pronounced Savázios (Sovi?) or Sabadios (Boda?) who is also referred to as the Thracian Rider and who was also associated with Father Liber and with Dionysos. Not to mention that the Sabazios hand possesses obvious phallic connotations. Sabazios may also have given the name to sobótki, the fires lit by the Suavs in their celebrations of the arrival of summer. Of course Sabazios also has lunar connections (compare the sabattu or sabpattu which has been dated to 2,000 BC and means full day, that is full moon day; note too the similarities between pattu “day” with pater or father).


Jaś – the Master of the Moon’s Power


“In Coats of Arms, legends and old myths” [Herby, Legendy i dawne mity], one of the most important publication dealing with the topic of Polish mythology, its authors, the professors Marek Cetwiński and Marek Derwich observe that the primary Gods of the Western Suavs were most likely Gods with lunar connections. The most telling example here remains the Rugian Svantevit, which according to the sources, was a God on a white horse who constantly travelled at night (like the Moon) fighting the enemies of the Rugians. Attention can be drawn too to the most important attribute of Svantevit, the horn of plenty filled with mead, an object with an obvious lunar symbolism. And among many Polish family legends a main motif features the battle of a hero – aided by the light of the moon – with an enemy possessing chthonic attributes. At the same time, as noted by professor Aleksander Gieysztor, the persons of Svantevit, Jarovit, and Jarilo appear as thunder Gods, the hypostases of the God Piorun. So are all of these research positions presented here inconsistent and the thunder and lunar characteristics mutually exclusive? Absolutely not. The Moon as much as thunder deities were connected after all with rain and the sky water [Wodan] – and these ensured (or took away) fertility and prosperity. We could also point out the East Slavic report about a lunar (as per a common hypothesis) deity Chors, called in some notes “the thunder angel” as well as, most importantly for this essay, Polish folk beliefs. These last ones treat the lunar and thunder ideas interchangeably. Our Jaś appears connected with the Moon:

“Ponad lasejkiem czarna chmurejka,
ponad to chmurejko jasny miesiączejko.
Nie jest to miesiączek, Jasio wojowniczek,
wywojował sobie sto złotych jabłuszek.”

[A carol from the Lublin region, Słownik stereotypów i symboli ludowych, vol. I, part 3, 2012, p. 111]

“Jasna nieba, jasna słońca, jasień miesiąc
i jasne gwiazdy, i święta Trójca, i Matka Boża,
stań do pomocy, jak we dnie, tak i w nocy.”

[a charm asking help from a rose, Słownik stereotypów i symboli ludowych, vol. I, part 1, 1996, p. 171]

„A u miesiąca dwa rogi,
a u Jasieńka dwa braci”

[Słownik stereotypów i symboli ludowych, vol. I, part 1, 1996, p. 162]

“Jedzie Jasieńko do dziewki,
Jako miesiączek do Zorzy […]
Herny (pyszny) Jasieńku kozacze,
Gdzie się mi bierzesz przeciw nocy?”

[Wisła, vol. VII, part 4, 1893, p. 691]

“We see here a solid connection between the folk-preserved persona of Jaś and the Moon. I would warn, however, against assuming the first is the literal personification of a heavenly body. For the Moon [księżyc], frequently called miesiąc or miesiączek [today meaning a “month”], in old Polish folk beliefs was filled with a number of male and female characters. He is a kind of a transporter or a steed allowing travel to and from the netherworld. The Polsh name for the Earth’s natural satellite – księżyc – is curious. This name, as noted by professor Mikołaj Rudnicki, could have originally been connected with a Lechitic [West Suavic] lunar Deity, only later coming to mean the actual Moon. We should add that the Polish association of the Moon [with a male prince] are rather unique in the European context. Hans Biedermann in his “Symbols Lexicon” notes that the Moon is typically associated with female characteristics, just as “the names of the Moon in European languages are female, the exceptions being the German der Mond and the Polish Księżyc.” It is possible that the rural Jaś, described in tens of Polish songs as “serving the lord”, could have been that księżyc – the son of książę [the former is either a diminutive of the latter or the “son” of the latter – much as SvarozicSvarog]. Another element connecting the image of Jaś with the Moon is the attribute of the golden crown… “

“Jedzie Jasiek z Torunia,
Złota na nim koruna;
Konie z góry stąpają,
Srebrem, złotem brząkają.”

[Wisła, vol. III, part 4, 1889, p. 750]

“Miesiącowi złota korona,
A mnie szczęście i fortona;
Miesiącowi cześć i chwała,
A mnie zdrowie!”

[Wisła, vol. XIV , part 4, 1900, p. 468]

“We will now move on to the mentioned interchangeability of the thunder and lunar portfolio. In Polish myths the Moon battles, similar to a thunder deity, with chthonic beings, and even uses for this purpose the typical weapon of a thunder god – the stone. In a number of variations of this tale, there is an attack that takes place during a full moon and it is against a villain, perhaps a thief in the fields, but most often a water spirit or drowned person (a memory of a chthonic deity) or against smaller female water divinities…”

“…In the syncretic folk traditionalism, the bright and warm season, originally connected with a  thunder deity who opens and closes vegetation, begins in the spring on Saint George’s day [April 23] and ends in the fall on Saint Martin’s day [November 11] (in the Catholic tradition) or Saint George’s day (in Orthodoxy). On Saint Martin’s day, the original manifestation day of the thunder deity – we find preserved to this day an important element of lunar symbolism: the famous Saint Martin croissants. Baked to this day in Greater Poland, they represent, it is believed a memory of a vicarious offering in place of the earlier ox sacrifice. The context is completed by a whole series of Polish riddles wherein the roar of an ox – an animal associated with the Moon (for example the folk bald ox) as well as the animal of the thunder divinity – is identified as a far off sound of thunder…”

“…If Jaś the suitor was perceived as the cause of a storm, was he also, in light of the above, connected to the Moon? Such beliefs have been preserved particularly in Eastern Poland, where in songs and tales, the Moon remains associated with the young groom, a single man. He marries or seduces the bride – the Sun, or rather the “solar sister” – the Zorza/Jutrzenka, the morning Venus (in old Polish tales Lela/Dziedzilela). This motif is visible in a number of wedding songs:

“Jedzie Jasieńko do dziewki,
Jako miesiączek do Zorzy”

[Wisła, vol. VII, part 4, 1893, p. 691]

„A gdzie słoneczko wschodzi,
Młody Jasieńko chodzi…”

[Lud, year 9, 1903, p. 226]

…In the above part of this essay, we took a look at a number of supernatural attributes in the folk image of Jaś. He turns out to be the ritualistic causer of the storm and bringer of rain, as well as the eternal wanderer and sky warrior. Simultaneously,  Jaś like the Moon “runs against the night” and illuminates its darkness. Finally, Jaś is a suitor seducing Jutrzenka-Zorza…”

[the authors cite another interesting tale:]

“Jasio chodzi po drobnej leszczynie,
Orzechy szczypie, w kieszonkę sypie
Nadobnej Marysi, swojej dziewczynie.”

[Polish folk song]”

This obviously suggests a connection between Jaś and Marzanna, potentially the frozen Earth. Also note the nuts are again a motif connected with Jarilo/Iarilo in Rybakov’s listing of songs mentioned below. Some of the above is not necessarily entirely convincing but the essay does contain a number of interesting suggstisons/clues.

The author, of course, notes the similarity of Polish Jaś with the East Suavic Jarilo/Iarilo (particularly, in the attribute of the horn – cornucopia) so let’s bring this back to Iarilo.


Back To Jaryło/Jarilo/Iarilo


The first step is to recognize that Jarilo, as indicated by the above, is either the same Deity or a closely related Deity to the pagan Gods found among other Suavic tribes and Balts.

Take for example, this Ukrainian book, written much like Strzelczyk’s listings, includes entries for:

  •  Jarilo,
  • Jarowit, that is Gerovit and
  • Jasion/Jasień

Further, Jasza/Jaszer is the form promoted among others by Boris Rybakov who provides these creations:

So there sits, sits Yasha under a nut bush (there is that bush again):

Сиди-сиди, Яша, под ореховым кустом,
Грызи–грызи, Яша, орешки каленые, миломю дареные.
Чок–чок, пяточок, вставай Яша, дурачок,
Где твоя невеста, в чем он
а одета?
Как ее зовут? И откуда привезут?

In another version we have Yasha sitting on a golden chair: (this version from Perkowski is a little different than Rybakov’s above):

Сидит наш Яша
На золотом стуле,
Ладу, ладу, ладоньки,
На золотом стуле.
Щелкат наш Яшенька
Калены орешки…
Калены-калены,
Девушкам дарены…
Бабам посулены…

Roughly speaking the geographic attestation, therefore, is as follows:

  • Western Lechitic tribes (Veleti) – Gerovit (pronounce Yerovit or, if you will, Yarovit)
  • Eastern Lechitic tribes (Poles) – Jasień or Jasion (ash) or Jasza/Jesza (pronounce Yasien or Iasion orYasha/Yesha)
  • Belorussians – Jarilo (pronounce Yarilo)
  • Ilmen Suavs/North-Eastern Russians – Jasza or Jaszer (pronounce Yasha or Yasher)

Of course, one group of northern Suavs is not clearly reflected in the above list: the Ukrainians. And here we have another hint regarding the nature of this Divinity. Among the Kievan Polans, that is Ukrainians, the most obvious candidate for the portfolio of the Sun God and Moon God and, therefore, maybe also Vegetation God, is, it seems, Dadzbog Chors (though, it is also possible that Chors is the son of Jasień – certainly the Osiris-Horus similarities is of interest).


The God of Vegetation and Fertility, Life, Light and Motion


So Haase is not wrong that Jarilo was a Sun God. In fact, Haase was right that Jarilo is, in fact, more than that – in that he is also a God of Love (or at least lust!) and, therefore, vegetation. But beyond that Jarilo is a Lunar Deity. This is the hypothesis of the “one rider” – perhaps akin to the Latvian Ūsiņš. Most generally, perhaps, Yarilo is a God of Life, Virility and, ultimately, Motion.

It is, of course, possible to view this slightly differently. For example, looking to Lithuanian mythology, we can ask whether there were in fact two Deities: the Sky Twins or Ašvieniai. Perhaps their names were Yas and Yar? If you want to spin this out further, a connection can be drawn to the Vandalic Assi and Ambri though this is obviously a major leap.

And another thought, were these “twins” always both men or, to bring this back to “Mother Earth/Father Jarilo/Iarilo” or “Sun/Moon”, was one of the twins perhaps a woman?

Interestingly, also Mars (though seemingly not Ares) had an agricultural beginning before becoming a god of war. If so, the suggestion that Gerovit may have been the same as Mars may actually have been more accurate than the writer of the Life of Otto of Bamberg may have suspected.

To view some other posts on Jaryło you can take a look here as well as here and here.

Copyright ©2020 jassa.org All Rights Reserved

April 26, 2020

The Suavic Names of the Gospel of Cividale

Published Post author

Gospel of Cividale (Italian: Evangelario di Cividale, Slovene: čedadski evangelijčedajski evangelij or štivanski evangelij, Croatian: čedadski evanđelistar), at first named the Codex of Aquileia (Latin: codex aquileiensis, codex foroiulensis, Slovene: Oglejski kodeks), is a medieval Latin transcript of the Gospel of Mark, written on parchment. It is named after Cividale del Friuli, a town in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Northern Italy) where it is kept. It contains about 1500 Suavic and German names of pilgrims to the monastery of San Giovanni di Duino (Štivan, today part of the Duino Aurisina municipality), written in the second half of the 9th and the first half of the 10th century. The monastery was a property of the Patriarchate of Aquileia. The Gospel contains the first known Croatian autographs in a Latin text. A part of the manuscript resides in Cividale de Friuli, and another in Prague. The particular evengeliary comes from the 6th century but the belief was that it was much older. As a result, it was a religious tourist attraction for the monastery where it had been kept. Thus, many of the visitors to the monastery “signed” (or, really, had signed for them) their names in the codex’ margins. This includes Suavs such as Trpimir of Croatia, the Pannonian duke Pribina, Kocel also of Pannonia, Rostislav and Svatopluk of Moravia, Braslav of Croatia and Boris-Michael of Bulgaria – as per Alexander Schenker’s The Dawn of Slavic – though you can confirm the same below.

The edition use is the Evangelienhandschift von Cividale by Conrad Ludwig Bethmann (part V of the 1877 Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für Ältere Deutsche Geschichtskunde zur Beförderung einer Gesammtausgabe der Quellenschriften Deutscher Geschichten des Mittelalters, volume 2)

Folio 1

finan. cucpald. sunilda. uualto. utpald. garaca. itta. arno.
regelenda.
neofrit. malamila. iusinig gete.
domine miserere famulu tuo foskero diacono.
fesselo. ceseri. marcorus.
antelf.
hos richmond pbr. ernoste pbr. pabo. richeri. ingelscalh
. . titiel . . memorato sie quomodo dimis
odela bega livera puelle. cuno rislinda unegardis ….
et duxit

Folio  1′

iringer rachini ….
gaitepret gifardi flodeberte
habraham uxor eius uuil …. beda sclauo filius eorum
. . . thesia pbr.

Folio 2

cotafrit. erissuint. roteperte. felix diac. iustus pbr
amantinus et bona uxor eius.
felicitas pelerina
nepocor gresic ihon
de tei’ra brasclauo. zelesena. uxor eius hesla. stregemil
filius eorum
motico.
trebenec. dracig. craniohi. millena zelebor. andreas.
uualti hertri pina.
nos i mer gelanus luta . . isa audeberte petrus pbr
henglerioch odelrich arfret.
reginbert otihi . . . gauselinus andreas grimalde martinus
pbr theddad cleri
foscari subd gaugiosus.
engilinda pergildruda [8th or 9th century]
rotecause perterote perga [8th or 9th century]
witirich [9th century]
hadamar kero susanna hunulf cuncpric huduinus pbr
uiceriaut uuolslez grimpert uuolfker.
engelberte adolanna alpote enguelric
audebertus dia maseliosubd [8th century]
uuilliric uuilliric ingildruda.
elinhart rodpret geonilt
kermunt odilint item oclilint adalker palthilt odilint einhart [9th century]

Folio 2′

chotmer
huluolt
erpald [added in the 9th century]
carmanastrepald frederun alboin freuriz [added in the 9th century]
audebertus.
cozil. uuozet. margareta
zelislaua. sebetuh. humislan. d. trebebor. bribibor. trudopulc. amarih.
. . ricpult. teutkart. odlard.
hodelric. ildepret. hunilt. iltelint. richer. alprit. adelpret
artepret inselpret diepruc hicheu conterat.

Folio 3

gagtari
irmingart
teotpert
cotahardus pbr machelm
uuerinolfus ab ellanpertus.
teudericus. albisinda. garardus
adoarde. rodiberte.
uualtelm liutrat gauspert uuipert subdiac.
boselisa. sobemuscla sclauuenca.
ulfihir quoteld

Folio 3′

lodohicus imp: ingelberga regina.
uuardema . . .
hisinard. emeltruda.
hic sunt nomina de bolgaria. inprimis rex illorum Georg
et frater eius dox et alius frater eius gabriel | michahel
et uxor eius maria et filius eius rasäte. et alius gabriel.
et tercius filius simeon. et quartus filius iacob. et filia
eius dei ancella praxi. et alia filia eius anna.
[a hand from the 9th century wrote on the other side: De bolgaria etc]
zergobula f . . ias
odt . . . imus dei servus.
paulo
anastasius diac.

Folio 4

upolt. hoolt. irmisen. uualto filius upold.
frambertus. roco.
albini. mino atala
karsuint
ernust
egono elmeric
teuterihc starcolf atala etela emelrih uuicpald erideo
adaluualr stararahilt ingilart phisila piofa.
pritcot . . . a per e inpere [8th century]
candon . . kerolt folcer elene . . . merd . . . . .
uuilelm. strem.
De bolgaria qui primus venit in isto monasterio. nomen
eius sondoke et uxor eius anna. et pater eius iohannes.
et mater eius maria. et filius . . mihael. et alius filius
eius uuelecneo. et filia eius bogomilla. et alia kalia.
et tercia mar . . . . . elena et quinta maria. et alia
uxor eius sogesclaua. et alius homo bonus. petrus . .
. . . . et georius
[the same hand which wrote ‘hic sunt’ etc. on the prior side]
petrus et uxor eius sofia
iohamies Imperator et uxor eius . . . . da . . . . . . . .
[much has been cut off here]

Folio 4′

mota. eginulfus. ueti. ualto. ermigeri. madoloc. romalde.
adelprete. rodald regimprete adolo.

khaco . sebedrago centeska
porosit. alpiker rihilt
petrus diac. petrus laicus
gisleberte diac.
luiching pbr.

paldmunt. lontpert. lepuns . . ngilsuon . alpker . erchanhart.
lantsuind snelsuind. uualtrih. ruodpold. liuphilt.
sindman. lutheri.

szuentiepulc. szuentezizna predezlaus.

Folio 5

einard.
miramusele zitemer straneca maola u . .
lobonilaica miserere . . . .
cunipret. adelint iacob rumolt reginolt
fredebertus giselbertus.
forti et filio eius bertaldo
orso diac. et orso subd

ratepote rotepertus uarteman m . . . eimo rotecari ernoste
inehich . . angelarius. adelbertus. iohannes. eimo.

Folio 5′

eban . . . . . prebrassclava pressoboda mutacus
felice launia
agathe domnitia iorsia
sedemir
magnus ciprianus suberancius gaginart
perinsuin. isac. stamer. penebod. semidraga.
raginardo. adalrih p cristina zempho chuningund.

heimo pbr. eripert pbr.
iltint. rotlind. rosind.
rengheri preteld helias pretsunt gisuldruta ernosed
giselperte.

. . . . . . itesen . otila . . .
uuerno.

uualto pernger cutpert iltipert iacob engilram gisilbrit
perinart

richeri itiburga et richeri.
egilpert . . itonna . . molcicu
reginarde regichis
orsus pbr
angelgari perteri f [8th century]
ratuuic sebedra hostiarius
domno tripimiro
ulsychari cotild uolbolt

Item noticia commemoratio . . . . . . . . memoria dimisit
et ead  . . . . . . . . liberam . . . . suum non per . .
. . per manu stabili pbro in ecclesia . . . . sancti viti
in presentia trialdu . . . . . tus duciolo . . . . . in auro
de fabricato. donis . . . . . R petro pbr
[Langobard writing]

Memento domine famulorum famularum . . . . . . uuitgauo
cö adalpert reginuart austregaus immo. paltilh.
bribina terpimer. petrus. maria dragoiud sabes pizeden
. . . nisl. benedictus. straha. petro. bedoslau. mihahel.
siliz. coten. kanei. drisimer. engildeo. amulpirc. irnpurc.
kissilperga. ernipurc. sedobra . . . . . . . dragoroc.
moeta. couar . . . . arcumis . . . saba. cafrat. iob.
estimer. radasta. ado. eginolt. uuihheri. irminolh. ratpir
hantuni

heita. hunfr . . ella . . paldunc. heito aber . . . hitta
gerpurc de . . . uualtunc petrus . . . gerhart tenzil.
uualtram meginpert enginhart engin . . heripreht ermanhah
. . labrih.

motimira.
rodlorih
adaluni ezzol eliseus
hardradus.

Folio 6

bascilius luciana to . . .
ranpret. rotpric. otolft. [added in the 9th century]

leo diaconos miseriatur tibi deus et perducat te ad honorem
sacerdotalem amen.

serenus pbr
rengari. lub . . . stargai. gupa . . erhpold.
adelgiscls. relifredus diac.
huoto obiit
gotman. mlada. olamir. engisa. olamir. tnibesu . .

radozlau et ego indignus liuprih pbr. estemir. zizemir.
pensezi. moiselaica. ioliannes filius ip . . .

ato. ragenart cadrac.
cundpertus pbr
uincamera et filius eins lihamere.
liupricus p
brasclauo et uxor eius uuentescella

nepokor purcart. purchart heimpertus. nidhartus.
herchanhartus.

yrminsuind. helmker. anzo. heririb. salaho . . . . . .

Folio 6′

. . . . audeberte.
igo unaxegunt adelpret

adeluinus menedraga. trebelio. gomer. merisclafa. souuinnao.
rastisclao. pudaram. citamuscle gonimer. rasmene.
nitrabor. kasno. uuitamusclo. musclonna. negot. lala.
stranamer trebenna

petrus martinus audrisi.
gontrame mecneos emelda

kiummar. kepuni. folrat. sigimar. aato. deotrat. selpker.
imma. hiltigat. erchanhilt. faua. deotrat. zatto. benedicta. adalgilt. aefa

noe. rodi regnolf.
gitta
irminart
ercnil
stamer. audebertus. audalde.
ato adallinda lantbreht. deotere. irfinge

VIII. idus aprilis hoteihza hobiit. IIII. kal. iunias zidepor
hobiit netunsica hobiit. idus iun. histunsis hobiit.

domine miserere famulo tuo ratepoto et famule tue
emeldrut

crepuco uxor et trebe . . . . filius eius trebego . . . .
coseri. siguuich
tesina. slotiuenza
ratpirin.

doblisclaug godesclagua zelesclauua lich . . abraam teuderic
uualderaht. gonteraht soguigai ermescuent semia
presclauonte presclauonte ezamus qulo dabramusclo
romald gon . . .

tonasclauua
uuarimfred. altichari pbr
ludino soguasclaua
hodelart crimilt uuitgou
nesden. antonius. uuitmar. lutomer.
uitalis presb. pantaleo leolina dominicia margarita leo
kerpurc uualtrat.
srlben. sebeteh. primusl
ratari. adelarde. guiso. enderath.

felix pbr. billo. bernardus. sonderade. anna. ratperga.
sinderade

anto. rotcausus.
colotec . . . dego dehi . . . . bla camere oge capontemere [from the 8th century?]

Folio 7
[Here begins Matthew]

tuto. elismot.
zillizio . . enstabeda. nazamyr. brazena

capra. timocenda. ratpot. engelberte orsus. ag . . no.
cunigunda cop . . musclus. tordasclaue

Folio 7′

petrus clericus.
sicmar pbr. iltiricus pbr
sazona diac. casir pbr.

egilpert maco uualto keroch luza isinard cristina eilenrat
gauspert geroch teuterihc teutekher pepo teutoc isinardus
teutekher erhenrart

burhard spita eltifred balduin cristian

altuad. adual celernolt ot adlololt cosuolt odililt adolot.
te . . . gard. uuililm elepurga. dulun. megenelm. uuilipurg
regipurg. marto. olfrit. petro cartolf tetocin.
teutcarda.

Folio 8

heroc estolf rifont uualtrat ingloan gero frater esfilo elisuuint.
martinus pbr.

iohannes diac. donperte. tasa. dommelperte. deusdedi.
foscari sub. petro. guiselperto. rateperte. pergolfe.
liuperte.

gundalbreht . . . . ruodilt hincfrid pato kergoh hernuin erambalde toto
illtri. illtifrit

Folio 8′

peringer. amalbertus. not. uodelbertus. lantpertus. hildirat

iusirhc cofes. stioa. ilteric. siherad. zisola. engelbert, rotepert. trusing. keila.

sinteperto laiquo. frodeberga.
cultruda. liuttefredus. keroc. ingildeo. amelperga. popila. efrunus. kenet ellibertus. aaron. ricpolt. etisa. adelardus. machelt. rotecheri.

Folio 9

helidnui perehfraht. adalbreht. uodelbreht. lantpert. gapert.
anselmus. teudebal . . .

lantperga. digna.

irmiburg loutecard nortprect teutprect ermeng rambolf trosar uuitigau umfrede lantald

gausperte mumald grosman ualtrade pertine fritila lantald. sigini cosprect eginard rigilend egito pbr sigifrede gospret suanelda ricprict

ingeldeo stradosclauua habraham ingeldeo. engelscalquo filio eius ingeldeo engelperen dobrablaste. riheri. trudumund ingledeo. ilpegunt stradasclau.

iohanni aderouinus.

Folio 9′

cherad. orsus pbr. engelporg. recnard. elmegari.

lantaldt abraham. gauspertus et pater eins oberini et mater eius latu.

sigiurid p
engilsuuint gausperte

Folio 10

ricsuent. reginperte. rotfrit. ratichis. rafolt. erquomot. riccard. [9th or 10th century]

petrus pbr.
panco
domine miserere famulo tuo ingulani.

alnolfo. ota. teiiderico. albescenda. girarde. teuderic filiiis eius. erdielde uxor eius. ota. eluualde. sicpalde et filia eius et mater eius engelsenda . . . . oluualde. elengere. regeno. spen . . . lesclaua.

Folio 10′

regneri pbr. alprect. ilpung frater eius. ammo. uualilm. malelm. ernost. ingelsind. teutterih.

Folio 11

domenico. epo. audeberto. andrea. [9th century] gontperto pbr.

luitfrede. tamacano. kotedruc. erconfret. ita. anna uxor erconfret.

Folio 11′

madolind

aspertus. purgman. engilpero. gundbreht. cistei pbr. gotehilt. engilger

salamunt. isanhilt.

Folio 12

munialde. prectini. richald. rotheri

domno karolo imperatore. domno liuttuardo epo

rantecheri. et uxor eius gaiperga et rantheceri filius eius et paco filius eius. ildeberte.

salomon diac.

Folio 12′

domine miserere famulo tuo secundo diac.

Folio 13

cano. dragamer. genenta. nazisir. cano. ponete. seuemuscle. semina hobiit. nedauid. ceco cete.

Folio 13′

uuaniguo clo. rodone. ingelgarde adelberte cotaperte egildrude liutiscenda.

Folio 14

ioliannes pbr. benedictus clericus. reinarte pbr. ato. teupolt. adelperga. antric. reginolt. albini. soniilt. oluult cerult sounabrut.

arigait. siderda. felix.

oimuscle dabraua. dequodesca. misticlau. gohifred. cerna. quocili. priuuinna. gostidrago. semmemuscle. paridra. zidana. pilende. seuella seuella. millas. soidrago. randeco ceresulla sinata. soltin. premil. luban.

Folio 15

albericus. rihpald.

Folio 18

reginprete. quunigunda. odelardus pbr. teu …. tach.

Folio 20′

romult. frederich. heriprat. kadoloc. ce . . . .

Folio 21

olfrant …

Folio 21′

arabriccho

Folio 22′

euco. teuteric. sicharde. messorgo. lobane uxore eius.

engisuind. ualhardus. adalrih. contelmus. gondulft. kepardus. hermenerus. ualdman . . . cundffo persinnt.

iohannes uxor eins bedoslauua.

rotepert sygifrede igilpurge.

Folio 23

num … cozpertus diaconus ildigarius. cralo. ualo. uulcote. milo. uuitego. sighebult. eghelman. isinnere. iltimot. fredebod. adebrat.

presila. petrus filius domno tripemero.

otuuin suitschir.

Folio 26

uitalis clericus. leo clericus

Folio 29′

lubaset.

domine miserere famulo tuo olperto pbo

Folio 30

domine miserere famulo tuo orso diacono: domine miserere servo tuo iohanni clerico

leo.

Folio 32

ianelperga

ianelperga aledruda roteperga todelperga

Folio 38′

semna. uisegneo diac. cruben. uuilan. sedobra.

umberte ricpolte.

Folio 39

. . . uuilkari . zal . . . tridenna . . .

Folio 42

liutpaldus. quunigund

santpulc. isaac. uuiperte. fastpurch. astrapald bulicm . . . bochmir. conder alberihc uolfoch regensuuint.

Folio 42′

domine miserere servo tuo gaudioso diacono domine miserere servo tuo martino pbro

Folio 47

gostichai. sebusca.

Folio 49

presela. uuisseoi pbr.

Folio 51′

. . . . ran . . . ro

Folio 55

clomenicus petirus . iolianne . denna . romana . lannase . maria . marino . iohanne . etmanno et iohanne.

Folio 65

dannamir

Folio 71

erniprete elmite ellena . erceneta . ioltella . teuperte margate prunuare . gisinperga . odolperte asperte

Folio 79

stenedrago.

Folio 79′

* cheroc pero et alio pero pychil ratipir hirlumul ingelpir pirigint uertila urto leo pbr.

Folio 80′

. . . . . castemyr gherolt . iustin . teurat . teutpult.

Folio 94′

quonimant . teutperga . filii eorum fredebert kerat engelmot.

Folio 95

prisnata.

Folio 98′

 olodrag olomer pigimer cotes sitigoi mirogoi

vuerinolfus . sigifrid . diotpald . sigihart . adam . kerurid . arurid . zeizmunt . ionpert . engilrih . uuolfhart . ellinpert . ellinpert . kotapert . riginpata . engildrud . reginlind . liutuna . vualtpert . zeizmunt . adalrih . zeizpold . vuanpert . perahkart . liuphilt . kotapurc . adalruod . ratolt . keruualah . hiltimeri . pirihtilo . adalurid . vuillipurc . iohannes . perahkoz . hero . anthelm.

emeld . fredruna . adilinda . piligid . adelsinda . perold . soanegilda . teuderada.

teuto . euerarde . gonterammus . teuderic . teuderic . emild . agatha . toda . ualtechari .

[hereafter the entire Gospelof Mark is cut out; after folio 99 there follows the Gospel of Lucas]

Folio 99

stagai . ebo.

Folio 102′

zidizlau pbr . rihpert pbr . altrib pbr . paldmunt pbr . rodun pbr . zabau . liutisti . munemer . ratolf . altfrid . liutolt . sepino . sirnamus . mirona . dobrodei . priuuigor . zla . nazzeg.

brannimero comiti . mariosa cometissa.

elymburt . frederut . cherni.

Folio 106′

emmina . enchelsint . uuinburga . suaue . arbona . katila . leuderade . ualtila . ualtila . engelmot . arpana.

Folio 107

elymburga . alia elymburga . hequo . erchengeri . ricpret . odelbert . suapric . frouult . otepret . holtepret . rampret . ermouuit . karnenad . liutecheri . hengilburga . uualtila . emmina.

Folio 118′

domine miserere famulo tuogiselperto sub [ilu]* in bonum amen GVISELPERTO SUB ROTecauso gonteperga.

[*very unclear; maybe only an abbreviation for ‘deacon’]

[All written by one hand in the 9th century. On the next page the writing by the same hand and with same ink continues]

Folio 119

domine miserere famulo tuo guiselperto sub rotecauso gonteperga bertalde

domine miserere famulo tuo giselperto sub . domine miserere famulo tuo guiselperto sub. GISELPERTO SUB.

Folios 129′ & 130

deuto . guiselarde . ghero . ledi . xpiano . predeclao . adelric . liupari . altepret . tunisclaua . miltrut . ubisclaua . ermizenda . guernunt . ramilt . uilet . adelfret . ratolfe.

Folio 136

uuilermus . liccause ergefrede.

Folio 145

sedesclao . preuui . . . . . merulla . elemperte . elengeri . pertilt . ederam . liupilt.

Folio 151

isaac diac.

casinus teuderada . innila . suuy . iacob . berengarius.

Folios 162′ & 163

petri pbri . luponi . dominici . felicis . petri . uitaliani pbri . teudmari pontificis uenantii adoni pauli liuperti felicis audberti

[all written by one hand continuously 9th century with one ink on the upper and lower edge of Folios 162′ and 163]

Folio 167

ulfecheri . godesclaua . ratulfe . oltecheri. onnia . sclauica. encheldeo . et alius encheldeo . albegunda . stradesclaua . percot . riccoth . adelpret . liutichis pbr . teutilt . subimer.

Folios 178′ & 179

otelm iltrut extilis tetmot   artuin epis

[9th century, or perhaps 10th]

Folio 181′

stano pbr.

audalde diacones misereatur ei omnipotens deus amen deo gratias semper amen.

Folio 187

deusdedit

Folio 196

miserere domine deus omnipotens famulo tuo martino diacono et conserva cum semper in tua mia amen deo gratias amen; giselpert; gisabertalde teutepalde lobo adelperga liuperga arigaite aurosarateperga sonteperga audredaratecause gisa sinteperte adelberga beralde

[written by one hand continuously without separating words, 9th century]

Folio 196′

rambertus . hecquo . ata . rumolt pbr . gheresit . elimbur . alia elimbur . hesotf.

Folio 203

domine miserere famulo tuo olperto pbro. domine miserere famulo tuo iohanne diacono . ambo fratres. domine miserere famulo tuo audolfo clerico.

Folio 213′

prenenon . milei . pomego . dobrosisne . isaika . trehenta . deoste . sesite . trebenna . stram . semigir musclasete . sal . luca.

Folio 214

turdamere . zababerado neme ral . domamir . ciagrota . exumila . p mer . draineste sidesci nesir.

[8th or 9th century]

Folio 215

. . . . . . . . adoloc . rimfrit . erminad . adoloc . iste adoloc . ista nomina scribere rogavit.

[added in the 9th century]

Folio 219

irminrat.

Folio 221′

domine miserere famulo tuo iohanni clerico . domine miserere famulo tuo feli clerico.

Folio 236′ & 237

ratgoi et uxor eins reginsunda . patricus . bribislau . martinus . todoro kameraz . georgius . pacemira.

Folio 238

sebedrac

Folio 245

domine miserere famulo tuo baldoni subdiacono.

Folio 250′

irmilihit.

Folio 268′

degodelka . dallimere . bellica . fllius eius . minidrago . iohannes . cerelulla . filia eius . thesconna.

Folio 270′

nenadei . glauoz.

[The following folios are lost]

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February 26, 2020

Jasiels, Jasieńs, Jasions Gallore

Published Post author

We have talked about the various Iasions throughout Polish history and their connections to antiquity. But what about geography? As mentioned there may be an occasional Piorunowo, Strzybogi or even Swarozyn. Are these town names former worship places? Maybe or maybe not. But what about Jasion? A quick search of the map reveals a huge number of Jasion and related names that dwarfs any of the above. Are these all places owned by a “Jan” or places where the ash tree (jesion) grew aplenty? Or is there a more mystical reason for this topography?

These names along with few (I did not do a review outside of Poland) from Ukraine and Germany are on the map below (in red). The mountain peaks are also listed (in green)

There are also rivers and lakes (in blue) though I only included a few of those items in the list below.

All of this is far from complete and there are many more similar names if you are willing to spend time pouring over the map. 

Towns

  • Jasiel – near Slovakian border
  • Jasienica – (German Jasenitz, then Jasienice) part of Police, a town in Pomerania
    • site of the Jasenitz abbey
    • first mentioned: 1260 but village likely founded much earlier
    • Nowa Jasienica – a village next to Jasienica (Police)
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Ziebice, within Zabkowice Slaskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship (south-west) (German Heinzendorf since?)
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Dubienka, within Chelm County, Lublin Voivodeship (east)Jasienica – a village and seat of gmina Jasienica, Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodelship (south)
    • first mentioned circa 1305 in Liber foundations episcopates Vratislaviensis as “item in Gessenita decent ease XI) mansi solubiles” (German Heinzendorf, Czech Jasenice)
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Myslenice, within Myslenice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south)
    • after 1335, probably named after the river Jasieniczanka that flows through the village
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Łoniów, within Sandomierz County, Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship, (south-central)
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Ostrow Mazowiecka, within Ostrow Mazowiecka County, Masovian Woivodeship (east-central)
    • also nearby Jasienica-Parcele
  • Jasienica – a village in the administrative district of gmina Tłuszcz, within Wolomin County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
    • first mentioned: in 1414
    • names used: Jassenicza, Jassyenyecz, Jassyenicza, Jaszenicza, Jaszenecz, Jasiennica, Jasszenicza, Jassyeniecz, Jaschenyecz, Jasyenyecz, Jassenycza, Jaschyenycze, Jasyenycza, Yassyennycza (Slownik historyczno-geograficzny ziem polskich w sredniowieczu)
  • Jasienica (German Jessnitz) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Brody, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship (western)
    • first mentioned: in 1452 as Jessenitz
  • Jasienica Rosielna – a village in Brzozow County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (south-east)
    • was called just Jasienica and was a town as early as 1727
  • Jasienica Dolna – a village near near Nysa
  • Jasienica Gorna – a village near near Nysa on the Czech border
  • Jasienica Sufczynska – a village near near Przemysl
  • Jasienie (Geman Jaschine but the obvious Suavic name made the Nazis change it to Eschenwalde – which just means ash forest)
    • first mentioned: in the Liber foundations episcopates Vratislaviensis as “Cossine solvitur decima more polonico”  “combined with “Lippe Cossine
  • Jasienna – village in the administrative district of gmina Korzenna within Nowy Sacz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south)
    • first mentioned: in 1372
  • Jasiennik Stary – southwest of Biłgoraj
  • Jasień (Cashubian Nënczi or Nënkòwë, German Nenkau) – an administrative part of Gdańsk; previously a separate village;
    • previously Nenkowe village which, however, was then acquired by a certain Jasiński a judge who bought the village in 1704
  • Jasień (German: Lichtenbach) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Tłuchowo, within Lipno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (north-central)
  • Jasień (German: Gassen) – a town in Poland, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship (west)
    • gmina seat
  • Jasień (German: Jassen; Kashubian Jaséń) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Czarna Dąbrówka, within Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship (northern)
    • lies on Lake Jasień
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Rogów, within Brzeziny County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Kobiele Wielkie, within Radomsko County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
    • next to Jasień state park
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Głuchów, within Skierniewice County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
    • near Rawa Mazowiecka
  • Jasień  is a village in the administrative district of gmina Lubochnia, within Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
    • nearby also Nowy Jasień
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Osjaków, within Wieluń County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Brzesko, within Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (southern)
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Chmielnik, within Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (south-central)
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Łopuszno, within Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (south-central)
  • Jasień – is a village in the administrative district of gmina Staszów, within Staszów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (south-central)
  • Jasień – a village in the administrative district of gmina Repki, within Sokołów County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jasień (German: Jasin) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Czempiń, within Kościan County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central)
  • Jasień – a hamlet part of the village Czarna Sędziszowska in the administrative district of gmina Sędziszów Małopolski, within Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (south-eastern)
    • also nearby Mały Jasień
  • Jasień – a part of the town Ustrzyki Dolne
  • Jasieniec – a town and a gmina seat near Grojec
  • Jasieniec Iłżecki Górny – between Ostrowiec and Radom
    • Jasieniec Iłżecki Dolny
    • Nowy Jasieniec Iłżecki
    • Jasieniec Nowy
    • Gajówka Jasieniec
    • Jasieniec-Maziarze
  • Jasieniec Solecki – a village near near Zwoleń
    • Jasieniec Kolonia
  • Jasion – a village in the administrative district of gmina Żarnów, within Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Trzebownisko, within Rzeszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
  • Jasionka – a part of the village Krzywa in the administrative district of gmina Sękowa, within Gorlice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south)
  • Jasionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Zgierz, within Zgierz County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
    • first mentioned: 1396
  • Jasionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Parczew, within Parczew County, Lublin Voivodeship (eastern)
    • first mentioned: 19th century
  • Jasionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Zbuczyn, within Siedlce County, Masovian Voivodeship (east central)
  • Jasionka (German: Jassonke and Neu Jassonke) – settlement in the administrative district of gmina Kołczygłowy, within Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship (north)
    • first mentioned: at least 1749
    • nearby also Nowa Jasionka
  • Jasionka (Ukrainian: Ясінка, Yasinka) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Dukla, within Krosno County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
    • first mentioned: 14th century
    • other: through the village runs the river Jasionka a tributary of Jasiołka.
  • Jasionka – a part of the village Skórka in the administrative district of gmina Parzęczew, within Zgierz County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionka – a part of the village Blizne in the administrative district of gmina Jasienica Rosielna, within Brzozów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
  • Jasionka – a part of the village Krzątka in the administrative district of gmina Majdan Królewski, Kolbuszowa County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
  • Jasionka –  a part of the village Krzewata in the administrative district of gmina Olszówka, Koło County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Piątek, within Łęczyca County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Błaszki, within Sieradz County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Bolimów, within Skierniewice County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Głowno, within Zgierz County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Jędrzejów, within Jędrzejów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (south-central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Białobrzegi, within Białobrzegi County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jasionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Wronki, within Szamotuły County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central)
  • Jasionna (German: Jessen) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Jasień, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship (western)
  • Jasionno – a village near near Elblag
  • Jasionowo – a village in the administrative district of gmina Lipsk, within Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jasionowo – a village in the administrative district of gmina Rutka-Tartak, within Suwałki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jasionowo – a village in the administrative district of gmina Szypliszki, within Suwałki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jasionowo – a village in the administrative district of gmina Sztabin, within Suwałki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jasionowo Dębowskie – a village in the administrative district of gmina Sztabin, within Suwałki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jasionów – (Ukrainian: Ясенів, Yaseniv) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Haczów, within Brzozów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (south-eastern)
  • Jasionów (German: Jeßmenau) – a village in the administrative district of gmina Trzebiel, within Żary County, Lubusz Voivodeship (western)
  • Jasionów – a part of the village Huta Poręby in the administrative district of gmina Nozdrzec, within Brzozów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
  • Jasionów – a hamlet of the village Olszówka in the administrative district of gmina Mszana Dolna, within Limanowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south)
  • Jasło – (German: Jassel) – a county seat in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (southeast)
  • Jastew – a village in the administrative district of gmina Dębno, within Brzesko County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (southern)
  • Jaświły – a village in Mońki County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east)
    • it is the seat of the gmina Jaświły
  • Jesienicha – a settlement in the administrative district of gmina Czarna Białostocka, within Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-eastern)
  • Jesiona – a village  in the administrative district of gmina Kolsko, within Nowa Sól County, Lubusz Voivodeship (western
  • Jesionka – a part of the village Jesiona in the administrative district of gmina Kolsko, within Nowa Sól County, Lubusz Voivodeship (western)
  • Jesionka – a part of the village Szczecin in the administrative district of gmina Dmosin, within Brzezin County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)
  • Jesionka – a colony in the administrative district of gmina Ciechocin, within Golub-Dobrzyń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (north-central)
  • Jesionka – a hamlet part of the village Nowa Wieś Szlachecka in the administrative district of gmina Czernichów within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship (south)
  • Jesionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Szczawin Kościelny, within Gostynin County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jesionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Baboszewo, within Płońsk County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jesionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Wiskitki, within Żyrardów County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jesionka – a village in the administrative district of gmina Czosnów, within Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki County, Masovian Voivodeship (east-central)
  • Jesionka –  a village in the administrative district of gmina Sompolno, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central)
  • Jesionka –  a part of the village Sołtysy in the administrative district of gmina Praszka, within Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship (south-western)
  • Jesionka – a settlement in the administrative district of gmina Czerwionka-Leszczyny, within Rybnik County, Silesian Voivodeship (south)
  • Jesionna – a village in the administrative district of gmina Wodzierady, within Łask County, Łódź Voivodeship (central)

Mountain Peaks

(not shown on map)

  • Jasiennik – peak near Lubomierz in Beskid Sadecki
  • Jasiennik – peak at Przysietnica in Beskid Sadecki

Rivers/Streams/Lakes

(not shown on map except Lake Jasień)

  • Jasienica – a tributary of Ilownica
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Klodnica
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Wirowa
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Gunica
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Rega
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Grabowa
  • Jasienica – a tributary of Wieprza
  • Jasieniczanka – a small river flowing through Jasienica, a village in the administrative district of gmina Myslenice
  • Jasień – a river in the Polish city Łódź; a tributary of Ner 
  • Jasień  (Cashubian Jezero Jaséńsczé, German Jassener See) – a lake in the Bytów Lake District (Pojezierze Bytowskie, Cashubian, Bëtowsczé Pòjezerzé)
    • Bytów is the bigger town there (Cashubian, Bëtowò, German Bütow); its name may come (or vice versa) from the river Bytowa (Bytówka, Cashubian Bëtowa) 
    • a part of the Słupia Valley Landscape Park
  • Jasiołka – a river in SE Poland; a tributary of Wisłoka
  • Jasionka – a tributary of Jasiołka

Outside Poland

(these are just some examples – for a great list of all of these see the Allgemeines geographisch-statistisches Lexikon aller Laender, volume 3 pages 469-478, 486-487 (Ja-) and pages 506-514 (Je-))

Towns/Geographic Features

  • Jasionów – a village in the Brod region near Lviv, Ukraine
  • Jasienica Zamkowa – near Lviv, Ukraine
  • Jasenegg – a village in Austria
  • Jessen – a town in East Germany
  • Jasnitz – a town East Germany
  • Jassmund – Rugia, Germany
  • Jestetten – a town in Germany
  • Jesenwang – a village in Germany
  • Jesen – a village in Slovenia
  • Jesenice – a village in Slovenia
  • Jesenice – a village in the Czech Republic
  • Jesenik – a village in the Czech Republic
  • Jesenec – a village in the Czech Republic
  • Jesenské – a village in Slovakia
  • Jasenica – a village in Slovakia
  • Jasenie – a village in Slovakia
  • Jasenov – a village in Slovakia
  • Jasenovo – a village in Serbia
  • Jasenice – a village in Croatia
  • Jasenovac – a village in Croatia
  • Jasenovac – a village in Bosnia Herzegovina
  • Iesi – a town in Italy (hence the Codex Aesinas)
  • Jesolo – a part of Venice

Mountain Peaks

  • Jeseníky (Polish Jesioniki, German, Gesenke) – a mountain range of Eastern Sudetes in northern Moravia, Czech Silesia and partly in Poland.
    • the two main subranges are the Hrubý Jeseník and the Nízký Jeseník
    • Hrubý Jeseník – a mountain range of Eastern Sudetes in northern Moravia and Czech Silesia; the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic
      • site of such sights as the Devil Stones (Čertovy kameny) and Peter’s Stones (Petrovy kameny)
      • its highest peak is the “Ur-Father” (literally Ur-Old Man or Praděd)  and other peaks include the Great Father (Velký Děd or Great Old Man) and Little Father (Malý Děd or Little Old Man) as well as the Velký Jezerník and Malý Jezerník
      • Velký Jezerník – a peak in the Hrubý Jeseník range
      • Malý Jezerník – a peak in the Hrubý Jeseník range
    • Nízký Jeseník – a peak in the Czech republic on the Polish border
  • Jesza – a mountain in Slovenia

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November 27, 2019

O’Dan & Diva, Adam & Eva

Published Post author

One of the interesting aspects of the Suavic language are its numbers.  I wrote about some of these quirks here but there are others. How about this:

  • “one” – Polish jeden, Russian один or odin
  • “two” – Polish dwa, Russian два or dva

That the word for the number one should refer to a God or, in the alternative, that a God should have been named using the word for “one” is interesting in and of itself. However, is this interpretation persuasive or is the above odin just coincidence?

Interestingly, the female may come to help (though, perhaps to the chagrin of feminists, literally in second place). How is that?

This, comes from Brueckner’s “The Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language” regarding the Polish dwa (“two”):

dwa: … Ancient word; ind. duwau, grec. dyō, łac. duō, ang. two, niem. zwei, lit. dudwi, prus. dwai.

And what do we know of the word “two” in English? This comes from the “Online Etymology Dictionary”:

“Old English twa “two,” fem. and neuter form of twegen “two” (see twain), from Proto-Germanic *twa (source also of Old Saxon and Old Frisian twenetwa, Old Norse tveirtvau, Dutch twee, Old High German zwenezwo, German zwei, Gothic twai), from PIE *duwo, variant of root *dwo- “two.”

Ok, so what?

Here is a hint:

dziewa, dziewicadziewkadziewczynadziewczę

All these mean a (young) woman, a girl or virgin.

Thus, we have one and two, jeden and dwa, the male and the female and the male Deity and the female Deity. This hearkens back to Iasion and Demeter.

The Polish dziewa is of the same root as the word diva which the same etymological dictionary derives as follows:

diva (n.) “distinguished woman singer, prima donna,” 1864, from Italian diva “goddess, fine lady,” from Latin diva”goddess,” fem. of divus “a god, divine (one),” related to deus “god, deity” (from PIE root *dyeu- “to shine,” in derivatives “sky, heaven, god”).

Note too the Suavic words for “day”:

  • dzień (Pol)
  • den/день (Rus)
  • den (Czech)
  • dan (Slovenian)
  • dan/дaн (Serbo-Croatian)
  • deň (Slovak)

What is interesting is that the Danube (and other river names) are derived from PIE *danu- “river.” The worship of rivers may have eventually led to the adoption of the word Don or Dan to mean as much as “Lord” such as Adonis (derived from the Canaanite ʼadōn which is probably the source, so to speak, too of, or at least related to, the Hebrew Adonai).

Interestingly, the River Don also appears in Aberdeenshire where its name is derived from the Celtic Devona “goddess.” Needless, to say that Devona sounds very much like the Polish Dziewanna.

Incidentally, the autocorrect feature changes, were you to attempt to type it, dva into eva. Take that for what you will.

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September 23, 2019

Bertha the Soon-To-Be Queen of the Franks and Her Muslim Diplomacy with Suavic Presents

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Bertha (circa 863 – 868 – March 925) was the (second) illegitimate daughter of Lothair II, King of Lotharingia by his concubine Waldrada. Though born in suspect circumstances she landed on her feet and became countess of Arles by marriage to Theobald of Arles (who died in 895). After that she became margravine of the mark of Tuscany by marriage (sometime between 895 and 898) to Adalbert II (the Rich!) of Tuscany. After Adalbert’s death in the year 915, she then served as regent of Lucca and Tuscany until 916 (during the minority of her son Guy of Tuscany).

In 906 she appears to have written a letter (claiming to be the Queen of the Franks!), via a captured eunuch from the realm of the Aghlabids of Ifriqiyah, to Caliph al-Muktafi (the same whose army sacked Thessalonica in 904) while showering him with presents and, it seems though this is uncertain, asking to set her up (when Adalbert was still alive!?) with the Aghlabid Emir of Sicily. She was apparently convinced that al-Muktafi could make that happen notwithstanding the fact that the Abbasid Caliphate, though nominally in control, did not have much sway with the Aghlabids of Ifriqiyah (Tunisia) and who controlled Sicily at the time (they fell to the Fatimids soon after). In any event, the embassy reached the Caliph where the letter, after some heavy lifting, was translated by the Caliph’s folks (first from Latin into Greek with which the Moors were familiar and, it seems, only then, into Arabic).

We apparently had no knowledge of Bertha’s activities until the letter’s discovery in 1951 (in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey) and publication in 1953 by Muhammad Hamidullah (“An Embassy of Queen Bertha to the Caliph al-Muktafi billah”). The letter was part of a larger work Kitab al-dhakha’ir wa’l-tuhaf, written by Qadi al-Rashid ibn al-Zubayr (Zubayri) which was published by Hamidullah in 1959. That work, dealing mostly with treasures obtained in various ways by Muslim rulers also contains several interesting examples of Western-Eastern correspondence. Not much is known about Zubayr though he was not an eyewitness to these embassies as he was likely an official in Cairo much later the 1060s/1070s (as per the French Ukrainian historian/archeologist Oleg Grabar). (Though mention of Bertha’s correspondence is also made by ibn al-Nadim in the 10th century).

So what does this have to do with Suavs? Well, the letter itemizes Bertha’s presents for the Caliph in detail and among those we find both Suavic eunuchs and Suavic slave girls.

A bit of uncertainty prevails, however, regarding whether the gifts were ever actually sent for there is another version of the below letter from which we learn that the gifts may have stayed home since the eunuch feared being intercepted by the Ifriqiyahs, his former masters. This other version is found in “The Life of al-Muktafi” which also contains the Caliph’s response to Bertha (along the lines of “with all due respect, I know you are not any Queen of the Franks”) as well as information about the return of the eunuch’s embassy to Bertha – it seems that the eunuch did not survive the return journey. The Caliph al-Muktafi also did not live much longer. Bertha, apparently, outlasted them all. What happened to the Suavs and which Suavic tribe they belonged to we will likely never know.

Note that the letter somehow seems to have escaped Lewicki’s team’s notice and is not found in his compendium of Arab and Muslim sources on the Suavs.

Here is the letter:


“In the name of God the merciful and gracious. May God protect you from all your enemies, o’ king excellent in authority and powerful in lordship, secure your kingdom and you healthy in body and soul.

I Bertha, daughter of Lothar, queen of all the Franks (!), I salute you my lord king. There was friendship between me and the king of Ifriqiyah for until now I did not suspect that there was a greater king than him on Earth. My ships having gone out took the ships of the king of Ifriqiyah whose commander was a eunuch named Ali: I took him prisoner together with one hundred and fifty men who were with him on three ships and they remained held by me for seven years. I found him to be intelligent and a quick study and he informs me that you are king over all [Muslim] kings; and though many people had visited my kingdom, no one had told me the truth of you except this eunuch that [now] brings my letter to you. I have sent with him gifts of various things that are found my country to honor you and obtain your friendship; they consist of the following:

  •  fifty swords
  • fifty shields
  • fifty spears (of the type used by the Franks)
  • twenty gold-woven robes
  • twenty Suavic eunuchs
  • twenty beautiful and graceful Suavic slave girls– ten great dogs against which no other beasts can stand
  • seven hawks
  • seven sparrow hawks
  • a silk pavilion with the associated apparatus
  • twenty woolen garments produced from a shell extracted from the seabed in these parts, with iridescent colors like those of the rainbow, changing colors throughout the day
  • three birds (from the land of the Franks) who, if they see poisoned food and drink, throw a horrible scream and flap their wings, so that that circumstance becomes known
  • glass beads that painlessly draw arrows and spearheads, even if the flesh has grown around it.

He [the eunuch Ali] informed me that there is friendship between you and the king of the Byzantines who resides in Constantinople. But my rule is greater and my armies more numerous, for my lordship comprises twenty-four kingdoms, each of which has a different language from that of the kingdom that is near it, and in my kingdom is the city of Rome the Great. God be praised.

He told me about you and that your matters are proceeding well, filling my heart with satisfaction as I ask God to help me obtain your friendship and an agreement between us for however many years I remain alive: whether that happens depends on you. This agreement is a thing that no one in my family, in my clan or in my lineage has ever sought; no one had ever informed me about your armies and the splendor in which you find yourself until this eunuch that I sent to you so informed me.

Now then, oh Lord, by the grace of God, may great well-being be upon you. 

Write to me about your well-being and all that you need most from my kingdom and from my country through this eunuch All. Do not keep him by your side, so that he can [return and] bring me your answer. I await his arrival. I also entrusted him with a secret he will tell you when he sees your face and hears your words, so that this secret may remain between us, since I do not want anyone to know of it except for you, me and this here eunuch.

May God’s most great health be upon you and yours and may God humble your enemies and make your feet trample upon them.

Salutations!”

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May 3, 2019