Monthly Archives: November 2019

Jasiels, Jasieńs, Jasions Gallore

PublishedNovember 27, 2019 Post authortorino

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

Copyright jassa.org ©2019, All Rights Reserved

November 27, 2019

Horsesh*t?

PublishedNovember 8, 2019 Post authortorino

The name Ūsiņš may, perhaps, be linked to the Ashvini (अश्विनी aśvinī) which refers to a portion of the moon’s path in Indian astronomy. Ashvini are also the divine twins of the Vedas (healers too, like Iasion, perhaps). These twins may, in fact, also be linked to horses and also, like Ūsiņš, to bees. They may also connected to the Lithuanian Ašvieniai. You see Old Lithuanian ašva and Sanskrit ashva mean “horse”. And the Avestani aspa also means horse and since a wasp or an osa is “kind of” like a bee, there may be more than one connection.

Bee that as it may…

There is something else that is very interesting here.

Why is a horse ashva or aśva in Sanskrit?

Well, an azvin is a horse tamer and, wait for it, aśvayúj, means “harnessing horses.” But harnessing does not just mean the physical act of putting on a harness. Rather it means “taming.”

Now, in Polish, of course, oswoić means, precisely, to tame.

But the crazy thing is that oswoić has a clear etymology of taming and not just taming horses. It consist of the prefix o- and swoić which means “one’s own” like swoi. It is not, in any way, limited to taming or domesticating horses. Rather it can be applied to any animal and can even be used metaphorically.

In other words, it is highly unlikely that the Polish oswoić can be derived from the Sanskrit aśvayúj which is limited to “harnessing” and “taming” horses only.

Unless this is a coincidence, which is a possibility, or a different explanation arises (there are a few, I think remote ones, that do appear to me) one has to at least admit the more obvious possibility that the similarity is caused by Sanskrit aśvayúj coming from an older source language with the original meaning then being lost in Sanskrit but which meaning was retained in proto-Suavic (you could also claim that Sanskrit derives from proto-Suavic, I suppose, though a more modest claim may, at this time, be more palatable).

original “oswoić” >  ashva/aśva > aśvayúj

“to make one’s own” > “horse” > “to tame a horse”

And that is why ashva/aśva means “horse”.

Strange? You better believe it.

Copyright jassa.org ©2019, All Rights Reserved.

November 8, 2019

On the Rebellious Thunderfork

PublishedNovember 1, 2019 Post authortorino

A reader mentioned a radio interview given by two Polish academics: professors Duczko and Słupecki. The interview deals with Polish pagan customs and related topics. You can find it on the web. In any event, one of the claims made there, it seems, is that the Polish word piorun (that is “thunder”) is a relict of the worship the god Perun.

This is backasswards as I’ve hinted at already before.

The argument goes something like this: Suavs worshipped Perun but the use of the name was “taboo” so when they spoke of “thunder” they used grom instead. Grom is a word used for thunder by all Suavs.  (Incidentally, it is at the root of the word pogrom which just means a heavy defeat and which, in more recent centuries, had been applied to outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence).

But the fact that Poles (including Kashubians) use the word piorun to designate “thunder” proves that the word was known everywhere among Suavs (correct), was associated with thunder (still correct) and, this is the leap, with the all-Suavic “thunder god” (nope!).

In fact, the only thing the Polish use of the word piorun proves is that that was the Suavic word for thunder or, perhaps, for a thunder bolt. Such use does not prove the existence of any all-Suavic “thunder” god.

For one thing, if the name was really “taboo” then why was it not “taboo” for the Poles and Kashubians!?

For another, there is no evidence of the worship of Perun anywhere in Suavdom except, crucially, the Kievan Rus.

Quite apart from this, perunica is a type of the iris flower among the Southern Suavs (and, at least some of these, came from the East) so if there was a taboo, it seems to have had a limited scope.

The story, I believe, is quite different but much more interesting. The word piorun (not perun) was a word used for “fork” throughout continental Europe. This is so in Greek. Same in Venetic. It appears in the name of the Pirin range and of the Pyrenees…

Whether the word originated as a name for a “fork” that was later applied to an atmospheric phenomenon or, vice versa, it originated as the name of the atmospheric phenomenon and then was applied to a common utensil such as a fork, likely, no one will ever know. If the latter is true then it certainly is possible that it had an early “divine” connotation but this neither necessary nor, in any event, relevant for the Suavic Perun question. The word may simply refer to “thunder” and, well, it thunders in the mountains for reasons that are obvious to the modern man.

It seems that a cognate name – Fjörgynn – was deified in Scandinavia – at least in the Middle Ages. As the Viking (and, maybe, Goths) expanded they first got to the Balts whose own word for perkunas might at that point acquired a “divine” quality. From the Balts, the Vikings carried that Perkunas to the East Suavs in Kiev who adopted it as Perkun along with the “thunder” God connotation which, by the way, by then was likely associated by the Vikings with Thor. Another route could have been from the East where a similar process may have resulted in the the Vedic Parjanya.

The West Suavs, however, retained their piorun as a name for thunder which, however, never was a “divine” name for them.

Of course, and quite obviously, a terrible atmospheric phenomenon such as thunder would have likely been associated by the primitive man with the divine. But that certainly does not mean that there was ever a God named “thunder” until, that is, Scandinavia, the “vagina of peoples” also proved itself a “vagina of Deities” where every aspect of the divine became a God or Goddess in its own right.

If you are interested in other cognates throughout history, check out SMU’s mascot Peruna (the first of the name got its own Peruna statue!) named after the peruna “miracle cure.” Or look at the etymology of a “pear” which goes to the Swedish päron – that a pear looks like “Thor’s Hammer” I’ve mentioned before and, it is possible, that that form of the name was known to Scandinavians even before they crossed the Baltic. Whether by then they recognized the same root as Fjörgynn is rather doubtful.

And, to close the loop on this, Fjörgynn itself also is cognate with “fork.” Furthermore, the words fork and Fjörgynn likely come from something like piorun. Thus, if true we have:

piorun/πιρούνι/pironi = fork >

> Vedic God Parjanya

> Scandinavian God  Fjörgynn

> Mordwin God Pur’ginepaz

> Baltic Gods Perkūnas/Pērkons/Perkūns/Perkunos/Parkuns

> Peron (but now as the Kievan Rus God)

This is not to say that the symbol of the lightning was not understood by the West Suavs as a Divine symbol. For example, the Polish word for “fork” is widelec. This is cognate with widły (a garden fork or trident) which is a plural form (meaning there are multiple wids). Now, the question is why “wid“? Well, wid or vid simply means “to see” but also “a lord” thus we have Svantevit – or “Great Lord”. (Further, these are also cognates with “knowledge” as in vedas).

But the point is that the Name of that Sky God was not Perun or Piorun – rather, that was the name of the Holy Utensil.

Or, before that was invented, perhaps of the Divine Appendage.  

In another alternative, note that the word for “arrow” in certain places in Poland was itself piorun.

from Moszyński’s treatise: Folk Culture of the Suavs

The Name was the Lechitic and Venetic Jasień or Jassa or Baltic Usenj or Iasion which the Scandinavians also kept as the Aesir.

It is also the Name of the type of a world tree – ash. If you believed that we lived on a Giant Tree (perhaps one among many such trees in the Sky Forest – hence gwiazdy) then, it is possible that you could also have believed that the hands of that tree would stretch out to Earth (perhaps in a fertility act between Iasion and the Mother of the Gods – Demeter) and, over time, that hand of God acquired a separate Divinity – so much so that, in at least the Greek version of the story, Zeus – the Thunder God par excellence, strikes out at Iasion who, in this version is portrayed as a demigod and his son which may well have been a reflection of an act of usurpation, a palace coup delivered by the Greeks to the earlier IE faith of the region.

As an aside, note that that Name that is also likely cognate with the “hero” Jason and check out this map of Jason’s return journey guesstimated by Jason Colavito (with a slight modification by me) when using the version of the story provided by Timaeus of Taormina.

Now, whether the Scandinavians always had two gods or whether Thor or Odin was adopted from elsewhere is another matter. If you believe the above are not necessarily lightning but rain then the Storm God may be Wotan of the woda even if, in later days, Wotan was reduced to war and Thor seems to have become the Rain God (“If plague and famine threaten, a libation is poured to the idol Thor; if war, to Wotan, if marriages are to be celebrated, to Frikko”).

Finally, Duczko and Słupecki mentioned possible pagan-town names in Poland of Swarożyn (Swaroschin) and Strzyboga (also rivulus Striboc; but then why not Strebechi near Halberstadt – today’s Schachdorf Ströbeck). These may or may not have anything to do with Svarozic or Stribog. But the professors failed to mention the villages named Łada and those villages whose names may be derived from ash tree names but might just as well be derived from the name of Jasień – of these there is quite a multitude – a topic for another day perhaps.

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November 1, 2019