Once More on Viltiburg, Wanda, Vistula & Devana

So here is another post on Wandos and Wislas and Viltiburgs. The prior iterations are here and here.

Of course, Gisel/Gisela are Teutonic names (unless you are planning to make a connection with Z-dzisła-w/Z=dzisła-wa which, I think, would be a stretch at present). But Wando is more interesting.

The fact that we also see references to Devana (Taefana? Dziewana) and Viltaburg is curious.

And then we have this strange fact that the abbot Milo the Recluse’s mother was called Wisla.  And then we come to Wando again who is connected with Traiecto (Utrecht) which itself has been connected in Dutch chronicles with Wiltaburg (see here, here, here and here). 

And we have the rivers mentioned such as Vimina, Visrona and Wintlana (all Celtic seemingly but are they?).

Add to this that Isidore places the springs of the river Vindilicus at “the far frontier of Gaul: and says that the “people maintain that the Vandals lived by it and for their name from it.” (book 9,2, 96). Now the river that flows through the former Saint Wandrille “commune” is the Seine or Sequana. The Seine does “kind of” demarcate Gaul but it’d be difficult to call it the frontier of Gaul unless you were excluding the Frankish and Aleman country side (Austrasia by Wandrille’s time and even a portion of Neustria).

Nevertheless, the above begs the question, how is it that a few hundred years later we have the Kadlubek writing in Cracow – perhaps named after the Aleman (or Vandal!?) duke Chrocus – and stating that the river Wisla was, in fact, the Vandal river, so named after the princess Wanda who did not want a Lehman (Aleman) husband? The fact that Wanda (also węda, wędka, wędlina) has clear connotations with water further confuses the matter. And this before you even get to the fact that veda (wiedza) means “knowledge” and we have these strange rituals connecting  wisdom to water such as the river Bóinn (interesting the above work also features a certain Baino, episcopus de civitate Tyroanda) aka Buvinda. On that see this blog here. Of course, the idea that water should drown out those who possess “secret knowledge” is present also in Germania where Tacitus write: “After that, the chariot, the vestments, and, believe it if you will) the goddess herself, are cleansed in a secluded lake. This service is performed by slaves who are immediately afterwards drowned in the lake. Thus mystery begets terror and a pious reluctance to ask what that sight can be which is seen only by men doomed to die.”). And then there is the Velliocassino (Vexin) from the Veliocasses of Caesar whose velio-, if it is a prefix, reminds you of the Veleti aka Wiltzi aka Lutizi (not to mention their connection with our Viltaburg).

That Devana as Dziewana comes up again in Długosz is also interest (see here, here, here, here or here).

An interesting thought is whether Polish Gods incorporate earlier Deities – almost a cross section of the IE (or its E branch) “pantheon”.

Saint-Wandrille-Rançon coat of arms