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Gothic Name Elements Guide

The document discusses Gothic naming conventions by comparing Gothic name forms found in historical sources to reconstructed Gothic vocabulary and other Germanic names. It provides tables of common Gothic name elements, including initial elements like "Ahta" meaning terrible and terminal elements like "-reiks" meaning ruler/king. Gothic names were often combinations of these elements, such as "Gaisumunths" meaning spear-protector. Over time the meanings of name elements combined nonsensically, and names became traditional without consideration of their original meanings. Some names were contractions or abbreviations of longer forms, while others incorporated diminutive suffixes like "-ila".

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Filip Krystian Gajos
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1K views3 pages

Gothic Name Elements Guide

The document discusses Gothic naming conventions by comparing Gothic name forms found in historical sources to reconstructed Gothic vocabulary and other Germanic names. It provides tables of common Gothic name elements, including initial elements like "Ahta" meaning terrible and terminal elements like "-reiks" meaning ruler/king. Gothic names were often combinations of these elements, such as "Gaisumunths" meaning spear-protector. Over time the meanings of name elements combined nonsensically, and names became traditional without consideration of their original meanings. Some names were contractions or abbreviations of longer forms, while others incorporated diminutive suffixes like "-ila".

Uploaded by

Filip Krystian Gajos
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The forms of Gothic names found in works of history are generally based on those found in the Greek and

Latin sources. By comparing these forms to the known Gothic vocabulary and to other Germanic names, however, it is possible to reconstruct something like their original Gothic forms. Thus historians talk of Theodoric the Great, Odovacar, Alaric or Uraias but the Goths would have said 'Thiudareiks', 'Audawakrs'. 'Alhareiks' and 'Wraihja'. Many Gothic names, like early Germanic names generally, are made of two nymic elements being combined - these tables give a list of some of the more common Gothic nymic elements, with their Modern and Old English equivalents.

Initial Nymic Elements

Gothic
AhtaAirmanaAlhAmalaAndaAnsAthalaAthanaAudaBadwaBalthaDagaFiluFrithuGaisuGawiGodaGudaGunthaHarjaHauhaHildiHunaLiudaMahtaNanthaRaginaRedaReika-

English
terrible lofty(?) temple effort/toil(?) spirit/courage god noble year(?) wealth battle bold day much peace spear country good God battle army high war Hun(?) people mighty brave counsel counsel ruler/king

Old English
EormenEalh-

OsAethelEadBeadoBaldDaegFreothuGarGodGuthHereHeahHildeHunLeodMeahtNothRaedRic-

SigisaSunyaSwinthaThaurisThiudaThrasaWaihtiWandilaWiliWinithaWulfa-

victory true strong daring people confidence fighting Vandal will Wend wolf

SigeSwithTheodWihtWilWulf-

Terminal Nymic Elements (Masculine)

Gothic
-badws -bairhts -balths -friths -funs -gairns -gais -gauya -harjis -liufs -mers -munths -nanths -reths -reiks -swinths -wakrs -wulfs

English
war bright bold peaceful ready/eager desiring spear citizen(?) army dear famous protector daring counsel ruler/king strong watchful wolf

Old English
-baed(?) -berht -bald -frith -fus -georn -gar -here -leof -maer -mund -noth -red -ric -swith -wacor -wulf

Terminal Nymic Elements (Feminine)

Gothic

English

Old English

-gunth(i)s battle -gyth -hild(i)s war -hild -swintha strong -swith It is possible to create a Gothic name by combining two of these traditional elements Gaisumunths = 'spear-protector', or Harjareiks = 'army ruler'. Many of these duonymic names had 'meanings' which were nonsensical or even contradictory, such as Frithugais (peace spear) or Frithubadws (peace war). It seems that 'Frithu-' was simply a traditional element for the

beginning of a name and '-gais' was simply a traditional element for the ending of a name and the 'meaning' of the two elements in combination simply did not matter. Eventually the names themselves would have become traditional and no-one would have thought of their meanings any more than modern people think about the Latin, Greek or Hebrew meanings of many of their names. Some Gothic names seem to be contractions or abbreviations of longer, more traditional forms. 'Gaina' may be a contraction of 'Gaisananths' for example. Similarly, 'Wamba' may be a contraction of 'Wandilbairhts', or it may mean 'belly' (as in the English 'womb') and be a nickname for a fat man or a man with a large appetite. Other Gothic names were diminutives, created by the addition of the suffixes '-ila' or 'ika'. 'Attila' (Little Father - 'atta'+'-ila') is one of the more famous of these names, as is 'Wulfila' (Little Wolf) the original Gothic form of the name of the apostle to the Goths, Ulphilas. Finally, shorter Gothic names were also common and these were formed by adding the final elements '-a' or '-ja' to the initial nymic elements listed above or to other Gothic words. So Uraias' real name may have been 'Wraihja' from the vern 'wreihan' - to protect, while Leuva could have been 'Liuba' from the noun 'liufs' - dear one.

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