Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 6 (1897).djvu/576

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554 APPENDIX (2) The Russians spoke Norse, not Slavonic. This is proved by the 9th chapter of Constantino's de Administratione, where the Eussian and Slavonic languages are distinguished ('Pa!(no-T(' and SKXa/SifurTi), and the Russian names of the water- falls are unmistakably Scandinavian. See below, Appendix 15. (3) The names of the first Russian princes and the names of the signatories of the first Russian treaties are Norse. Riurik is the old. Norse Hraerikr ; Oleg is Helgi ; Olga, Helga ; Igor Clyyaip ; Inger in Liutpran'^ is Ingvarr. The boyars who are named in the treatj- of a.d. 912 (Nestor, c. 22) are Kary (Swedish, Kari), Ingeld (O. Norse, Ingialdr), Farlof (Swedish), Vermud (O. Norse, Vermunde), Rulaf (O. Norse, Hrodleifr), Ruald (O. Norse, Hroaldr), Goud (cp. Rimic Kudi), Karn (Scandinavian), Frelaf (O. N., Fridleifr), Rouar (O. N., Hroarr), Trouan (O. N., Droandr), Lidoul (O. N., Lidufr?), Fost (Swedish). There remain two uncertain names, Aktevou and Stemid. Similarly the large proportion of the names in the treaty of 945 (c. 27) are Scandinavian. (4) The Finnish name for Sweden is Ruotsi, the Esthonian is R6ts ; and we can hardly hesitate to identify this with the name of Russia ; Old Slavonic Rous', Greek 'Pais.- This name (neither Finnish nor Slavonic) is derived by Thomsen from the Scandinavian rods (rods-menn = rowers, oarsmen) ; the difiBculty is the dropping out of the dental in Rous, 'P<ws. ■Thus the current opinion which prevailed when the Russians first appeared on the stage of history ; the evidence of their language ; the evidence of their names ; and the survival of the ancient meaning of the Russian name in Finnic, concur in establishing the Scandinavian origin of the Russians. For a development of these arguments and other minor evidence see Prof. V. Thomsen's work, Tlie Relations between Ancient Russia and Scandinavia, and the Origin of the Russian State (Ilchester Lectures), 1877 ; E. Kunik, Die Beru- fung der Schwedischen Rodsen durch die Finn en und Slaven, 1844 ; and see Memoires of the Imperial Academy of Russia, vii. ser. 22, p. 279 sgg. and 409 sqq. ; Bestuzhev-Riumiru Russkaia Istoriia (vol. i.), 1872; Pogodin, Oproisch- oJdenii Rusi, 1825, Drevuiaia Russkaia Istoriia, 1871, and other works. The two most eminent opposition advocates are : Ilovaiski, Razyskaniia O nachahe Rusi, 1876, and Istoriia Rossii (Part 1, Kiev period), 1876; and Gedeonov, Izsliedovaniia o variazhskom voprosie, 1862, Variagi i Rus', 1876. 15. THE WATERFALLS OF THE DNIEPER— (P. 152, 153) In the 9th chapter of his Treatise on the Administration of the Empire, Con- stantine PorphjTogennetos gives a most interesting description of the route of Russian merchants from Novgorod (Ne^oyapSds) to Constantinople, b^- way of Kiev and the Dnieper, and enumerates the rapids of this river, giving in each case both its Russian and its Slavonic name. This passage is of high importance, for it shows that the language which Constantine meant by Russian ('PaxriirTf) was Scandinavian and not Slavonic. Dr. Vilhelm Thomsen of Copenhagen in his Ilchester lectures on " Relations between Ancient Russia and Scandinavia, and the Origin of the Russian State " (1877) has supplied an excellent commen- tary. 1st waterfall is called Essupe ('Eo-ffouTr^) in both languages, with the meaning sleepless (^7) KOiixaadai). It follows that the two names sounded nearly alike to Constantine. The Slavonic for " do not sleep" would be ne spi (and perhaps 'Ecrcroi'Trf) is an error for Necrtroi/Trfj) ; and Professor Thomsen sa3's that the corresponding phrase in Old Norse would be sofeigi or sofattu. This is not quite satisfactory. 2nd waterfall is (a) in Russian, Ulvorsi (OiiAjSopcri), and (b) in Slavonic, Ostro- vuniprach ('0(TTpoPovviwpax), with the meaning the islet of the fall ; («) = holm-fors ; (b) = ostrov'nii prag (islet-fall). 2"P(o? is the exact equivalent of Nestor's Rous', which is a collective tribe name = " the Russians". I'wcria, Russia, was formed from 'Put, and the Russian name Rossiia was a later formation on Greek analogy.