The etymologies of the word Rusj: A comparative approach

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The etymologies of the word Rusj A comparative
approach

• by Joshua McCall

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Contents

• Whats the problem?
• The two theories
• Methodology
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Future work

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Whats the problem?

• No question in the entire field of Russian
  history has drawn more attention in historical
  literature, and has created more controversies
  than the problem of the origin of the Russian
  state.
• The origin of Rusj, in essence, defines the
  entire Russian nation.
• Slava, is the standard.
• In the ninth century, the cultural prominence of
  Kievan Rusj, or simply Rusj, was inferior only
  to that of Byzantium.

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Two theories Normanists

• In AD 1748 a historian name Gerhardt Fredrich
  Müller presented a theory on the origin of Rusj
  to the Academy of Sciences.
• The oldest source of historical evidence
  supporting this theory is found in the Primary
  Chronicle, which was recorded at or about AD 1113
  by the Kievan monk-chronicler known only as
  Nestor.

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Two theories Normanists

• In his history, Nestor refers to a Scandinavian
  people called the Russes who settled in what is
  now Russia, according to Nestor, in the year AD
  862.
• This is not only the oldest source of historical
  evidence supporting the Normanist theory, but
  also the primary source.

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Two theories Normanists

• They (the natives) accordingly went overseas to
  the Varangian Russes these particular Varangians
  were known as Russes, just as some are called
  Swedes, and others Normans, Angles, and Goths,
  for they were thus named. The Chuds, the Slavs
  and the Krivichians then said to the people of
  Rus Our whole land is great and rich, but there
  is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over
  us! They thus selected three brothers, with
  their kinsfolk, who took with them all the Russes
  and migrated. The oldest, Rurik, located himself
  in Novgorod the second, Sineus, in Byeloozero
  and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. On account of
  these Varangians, the district of Novgorod became
  known as the land of Rus. The present inhabitants
  of Novgorod are descended from the Varangian
  race, but aforetime they were Slavs (Nestor
  1930145).

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Two theories Normanists

• This theory was stigmatized by a nationalistic
  Russian academia for good reason.

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Two theories Normanists

• Since Müllers initial publication, supporters of
  his theory have substantiated it by finding
  similarities between the word Rusj and Finnish
  and Greek forms, Ruotsi and Ros respectively,
  which are semantically connected with the peoples
  of Scandinavia.

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Normanists problems

• Since even the Chronicles first redaction,
  which we do not possess, it was obviously a
  compilation of facts, fantasies, interpretations,
  materials of different origins, interpolated
  discourses, imitations of other sources and
  fortuitous or non-fortuitous omissions modern
  historians have had a jolly time tearing down the
  flimsy edifice. . . . For, having discarded all
  the evidence, and having nowhere else to look for
  more, they began replacing it with wishful
  figments of imagination, each expert brilliantly
  succeeding in proving exactly what he set out to
  prove.

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Two theories anti-Normanists

• Anti-Normanists, such as Mikhail Lomonosov, found
  that there were factual inconsistencies in the
  Primary Chronicle.
• The Chronicle placed the date of the arrival of
  the Russes at AD 862, which conflicted with other
  sources that recorded the name Rusj before then.
• Dmitry Ilovaisky, a Russian historian of some
  note, took it upon himself to find links between
  Rusj and found that the names of many European
  rivers, including some in Russia, seemed to be
  forms of Rusj

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Two theories anti-Normanists

• The native name or Rosj Rusj, like many other
  names, is directly connected with the names of
  rivers. Eastern Europe is replete with rivers,
  which are or once were called by that name. Thus,
  Neman, in the old days, was called Rosj one of
  its tributaries retained the name Rusj, and the
  bay into which it drains was named Rusna. Next we
  find Rosj or Rusa, the river in the Novogorod
  province Rusj, the moth of the Narev Rosj, the
  famous mouth of the Dnieper in Ukraine Rusa, the
  mouth of the Semi . . . But most importantly,
  the name Rosj or Ras belonged to our Volga
  (Ilovaiski 1890vii).

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Two theories anti-Normanists

• There is also an obvious similarity between the
  old Slavic word ruslo (river or stream bed) and
  rusalka (water sprite). Numerous anti Normanists
  have pointed out that these forms adequately
  predate the arrival of the Russes and are
  feasible, albiet distant, roots for Rusj.

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Methodology

• In order to determine which of the four evidences
  presented is the least likely, we can look at
  documented sound changes that took place after
  the time the forms started appearing.
• This would give us an idea about whether or not
  it is feasible, for instance, if Ruotsi (one of
  the possible links in the derivational chain of
  the word in question) became Rusj through a sound
  change.
• C ? Cj / __V front

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Analysis

• The sound change that would be required to give
  Ruotsi from Rusj is nonexistent.
• The change ou ? u does not apply, making this an
  unlikely etymological derivation.
• It is wholly possible the Vikings took the Greek
  term Ros with them back to Russia and used it
  there.
• This would explain the forms R?sjija, and its
  adjectival form, r?sjiski, both of which have o
  as the underlying form of the first vowel. This
  part of the Normanist theory stands up to
  scrutiny.

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Analysis

• The numerous names found by Ilovaiski have forms
  with palatalization of the final s and without.
  Thus, many of them do not need a sound change to
  be possible root for Rusj. Many of the forms also
  predate the Chronicle.
• Concerning the loss of palatalization that would
  be required to explain the change of rusalka or
  ruslo ? Rusj, we do have a record of several
  forms that inexplicably became palatalized in
  their final consonant (e.g., tvar ? tvarj).

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Conclusion

• The origin of the name Rusj remains obscure, in
  spite of the persistent efforts of scholars.
• Both theories are possible, and in fact, could
  coexist. Though the derivation through Ruotsi is
  highly unlikely, the Greek form Ros is possible,
  which substantiates the Normanist theory.

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Conclusion

• Both possible derivations proposed by the
  anti-Normanists are equally possible.
• The river and water names discovered by Ilovaiski
  are possible.
• The derivations through rusalka and ruslo are
  also possible.

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Future work

• Though they warrant research, I did not look at
  Finnish sound changes which may have taken place
  to produce Ruotsi from another form. Further
  research would need to be done to fully discount
  this theory which includes studying other Baltic
  roots, such as the Estonian form Rotsi.