The River-Names of Europe Part 11

_Scotland._ The PEFFER. Ross-s.h.i.+re.

_France._ The BIeVRE. Joins the Seine.

_Germany._ BIBER(AHA), 7th cent. The BEVER, the BIBRA, the PEBR(ACH), and the BIBER(BACH).

2. _With the ending en._ _Germany._ BIVERAN, 8th cent., now the BEVER.

_France._ The BEUVRON. Dep. Nievre.

Perhaps also from the root _pi_ we may derive the Ir. _buinn_, river, _bual_, _biol_, water. From the former Mr. Charnock derives the name of the Boyne, a derivation which I think suitable, even if we take the ancient form Buvinda, (_Zeuss, Gramm. Celt._,) which might be more properly Buvinna, as Gironde for Garonne in France. For the Bunaha in Germany, the Old Norse _buna_, scaturire, might also be suggested.

_Ireland._ The BOYNE.

_Germany._ BUN(AHA), 9th cent., now the BAUN(ACH).

From the Ir. _biol_, _buol_, I derive the following, keeping out the rivers of the Slavonic districts, which may be referred to the Slav.

_biala_, white.

1. _England._ The BEELA. Westmoreland.

_Ireland._ The BOYLE, of which, according to O'Brien, the Irish form is BUIL.

_France._ The BOL(BEC). Dep. Seine-Inf.

_Germany._ BOLL(AHA) ant. Not identified.

_Asia Minor._ BILLaeUS ant., now the Filyas.

2. _With the ending er._ _Germany._ The BUHLER. Wirtemberg.

_Russia._ The BULLER.

3. _With the ending et._ _Germany._ The BULLOT. Baden.

_Russia._ The POLOTA. Joins the Dwina.

A very obscure root in river-names is _gog_ or _c.o.c.k_. The only appellatives I find are in the Celtic, viz., Gael. _caochan_, a small stream, Arm. _goagen_, wave; unless we think also of the word _jokk_, _joggi_, which in the Finnic dialects signifies a river; and in that case the most probable root would be the Sansc. _yug_, to gush forth. To the river Coquet, in Northumberland, something of a sacred character seems to have been ascribed; an altar having been discovered bearing the inscription "Deo Cocidi," and supposed to have been dedicated to the genius of that river. Again, we are reminded of the Cocytus in Greece, a tributary of the river Acheron, invested with so many mysterious terrors as supposed to be under the dominion of the King of Hades.

Possibly, however, it might only be the similarity, or ident.i.ty, of the names which transferred to the one something of the superst.i.tious reverence paid to the other. At all events, I can find nothing in the etymology to bear out such a meaning.

1. _England._ COCBRoC (_Cod. Dip._) This would seem to have probably been a small stream called c.o.c.k, to which, as in many other cases, the Saxons added the word brook.

2. _Germany._ COCHIN(AHA), 8th cent., now the KOCHER.[33]

3. _With the ending er._ _England._ The c.o.c.kER. c.u.mberland.

The c.o.kER. Lancas.h.i.+re.

_India._ The KOHARY--here?

4. _With the ending el._ _Transylvania._ The KOKEL, two rivers.

_England._ c.o.c.kLEY-BECK.[34] c.u.mberland.

_Germany._ CHUCHILIBACH, now Kuchelbach.

5. _With the ending et._ _England._ The COQUET. Northumberland.

_Greece._ COCYTUS ant., now the Vuvo.

6. _In a compound form._ _England._ The CUCKMARE, Suss.e.x, with the word _mar_, p. 61.

From the Sansc. _mid_, to soften, to melt, (perhaps formed on the root _mi_, p. 59), come Sansc. _miditas_, fluid, Lat. _madidus_, wet. Herein seems a sufficient root for river-names, but there is another which is apt to intermix, Sansc. _math_, to move, whence, I take it, and not from the former is Old Norse _moda_, a river. I separate a form _med_ or _mid_, in which the sense of _medius_, and also that of _mitis_, is in some cases clearly brought out; and another, _muth_ or _muot_, which, though from the same root, as I take it, as _moda_, a river, (_math_, to move), has more evidently the sense of speed.

1. _Germany._ MOTA, 8th cent., now the MEDE or MEHE.

2. _With the ending er._ _England._ The MADDER. Wilts.h.i.+re.

_Germany._ MATRA, 8th cent., now the MODER.

_Italy._ METAURUS ant., the METAURO--here?

3. _With the ending ern._ _France._ MATRONA[35] ant., now the Marne.

_Italy._ MATRINUS ant. in Picenum.

4. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ The MADEL.

The only appellative for a river which I find derived from its sound is the Sanscrit _nadi_, Hind. _nuddy_, from _nad_, sonare. Whether the following names should come in here may be uncertain; I can find no links between them and the Sanscrit; perhaps the root _nid_, p. 54, may be suitable.

1. _France._ NODA ant., now the Noain.

2. _With the ending er._ _England._ The NODDER. (Noddre, _Cod. Dip._) _Hungary._ The NEUTRA. Joins the Danube.

3. _With the ending es._ _Venetia._ NATISO ant., now the NATISONE.

The only words I can find at all bearing upon the following river-names are the Serv. _jezor_, Bohem. and Illyr. _jezero_, lake, wherein may probably lie a word _jez_, signifying water. But respecting its etymology I am entirely in the dark.

1. _Germany._ JAZ(AHA), 8th cent., now the JOSS.

JEZ(AWA), 11th cent., a brook near Lobenstein.

The JETZA. Joins the Elbe.

The JESS(AVA). Joins the Danube.

2. _With the ending er._ _Russia._ The JISDRA. Joins the Oka.

3. _Compounded with main, river._ _Russia._ The JESMEN. Gov. Tchnerigov.

Another word, of which the belongings are not clearly to be traced, is the Armorican _houl_, _houlen_, unda, to which we may put the following.

1. _England._ The HULL. Joins the Humber.

_Finland._ The ULLEA. Gulf of Bothnia.

_Spain._ The ULLA in Galicia.

2. _Compounded with ster, river._ _Germany._ ULSTRA, 9th cent., now the ULSTER.

In the Irish and Obs. Gael. _dothar_, water, Welsh _diod_, drink, _diota_, to tipple--with which we may perhaps also connect the Lapp.

_dadno_, river, Albanian d?t, sea, and Rhaet. _dutg_, torrent, we may find the root of the following.

1. _Germany._ The DUYTE. Joins the Hase.

The DUDE, a small stream in Prussia.

2. _With the ending en._ _England._ The DUDDON. Lake district.

3. _With the ending er._ _Ireland._ The DODDER.

4. _Compounded with mal._[36]

_Germany._ DUTHMALA, 8th cent., now the DOMMEL.