The River-Names of Europe Part 13

[35] I think that these quant.i.ties, so far as they are derived from the Latin poets, should be accepted with some reserve. Unless more self-denying than most of their craft, I fear that they would hardly let a Gallic river stand in the way of a lively dactyl.

[36] I do not know any other instance of this ending in river-names, but I take it to be, like _man_ or _main_, an extension of _may_, and to signify water or river.

CHAPTER V.

THAT WHICH RUNS RAPIDLY, FLOWS GENTLY, OR SPREADS WIDELY.

In the preceding chapter I have included the words from which I have not been able to extract any other sense than that of water. As I have before mentioned, it is probable that in some instances there may be fine shades of difference which would remove them out of that category, but whenever I have thought to have got upon the trace of another meaning, something has in each case turned up to disappoint the conditions.

In the present chapter, which comprehends the words which describe a river as that which runs rapidly, that which flows gently, that which spreads widely, there may still in some cases be something of an appellative sense, because there may be a general word to denote a rapid, a smooth, or a spreading stream.

Among the rivers noted for their rapidity is the Rhone. This is the characteristic remarked by all the Latin poets--

Testis Arar, Rhoda.n.u.sque celer, magnusque Garumna.

_Tibullus._

Qua Rhoda.n.u.s raptim velocibus undis In mare fert Ararim.

_Silv. Ital._

Praecipitis Rhodani sic intercisa fluentis.

_Ausonius._

I think that Donaldson and Mone are unquestionably wrong in making the name of this river Rho-dan-us, from a word _dan_, water. Still more unreasonable is a derivation in the _Cod. Vind._, from _roth_, violent, and _dan_, Celt. and Hebr. a judge! On this Zeuss (_Gramm. Celt._) remarks--"The syllable _an_ of the word Rhoda.n.u.s is without doubt only derivative, and we have nothing here to do with a judge; nevertheless the meaning violent (currens, rapidus,) is not to be impugned." The word in question seems to be found in Welsh _rhedu_, to run, to race, Gael. _roth_, a wheel, &c. But there is a word of opposite meaning, Gael. _reidh_, smooth, which is liable to intermix. Also the Germ.

_roth_, red, may come in, though I do not think that Forstemann has reason in placing all the German rivers to it.

1. _England._ The ROTHA. Lake district.

_Germany._ ROT(AHA), 8th cent. The ROTH, two rivers, the ROTT, three rivers, the ROD(AU), the ROD(ACH), and the ROTT(ACH), all seem to have had the same ancient name.

RAD(AHA) ant., now the ROD(ACH).

_Holland._ The ROTTE, by Rotterdam.

_Asia Min._ RHODIUS ant.[37] Mysia.

2. _With the ending en._ _England._ The RODDEN. Shrops.h.i.+re.

_France._ RHODa.n.u.s ant., now the Rhone.

_Germany._ The ROTHAINE near Stra.s.sburg, seems to have been formerly ROT(AHA).

3. _With the ending ent._[38]

_Germany._ RADANTIA, 8th cent., now the REDNITZ.

4. _With the ending er._ _England._ The ROTHER in Suss.e.x.

The ROTHER, joins the Thames at Rotherhithe.

5. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ RAOTULA, 8th cent., now the RoTEL.

Allied to the last word is the Eng. _race_, and the many cognate words in the Indo-European languages which have the sense of rapid motion, as Welsh _rhysu_, &c.

1. _Scotland._ The RASAY. Ross.h.i.+re.

_Ireland._ The ROSS.

_Germany._ The RISS. Wirtemberg.

_Switzerland._ The REUSS. Joins the Aar.

_Russia._ The RASA.

_Spain._ The RIAZA.

_Asia Min._ RHESUS of Homer not identified.

_India._ RASA, the Sanscrit name of a river not identified.

2. _With the ending el._ _Germany._ The ROSSL(AU). Joins the Elbe.

3. _With the ending et._ _Germany._ The REZAT. Joins the Rednitz.

From the Gael. _garbh_, Welsh _garw_, violent, Armstrong derives the name of the Garonne and other rivers.[39] The root seems to be found in Sansc. _karv_ or _karp_, Latin _carpo_, &c., implying violent action.

The Lat. _carpo_ is applied by the poets to denote rapid progress, as of a river, through a country. So likewise more metaphorically to the manner in which a bold and steep mountain rises from the valley. As also one of our own poets has said--

Behind the valley topmost Gargarus Stands up and _takes_ the morning--

Hence this root is found in the names of mountains as well as rivers--_e.g._, the Carpathians (Carpates), and the Isle of Carpathus, which "consists for the most part of bare mountains, rising to a central height of 4,000 feet, with a steep and inaccessible coast."[40]

1. _Scotland._ GARF water, a burn in Lanarks.h.i.+re.

The GRYFFE. Renfrew.

_Germany._ The GRABOW. Pruss. Pom.

_Danub. Prov._ CARPIS, Herodotus, see p. 73.

2. _With the ending en._ _Scotland._ The GIRVAN. Ayr.

_Italy._ The CARPINO. Joins the Tiber.

The GRAVINO. Naples.

3. _With the ending el._ _Italy._ CERBALUS[41] ant., now the CERVARO--here?

From the Sansc. _su_, to shoot forth, _sus_, _sutis_, rus.h.i.+ng or darting, Gr. s??s??, cursus, I take to be the following. Among the derived words, the Gael. _suth_, a billow, seems to be that which comes nearest to the sense required.

1. _Switzerland._ The SUSS.

_Denmark._ The SUUS(AA).

_Bohemia._ The SAZ(AWA). Joins the Moldau.

_Portugal._ The SOUZA.

_Siberia._ The SOS(VA), two rivers.

_India._ The SUT(OODRA), or Sutledge--here?[42]

2. _With the ending en._ _France._ The SUZON.

_Russia._ The SOSNA, two rivers.

Probably to the above we may put a form _sest_, _sost_, found in the following.

1. _Germany._ The SOESTE. Oldenburg.

_Italy._ SESSITES ant., now the Sesia.

_Persia._ SOASTUS or SUASTUS ant.