The River-Names of Europe Part 14

2. _With the ending er._ _Russia._ The SESTRA. Gov. Moskow.

_Germany._ The SOSTER(BACH). Joins the Lippe.

To the above root I also place the following, corresponding more distinctly with Old High German _schuzzen_, Ang.-Sax. _sceotan_, Eng.

_shoot_, Obs. Gael. and Ir. _sciot_, dart, arrow.[43]

1. _With the ending en._ _Germany._ SCUZNA, 8th cent., now the SCHUSSEN.

SCUZEN ant., now the SCHOZACH.

2. _With the ending er._ _Germany._ SCUTARA, 10th cent., now the SCHUTTER, two rivers.

Sc.u.n.tRA, 8th cent., now the SCHONDRA and the SCHUNTER.

From the Germ. _jagen_, to hunt, to drive or ride fast, Bender derives the name of the Jaxt, in the sense of swiftness, suggesting also a comparison with the ancient Jaxartes of Asia. Forstemann considers both suggestions doubtful, but the former seems to me to be reasonable enough. The older sense of _jagen_ is found in the Sansc. _yug_, to dart forth, formed on the simple verb _ya_, to go. And appellatives are found in the Finnic words _jokk_, _joggi_, a river. As for the Jaxartes, I am rather inclined to think that the more correct form would be Jazartes, and that it contains the word _jezer_, before referred to.

1. _Russia._ The JUG. Joins the Dwina.

2. _With the ending et._ _Italy._ JACTUS ant. Affluent of the Po.

_Persia._ The JAGHATU.

_Germany._ The JAHDE,[44] in Oldenburg.

3. _With the ending st._ _Germany._ JAGISTA ant., now the _Jaxt_ or _Jagst_.

From the root _vip_, to move, p. 64, by the prefix _s_, is formed Old Norse _svipa_, Ang.-Sax. _swifan_, Eng. _sweep_, &c. In these the sense varies between going fast and going round, and the same may be the case in the following names.

_France._ The SUIPPE. Joins the Aisne.

_Germany._ SUEVUS, 2nd cent., now the Warnow, or, according to Zeuss, the Oder.

SUAB(AHA), 8th cent., now the SCHWAB(ACH).

From the Obs. Gael. _sgiap_, _sgiob_, to move rapidly, Eng. _skip_, may be the following.

1. _England._ The SHEAF, by Sheffield.

_Germany._ SCIFFA, 9th cent., now the SCHUPF.

_Asia Min._ SCOPAS ant., now the Aladan.

2. _With the ending en._ _England._ The SKIPPON. Joins the Wyre.

In the Gael. _brais_, impetuous, related perhaps to Lat. _verso_, we may find the root of the following.

1. _Germany._ The BIRSE. Prussia.

_Switzerland._ The BIRSE. Cant. Berne.

2. _With the ending en._ _Ireland._ The BROSNA. Leinster.

_Transylvania._ The BURZEN. Joins the Aluta.

_Pruss. Pol._ The PROSNA.

3. _With the ending el._ _France._ The BRESLE. Enters the English Channel.

4. _With the ending ent._ _Germany._ The PERSANTE. Pruss. Pom.

From the Sansc. _rab_ or _rav_, to dart forth, whence (in a somewhat changed sense) Eng. _rave_, French _ravir_, Lat. _rabidus_, &c. The original meaning of a ravine was a great flood, or as Cotgrave expresses it--"A ravine or inundation of water, which overwhelmeth all things that come in its way."

1. _Ireland._ The ROBE. Connaught.

_India._ The RAVEE or Iraotee--here?

2. _With the ending en._ _England._ Various small streams called RAVEN, RAVENBECK, &c.

_France._ The ROUBION, affluent of the Rhone--here?

From the Sansc. _math_, to move, are derived, as I take it, Old High German _muot_, Mod. Germ. _muth_, Ang.-Sax. _mod_, courage or spirit, Welsh _mwyth_, swift, &c., to which I place the following.

1. _Switzerland._ The MUOTTA. Cant. Schwytz.

2. _Compounded with vey, stream or river._ _Wales._ The MUTHVEY. Three rivers.

The Sansc. _sphar_, _sphurj_, to burst forth, shews the root of a number of words such as _spark_, _spring_, _spirt_, _spruce_, _spry_, in which the sense of briskness or liveliness is more or less contained. But the Sansc. _sphar_ or _spar_ must be traced back to a simpler form _spa_ or _spe_, as found in _spew_, to vomit, and in the word _spa_, now confined to medicinal springs.

1. _Scotland._ The SPEY. Elgin.

2. _With the ending en._ _Scotland._ The SPEAN.

3. _With the ending er._ _Scotland._ The SPEAR.

_Germany._ SPIRA, 8th cent., now the SPEIER.

The SPREE. Joins the Havel.

Derived forms from the above root are also the following, which correspond more closely with Germ. _sprutsen_, Ang.-Sax. _sprytan_, Eng.

_spirt_, Ital. _sprizzare_. And I think that most of these names are probably German.

_England._ The SPRINT, a small stream in Westmoreland.

_Germany._ SPRAZAH, 9th cent., some stream in Lower Austria.

The SPROTTA in Silesia.

SPRENZALA, 8th cent., now the SPRENZEL.

SPURCHINE(BACH),[45] 9th cent., now the SPIRCKEL(BACH).

_Eu. Turkey._ The SPRESSA. Joins the Bosna.

In the preceding chapter I have treated of the root _al_, _el_, _il_, to go, and various of its derivations. There is another, _alac_, _alc_, _ilc_, which, as it seems most probably either to have the meaning of swiftness, as in the Lat. _alacer_, or of tortuousness, as in the Greek ??????, I include in this place.

1. _Russia._ The ILEK. Joins the Ural.

_Sicily._ HALYCUS ant., now the Platani.

_Asia Minor._ ALCES ant. Bithynia.

2. _Compounded with may, main, river._ _Siberia._ The OLEKMA. Joins the Lena.

_Germany._ ALKMANA, 8th century, now the Altmuhl.

_Greece._ HALIACMON ant., now the Vistritsa.

From the Welsh _tarddu_, to burst forth, we may take the following.

There does not seem any connection between this and the root of _dart_ (jaculum); the latter from the first signifies penetration, and in river-names comes before us in the oblique sense of clearness or transparency.

1. _Scotland._ The TARTH. Lanarks.h.i.+re.

_Libya._ DARADUS ant., now the Rio di Ouro.

_Armenia._ DARADAX[46] ant. (Xenophon).