The River-Names of Europe Part 2

2. _With the ending en._ _Switzerland._ The EMMEN. Two rivers.

3. _With the ending er._ _England._ The HUMBER. Humbre, _Cod. Dip._ The AMBER. Derbys.h.i.+re.

_Germany._ AMBRA, 8th cent., now the AMMER, and the EMMER.

_Italy._ UMBRO ant., now the OMBRONE.

4. _With the ending el._ _England._ The AMBLE or HAMBLE. Hants.

The AMELE or EMELE, now the Mole, in Surrey.

_Germany._ The HAMEL. Hanover.

_Belgium._ AMBL(AVA), 9th cent., now the AMBL(eVE).

5. _With the ending es, perhaps = Sansc. ambhas, water._ _England._ The HAMPS. Stafford.

_France._ The AMa.s.sE. Joins the Loire.

_Germany._ AMISIA, 1st cent. The EMS in Westphalia.

EMISA, 8th cent. The EMS in Na.s.sau.

6. _With the ending st._[3]

_Asia._ AMBASTUS ant. Now the Camboja.

The whole of the above forms are to be traced back to the Sanscrit verb _ab_ or _amb_, signifying to move; and that probably to a more simple verb _a_. The Old Norse _a_, Ang.-Sax. _ea_, water or river, contain then a root as primitive as language can show. We can resolve it into nothing simpler--we can trace it back to nothing older. And it is curious to note how the Latin _aqua_ has, in the present French word _eau_, come round again once more to its primitive simplicity. Curious also to note to what phonetic proportions many of the words, as the Avon, the Humber, &c., have grown, and yet without adding one particle of meaning, as I hold, to the primeval _a_.

The root of the following group seems to be Sansc. _ux_ or _uks_, to water, whence Welsh _wysg_, Irish _uisg_, Old Belg. _achaz_, water or river. Hence also Eng. _ooze_, and according to Eichoff (_Parrallele des langues_), also _wash_.

1. _England._ The AXE, Devon. The AXE, Somers.

The ASH, Wilts. _Cod. Dip._ ASCE.

The ISACA, or ISCA (Ptolemy). The EXE.

The ESK, c.u.mb. ESKE, Yorks.

The ESK, in Scotland, five rivers.

The USK, in Monmouths.h.i.+re.

_France._ The ISAC. Dep. Mayenne.

The ESQUE. Normandy.

The ACHASE. Dauphine.

_Germany._ ACHAZA, 10th cent., now the ESCHAZ.

ACa.r.s.e,[4] 11th cent., now the AXE.

The AHSE. Prussia.

_Msia._ SCUS ant.

_Asia._ ACES ant. (Herodotus), now the OXUS or Amou.

_Greece._ AXIUS ant., now the Vardar in Macedon.[5] AXUS or OAXES in Crete, still retains its name.

2. _With the ending en._ _France._ AXONA ant. (Caesar.) Now the AISNE.

_Asia._ ASCANIA ant. Two lakes, one in Phrygia, and the other in Bithynia.

3. _With the ending el._ _England._ UXELLA ant., (Richard of Cirencester), supposed to be the Parret.

The ESKLE, Hereford.

_Germany._ ISCALA, 8th cent. The ISCHL.

_Russia._ The OSKOL. Joins the Donetz.

4. _With the ending er._ _France._ OSCARA ant., now the OUSCHE.

_Belgium._ HISSCAR, 9th cent., seems not to be identified.

I am inclined to bring in here the root _is_, respecting which Forstemann observes that it is "a word found in river-names over a great part of Europe, but the etymology of which is as yet entirely unknown."

I connect it with the above group, referring also to the Old Norse _is_ motus, _isia_, proruere, as perhaps allied. I feel an uncertainty about bringing the name OUSE either in this group or the last, for two at least of the rivers so called are so very tortuous in their course as to make us think of the Welsh _osgo_, obliquity.

1. _Germany._ The ISE and the EIS(ACH).

_Syria._ ISSUS ant., now the Baias--here?

2. _With the ending en._ _Germany._ ISANA, 8th cent. The ISEN.

3. _With the ending er._ _France._ ISARA, 1st cent. B.C. The ISeRE and the OISE.[6]

_Germany._ ISARA ant. The ISAR.

4. _With the ending el._ _Scotland._ The ISLA. Two rivers.

_France._ The ISOLe.

_Holland._ ISELA, 8th cent., now the YSSEL.

_Spain._ The ESLA.

5. _With the ending es._ _England._ The ISIS, vulg. Ouse.

6. _With the ending et._ _Siberia._ The ISSET. Joins the Tobol.

7. _In a compound form._ The ISTER, or Danube, perhaps = IS-STER, from a word _ster_, a river, hereafter noticed.

ISMENUS ant., in Botia. The ending seems to be from a Celt. word _man_ or _mon_, probably signifying water or river, and found in several other names, as the Idumania of Ptolemy, now the Blackwater, the Alcmona of Germany, now the Altmuhl, the Haliacmon of Macedonia, now the Vistritza, &c.

HESUDROS, the ancient name of the Sutledge (Sansc. _udra_, water), may also come in.

From the Sansc. _ud_, water--in comp. _udra_, as in _samudra,_ the sea, _i.e._, collection of waters, (see also Hesudros above)--come Sansc.

_udon_, Gr. ?d??, Slav. _woda_, Goth. _wato_, Germ. _wa.s.ser_, Eng.

_water_, Lith. _audra_, fluctus, &c.

1. _Italy._ ADUA ant., now the ADDA.

_Bohemia._ The WAT(AWA).

2. _With the ending en = Sansc. udon, water?_ _France._ The ODON.

_Germany._ ADEN(OUA), 10th cent., now the ADEN(AU).

3. _With the ending er = Germ. wa.s.ser, Eng. water, &c._ _England._ The ODDER and the OTTER.

The WODER, Dorset. Woder, _Cod. Dip._ The ADUR in Suss.e.x.

The VEDRA of Ptolemy, now the Wear, according to Pott, comes in here.

_France._ ATURUS ant., now the ADOUR.

AUDURA ant., now the EURE.

_Germany._ ODORA ant., now the ODER.

WETTER(AHA), 8th cent., now the WETTER.[7]

4. _With the ending rn._[8]

_Germany._ ADRANA, 1st cent., now the EDER.

_Asia Minor._ The EDRENOS. Anc. Rhyndacus.

5. _With the ending el._ _Russia._ The VODLA. Lake and river.

To the above root I also put a form in _ed_, corresponding with Welsh _eddain_, to flow, Ang.-Sax. _edre_, a water-course, &c.