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© 2020. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

This article deals with the etymological analysis of the god name Pripegala mentioned only in the epistle against the Pagan Slavs, written by the archbishop of Magdeburg Adelgot (1108) which characterizes the cult of this deity of the Veleti-Lutici as very cruel. The authenticity of this record is considered to be doubtful. A great number of etymologies have been proposed for this theonym; all of them, however, are based on a mere phonetic similarity (mostly rather approximate) and are not reliable. Only M. Žunkovič's briefly presented hypothesis (·Priběgala connected with Sl. pribcg 'defense, asylum', in the supposed meaning 'sanctuary') can be accepted both because of the fact that this lexeme is really attested in the Bulgarian anthroponymy and from the phonetic side (cfr. the analogical change b > p in some medieval German place names), but it is unsatisfactory from the word-formative point of view. The author explains this theonym as a nomen agentis derived from the verb ·pribegati 'come running' by means of the suffix -lo or 4а and compares it with the Belarusian mythonym tsar Pabjagaj (- dzed Sivavaj), a fairy tale character whose image would be interpreted as a transformation of the image of the god Velesü/Volosü - the Thunderer's rival in the principal Balto-Slavic myth. Consequently, the name of Pabjagaj is explained as a taboo denomination referring to the plot of the same myth, according to which, Velesu had to run off Perun who pursued him. The same motivation is very probable for Pripegala as well: the information narrated by Adelgot closely corresponds to what is known about the cult of Velesü/Volosü among the East Slavs and of his Baltic counterpart. It is remarkable that the name of the Veleti itself is cognate with the theonym Velesu.

Details

Title
Этимология полабского теонима Pripegala
Author
Yuyukin, Maxim Anatolevich
Pages
5-14
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Firenze University Press Università degli Studi di Firenze
ISSN
1824761X
e-ISSN
18247601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
Russian
ProQuest document ID
2427314480
Copyright
© 2020. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.