But if Rugian had separated from NW
Germanic five or six centuries before distinctively Northern developments took
place, Old Norse etymologies should not be expected to fit so well a
thousand years after the separation (unless, improbably, Rugian had
undergone identical changes on its own). I'm pretty sure the names in question
are of Viking Age Scandinavian origin. But a vague memory of the Rugian homeland
and "Danish" connections would likely have persisted.
As for Kiev between the late ninth and
early thirteenth centuries, it was such an important commercial centre that the
appearance there of authentic Danish traders would not have been surprising at
all.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 3:22 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Language - Area - Routes
... now it's possible to explain why Old Norse etymologies
fit (if we assume the names were retained Rugic), explain chronist's note
about the Danes in Kiev and another chronist's attribution of 'Rugi' ethnonym to
OlIga.