Germanic names *could* in theory contain
the element hu:n- 'Hun(nish)', since all Germanic languages had the word in
question (OE Hu:nas, Hu:ne, OIcel. Húnar, MHG Hiune). The history of the Huns
was well known to all ("Aetla we:old Hu:num ...") and assimilated into Germanic
tribal legends. In Germanic epics, Attila's kingdom is anything but
barbarian or even exotic. The Huns are just like the Goths or the
Burgundians. Your irony is unjustified. Nobody's career would be jeopardised for
dragging in the Huns. The problem is rather that ethnonyms are not conspicuous
as first-name elements in Germanic. Animal names, on the other hand, are very
often used in this function (Wulf, Ulf, Wulfstan, Cuthwulf, Hrothulf, Wulfila,
Wolfram, Athelwulf, Beowulf, Arnulf, etc., as well as Björn, Hengest and Horsa,
Cubba, Catta, etc.). Hu:n-sta:n is just no less and no
more logical than the common name Wulf-sta:n -- a name was
composed of conventional elements and didn't have to mean much or serve as a
talisman. When your parents called you "Torsten" they probably just liked the
sound of it and/or its Danishness, and were not particularly concerned
about its thunderstone etymology and magical significance
There are quite a few Old English names
with hu:n- (Hu:nbald, Aelfhu:n), and any of them could be abbreviated to
Hu:na. Even if Hu:nbald "etymologically" meant 'as bold as a Hun' rather than
'as bold as a young bear', its occurrence in England did not require the
physical presence of any Huns (or bear-cubs, for that matter) -- it
was just the product of a traditional naming pattern.
While we are at it, there are other
possible sources of toponymic Hun- and Humble- apart from hu:n 'bear-cub'
(OIcel. húnn). For example, hu:ne 'horehound', OE hymele (and ON humli) 'hops'
as in Himbleton and Humbleton, ON humul 'knob, hillock' (in northern England),
or even hund 'dog'.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 1:42 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Hun-hunting
Of course they mean "bear's cub". Suppose you were English and writing
a book about English place names. Suppose further that you suggested one of
these names had anything to do with "Hun". What do you think this would do to
the promotion of your career? Should we ask mr. Woodson?
Mr. Huna also surfaces in Danish place name litterature. And who
would want a name like "bear cub stone"? (I think "Thorr's stone" sounds much
nicer).