Re: [tied] Scythian Cognates -- more speculation

--- Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...> wrote:

> The names Leipoxais, Arpoxais and Kolaxais are
> analysable as (and usually taken to be) compounds
> with the second element a derivative of *xs^ayati
> 'rule'. The connection of Kolaxais, the youngest of
> the three, with the Paralatai suggests that the
> <-l-> in his name reflects lambdacised *-ry-. One
> possible etymology is *xWa:rya-xs^aya-, where
> *xWa:rya- is a vrddhied adjective based on *xWar-
> 'sun, glow', with the hypothetical meaning 'solar,
> radiant'. A related alternative is substantivised
> *xWa:rya:- 'radiance, glory' > *xWala- (perhaps the
> source of Slavic *xvala, according to Gol/a,b 1973).
> The Greek refashioning of *xWala-xs^aya- as
> <kolaksai-> (with Iranian labialisation responsible
> for the Greek rounded vowel) is quite plausible. The
> names of the elder brothers are more enigmatic.
> Perhaps (forgive sheer speculation) <arpo-> reflects
> *arba- < I-Ir. *arbHa- < *orbHo- 'orphan; slave,
> labourer'; <leipo-> beats me entirely at present.
>
> Piotr

*****GK: Your rendition of "Kolaxais" seems plausible.
Note that the collective name of the Scythian
aristocratic clans (Paralata, Aukhata etc..) was
SKOLOTA, and was constructed, it seems, from KOLA-XAIS
(according to a comment by Herodotus). As for PARALATA
it seems quite obvious that its Greek translation was
"BASILEI" (the "Royals"). As to the second brother:
I've read somewhere that the name is sometimes
explained from "ARP"="AP" (Water) as "King of the
Water" (perhaps an Abayev etymology but my memory is
uncertain here). Interestingly, in one of the versions
of the Jormunkekr saga, Svanhilda has a third brother,
who is killed while hurrying to participate in the
revenge, and whose name is "ERP". Nobody seems to have
been able to figure out "leipo/lipo-". Might this have
been a female name transmogrified? There are LIB- LYB-
names in Slavic foundation legends.*****

>

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