Re: [tied] Plinius and Tacitus

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 11969
Date: 2002-01-02

The underlying element is no doubt *swe- 'one's own, of the same blood'. Cf. the autoethnonym of the Swedes (Sve-ar, Swea-ri:ke > Sverige), or *swo-ino- > *swaina- 'young tribesman'. I suppose the variation Sueui ~ Suebi ~ Suabi, etc. reflects more than one original tribal name (e.g. *swia-, *swaba- < *swe(j)-o-, *swobH-o-) that have denoted several ontologically different peoples, easily confused with one another by foreign authors.
 
Piotr
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Tore Gannholm
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 9:33 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Plinius and Tacitus

Plinius and Tacitus writes about Mare Suebicum and the people who
live on the island in "Mare Suebicum" as "suionum civitates" and
"illa Suionum gente".

The only document in the Baltic with something similar is the one
word on the oldest full runic alfabet, the Kylverstone from Stånga in
Gotland from end of the 4th century.

There one can read "sueus"

Does anybody know where the Romans got these names from and what
could be the origin.

Tore