Piotr,
I am quite pleased that you have finally overcome your scholarly resistance to your ingenious theory...
And yes, I also immediately saw how your derivation matches prefectly with those defining and perennial aspects of the Finnish culture that made the Germani so painfully aware of our potent endowments. Just think about it: we still drag reluctant and embarrassed aliens to our saunas, strip them naked, force them to sit and groan with pain at our feet while we enjoy temperatures well beyond 100 degrees centigrad, then leave ostentatiously for a swimming tour in a lake covered by ice or for some icy rolls in the snow � all this without losing the authority of *fenna..
And that is precisely what must have happened to the hapless Germani who found themselves as our neighbours...In fact, now we also know why the Romans gave up the idea of conquering Germany. The whole business in the Teutoburg forest was just an excuse for preventing the inevitable humiliation that would have followed them had they become the neighbours of the formidable Fenni...
However, I must admit that speading the good word will not be wholly unproblematic. True, thanks to the tireless efforts of Kalevi Wiik and his loyal followers, the wider Finnish public now knows that in the ancient times the Finns had under their sway a vast area in the North, all the way from the Urals to the British...eh, no need for false modesty here, I mean to the Finnish Isles...Anyway, for the male members of our proud nation your theory has one truly redeeming advantage: the crucial tests and the testimony are literally at hand, in a way even the ancient Greeks would have appreciated...
As for the repressed and sublimation prone scholars, well, it is going to be a bit more difficult...Just take Riho Gr�nthal�s recent bout of Victorian repression and resistance:
The name Finland (Swedish) Finland, finne 'Finn' has never been used by the Finns themselves. The oldest record (Tacitus 98 A. D.: fenni) and the compound word structure of Finland lead one to conclude that finne must be considered a primary alternate for Finland. The stem finne (< findo 'Finder' < *fenthan- ~ *fenthn-) may originate from the same word as (Old High German) fendo, (Middle High German) vende 'pedestrian; wanderer' (*fanthian-), (Old High German) fand_on, (Anglo-Saxon) fandian 'research; try, check', (Middle High German) vanden 'visit', (Gothic) finthan, (Old High German) finthan etc., 'find, notice, get aware', etc. The original meaning suggested for finne by Hultman
as early as 1896 is 'wanderer', an explanation describing the way of life of the people (cf. (Livonian) kal�mi'eD 'Livonians; fishermen'). This meaning conforms with what Tacitus wrote about the fenni. Fishers, hunters and people with no permanent dwelling place may be appropriately described as 'wanderers'.
But with a little help even Gr�nthal could stop his wanderings and realise that there is no need to search anymore: just grab it and you will found what has made us �Finns��
Cheers, Juha
Piotr Gasiorowski <piotr.gasiorowski@...> wrote:
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Juha Savolainen <juhavs@...> wrote:
> ... Instead, we have often politely enough given the honour of
living in this happy state of nature (with a not-so-little help from
potent intoxicants) to our S�mi neighbours who, while speaking a
related language, have looked - for properly patriotic Finns � the
perfect candidate for the job. But your ingenious derivation of the
*Fenno:z could have changed everything ... There is no doubt that more
and more Finns, mainly males, would have had second thoughts on the
matter ... after all, even some Finnish scholars have accepted the
identification of the Tacitian Fennians with the Finns of later day
... and more to the point, the obvious marks of generously endowed
*fenna are surely still there ... Hence I must reject, on behalf of
the whole self-respecting
nation of Finns, your consolation prize: no,
mere magic will not do the trick. Instead, we will revert to our
traditional hospitability towards the S�mi people. Let us grant them
the privilege of being the direct descendants of those powerful
witches that so vexed the mind of King James ...
Ah, what the hell -- I've changed my mind. Couldn't resist your
exhortation. So here's what happened: -- After their first diplomatic
visit to their new neighbours' sauna (the house, let's face it, was
just a hole in the ground, but the bathroom was gorgeous) the
flabbergasted Germani staggered back to their lofty mead-hall, their
heads hung down in shame, their arms, swords and (...) limply adangle.
They went a good mile down the marshy path in silence, and then one of
them muttered, "*Fenno:z ..."; and his companions nodded and whispered
"*Fenno:z, aren't they?" to one another. "Fenno:z, damn their guts!"
Tell it to the Finns, Juha. Tell them
the truth!
Piotr
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