Re: "Venedic runes" -- correction

Wonderful, Francesco! Thank you very much! This largely supports my
views. I've been unable to access some of the key links for some
reason, so your response is more than helpful, indeed. Thanks a lot
again! :-)

Best regards,

Petr

2009/10/7 Francesco Brighenti <frabrig@...>

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> Resent to fix some font problems.
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> *********************
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> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Petr Hrubis <petr.hrubis@...> wrote:
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> > These "runes" ought to be Slavic (which is quite doubtful, of
> > course); the following article links to the image mentioned:
> >
> > http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venedsk%C3%A9_p%C3%ADsmo
> >
> > Notice this piece of information:
> >
> > ..."The Norsemen called this script venda runir"
> >
> > Can anyone on the list possibly confirm or deny this? Again, thanks
> > for any information on this subject!
>
> This Wikipedia article, and the annexed chart of alleged West Slavic or Wendish "runes", is based on the book by J. Ruzicka, _Slovanska mythologie_ (Praha 1924). Some key pages (with drawings) from this book can be viewed in facsimile at
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> http://tinyurl.com/ycfbwsd
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> As both the Wikipedia article and the quotes from Ruzicka's book make
> clear, the "runes" at issue are those incised on the so-called Prillwitz Idols, over 160 rather charming figurines of Slavic deities bearing runic inscriptions. In the nineteenth century the village(s) on the Tollen Lake in Mecklenburg where the figurines had been allegedly "recovered" was/were generally supposed to occupy the site of the West Slav (Wendish) town of Retra, which had been
> celebrated for its Pagan shrines and idols, and which was destroyed by the Saxons in the 12th century. Yet, it has been demonstrated beyond all doubts that the figurines are *fakes* produced in the 1760s by two Mecklenburg goldsmiths (they were brothers). Without entering all the details of the story, I can assure you these "Slavic idols" with their "Slavic runes" are a forgery.
>
> End of the story.
>
> As to the other claim contained in the Wikipedia article, i.e. that the Norsemen called this script "venda runir" (a claim probably taken from Ruzicka's book), see this excerpt from an 1850 (!) book:
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> http://tinyurl.com/yejz46z
> "Nous sommes même porté à croire que les venda-runir ne sont point les runes des Wendes, comme plusieurs savants l'ont cru, mais les runes qui retournent, qui sont rangées suivant le système appelé boustrophedon..."
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> See an early specimen of Swedish 'wend-runes' (defined as "runes written from right to left with magical intention") at
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> http://tinyurl.com/ybu64df
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> The Old Norse name for the Wends was Vindr (var. Vindir); now, is "venda" an adjective derivable from that ethnic? It seems more likely that the term venda-runir derives from the Old Norse verb venda- 'to turn' (hence the meaning 'boustrophedon runes'), although I don't know the literary contexts in which it occurs in medieval Scandinavian literary works.
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> Best,
> Francesco
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>