Re: boar (self-correcton)

>And who put an /i/ in it? It looks like a folk-etymology to me.

I don't know. I've encountered this hypothesis in connection with the
name of some other Turkic princes, Baybars, in which bay = bey, beg.
AFAIK, Baybars seems to have been popular among Kiptchaqs (Cumans).
One such Kipchaq Baybars/Baibars became a sultan of Egypt. (He was
born in Crimea in 1223.) / But there also might be some confusions
concerning some Kipchaq princelings: the name Bars on the one hand,
and the name of a clan (and of individuals), Borch/Burch & Borchoglu
(in Russian sources Burchevich). One Borchoglu got "political asylum"
in Hungary (fearing the Mongol invasion) in the same period when
the Mamluk Kipchaq Baibars lived in Egypt.

So I was wondering whether there might be any onomastic connection.

OTHO, the en.wikipedia says that

(i) according inter alia to Veselin Beshevlyev (1981 -
http://www.promacedonia.org/vb/vb_6.html), it could have meant
either "snow leopard" or "wolf".

(ii) Another theory says: Iranian Bogoris "god-like" (s. below Ivan
Tanev)

(iii) And of course the Slavic assumption: Borislav.

George

--
__Ð'ÐµÑÐµÐ»Ð¸Ð½ Ð`ÐµÑÐµÐ²Ð»Ð¸ÐµÐ², ÐÐ·Ð´Ð°ÑÐµÐ»ÑÑÐ²Ð¾ Ð½Ð° ÐÑÐµÑÐµÑÑÐ²ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ ÑÑÐ¾Ð½Ñ, Ð¡Ð¾ÑÐ¸Ñ, 1981
__Ivan Tanev Ivanov. Ð'ÐªÐ Ð¥Ð£ ÐÐÐÐÐÐ¢Ð Ð ÐÐ ÐÐÐ'ÐÐ©ÐÐ¢Ð ÐÐ Ð ÐÐÐÐÐ¢Ð Ð`ÐªÐÐ"ÐÐ Ð¡ÐÐ Ð'ÐÐÐ"ÐÐ¢ÐÐÐ. Ð'ÐÐÐ¯ÐÐÐ ÐÐ ÐÐ ÐÐ`ÐªÐÐ"ÐÐ ÐÐ¢Ð Ð'ÐªÐ Ð¥Ð£ ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ¢Ð Ð¡ÐÐ¡Ð¢ÐÐÐ ÐÐ Ð¡ÐÐÐ'Ð¯ÐÐÐ¢Ð.
http://www.protobulgarians.com/prozvishta.htm
__(BTW:) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballshi_inscription