Kaung

The inscription konung ( kunuki ) on the runestone U 11 .

Konung ( pragerm. * Kuningaz , other Scand. ᚲᛟᚾᚢᛜᚱ , konungr , other English ᚳᚣᚾᛁᛝ , cyning ) is a North German term for the supreme ruler. In the era of the mature Middle Ages, this term corresponds to the concept of a king (e.g., the Swedish king Magnus Ladulos ).

Content

Etymology and Variations

The exact etymology of the word is debatable and there are several versions. According to one of them * kun means kinship, and the term is a descendant of the ruler. For example, in the Song of Riga, the youngest son of Jarl mentions Kon, referred to as young. In the original, this name sounds like dr-scand. Konr ungr and means "young offspring."

M. I. Steblin-Kamensky defines the origin of the word kong by adding the word-formation suffix ingr / ungr to the word genus ( dr. Scand. Konr ) ^[1] , and therefore kung is a person from the corresponding genus, relative ^[. ^1] .

According to other theories, * kuning-az- is translated as “the head of the community” or “belonging to a woman” ( dr. Scand. Kona - woman), that is, the mother goddess, which reflects the status of the king as the high priest, but the latest version is not very wealthy , as indicated by the development of the term in different languages. For example, in Old English, a woman will be cwene , while a clan is dr. cynn , and king is cyning .

The word " prince " ^[2] , which is in all Slavic languages, according to the widely spread version is also related to the word kung through the Old German root * kun-ing- and is an ancient Slavic loan ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] . This borrowing is found in other non-Germanic languages: in Finnish and Estonian - kuningas ; Latvian - kungs (lord) and ķēniņš (king); Lithuanian - kunigas or kunigaikštis ; Sami - gonagas or konagas ; Tatar - kenäz ; and others ^[see] . In some cases, borrowing did not proceed directly, but indirectly through third languages, for example, through Old Russian.

There are also many kennings for designating king, such as, for example, the donor of rings , mentioned in Beowulf , as a way to thank your warriors by distributing gold rings to them.

Social Status

As can be seen from the Song of Riga , the konungs emerged from the middle of the jarls . Their appearance is associated with the process of formation of national states. Since these new state formations appeared during the struggle of the jarls for supremacy, the more the state enlarged, the more one jarl rose above all the others. As a result, the label from the supreme and independent rulers turned into vassals of the kungs and their governors.

In the period before the adoption of Christianity, the king performed three functions:

litigation during the ting ;
military during the war;
priestly at the time of sacrifice.

The position of the Konung was hereditary, but in order to ascend to the throne, he needed the approval of the people. All sons and people of sufficient descent could achieve the title of king (for example, Ottar from Kholugaland won the title of king). This circumstance often led to dual power , when two brothers simultaneously became king.

In the early period, the king belonged to one or more ships, a squad ( dr. Scand. Drótt ) and an extensive land plot - the patrimony. The latter often became the cause of feudal feuds. In some cases, the king did not have land holdings and led a wandering way of life on the ship - such kings were called sekonungs (sea kings).

As a priest, the king asked for the approval of his actions by the gods. For example, Erik the Victorious addressed Odin on the third day of the Battle of Firisvellir . The king also ran the blot in important public places such as Uppsala Temple . Failure to do so could cost the king of power. This happened, for example, with Hakon the Good , who was trying to impose Christianity on his fellow tribesmen, as well as with Anund Gordske , who refused to participate in the blot due to Christian convictions and was deposed in 1070.

Alcohol

Alcohol consumption occupied an important place in the life of the Scandinavians of antiquity. As the alcohol consumption researcher writer Mark Forsyth points out, an indicator of dominance among the Scandinavians was the feast house (the “honey palace”), since the king’s primary duty was to provide the squad with a drink. Thus, the king showed his power. And vice versa, those who drank with someone in the palace, according to the law of honor, performed military service in the host's squad. Alcohol literally meant power. Through alcohol, the Scandinavians swore allegiance ^[6] . So in “ Beowulf ” the king Khrodgar, in order to demonstrate his power, erects a brilliant palace Heorot under a golden roof, on high pillars and decorated with gold ^[6] .

Notes

Comments

↑ The suffix ingr / ungr forms nouns:
1. inheriting appropriate properties (e.g. spekingr-sage from spakr-wise),
2. determining the origin of a person (for example, Islendingr-Icelander from Island-Iceland, here Konungr from Konr),
3. with a diminutive value (e.g. teinungr-twig from teinn-twig).

Footnotes

↑ Steblin-Kamensky M.I. Old Norse language. URSS. Moscow. 2002. from 164-165
↑ There are other versions of the etymology of the word prince, but they have not received widespread recognition.
↑ Preobrazhensky A. G. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. M., 1959. T. 1, p. 324
↑ The Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages, edited by O. N. Trubachev. Pre-Slavic lexical fund. Vol. 13, M., 1987, p. 200
↑ Max Vasmer. Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter, Heidelberg. In 3 Bd. 1953-1958. // Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Fasmer Archival copy of January 13, 2013 on Wayback Machine M., 1964-1973. (P. 285)
↑ ¹ ² Forsyth, 2018 , p. 143.

Literature

Mark Forsyth. A brief history of drunkenness from the Stone Age to the present. What, where, when, and for what reason. = Mark Forsyth. A Short History of Drunkeness: A Short History of Drunkenness: How, Why, Where, and When Humankind Has Gotten Merry from the Stone Age to the Present. - Alpina Non-fiction, 2018 .-- 278 p. - ISBN 978-5-91671-886-7 . .

[2] The suffix ingr / ungr forms nouns:
inheriting appropriate properties (e.g. spekingr-sage from spakr-wise),
determining the origin of a person (for example, Islendingr-Icelander from Island-Iceland, here Konungr from Konr),
with a diminutive value (e.g. teinungr-twig from teinn-twig).

[2] riting appropriate properties (e.g. spekingr-sage from spakr-wise),

[3] termining the origin of a person (for example, Islendingr-Icelander from Island-Iceland, here Konungr from Konr),

[4] with a diminutive value (e.g. teinungr-twig from teinn-twig).

[5] riting appropriate properties (e.g. spekingr-sage from spakr-wise),

[6] termining the origin of a person (for example, Islendingr-Icelander from Island-Iceland, here Konungr from Konr),

[7] with a diminutive value (e.g. teinungr-twig from teinn-twig).

[1] Steblin-Kamensky M.I. Old Norse language. URSS. Moscow. 2002. from 164-165

[3] There are other versions of the etymology of the word prince, but they have not received widespread recognition.

[4] Preobrazhensky A. G. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. M., 1959. T. 1, p. 324

[5] The Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages, edited by O. N. Trubachev. Pre-Slavic lexical fund. Vol. 13, M., 1987, p. 200

[6] Max Vasmer. Russisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Winter, Heidelberg. In 3 Bd. 1953-1958. // Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language by Max Fasmer Archival copy of January 13, 2013 on Wayback Machine M., 1964-1973. (P. 285)

[for-7] ¹ ² Forsyth, 2018 , p. 143.