Many thanks for a very informative post. A question remains in my mind, however; where does the Hungarian language fit into all this? Was it the language of the Huns? If not, where is the name 'Hun' from? And how did the Hungarians come to speak it? And why do they call themselves 'Magyar'?
Excellent questions! The short answer is that the people who brought the Hungarian language were later arrivals in Europe than the Huns, although the Hungarians ended up settling in the same place as the Huns built their kingdom. The precise identity of the Hunnic language is still mysterious, due to very very sparse sources.
The 'H' in the name "Hungary" might be due to associations with the Huns — earlier versions of the name were more like the German "Ungarn," without an 'H.' As for "Magyar," I'm not sure!
'Strava' is an interesting one. I had my hopes of it being the sole surviving Hunnic word dashed a bit by Maenchen-Helfen, who opted for a Slavic etymology.
I hope you don't mind me leaping at the opportunity to recommend Maenchen-Helfen's The World of the Huns to anyone who hasn't come across it. It's probably 70 years old at this point and is not a complete book: the author was in the process of putting it together when he died, and left his study piled with notes and drafts.
Thankfully his friends assembled what they could, and the result is a fascinating, fascinating look into the mind of a scholar who was himself fascinated by his topic. Because various parts of the book are in different stages of completion, at times you get the sense of reading his notes to himself, which is all the more interesting (& relatable).
Thank you for sharing "The World of the Huns", Paul — readers, do check it out if you want to explore the Huns more deeply. By the way, Paul, I love your work on here!
The source for the nosebleed (or similar) version of Attila's death is the historian Priscus, as retold by Jordanes in Getica (History of the Goths):
"On the following day, when a great part of the morning was spent, the royal attendants suspected some ill and, after a great uproar, broke in the doors. There they found the death of Attila accomplished by an effusion of blood, without any wound, and the girl with downcast face weeping beneath her veil." (Mierow translation)
So even with this, it's not totally clear it was a nosebleed per se. But it's one possibility.
The women of these people were just as violent as the men, apparently! Quite a relief after all the princesses in our mythology.
Xena's got nothing on Kriemhild!
Great post — just a quick note: in the Norse version, Guðrún is Sigurðr’s wife, not his sister.
Really enjoyed the read!
You’re right! Thanks for flagging it — I’ll update the post.
Many thanks for a very informative post. A question remains in my mind, however; where does the Hungarian language fit into all this? Was it the language of the Huns? If not, where is the name 'Hun' from? And how did the Hungarians come to speak it? And why do they call themselves 'Magyar'?
Excellent questions! The short answer is that the people who brought the Hungarian language were later arrivals in Europe than the Huns, although the Hungarians ended up settling in the same place as the Huns built their kingdom. The precise identity of the Hunnic language is still mysterious, due to very very sparse sources.
The 'H' in the name "Hungary" might be due to associations with the Huns — earlier versions of the name were more like the German "Ungarn," without an 'H.' As for "Magyar," I'm not sure!
'Strava' is an interesting one. I had my hopes of it being the sole surviving Hunnic word dashed a bit by Maenchen-Helfen, who opted for a Slavic etymology.
I hope you don't mind me leaping at the opportunity to recommend Maenchen-Helfen's The World of the Huns to anyone who hasn't come across it. It's probably 70 years old at this point and is not a complete book: the author was in the process of putting it together when he died, and left his study piled with notes and drafts.
Thankfully his friends assembled what they could, and the result is a fascinating, fascinating look into the mind of a scholar who was himself fascinated by his topic. Because various parts of the book are in different stages of completion, at times you get the sense of reading his notes to himself, which is all the more interesting (& relatable).
Thank you for sharing "The World of the Huns", Paul — readers, do check it out if you want to explore the Huns more deeply. By the way, Paul, I love your work on here!
Thanks, Colin, that is much appreciated!
Great stuff. Would love to know more of the nosebleed source.
Thank you!
The source for the nosebleed (or similar) version of Attila's death is the historian Priscus, as retold by Jordanes in Getica (History of the Goths):
"On the following day, when a great part of the morning was spent, the royal attendants suspected some ill and, after a great uproar, broke in the doors. There they found the death of Attila accomplished by an effusion of blood, without any wound, and the girl with downcast face weeping beneath her veil." (Mierow translation)
So even with this, it's not totally clear it was a nosebleed per se. But it's one possibility.
Your posts are so fascinating. Thank you!
Thank you, Louis!
Thank you for the kind words!