Latvian (Livonian) map during the German era

**Lemminkäinen** · 10-25-2021, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Sandis

I had an assumption that name "valks" for small rivers in Courland came from Courland Livonian language because it was not found at the Lithuania border and in Semigallia.
I calculated frequencies of this name among all river names and it matches the map from 14th/16th century:

I didn't find explanation for "valks" in Estonia or Finnish. I found several documents figuring Finnicisms in Latvia, f.ex. https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/e...tvian-toponymy

**Sandis** · 10-25-2021, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Lemminkäinen

Curonian king was Lamenkinus, which likely is not a parallel of Lemminkäinen.

Lammekinus (in Latin) is called Lamekins, Lameķis and Lameiķis

**Sandis** · 10-25-2021, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Lemminkäinen

I didn't find explanation for "valks" in Estonia or Finnish. I found several documents figuring Finnicisms in Latvia, f.ex. https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/e...tvian-toponymy

I also couldn't find, but if it would be Curonian, then it would be found more in former Piemare and Ventava lands, it is less likely that Curonian subgroups had different hydronyms. Original form probably was "valg". There is a city in Northern Latvia and Estonia Valka/Valga.

**~~Arūnas~~** · 10-25-2021, 07:17 PM

valk/valg , Volg(a)/wilg(a) (wilgoć) - maybe one root from the word damp/moisture :/

**Lemminkäinen** · 10-25-2021, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by Sandis

I also couldn't find, but if it would be Curonian, then it would be found more in former Piemare and Ventava lands, it is less likely that Curonian subgroups had different hydronyms. Original form probably was "valg". There is a city in Northern Latvia and Estonia Valka/Valga.

Estonian word Valge means white or in certain meaning fire, as well as Finnish Valkea. It has likely a common root in Finnic/Uralic languages.

**Lemminkäinen** · 10-25-2021, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by Veljo

valk/valg , Volg(a)/wilg(a) (wilgoć) - maybe one root from the word damp/moisture :/

Also in Baltic languages?

**~~Arūnas~~** · 10-25-2021, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by Lemminkäinen

Also in Baltic languages?

rather not, but who knows if the Balts borrowed some words from Finnic people or use 2 or 3 terms

**Sandis** · 10-25-2021, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by Lemminkäinen

Also in Baltic languages?

One meaning of the word "valgs" in Latvian is "wet":

https://www.vardnica.lv/svesvardu-vardnica/v/valgs

Latvians much more often use word "slapjš" for "wet" (Lithuanian "šlapias"). In old times "valgs" was more common than today.

We have also Valguma lake (also in the 1st map - Valgumi ?) and place Valgunde (Volguna in the 1st map) not far from the lake, both in ancient Livonian area.
Valgunde has similar ending as Livonian place Sidgunda in Vidzeme.
And Volguna sounds like Volga, but it could be just coincidence.