Hungarian Runes

Hungarian Runes? Smithville, Texas - 2001 CE

Recently I have come across another of those "Hungarian Rune" stories. This one is entitled "Hungarian-Transylvanian Runes" . Adorjan Magyar, a noted Hungarian writer and contributor to the  Journal of the Institute Institute For Hungarian Studies, opens with the story as recorded by Priscus Rhetor, ambassador from

Theodosius, East Roman Emperor, while in the presence of Attila the Hun (c.450 CE). It was observed that the Huns had scribes who kept written records. Although he does not mention the nature of the letters used, the author and others assume, that the script the Huns used was “rovic”. Additional source material comes from Robert Szabados (Canada) who bases his position on the material of Jozesf Gyenes (Budapest), “Hungarian Rovas”. Much of the modern material seems to based on the writings of Gyula Sebestyen, 1913, who received scholarly information from William Thomsen, supposedly a world renowned savant of the Old Turkish writing. writing. Thomsen was acting acting on a document dating from 1553, discovered in the Fuggers (?) family archives. Apparently this was a rubbing or drawing taken by Hans Dernschwamm, 1553, of a carving in Rovic Rovic characters characters on a stable wall in Constantinople in 1515. Incidentally, the Rovic "alphabet" seems to have been suppressed during the reign of King Stephen, 997-1038 CE. Subsequently, the first firs t "Hungarian" documents were were from the early 1300's, in Latin letters, while the Transylvanian Hungarians (Szekely Magyarok) were keeping the rovic  alphabet alive alive over the centuries. Of course most of this is a matter of history, it is the conclusions drawn that raise an eyebrow. For instance, and quoting the author directly, "Without doubt the word "rovas" comes from the root ro  > 'to carve', and from this, many words have developed, such as roni  (pronounced runi), rodalni  'to carve', rovat, rovatka 'to score'. The Germanic word runa, which meant 'writing', 'writing', especially when carved on wood, came from the Hungarian language... It is certain that this word had been receive by the

Germanic people from a northern Finno-Ugrian people related to the Hungarians". The word rovas  is then equated with the Latin (borrowed from the Etruscans) rebus, meaning 'secret' or 'puzzling'; south Germans, Bavarians, and Austrians use

the form rubisch or rabusch; and the Gk. rabaszi . Reference is also made to the language language of the the Etruscans being related to the Hungarian. The source named is Jules Martha, a French scientist, and author of “ La Langue Etrusque”. The author further diverges from reality when he suggests that because many ancient “European” cultures used wooden “sticks” to carve various notations, that this practice had its origi originn among among the Magyars. An attempt is made made to back this  position up by an important importa nt archeol archeologi ogical cal find, which apparently a pparently contained similar similar characters to that of o f the “rovas”.

In 1961, N. Vlassa Vlassa found the "Tatarlakai" "Tatarlakai"

medallion in Transylvania. Transylvania. And, according to the article, the then Soviets conducted C-14 tests on it and published a date of 6500 years old. That would place its maker at around 4500 BCE! He goes goes on to say, “...the medallion originated from Magyars who were possibly living in the area thousands of years prior to Árpad and the Hungarian settlement of the Balkans,…” Well, there are several things wrong with the conclusions of the former Soviets and the author's etymological comparisons of rovas and runes. First, the date the former Soviets Soviets fix fix to the medalli medallion on is absurd. Often, there is an attempt to “push “pu sh  back” the time-line time-line on archeol archeologi ogical cal finds of this nature for nationalistic political reasons. It allows one to lay claim to an area. This is the same logic logic applied to the claim that the Germanic Runes have their origins among the Finno-Ugric tribes of northwest Russia and Finland. Taking a look at the word "rune" itself, and its etymology, it appears that the Finnish runo 'song' is actually a borrowing from the GMC. runo 'row, series'. And, in terms of the origin of the word itself, there are three possibilities: 1) PIE ru ~ reu = 'to roar, murmur, whisper' (cf. Skt. rauti = 'roars', Gk. ______   ______  =   = 'howl, roar', Lat. rumor   = 'noise'. 2) from a form with w ith an initial PIE labiovelar, gwwar-w-on - a

PGmc. fem. wru-n-o - could have developed, and would connect it to Gk.  _______ 

and Skt. Varuna… and 3) that it is a borrowing from the Celtic runo -(e.g. OIr. runa = 'mystery') rendering PGmc. runo. But it is equally possible that the th e word was  borrowed into the Celtic Celtic from Germanic. Most of the rovic  inscriptions date from two main periods, the Avar occupation, 6th - 8th  Cent. CE, and the Árpad - Magyar period, 9th  Cent CE. The Avars formed in East Asia by the fusion of two nomadic horseman tribes, the Asiatic Huns (Hsiung-nu), and the Uighurs Uighurs (Zhou-Zhou) (Zh ou-Zhou).. A Volgai Volgaicc and and OnogurHun confederation joined the Avars just north of the Caspian region in the late 5th century. By the time they reached the Lower Danube, they were a federation composed of GMC Gepids, Turkic Bulgars, Kutriguri, Kutriguri, and above above all, all, the Slavs. The Magyars are a Finno-Ugric people from the northwestern regions of Russia. The inscriptions emerge again in the 12th - 19th   Cent.CE, very sparse and less than 50 survive. The inscriptions overall were found in widely diverse places, such as; Avar and Sarmatian graves, jewelry, churches, a calendar, needle boxes, and stones. We know for a fact however, that the Germanic Germanic tribes were were in the region region  before Hunnic invasions. In order to shed any credible light on the origin of the rovic script, it is necessary to look at the overall timeline of the arrival of the script against the  backdrop of the ethno-history of the area: area : 1s t & 2nd Cent. CE - Roman Era - Pannonia (W. Hungary, N. Croatia, NE Slovenia)  Near the Danube "elbow" GMC Bastarnae, Quadi Indo-Iranian - Iazyges (Sarmatian) Celtic - Boii and others Carpi, Osts Elder Runic Period to c.800 CE 3rd Cent. CE - Relatively unchanged unchanged

250 / 270 - King Cniva of the Goths crosses into Pannonia with Vandals on one of the many Gothic raids to come. 4th  Cent. CE - The Coming of the "Huns"  N. of the Danube "elbow" GMC Goths, Vandals, Quadi, Rugians, Gepids Indo-Iranian - Iazyges (Sarmatian) Celtic - Boii and others Carpi, Osts c.350 - Ulfilas, the Gothic Bishop of 'Getica', writes  portions of the Bible in the Gothic script, developed d eveloped from Runic, Greek, and Latin. 364 - Suebian Quadi and Sarmatians war with Romans 375 - "Huns" on the Eastern front. Ermanaric, Ermanaric, Greutungian-Ostrogothic King, ruled from the Ukraine. Under his rule rule were Finns, Slavs, Antes, Heruli, Alans, Huns, Saramatians, and Aesti. Many of these tribes will be pushed West into the region of Hungary. 378 - Three "independent" Gothic factions are settled in Pannonia. Fritigern, Alatheus, and Safrax, an Alanic chieftain, are the their leaders. 5th  Cent. CE 375 - 450 - The "Huns" occupy the area in question. They are composed of Goths, Balts, Finns, Sarmatians, and Alans 401 - Uldin, first ruler of the European Huns. 408 - Alaric and the "Goths" occupy the area. 444 - 453 - Attila, King of the Huns 454 - Many GMC tribes under the leadership of the Gepid King Ardaric, defeated the remaining Hunnic military after the death of Attila, and set up a series of kingdoms kingdoms as 'federates' of Constantinople. The following were strung out along the left bank of the Danube, from the Lower Austrian Wachau Valley and the Transylvanian Carpathians: A. Gepidia Gepidia replaces replaces Gothia Gothia (Dacia) (Dacia)

B. Skirian Skirian and Sarmatian Sarmatian kingdoms between the Danube and the Tisza C. Suebian Suebian - w. of (B.) along along w/Vandal w/Vandalss and Alans D. Herulia Heruliann - Lower Austrian and Moravian Moravian Marches until the 6th   Cent. Known as 'runemasters' ('erilaR'). Subjugated the Langobards during this period. E. Lower Austrian Austrian Rugian Rugianss w. of of (D.) - royal seat- Krems F. Ostrogo Ostrogoths ths in Pannon Pannonia ia By 488 - B., C., E., and F., had fallen which created a power vacuum, this was promptly filled by the Herulians. 6th  Cent. CE - The Avar Period - Rovic script The Avars formed in East Asia by the fusion of two nomadic horseman tribes, the the Asiatic Huns (Hsiungnu), and the Uighurs (Zhou-Zhou). A Volgaic Volgaic-Hun -Hun and Onogur-Hungarians confederation joined the Avars just north of the Caspian region in the late 5th century. Known as runaway slaves by the Turks. They were a federation composed of GMC Gepids, Turkic Bulgars, Kutriguri, and above all, the the Slavs. 508 - Herulian Kingdom falls to the Langobards (Lombards). 562 - On the lower Danube - attacks on the Frankish Kingdom 566 - Attacks on the Frankish Kingdom 569 - Langobards leave for Italy - power vacuum created which the Avar Khagan Baian fills by 582. 7th  Cent. CE - Avar Period - Introduces the iron stirrup to European armies 8th  Cent. CE - Avar Period 788-796 - Avars defeated by the Frankish Carolingians

9th  Cent. CE - the Árpád-Magyar Period 896 - A mixed Finno-Turkic collection of nomadic tribes spill over the Carpathians into the Hungarian  plains. 10th  Cent. CE 955 - Magyars defeated by Otto the Great, King if Germany - battle of Lechfeld. Lechfeld. They are the modern Hungarians. 977-1038 - Reign of King Stephen - Hungary  becomes Roman Catholic - Árpád dyna dynasty sty ends in the 14th  Cent. Aside from the literary records of close relations between the East Germanic the Indo-Iranian tribes, like the Sarmatians and Alans, there are the runic records as well. The spear s pear of Dahmsdorf and Kowel, along with others, are clear clear examples. It should be added that these Sarmatians are the Sauromatae mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus. They, along with the Alans, were among the most feared and  prestigious tribes in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region. region. Along Along with runic inscriptions there are other curious symbols called “tamgas”. These are the magical magical symbols of the Sarmatians. The combination of these symbols and runes on weapons demonstrates a specialized kind of contact between the two cultures. Gothic style fibula/brooches are commonly found in Sarmatian/Alan graves sites of the period. In fact, tamgas were incorporated into Polish heraldry until the practice was abolished in 1920 CE. Against this backdrop, and considering the longstanding relationship  between the 'Gothic' tribes and the 'Huns', it would be a convincing convincing argument that the 'rovic' script may have developed out of this cultural brew, altering their own 'Turkic' script to meet the needs of their new subjects. This same type of situation regarding the possible origins of the Germanic runic script, not the concepts behind the form, but the form itself. They are the Latin/Roman, Latin/Roman, the Greek, and the North Italic/Etruscan theories, theories, which could also apply the final form of the rovic alphabet.

This time with a Germanic overtone. Valúlfr Vaerulsson Úlfs Dróttinn Revised - 2004 CE Wolf's Lair - Vineland [A copy of this article was forwarded to the  Journal of the Institute Institute for Hungarian Studies] “Hun-Hungarian-Transylvanian Runes”, Journal of the Institute for Hungarian

Studies,  by Adorjan Ador jan Magyar, Magy ar, Ph.D. Ph. D. “Surviving Relics of the Ancient Rovas”, Journal of the Institute For Hungarian

Studies, vol. 1, No. 2, Oct. 1996, by Dr. Ferenc Fodor, ms.#11 “ Archeology in Romania, The Mystery of the Roman Occupation Occupation”, by Andrew Mackenzie, pub. Robert Hale Ltd., Great Britain, 1986 “The Geats of Beowulf ”, ”, A Study in the Geographical Mythology of the Middle Ages, by Jane A. Leake, U. of WI. Press, 1967 “The Gemanization of Early Medieval Christianity”, by James C. Russell, Ph.D., Oxford U. Press, 1994 "In Search of the Indo-Europeans" , by J.P. Mallory, Thames and Hudson, 1989 "The Roman Empire and Its Germanic Peoples" , by Herwig Wolfram, U of CA

Press, 1997