How Russia and Moscow got their names.

In my previous post, I had cited some Russian hydronyms (river names) that seem to have a Sanskrit origin. This time, I have a more intriguing finding that might seem hard to digest but difficult to refute.

Let's first take RUSSIA. Etymology online is of the view that either Russia derives its roots from the Finnish name for Sweden or it's derived from the Indo European word for 'Red' in reference to the hair colour.

I have a third theory. And in my theory, the etymology of Russia is intertwined to the origins of Moscow.

Ok, the picture to your left is that of the Siberian Musk Deer (image courtesy: Wikipedia). Largely found in the Russian Federation, Moschus moschiferus is the source for producing Musk (an aromatic substance used as a base for perfumes). The commonly known Sanskrit word for the Musk Deer is Kasturi Hiran. But there is another word. It's Rushya.

Now what does Rushya sound like? Russia, right? So is it possible that the place got its name as it was teeming with these musk deers? Hold that thought. Let's now jump to MOSCOW. Moscow derives its name from the Moskva river. And how did Moskva river get its name? Wikipedia maintains that 'origin is unknown although several theories exist'. What are these theories? The only theory I've come across is Moskva's roots lie in the Finno-Ugric word for 'dark water'.

Let me muddle the water further with a new theory. What if, the river ran through forests that reeked of musk? Plausible, right? But then if Russia is derived from Sanskrit, shouldn't Moscow have a similar linguistic origin? This is where, we have a strong piece of evidence. The word Musk is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Muska' which means 'testicle'!

So that leads us to the big question: did the Siberian Musk Deer or the Muska Rushya have a hand in giving Russia and Moscow their names?

How Mississippi got its name.

Wikipedia says that the word Mississippi comes from Messipi, the French rendering of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Algonquin) name for the river, Misi-ziibi (Great River). This is by and large the accepted version.

I have an alternate theory. The Anishinaabe are Indo-Americans and are migrants who branched out from Dravidian tribes at some point in the misty past. Their language has many Tamil remnants and hence, it might help to analyse their place names using Tamil.

Let's take Mississippi. When examined with Tamil goggles, Mississippi feels like MUTHSIPPI or MUTHU SIPPI. Now Muthu means pearl and Sippi is Oyster. So MUTHU SIPPI just cues 'PEARL OYSTERS'.

The sceptic mind might dismiss this claim as far-fetched. But let's study the Mississippi state. One of the rivers in Mississippi is called the PEARL RIVER. And the Mississippi river has a rich history of being a lead source for pearl farming.

Given this startling coincidence, is it possible that Mississippi was MUTHU SIPPI?

How Canada got its name.

Anglia, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior and Victorialand were some of the names considered before some wise men chose Canada as their country's name in February 1867. Wikipedia adds that the name Canada originated around 1535 from the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word Kanata meaning "village", "settlement", or "land"; another contemporary translation was "cluster of dwellings".

To me, Canada has always sounded like an Indian word. The Wiki explanation kind of solved an old puzzle in my head. However, I do wish to draw your attention to a remarkable coincidence. The Sanskrit word 'Kanda' which means 'branch, chapter or cluster' seems totally synonymous with the Iroquoian 'Kanata'. Kanda is of vedic vintage and has been in currency since god-knows-when. The Indian sub-continent was often referred to as Bharata Kanda. So is it possible that Kanda gave rise to Kanata which in turn gave us 'Canada'? Me thinks, YES. As the 'Kanda' usage somehow feels more appropriate than the small land mass sense conveyed by 'Kanata'.

How Saskatchewan got its name.

Saskatchewan is Canada's fifth largest province. It takes its name from the Saskatchewan river. Legend has it that Saskatchewan means 'swift flowing river' in the Cree Indian language.

My take: Saskatchewan is a prarie province with more than 50% forest land. The -wan suffix in the name seems of Sanskrit origin. Van in Sanskrit means forest which kind of fits the profile of the land. Further, 'Kutch' in Sanskrit means 'island' and 'sas' cues 'six'. So Saskatchewan means 'the forest with six islands'. My view is the six islands in reference are the six great tribes - Algonquins (Algonquin), Atikameks (Atikamekw), Cree (Cree), Inuit (Inuktitut), Montagnais (Innu), and Naskapi (Naskapi). The only way to nail this hypothesis is to study the connection between the Cree language and Sanskrit.

How Ottawa got its name.

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Originally christened Bytown, it was renamed as Ottawa in 1855. Ottawa gets its name from the Ottawa river which in turn takes its name from the Ojibwe tribe 'Odawas' who happened to be located near the river. Historians somehow seem to think that 'Odawas' means 'traders' and hence that's become the officially sanctioned etymology for Ottawa.

I have a slightly different take. Yes, Ottawa owes its existence to Odawas. But 'traders' just doesn't seem logical. Ancient tribes usually name themselves after geographical markers and not their occupation. Here was a river side tribe who also indulged in trading. Why would they call themselves traders? Wouldn't they call themselves, the river people?

If for a moment, we were to assume that the Ojibwes were long-lost nomadic Dravidian tribes from India, then we'll be in a position to solve this jigsaw more elegantly. 'Odai' in Tamil means 'river'. And -va is an Indian suffix to cue origin (the Pandavas, for example, are 'those who were beget by Pandu'). So Odaiwa will mean 'river people'. And that's how I think Ottawa got its name.

How Glass got its name.

Wikipedia says, "The term glass developed in the late Roman Empire. It was in the Roman glassmaking center at Trier, now in modern Germany, that the late-Latin term glesum originated, probably from a Germanic word for a transparent, lustrous substance."

But another entry in Wiki reads, "Indigenous development of glass technology in South Asia may have begun in 1730 BCE.Evidence of this culture includes a red-brown glass bead along with a hoard of beads dating to that period, making it the earliest attested glass from the Indus Valley locations. Glass discovered from later sites dating from 600–300 BCE displays common color."

Now the timeline of the Roman Empire is stated as between 27 BC and 476 AD. Clearly, the Indus Valley precedes the Roman empire. So glass must have been known to the Indian subcontinent much earlier than the Roman empire.

So could the word 'glass' have originated from India? Why not?

Here's my theory: There's a sanskrit word called 'Kelasa' which means 'crystal'. Incidentally, 'Kelasa' is the root word for Kailash. Mount Kailash is often referred to as the Crystal Mountain for being pure and sacred. Now doesn't 'kelasa' sound very similar to 'glass'? The red crystal beads that Wiki talks about would have been called the kelasa beads in ancient times. So may be with time, the 'kla' in kelasa became 'gla' and that's how we got glass.

How Denmark got its name.

Conventional Theory:The etymology of the word Denmark, and especially the relationship between Danes and Denmark and the unifying of Denmark as a single kingdom, is a subject which attracts debate.[16][17] This is centred primarily around the prefix "Dan" and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -"mark" ending. The issue is further complicated by a number of references to various Dani people in Scandinavia or other places in Europe in Greek and Roman accounts (like Ptolemy, Jordanes, and Gregory of Tours), as well as mediaeval literature. The earliest descriptions of the origin of the word 'Denmark', describing a territory, are found in the Chronicon Lethrense (12th century), Svend Aagesen (late 12th century), Saxo Grammaticus (early 13th century) and the Ballad of Eric (mid-15th century). There are, however, many more Danish annuals and yearbooks containing various other details, similar tales in other variations, other names or spelling variations. Most handbooks derive the first part of the word, and the name of the people, from a word meaning "flat land", related to German Tenne "threshing floor", English den "cave",the -mark is believed to mean woodland or borderland.

My Take: 'Dhana' in Sanskrit means 'Meadows or lush pastures' and 'Marga' means 'way or path'. So Dhana Marga is a land leading to a lush green domain. There is evidence that agriculture took root in Denmark around 3000 BC. So is Dhana Marga = Denmark? One fact that strengthens this case is the lead river of Denmark is called Guden. Gu in Sanskrit means 'Cow', Den is the act of consuming the 'dhana' and giving something in return!

How Kathmandu got its name.

The conventional theory goes like this: "Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is situated at about 1400M altitude in a bowl shaped valley surrounded by four major hills. Seven rivers flow through the city. The city was originally known as Kantipur (the abode of Lakshmi).Some claim that the name came from Kashta Mandap (Sanskrit for wooden structure), a three storeyed temple built in pagoda style in sixteenth century, dedicated to Gorakhnath. The structure is made entirely of wood, using no iron nails."

My theory: Kathmandu is derived from the Tamil phrase 'Kaatu Mandapam' or the Mandap made of forest trees. The Tamil connection is highly possible because Dharma Dutta of Kanchipuram is said to have built the Pasupathinath Temple in Kathmandu. Kaatu Mandap seems a closer cousin to Kathmandu than Kashta Mandap, don't you think?

How Kazhakstan got its name.

There are at least 4 theories floating around to explain how Kazhakstan got its name:

a) It comes from the Turkish verb qaz (to wander), because the Kazakhs were wandering steppemen
b) It derives from the Mongol word khasaq (a wheeled cart used by the Kazakhs to transport their yurts and belongings).
c) The name came from the popular Kazakh legend of the white goose (qaz means "goose", aq means "white").[18][19] In this creation myth, a white steppe goose turned into a princess, who in turn gave birth to the first Kazakh.
d) Another theory on the origin of the word Kazakh (originally Qazaq) is that it comes from the ancient Turkic word qazğaq, first mentioned on the 8th century Turkic monument of Uyuk-Turan. According to the notable Turkic linguist Vasily Radlov and the orientalist Veniamin Yudin, the noun qazğaq derives from the same root as the verb qazğan ("to obtain", "to gain"). Therefore, qazğaq defines a type of person who seeks profit and gain.

I have a new theory. My view is, Kazhakstan has a Sanskrit root. Derived from Kashak-stan. Kashak is the sanskrit word for grass. The grassy terrain of the great Kazhak steppe might have been the trigger for Indic nomads to give this name. I shall present more evidence in the coming days.

How Brazil got its name.

Most of the theories on Brazil's etymology are fairly muddled. Wikipedia says, "Traditionally, the word "Brazil" comes from brazilwood, a timber tree that many sailors traded from Brazilian regions to Europe in the 16th century.[18] In Portuguese brazilwood is called pau-brasil, with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from Latin brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium).This theory is taught as official in schools of Brazil and Portugal." Somehow it's deeply unsatisfying. I am of the view that the tree is not distinctive enough to justify naming an entire region after it. Clearly, there's a need for an alternate theory. This is where Sanskrit can help. Bri/Bru, as we now know, means hill. And Shil or Shila means rock. What would you call a place where the terrain is predominantly rocky? Brushil, right? And that's how Brazil was born.

How Dennis got his name.

The name Dennis is a derivative of Dionysus which in turn may be a derivative of Daya-nisi (sanskrit/tamil for day & night or compassionate & dark). If that sounds difficult to believe, Dionysus the greek god was said to have been born in an Indian hill named Nysa!