Part 11 (1/2)

_Scotland._ The PEFFER. Ross-s.h.i.+re.

_France._ The BIeVRE. Joins the Seine.

_Germany._ BIBER(AHA), 7th cent. The BEVER, the BIBRA, the PEBR(ACH), and the BIBER(BACH).

2. _With the ending en._ _Germany._ BIVERAN, 8th cent., now the BEVER.

_France._ The BEUVRON. Dep. Nievre.

Perhaps also from the root _pi_ we may derive the Ir. _buinn_, river, _bual_, _biol_, water. From the former Mr. Charnock derives the name of the Boyne, a derivation which I think suitable, even if we take the ancient form Buvinda, (_Zeuss, Gramm. Celt._,) which might be more properly Buvinna, as Gironde for Garonne in France. For the Bunaha in Germany, the Old Norse _buna_, scaturire, might also be suggested.

_Ireland._ The BOYNE.

_Germany._ BUN(AHA), 9th cent., now the BAUN(ACH).

From the Ir. _biol_, _buol_, I derive the following, keeping out the rivers of the Slavonic districts, which may be referred to the Slav.

_biala_, white.

1. _England._ The BEELA. Westmoreland.

_Ireland._ The BOYLE, of which, according to O'Brien, the Irish form is BUIL.

_France._ The BOL(BEC). Dep. Seine-Inf.

_Germany._ BOLL(AHA) ant. Not identified.

_Asia Minor._ BILLaeUS ant., now the Filyas.

2. _With the ending er._ _Germany._ The BUHLER. Wirtemberg.

_Russia._ The BULLER.

3. _With the ending et._ _Germany._ The BULLOT. Baden.

_Russia._ The POLOTA. Joins the Dwina.

A very obscure root in river-names is _gog_ or _c.o.c.k_. The only appellatives I find are in the Celtic, viz., Gael. _caochan_, a small stream, Arm. _goagen_, wave; unless we think also of the word _jokk_, _joggi_, which in the Finnic dialects signifies a river; and in that case the most probable root would be the Sansc. _yug_, to gush forth. To the river Coquet, in Northumberland, something of a sacred character seems to have been ascribed; an altar having been discovered bearing the inscription ”Deo Cocidi,” and supposed to have been dedicated to the genius of that river. Again, we are reminded of the Cocytus in Greece, a tributary of the river Acheron, invested with so many mysterious terrors as supposed to be under the dominion of the King of Hades.

Possibly, however, it might only be the similarity, or ident.i.ty, of the names which transferred to the one something of the superst.i.tious reverence paid to the other. At all events, I can find nothing in the etymology to bear out such a meaning.

1. _England._ COCBRoC (_Cod. Dip._) This would seem to have probably been a small stream called c.o.c.k, to which, as in many other cases, the Saxons added the word brook.

2. _Germany._ COCHIN(AHA), 8th cent., now the KOCHER.[33]

3. _With the ending er._ _England._ The c.o.c.kER. c.u.mberland.

The c.o.kER. Lancas.h.i.+re.

_India._ The KOHARY--here?

4. _With the ending el._ _Transylvania._ The KOKEL, two rivers.

_England._ c.o.c.kLEY-BECK.[34] c.u.mberland.

_Germany._ CHUCHILIBACH, now Kuchelbach.

5. _With the ending et._ _England._ The COQUET. Northumberland.

_Greece._ COCYTUS ant., now the Vuvo.

6. _In a compound form._ _England._ The CUCKMARE, Suss.e.x, with the word _mar_, p. 61.

From the Sansc. _mid_, to soften, to melt, (perhaps formed on the root _mi_, p. 59), come Sansc. _miditas_, fluid, Lat. _madidus_, wet. Herein seems a sufficient root for river-names, but there is another which is apt to intermix, Sansc. _math_, to move, whence, I take it, and not from the former is Old Norse _moda_, a river. I separate a form _med_ or _mid_, in which the sense of _medius_, and also that of _mitis_, is in some cases clearly brought out; and another, _muth_ or _muot_, which, though from the same root, as I take it, as _moda_, a river, (_math_, to move), has more evidently the sense of speed.