Why Russian are called "Russian"

[HainanWel.com(e)!]

Vikings?

According to the most popular theory today, the word "Russian" has Scandinavian roots. Based on this assumption the "Tale of Bygone Years". Here is what Nestor wrote about the birth of the state called Rus' to expel the Vikings over the sea, and did not give them a tribute, and have begun themselves to own, and was not among them the truth, and got born on race, and was their strife, and steel fight each other. And they said to me: "Let us look for a prince who would be owned by us and judged rightly." And they went over the sea to the Varangians, to the Rus. Those Vikings were called Rus as others are called Swedes, and others Normans and Angles, and still others Gotlanders - these and these. Said Russ Chud, Slovenes, krivichi and all: "Our Earth is great and plentiful, and there is no order. Come to reign and own us. " And elected three brothers with their birth, and took with them all the Rus and came and sat senior, Rurik in Novgorod, and another, Sineus - on Beloozero, and the third, Truvor - in Izborsk. And from the Vikings was nicknamed the Russian land. "


From this we can conclude that the Russian - a name borrowed from the Scandinavian people, who summoned to the board of representatives of the tribe Rus. But what is it that this word means - "Rus"? Since ancient times and until now the Finns call their neighbors, the Swedes Ruotsi, which means "the rowers, sailors" (from the Old Norse verb "to swim, row"). It is possible that the Vikings, the Normans, who came to Russia from Scandinavia, took its name from the same source.

Blonde hair?

Another version of the foreign origin of the word "Russian" - Iran. Its author - scientist, thinker and social activist Vladimir Vernadsky - felt that the word roots go back to Iran "ruhs" (or "rohs"), which means "light, bright, white" .What is very likely, because Proto very long side by side with the Iranian tribes (Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans) in the south of modern Russia - in the Sea of ​​Azov and the Black Sea region. Dark-haired and dark-skinned Iranians could easily nickname of its neighbors in the main feature of the - blond hair, eyes and skin.

Red Face?

Over exposure we could nickname and Byzantines. Arab traveler IX-X centuries, Al-Masudi mentions in his notes on the tribe, which the Byzantines called "Rusy", which means "red, red" .Ego colleague Ibn Fadlan, personally had seen these "Rusy," says their unprecedented redness. What exactly is meant: blush burned skin from the sun, or even red noses - it is not clear so far.

The fields of the village?

Searched roots in Latin. In particular, in the words rus ( «village, village, field, arable land") and rusticus ( «rustic, rural, peasant"). But why not? The value is consistent with the way of life of the then rusichey.Pravda, the second word has several meanings, and "simple nezayteylivy, artless, clumsy, coarse, clumsy," which is not very happy.

Toponymy?

There were theories and about the origin of the age-old Russian "Russian." So an Austrian baron, and at the same time a writer and historian Sigismund von Herberstein, who lived in the XV-XVI centuries, believed that Russia got its name from a very ancient city close to Veliky Novgorod - Eng. The same version adhered historian Vasily Tatishchev, who found the source of the Russian state in the Old Ruse.

River?

But the Old Rousse is not stopped. Come dig further. Slovak linguist and ethnographer Pavel Safarik discovered that the Slavonic language the river was called the word * rusa. Hence, in our language we born track (groove in the soil, in which the river flows) and Mermaid (fairy inhabitant of the river). "River" version is actually two. In the second, the Russian got his name on the name of the right tributary of the Dnieper, which is located south of Kiev, - Ros.

The Bears?

And what Russian without vodka, balalaika and bears! The most desperate researchers find the origins of the word "Russian" in Western European urs root ( "bear"). A permutation of letters attributed to the same causes that made the Greek μάρμαρος in "marble". So, with the origins, we more or less sorted out. Now you understand why the British, French, Germans and other nationalities in the Russian language, nouns are designated, and themselves Russian - adjective.

Some attribute this to the fact that the Russian - a very special, no one does not like the people and deserves a "special" name. But here it is worth remembering that a similar situation exists in other languages: in Europe, for example, almost all nationalities expressed adjectives (German, français). Others advocate that Russian - is not a nationality, as originally resided on the territory of Russia a number of different tribes (clearing drevlyans, Chud, Mordvinians, Komi, and others.) Are united under this common name. It may well be. Just do not forget a simple fact that in the Russian language, the adjectives have the property to turn into nouns: scientist, ice cream, dining, etc. (c)..