Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, founded in the 12th century. This huge and incredibly beautiful metropolis did not always have the status of a capital, but received it only four hundred years after its foundation, uniting the entire state under its command. Despite the rich history of the city, which celebrated its 870th anniversary, the origin of the name "Moscow" still causes a huge amount of controversy. Let's try to understand this topic, and also consider several interpretations of the word.
Toponymy of Moscow
The earliest mention of Moscow dates back to 1147 (Ipatiev Chronicle). However, researchers involved in the field of archeology were able to find evidence that the first settlement on the site where the modern capital of the Russian Federation is now located appeared long before the chronicle was written. Therefore, to perceive this date as a starting point in the history of the city would be fundamentallywrong.
Not only historians are ready to argue with archaeologists, but also specialists in the field of toponymy, who rely on facts and name the specific date of the founding of the capital - April 4, 1147. It was on this day that the Novgorod-Seversky prince Svyatoslav Olgovich met with the Rostov-Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky, which took place in a modest settlement in the middle of an impenetrable forest. The chronicler, present at the conversation, wrote: “And Stoslav went and took the people to the top of Porotva. And so the squad of Stoslavl was aglow, and sending Gyurgia a speech: “Come to me, brother, in Moscow.”
Today it is impossible to say whether this chronicle speaks specifically about the territory on which the modern capital of Russia is located, or describes an area of a more global scale. But it is absolutely obvious that this toponym is based on a hydronym - the name of the Moscow River. This fact is present in a written monument dating back to the 17th century, namely in the story “On the Beginning of the Reigning Great City of Moscow.”
Of course, there are many fictional stories in the work that have nothing to do with reality, but there are things that have a completely logical explanation. For example, from the pages of this work you can learn that the emergence of Moscow and the origin of its name are directly related to the waterway on which the city was built. Prince Yuri himself, having gone up the mountain and looking around, said that since the river is Moscow, then the city will be called that.
Moscow is unique
CognitiveLiterature written for children explains the origin of the name of the city of Moscow using this very hypothesis - borrowing the name from the river. Similar cases, when a locality receives a hydronym as a name, are often found in history. For example, we can cite such cities as Orel, Voronezh, Vyazma, Tarusa. However, in most cases, the river that gave the name to the city acquires a diminutive form for its own name, for example, Orel became Orlik, and Penza became Penzyatka. This is done in order to avoid homonymy (coincidence). But the case with the name of the city of Moscow is unique. Here the word river is present in the name itself, acting as a kind of suffix.
Finno-Ugric version
One of the very first hypotheses, interpreting where the name "Moscow" came from, indicated that the word belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group. It is worth noting the fact that this version had a huge number of supporters. This assumption is very logical, since archaeological excavations have shown that long before the founding of the capital, namely in the Early Iron Age, Finno-Ugric tribes lived on its territory.
This version of the origin of the name "Moscow" is explained by the fact that the word can be divided into two parts: "mosk" and "va". The particle "va" is interpreted in Russian as "wet", "water" or "veka". The names of the rivers along the banks of which the Finno-Ugric tribes lived, as a rule, ended precisely in “va”, for example, Sosva, Shkava, Lysva. However, the exact translation of the first part of the word,which looks like "mosk", scientists have not been able to find.
Komi tribes
But if we turn to the Komi language, then we can easily translate the particle "mosk", which will mean "cow" or "heifer". Similar names are often found in world toponymy, for example, German Oxenfurt or British Oxford have a literal translation that sounds like “bull ford”. This hypothesis, indicating the origin of the name of the city of Moscow, was supported by the talented and famous Russian historian V. O. Klyuchevsky. It was after his recognition of the viability of this version that the assumption gained particular popularity.
But after careful analysis, it was found that the Komi peoples never lived near the banks of the Moscow River. The theory was subjected to serious and constructive criticism after it was proved that there are no similar names between the Moscow and Ural ranges of rivers ending with the prefix "va" for many thousands of kilometers.
Meryansk origin
Scientists continued to search for even the slightest hint of the origin of the name "Moscow". The main task was to decipher the “mosk” particle, which was also worked on by the famous geographer S. K. Kuznetsov. The researcher was fluent in several languages belonging to the Finno-Ugric language group. He suggested that the particle "mosk" is of Meryan origin and in the original sounds like a "mask". This word is interpreted into Russian as “bear”, and the prefix “va” is the Meryan word “ava”, which translates as"wife", "mother". Thus, the Moscow River is "Medveditsa" or "Bear River". Some historical facts indicate that this version of the origin of the name of Moscow has the right to exist. After all, the tribes of the Merya people really lived here, as evidenced by the ancient Russian chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years”. But even this assumption can be called into question.
Not in favor of this hypothesis, pointing to the history of the name "Moscow", says the fact that the word "mask" has Mordovian-Erzya and Mari roots. These languages appeared on the territory of our state only in the XIV-XV centuries. The word was borrowed from the Slavic peoples and originally sounded like a "mechka" (bear). Also, the lack of hydronyms ending in “va” in the Moscow region (except for the Moscow River) raises many questions. After all, historical facts indicate that the peoples who lived in a particular territory leave behind many similar toponyms. For example, in the Vladimir and Ryazan regions there are a number of rivers whose names end in "ur" and "us": Tynus, Kistrus, Bachur, Dardur, Ninur, etc.
Suomi language
The third hypothesis, pointing to the Finno-Ugric origin of the name "Moscow", says that the particle "mosk" is related to the Suomi language, and the prefix "va" is borrowed from the Komi people. If you believe this version, then “mosk” means “dark”, “black”, and “va” means “river”, “stream”, “water”. The inconsistency of the hypothesis explaining where the name "Moscow" came from is indicated by a non-logical linklanguages of different peoples, distant from each other.
Version about Iranian-Scythian origin
Among the researchers who tried to shed light on the history of the name of the city of Moscow, there were those who believed that the word belongs to peoples who lived far beyond the Oka basin. For example, academician A. I. Sobolevsky, who was engaged in scientific activities at the beginning of the 20th century, suggested that the toponym came from the Avestan word “ama”, which translates as “strong”. The Avestan language belongs to the Iranian language group. It was used in the XII-VI centuries. BC.
However, the hypothesis of A. I. Sobolevsky did not find supporters among other scientists, as it had a lot of weaknesses. For example, the Scythian tribes speaking the Iranian language never lived in the territory located near the Moskva River basin. And also in this region there are no large water arteries that have a similar value or a similar way of formation. It is known that A. I. Sobolevsky believed that the name "Moscow" is translated as "mountain". However, the calm capital river cannot be compared with the mountain rivers on the banks of which the Scythians lived.
Hybrid version
In the first half of the 20th century, Academician L. S. Berg, based on the Japhetic theory of N. Ya. taken from the Finno-Ugric language group. However, the scientist did not manage to find a single historical fact that would confirm hishypothesis.
Version by N. I. Shishkin
Where does the name "Moscow" come from, decided to figure out the brilliant scientist N. I. Shishkin, who took Berg's hybrid version as a basis. In 1947, he suggested that both parts of the word ("mosk" and "wa") belong to the Japhetic languages. This theory makes it possible to interpret the hydronym "Moscow" as "the tribal river of the Mosks" or "the river of the Mosks". But no one could find historical facts confirming this version. Also, not a single linguistic analysis was carried out, without which no hypothesis has the right to exist.
On the origin of the name "Moscow" for schoolchildren
The most plausible are the hypotheses pointing to the Slavic roots of the name of the Moscow River. Unlike previous interpretations, which have absolutely no confirmation, and are also based solely on conjectures, the Slavic origin of the name "Moscow" was subjected to the most complex linguistic analyzes conducted by well-known researchers. The most convincing theories used in school programs were presented by such researchers as S. P. Obnogorsky, P. Ya. Chernykh, G. A. Ilyinsky and the Polish Slavist T. Ler-Splavinsky. How can students briefly tell about the emergence of Moscow and the origin of its name? Let's voice the version set forth in the works of the scientists listed above.
The city began to be called Moscow only in the 14th century. Until that time, the toponym sounded like Mosky. "Mosk" in translation from Old Russian means "swamp", "humidity", "viscous" or "boggy". "sk" in the rootcould be replaced by the prefix "zg". Many modern words and expressions have come from "mosk", for example, dank weather, which means rainy, cold weather. G. A. Ilyinsky came to this conclusion.
P. Ya. Chernykh put forward a hypothesis about the dialectal nature of the word "mosci". The researcher was sure that this word was used by the Slavs-Vyatichi. Their closest relatives - the Krivichi - had a word similar in meaning, which was pronounced as "vlga". Some scientists suggest that it was from him that the hydronym Volga originated. The fact that “mosks” means “moisture” finds multiple confirmations in different languages spoken by the Slavs. This is evidenced by the names of the rivers in the basins of which our ancestors lived, for example, Moskava, Muscovy, Moskovki, Moskovets.
In the Slovak language there is a common word "moskva", meaning "bread harvested from the fields in bad weather" or "moist granular bread". In Lithuanian, you can find the verb "mazgoti", which translates as "rinse" or "knead", in Latvian - the verb "moskat" - "wash". All this indicates that the version that interprets the name "Moscow" as "boggy", "wet", "swampy" has every reason to exist. Perhaps this is how our ancestors saw the area on which the great city was then founded.
There is an assumption that the Moskva River got its name when people first settled in its upper reaches. After all, it is there that to this day there are swampy, impassable areas. We know that once these places were called "Moskvoretskaya Puddle", about whichmentioned in the "Book of the Great Drawing", written in 1627. This is how the author speaks about the source of the river: “And the Moskva River flowed out of the swamp, along the Vyazemskaya road, beyond Mozhaisk, thirty versts or more.”
Some assumptions pointing to the Slavic roots of the hydronym "Moscow" are not sufficiently substantiated. So, for example, Z. Dolenga-Khodakovsky, who was engaged in scientific work at the beginning of the 19th century, put forward his own hypothesis of the origin of the hydronym. In his opinion, "Moscow" is the old version of the word "mostki". This was the name of the river, through which a large number of bridges were built. This version was supported by a well-known scientist studying Moscow, I. E. Zabelin.
There are a lot of folk etymologies that briefly tell about the origin of the name of the city of Moscow. Some writers and poets used them in their works, giving the legends a poetic form. So, for example, in the book by D. Eremin "Kremlin Hill" there is a poetic interpretation of the toponym. The author, describing the death of the legendary Ilya Muromets, mentions his last words:
- "As if a sigh has passed:" We must forge power!
That's how the Moskva River got its name.
Finno-Ugric and B alto-Slavic origins
Slavic hypotheses indicating the origin of the toponym have their weaknesses and flaws. Supporters of this version have always approached the name of the city as a simple word, completely ignoring the cultural and historicalcomponent. Most researchers who support this hypothesis believe that the Moskva River did not have a hydronym until the Slavic peoples began to live on its banks. However, things could have been completely different.
If we turn to the archaeological excavations that continue to this day, we will know that the first Slavic settlements in the river basin already existed in the second half of the first millennium AD. However, before them (in the third millennium BC), Finnish-speaking tribes lived here, which densely populated the territory. A huge number of historical monuments were also discovered, which were left by tribes belonging to the Volosovskaya, Dyakovskaya and Fatyanovo cultures, who lived in these places until the middle of the first millennium of our era.
The Slavs who moved to these lands, most likely, retained the hydronym, making some adjustments. The same was done with other settlements and rivers, partially retaining the former name. Hydronyms also changed before the arrival of the Slavic tribes. That is why in such words as "Moscow" you can see Finno-Finnish or B altic roots.
The Slavic version looks quite convincing if we consider it solely from the linguistic side, but the historical facts that archaeologists regularly find cast doubt on this theory. For a hypothesis to be considered credible, it must have both linguistic and historical evidence.
Research continues
Adherents of the Slavic version usedas evidence, the materials of the B altic language group. The Russian language has much in common with Latvian and Lithuanian, which forced researchers to reconsider most of the geographical names. This led to the emergence of a hypothesis saying that there had previously been a B alto-Slavic language group, the tribes of which gave the name "Moscow". The photo of the B alto-Slavic relic found by archaeologists on the territory of the modern capital is a direct confirmation of this.
The famous linguist V. N. Toporov managed to make a detailed analysis of the hydronym of the river. His work had such convincing facts that it was even published in several popular science publications, such as B altika.
According to V. N. Toporov, the particle “va”, which is in the word “Moscow”, should be considered not only as its ending or common noun. This element is the main part of the word. The researcher points out that the rivers, in the names of which there is a particle “va”, are found both near Moscow and in the B altic states, the Dnieper region. Among the water arteries flowing into the Oka basin, there are also those that end in "ava" and "va", for example, Koshtva, Khotva, Nigva, Smedva, Protva, Smedva, Izmostva, Shkva, Loknava. This similarity indicates that hydronyms may contain words belonging to the B altic language group.
B. N. Toporov is sure that the root “mosk” has much in common with the B altic mask. Just like in Russian, this root means "slushy", "wet","liquid", "rotten". In both language groups, “mosk” can include the concept of “beat”, “tap”, “push”, “run away”, “go”. There are a lot of similar examples, when words are similar not only in sound, but also in meaning, in Russian, Latvian and Lithuanian languages. For example, in the famous dictionary of V. Dahl, you can find the word “moscott”, which means “knocking”, “tapping”, as well as the saying “can” - “crush”, “beat”. This means that the B alto-Slavic parallel in the name of the river and the city cannot be ruled out. If this version is correct, then the age of Moscow is several times higher than that indicated in all history books.
