Finno-Ugrian hydronyms of the river Volkhov and Luga catchment area

Authors

• Pauli Rahkonen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33340/susa.82436

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to study by the means of onomastics of language of the ancient Chudes mentioned by the Russian chroniclers.  More precisely, the research concerns the Chudes that inhabited the Novgorod Land before their assimilation with Slavs. The previous view has been that the language belonged to the Finnic group. In this work, I have defined the boundaries of actual Finnic toponyms, examined the areal connection of the formants of hydronyms, the distribution of Chud toponyms and the names of large bodies of waters in Pskov territory between Estonia and Novgorod. The results of onomastics are also compared with archaeological data. The basic conclusion is that the language of these Chudes was not Finnic.