Ashkenaz
Encyclopedia
In the Bible, Ashkenaz is Gomer
's first son, brother of Riphath
and Togarmah
(Gen. 10:3, 1 Chronicles 1:6), thereby a Japhetic
descendant of Noah
. A kingdom of Ashkenaz is called together with Ararat
and Minni
against Babylon
(Jer. 51:27).
There is a theory of Isaac Asimov
that biblical Askhenaz (אשכנז) arose from Ashkūz (אשכוז) (= the Scythians) by an old misreading of נ (nun
) for ו (vav). Ashkenaz is often identified with the Scythians and Sarmatians
, due in part to the use of the name "Ashkuz" (Saka
) for the Scythians in Assyrian Akkadian
inscriptions. It may also refer to the Phrygia
ns, who according to Homer's Iliad
settled around Lake Ascania
.
In rabbinic literature
, Ashkenaz is believed to be the ancestor of the Germanic people
, probably due to the similarity of the names Gomer with German, and Ashkenaz with Aschanes (Askanius), a mythological progenitor of the Saxons
. For this reason, Ashkenaz is the Medieval Hebrew
name for Germany.
Samewise they could have taken the name from the landholders and leaders of the German Siedlung
(settlers) over the formerly Slavic lands of Eastern Europe after the XI c. with the Ascanians, the new titleholders of lands (or people, also when residents of neighbor feudal lords) resettled with their Ostsiedlung
programs from the Western Marks of Saxony and other German speaking territories were invitations were announced and to which many German Jewish People responded too and moved in search of better prospects and more religious protections.
The German name for Northern people, to which they could be included by outsiders was, Ascomannii from the Ash wood used for their Spears. Gar-mann, which means roughly "spear or pike" foot man, is a false etymology from English for the name "German", as well attested by reputable dictionaries.
Ashkenazi Jews
, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( / ˌaʃkəˈnazi (singular) / / ˌaʃkəˈnazim (z pronounced as in English zip, not German-fashion as ts) (plural) / also / / the Jews of Ashkenaz), are termed as such because of their abode in the northern areas long associated with Ashkenaz.
Gomer (Bible)
Gomer was the eldest son of Japheth , and father of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah, according to the "Table of Nations" in the Hebrew Bible, ....
's first son, brother of Riphath
Riphath
Riphath - "a crusher", Gomer's second son , supposed by Josephus to have been the ancestor of the Paphlagonia. Pliny calls Riphath "Riphaci", and mentions a group of mountains named after him, the Riphaean range. Melo calls him "Riphaces", and Solinus "Piphlataci".Some Irish traditions say Riphath...
and Togarmah
Togarmah
Togarmah third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth, brother of Ashkenaz and Riphat...
(Gen. 10:3, 1 Chronicles 1:6), thereby a Japhetic
Japhetic
Japhetic is a term that refers to the supposed descendants of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah in the Bible. It corresponds to Semitic and Hamitic...
descendant of Noah
Sons of Noah
The Seventy Nations or Sons of Noah is an extensive list of descendants of Noah appearing in of the Hebrew Bible, representing an ethnology from an Iron Age Levantine perspective...
. A kingdom of Ashkenaz is called together with Ararat
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
and Minni
Mannaeans
The Mannaeans were an ancient people who lived in the territory of present-day Iran and Azerbaijan, around the 10th to 7th centuries BC...
against Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
(Jer. 51:27).
There is a theory of Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
that biblical Askhenaz (אשכנז) arose from Ashkūz (אשכוז) (= the Scythians) by an old misreading of נ (nun
Nun (letter)
Nun is the fourteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . It is the third letter in Thaana , pronounced as "noonu"...
) for ו (vav). Ashkenaz is often identified with the Scythians and Sarmatians
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
, due in part to the use of the name "Ashkuz" (Saka
Saka
The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....
) for the Scythians in Assyrian Akkadian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
inscriptions. It may also refer to the Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
ns, who according to Homer's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
settled around Lake Ascania
Lake Iznik
Lake İznik is a lake in the Bursa Province in Turkey. It is located at around and has an area of 290.00 km² and maximum depth of about 80 m. Its ancient name "Ascanius" is derived from Ashkuza, the Assyrian word for the Scythians.-History:...
.
In rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
, Ashkenaz is believed to be the ancestor of the Germanic people
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
, probably due to the similarity of the names Gomer with German, and Ashkenaz with Aschanes (Askanius), a mythological progenitor of the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. For this reason, Ashkenaz is the Medieval Hebrew
Medieval Hebrew
Medieval Hebrew has many features that distinguish it from older forms of Hebrew. These affect grammar, syntax, sentence structure, and also include a wide variety of new lexical items, which are usually based on older forms....
name for Germany.
Samewise they could have taken the name from the landholders and leaders of the German Siedlung
History of German settlement in Eastern Europe
The presence of German-speaking populations in Central and Eastern Europe is rooted in centuries of history, with the settling in northeastern Europe of Germanic peoples predating even the founding of the Roman Empire...
(settlers) over the formerly Slavic lands of Eastern Europe after the XI c. with the Ascanians, the new titleholders of lands (or people, also when residents of neighbor feudal lords) resettled with their Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
programs from the Western Marks of Saxony and other German speaking territories were invitations were announced and to which many German Jewish People responded too and moved in search of better prospects and more religious protections.
The German name for Northern people, to which they could be included by outsiders was, Ascomannii from the Ash wood used for their Spears. Gar-mann, which means roughly "spear or pike" foot man, is a false etymology from English for the name "German", as well attested by reputable dictionaries.
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( / ˌaʃkəˈnazi (singular) / / ˌaʃkəˈnazim (z pronounced as in English zip, not German-fashion as ts) (plural) / also / / the Jews of Ashkenaz), are termed as such because of their abode in the northern areas long associated with Ashkenaz.
Askenaz in Royal genealogies (1732)
The 1732 tome Royal genealogies by James Anderson reports a significant number of antiquarian or mythographic traditions regarding Askenaz as the first king of Ancient Germany, in the following entry:- Askenaz, or Askanes, called by AventinusJohannes AventinusJohannes Aventinus was a Bavarian historian and philologist. He wrote Annals of Bavaria, a valuable record of the early history of Germany...
Tuisco the Giant, and by others Tuisto or Tuizo (whom Aventinus makes the 4th son of Noah, and that he was born after the flood, but without authority) was sent by Noah into Europe, after the flood 131 years, with 20 Captains, and made a settlement near the TanaisTanaisTanais is the ancient name for the River Don in Russia. Strabo regarded it as the boundary between Europe and Asia.In antiquity, Tanais was also the name of a city in the Don river delta that reaches into the northeasternmost part of the Sea of Azov, which the Greeks called Lake Maeotis...
, on the West coast of the Euxin sea (by some called Asken from him) and there founded the kingdom of the Germans and the Sarmatians... when Askenaz himself was 24 years old, for he lived above 200 years, and reigned 176. - In the vocables of SaxonySaxonyThe Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and Hessia, there are some villages of the name Askenaz, and from him the Jews call the Germans Askenaz, but in the Saxonic and Italian, they are called Tuiscones, from Tuisco his other name. In the 25th year of his reign, he partitioned the kingdom into Toparchies, Tetrarchies, and Governments, and brought colonies from diverse parts to increase it. He built the city Duisberg, made a body of laws in verse, and invented letters, which KadmosCadmusCadmus or Kadmos , in Greek mythology was a Phoenician prince, the son of king Agenor and queen Telephassa of Tyre and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix and Europa. He was originally sent by his royal parents to seek out and escort his sister Europa back to Tyre after she was abducted from the shores...
later imitated, for the Greek and High Dutch are alike in many words. - The 20 captains or dukes that came with Askenaz are: Sarmata, from whom SarmatiaSarmatiaSarmatia or Sarmatian can refer to:* the land of Sarmatians, western Scythia as described by many classical authors, such as Herodotus in the 5th century BC* Sarmatian languages, part of Scythian languages...
; Dacus or Danus – Dania or DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
; Geta from whom the GetaeGetaeThe Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
; Gotha from whom the GothsGothsThe Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
; Tibiscus, people on the river Tibiscus; Mocia - MysiaMysiaMysia was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia . It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lydia on the south, Aeolis on the southwest, Troad on the west and by the Propontis on the north...
; Phrygus or Brigus - PhrygiaPhrygiaIn antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
; Thynus - BithyniaBithyniaBithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
; Dalmata - DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
; Jader – Jadera ColoniaZadarZadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
; Albanus from whom AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
; Zavus – the river Save; Pannus – PannoniaPannoniaPannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
; Salon - the town SaleSaleSale may refer to:* Sales * Sale, discounts and allowances in the prices of goods, such as:**Fire sale, a drastic discount in prices**Loan sale, a sale under contract of all or part of the cash stream from a specific loan...
, Azalus – the Azali; Hister – IstriaIstriaIstria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
; Adulas, Dietas, Ibalus – people that of old dwelt between the rivers OenusOenus (river)Oenus , also called Kelefína, the modern Oinoús, rises in the watershed of Mt. Parnon, and, after flowing in a general southwesterly direction, falls into the Eurotas, at the distance of little more than a mile from Sparta. The principal tributary of the Oenus was the Gorgylus Oenus (Greek: ),...
and Rhenus; Epirus, from whom EpirusEpirusThe name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
. - Askenaz had a brother called Scytha (say the Germans) the father of the Scythians, for which the Germans have of old been called Scythians too (very justly, for they came mostly from old Scythia) and Germany had several ancient names; for that part next to the Euxin was called Scythia, and the country of the Getes, but the parts east of the VistuleVistulaThe Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
or Weyssel were called Sarmatia Europaea, and westward it was called GalliaGalliaGallia may refer to:*Gaul , the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and other neighbouring countries...
, Celtica, AllemaniaAlamanniThe Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
, Francia and Teutonia; for old Germany comprehended the greater part of Europe; and those called GaulsGaulsThe Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
were all old Germans; who by ancient authors were called CeltCeltThe Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
s, Gauls and GalatiaGalatiaAncient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC, following the Gallic invasion of the Balkans in 279 BC. It has been called the "Gallia" of...
ns, which is confirmed by the historians StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
and Aventinus, and by AlstediusJohann Heinrich AlstedJohann Heinrich Alsted was a German Calvinist minister and academic, known for his varied interests: in Ramism and Lullism, pedagogy and encyclopedias, theology and millennarianism.-Life:...
in his Chronology, p. 201 etc. Askenaz, or Tuisco, after his death, was worshipped as the ambassador and interpreter of the gods, and from thence called the first German MercuryMercury (mythology)Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
, from Tuitseben to interpret.