Drott
Encyclopedia
*Druhtinaz is a Common Germanic term meaning a military leader or warlord
and is derived from *druhti "war band" and the "ruler suffix" -īna- (c.f. Wōd-īna-z).
: drohtin, druhtin, Old English
: dryhten, Old High German
: truhtîn, trohtîn, trehtîn, trehten (Low German
Drost, Early Modern Bavarian German Trecht "Lord God", New High German
(Kriegs-) Trechtein "military officer"). The word comes from Proto-Germanic *druhtīnaz and is derived from *druhti "war band" and the "ruler suffix" -īna- (c.f. Wōd-īna-z).
Reflexes of *druhti itself are found in Icelandic
: drótt, Old English: dryht, driht, Old High German: truht (surviving into 19th century Swiss German
as Trucht "ruffians, scallywags "). In Gothic
appears the verb driugan meaning "to do military service". In Old English dréogan (Modern English drudge/drudgery, and dialectal dree) and in Icelandic drýgia(n) appear, both meaning "to perform". The root is the same as in Slavic drug meaning "companion" (see druzhina
). Old Norse drôttseti, Old High German truhtsâzzo and trohtsâzzo (Modern German Truchsess) is the term for the office of maior domus.
, Snorri Sturluson
wrote that Domar
married Drott, the daughter of Danp who was the son of Ríg (Heimdall
).
Snorri wrote:
The Finnish
word ruhtinas, denoting a high lord or prince
(ruler), is an early loanword
from Germanic. Finnish is not an Indo-European language and therefore unrelated to Germanic.
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
and is derived from *druhti "war band" and the "ruler suffix" -īna- (c.f. Wōd-īna-z).
Forms
- Proto-Germanic: druhtīnaz
- Old English: dryhten
- Old NorseOld NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: dróttinn - Old English-Middle EnglishMiddle EnglishMiddle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
: drihten - Old SaxonOld SaxonOld Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
: drohtin - Old FrisianOld FrisianOld Frisian is a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries in the area between the Rhine and Weser on the European North Sea coast. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland also spoke Old Frisian but no medieval texts of this area are known...
: drochten - Old High GermanOld High GermanThe term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
: truhtin - Austro-Bavarian German/New High GermanNew High GermanNew High German is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language. It is a translation of the German Neuhochdeutsch...
: Trechtein (meaning Lord, Officer); Kriegstrechtein (military officer) - Middle EnglishMiddle EnglishMiddle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
: driȝten, driȝtin, drihtin, drightinn, drightun, driȝtyn, dryȝt(t)yn, driȝtine, drightin(e, dryghtyn(e, drichtine, driht(e, dryght, drichte, dright(e, drytte, dryȝt(e
Etymology
The same word existed in Old SaxonOld Saxon
Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 8th century until the 12th century, when it evolved into Middle Low German. It was spoken on the north-west coast of Germany and in the Netherlands by Saxon peoples...
: drohtin, druhtin, Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
: dryhten, Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
: truhtîn, trohtîn, trehtîn, trehten (Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
Drost, Early Modern Bavarian German Trecht "Lord God", New High German
New High German
New High German is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language. It is a translation of the German Neuhochdeutsch...
(Kriegs-) Trechtein "military officer"). The word comes from Proto-Germanic *druhtīnaz and is derived from *druhti "war band" and the "ruler suffix" -īna- (c.f. Wōd-īna-z).
Reflexes of *druhti itself are found in Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
: drótt, Old English: dryht, driht, Old High German: truht (surviving into 19th century Swiss German
Swiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
as Trucht "ruffians, scallywags "). In Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
appears the verb driugan meaning "to do military service". In Old English dréogan (Modern English drudge/drudgery, and dialectal dree) and in Icelandic drýgia(n) appear, both meaning "to perform". The root is the same as in Slavic drug meaning "companion" (see druzhina
Druzhina
Druzhina, Drużyna or Družyna in the medieval history of Slavic Europe was a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called knyaz. The name is derived from the Slavic word drug with the meaning of "companion, friend". -Early Rus:...
). Old Norse drôttseti, Old High German truhtsâzzo and trohtsâzzo (Modern German Truchsess) is the term for the office of maior domus.
Anthroponymy
This same word was commonly used as personal name in Galicia, during the Early Middle Ages, in the form Tructino (origin of modern Galician surname Troitiño) together with other related names such as Tructemiro, Tructesindo, Tructesenda f. or Tructu, of probable Suevi origin.Mythology
In the HeimskringlaHeimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
wrote that Domar
Domar
In Norse mythology, the Swedish king Domar of the House of Ynglings was the son of Domalde. He was married to Drott, the sister of Dan the Arrogant who gave his names to the Danes...
married Drott, the daughter of Danp who was the son of Ríg (Heimdall
Heimdall
In Norse mythology, Heimdallr is a god who possesses the resounding horn Gjallarhorn, owns the golden-maned horse Gulltoppr, has gold teeth, and is the son of Nine Mothers...
).
Snorri wrote:
- Dygvi's mother was Drótt, a daughter of King Danp, the son of Ríg, who was first called konungr in the Danish tongue. His descendants always afterwards considered the title of konungr the title of highest dignity. Dygvi was the first of his family to be called konungr, for his predecessors had been called dróttinn ['chieftain'], and their wives dróttning, and their court drótt ['war band']. Each of their race was called YngviYngviYngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr ....
, or Ynguni, and the whole race together Ynglingar. Queen Drótt was a sister of King Dan Mikillati, from whom Denmark took its name.
Current usage
The Scandinavian word for Queen, drottning/dronning is derived from this title.The Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
word ruhtinas, denoting a high lord or prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
(ruler), is an early loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
from Germanic. Finnish is not an Indo-European language and therefore unrelated to Germanic.
See also
- Names of God in Old English poetryNames of God in Old English poetryIn Old English poetry, many descriptive epithets for God were used to satisfy alliterative requirements. These epithets include:- References :*Swanton, Michael James, ....
- Frauwaz