POSSIBLE ETYMOLOGIZATION OF THE OLD RUSSIAN WORD VARANGIAN CONSIDERING THE FINNIC MEDIATION

Abstract

The derivation of the Old Russian word Varangians and its correlation with Væringjar of Scandinavian sagas and Greek Βάραγγοι are still subjects of polemics. The well-known V. Thomsen’s etymology from the Old Norse vár and the postulate of the sagas’ term primacy do not allow explaining the origin and genesis of all three related terms. The article suggests other possible etymological approaches to the word Varangian, considering probable Finnic mediation, and substantiates a fundamentally different historical interaction of the Old Russian, Scandinavian, and Greek terms, with the Russian one having been originated first, in the Viking Age, on the future Old Rus’ territory.