Re: OT: Finns.

Andreas Johansson wrote:

> quoting me:
>> It occurred to me today that two of the names used for the Finnish
>> people might be related. "Kven" is an old name, known perhaps
>> first from Adam of Bremen, 11th century. "Finn" is even older,
>> known from Ptolemy, 2nd century CE. Now if "Kven", or "Kwen" or
>> "Kwenn" was borrowed into Celtic at an early stage, it regularly
>> would become "Pen" or "Penn" (except in Spain or Ireland). And if
>> "Penn" was borrowed into Germanic before Grimm's Law, "Fenn" would
>> result.
>>
>> Anybody here more in the know about this? Wikipedia tantalisingly
>> mentions a theory that the two words may be cognates, but gives no
>> reference.
>
> Seems more than a little unlikely - why would Germanics borrow a word
> for Finns from Celtic?
Yes, it would seem an odd route. But Celts were once very widespread
and admired by the Germani. Words often take strange routes, so I
don't see that it's impossible, at least.

> The usual guess is that "Finn" is related to the verb "find" (Sw.
> _finna_, same in Norwegian I think?), the original Finns being nomads
> who around finding their food as opposed to sedentary
> Scandinavian-speakers.
Yes, I have come across that one. It does not fill me with deep
satisfaction, somehow.

LEF

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