Spelling Names with "runiform" signs in Medieval Bulgaria

      The reason for this article to come to existence is a monogram written with "runiform" signs that might belonged to a medieval Bulgarian ruler. During search of other names written in Bulgarian Sacred script, it appeared that  it was a rule to spell names with 2 or 3 signs. 
     In 2006 a large set of table pottery was found at a pit in the latest known underground passage in the Bulgarian medieval capital Pliska. From the pieces archaeologists recovered 33 vessels completely and 20 partially, or total of 53 vessels (Grigorov, V. 2013). On some of the vessels are incised "runiform" signs:

Set of pottery found in Pliska, (Grigorov, V. 2013, p. 124)

       The most frequent of the them is IYI, a logogram bearing meaning of "holly, good"(Ovcharov, N. 2014). Perhaps those pitchers and amphorae were used in drinking at ruler's palace, part of a religious ritual. In fact in Old-Bulgarian literature survived evidence for such a rite(1). According to Bulgarian historian Ancho Kaloyanov:  "The singing of the troparii(2) when drinking wine was the Christianise form of the royal ritual of the Bulgarians from the pagan era in which the Khan and its (according to stone inscriptions) "fed people"(3) took part. In the text, the word san, which has an approximate semantic field, is used to denote the representatives of a combat unit (military squad) led by a "fed man". What could be the event caused depositing of this particular drinking pottery into a underground tunnel? Bulgarian 9th century was full of decisive turbulent events. Boris I came to power around 832. He baptised Bulgaria in 864, in 865 he crushed rebellion against him and the "new fate". In 889 he surrender his duties as a monarch to his elder son Vladimir and went to monastery. Vladimir did steps towards ether restoring paganism or at list tolerated a mixture of Christianity and pagan cults. In 893 Boris got out of monastery dethroned his elder son and with a special church convent made way  to a "clean" from pagan rites Christianity. To figure out how this pottery set fits in this chain of events might help a monogram written on one of the amphorae. The monogram contains two signs:  and  that represent sounds "r" and "sh". This leads to Rasate, the pagan name of Knyaz Vladimir.  
      On one hand, such identification of the pottery set is supported by the report in the chronicle of the monk Regino of Prüm, where pagan rituals associated with drinking wine are attributed to Rasate, understandingly presented in negative light:. "Interea filius eius quem regem constituerat, longe a paterna intentione et operatione recedens, praedas coepit exercere, ebrietatibus, comessationibus et libidinibus vacare et omni conamine ad gentilitatus ritum populum noviter baptizatum revocare;"(LIBI, 1960, p. 307) (In the meantime, his son, whom he placed as a prince, withdrawing far from his father's intention and deed, began to pillage, devoted to drunkenness, feasts, and debauchery, and by all means tried to bring the newly-baptised people back to the pagan rituals.)

      On other hand, connecting the monogram with Rasate's name poses two questions: why on monogram is written a "sh" instead of "s" and why it is consists of only two letters. 

      First question is answered by the fact that name Rasate is known only from Gospel of Chividale, where is recorded in Latin (Péchayre, А. 1936, p. 472). As Latin alphabet doesn't have letter that represent sound "sh" it is quiet possible that this sound was written with letter "s".
      Second question needs longer answer. In fact writing names with only 2 or 3 "runiform" signs is not an isolated phenomena in Early Medieval Bulgaria. Here are some examples:
 1. Names of gods. On the Rosette of Pliska are written names of seven gods of Bulgarian pagan pantheon. Three of them can be identified: - Rod, - Perun, - Hars (Ovcharov, N. 2016).
   2. Names of Saints. On three icons at Murfatlar, names of saints are written in "runiform" signs. In first icon words are separated by double dots: . As the second word means prophet, depicts it's name: (I)li(e)- Elijah.

 

Icon, Churches of Murfatlar, (Tryjarski E.1985)

Writings on the other two icons are not separated by dots, but the fact that they end with  (i) and (iz) allow the word for saint to be identified as Volga-bulgarian "izge" (holly, saint).

Icon, Churches of Murfatlar, (Tryjarski E.1985)

Then one of the names must have been spelled , and the other  (Ovcharov, N. 2014).

Icon, Churches of Murfatlar, (Popkonstantinov, K. 1994)

   3. Names of people. The following inscription was discovered at medieval monastery near Ravna, and published by Kazimir Popkonstantinov:  (Popkonstantinov, K. 1997, p. 112). Here first word (wrote) is written with Cyrillic letters but for the name following it are used two "runiform" signs. Another example of a personal name comes from Murfatlar. There on the wall of one of the churches, a two sign monogram is incised:

Runiform monogram, Churches of Murfatlar, (www.ansamblubasarabi.co.uk)

The two signs reads: . Perhaps the monogram stays for the name written completely on an other wall,  (suduk/ südük)(4):   

Runiform inscription, Churches of Murfatlar, (www.ansamblubasarabi.co.uk)

Notes:

   1). According to Ancho Kaloyanov, "Speech on the Troparion Chalices" was written in Bulgaria, in 889, as a criticism of singing troparii during drinking wine, a Christianise form of  pagan ritual performed in Bulgarian Royal Palace. 

   2). Troparion- "short hymn or stanza sung in Greek Orthodox religious services". Encyclopaedia Britannica-

( www.britannica.com/art/troparion) 

   3). "Fed people" is a translation of θρξπτός άνθρωηος a elite social group in Early Medieval Bulgaria, a term known from several stone inscriptions (Andreev, Y. 1968). 

   4). As anthroponym suduk is found Ukraine and Medieval Dagestan. Also, it was a name of  a Medieval Crimean town.

 Literature:

     Andreev, Y. 1968- Йордан Андреев, Няколко въпроса около θρξπτός άνθρωηος в Първата българска държава ″ in ВПИ „ Братя Кирил и Методий ”, т. ІV, кн. 2, 1968/1969г.

     Grigorov, V. 2013- Valeri Grigorov, Janko Dimitrov, New Data about Pottery Production in the 9th–10th centuries in Pliska (Capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom) in Bulgarian e-Journal of Archaeology, vol. 3 (2013) p.121–135;

     Kaloyanov, A. 2007- Анчо Калоянов, Славянската православна цивилизация, Началото: 28 март 894г., Плиска, Велико Търново, 2007;

     LIBI, 1960- Латински извори за българската история,Том II, София, 1960;

     Ovcharov, N. 2014- Nedyalko Ovcharov, Murfatlar Script, London, 2014, https://murfatlar.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/murfatlar-script.html;

     Ovcharov, N. 2016- Недялко Овчаров, Българската Свещена Писменост (Рога от София) - Част 2, Лондон, 2016, 

https://murfatlar.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/2.html

     Péchayre, А. 1936- A.-P. Péchayre , „Histoire et littérature slaves“, Échos d'Orient, tome 35, N°184, 1936. pp. 442 – 472., doi : 10.3406/rebyz.1936.2885;
     Popkonstantinov, K. 1994- Popkonstantinov K. Kronsetiner O. 1994 , Altbulgarische Inschriften. I. (Die Slawischen Sprachen, 36 . Salzburg-Wien;
     Popkonstantinov, K. 1997- Казимир Попконстантинов, Рунически надписи и знаци от манастора при Равна и техните аналози, Проблеми на прабългарската история и култура, 3, Шумен, 1997, 110-121;
     Tryjarski E.1985- Edward Tryjarski, Alte und neue Probleme der runenartigen Inschriften europas. Ein Versuch der Entzifferung der texte aus Murfatlar und Pliska. - Runen tamgas und Graffiti aus Asien und Osteuropas. Wiesbaden, 53-80;