Original scientific paper
Natural and Social Environment of the Medieval County Komarnica Expressed through Toponyms
Ranko Pavleš
; Podravka, Koprivnica, Croatia
Abstract
Using the partially preserved medieval toponyms of the county Komarnica, the author has presented the motifs and ways of naming natural and anthropogenic objects. The first part analyses the way the natural environment has influenced the creation of toponyms, so the author lists local names originating from species of plants, animals and geographic characteristics of the area, and then he studies the names given to natural objects, singling out the names for waterways and forests as examples. The second part deals with toponyms originating from human activity. The chapter begins with cultivated areas (vineyards, plough fields, cleared land) and continues with toponyms related to transport (roads, bridges and crossings). This is followed by toponyms related to various kinds of secular and sacral buildings. The names of villages and properties account for the major part of the preserved corpus of medieval toponyms. The biggest part of the group consists of examples of the ways of naming, with a basis in the medieval way of life. The most common motif for the emergence of these kinds of toponyms is the name of the owner or settler, followed by local names originating from nature and the names related to the church in some ways. This is followed by smaller groups of toponyms with rarely used motifs. The way of naming villages after the days of the week is interesting for the Middle Ages in this area, and also naming a number of properties after the same waterway, which often creates problems in research. In the end, the author extensively analyses the naming of villages and properties after their owners, whereby he emphasises the importance of such research for the reconstruction of settling of this area, as well as its ethnic image in the Middle Ages.
Keywords
Middle Ages; Komarnica; toponyms; Podravina
Hrčak ID:
77420
URI
Publication date:
1.11.2011.
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