Russian Quizzo/Trivia Round

[Inok Nikolai]

5. Correct. Pokrovskoe < pokrov = intercession < protection, cloak

I can't help being thrilled every time I discover one of these Northern prism titbits:
As a Protestant whose mother tongue isn't English "Feast of the Intercession" really means nothing, literally, to me. But then I see that in Russian it's Покров день and celebrated on the 14th of October as the first day of winter, just like in Scandinavia! Lovely Russian folk allegory with the veil, shroud or cover of the Mother of God covering the landscape as snow from now on.

I just happened upon this thread -- like many things on this Forum.

For the record, the Feast of Protection falls on October 1st. (It's October 14 on the Gregorian calendar.)

Although the events commemorated took place in Constantinople, the feast was first instituted by the Russians in the 12th century.
The Greeks only began to celebrate it relatively recently. And after WW II, they moved it to October 28th -- "Oxi Day".

[Превед]

For the record, the Feast of Protection falls on October 1st. (It's October 14 on the Gregorian calendar.)

Ah, OK. So only since 1700 (Denmark-Norway) and 1753 (Sweden-Finland) have the dates approximately corresponded.

Although the events commemorated took place in Constantinople, the feast was first instituted by the Russians in the 12th century.

It would be interesting to know if there was a pagan Slavic or Finno-Ugric festival lurking further back. In the Nordic countries the date was officially the feast of Saint Calixtus, but in pagan times it was the autumn blót (blood sacrifice festival), four weeks after the autumnal equinox, which is one week before Michaelmas, which strangely enough the Orthodox churches don't celebrate, as far as I can see.

I do wonder where in Carelia you'll find the Nordic-Catholic Winter Day on the 14th of October juxtaposed with the Slavic-Orthodox Pokrov on the 1st of October, and whether you'll find some Finno-Ugric level beneath!

[Georgiy]

Would Michaelmas not be the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers? That is celebrated on November 8/21.

According to the OCA: "A Feastday was established in November, the ninth month after March (with which the year began in ancient times) since there are Nine Ranks of Angels. The eighth day of the month was chosen for the Synaxis of all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven since the Day of the Dread Last Judgment is called the Eighth Day by the holy Fathers. After the end of this age (characterized by its seven days of Creation) will come the Eighth Day, and then “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him” (Mt. 25:31). "

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Archangel_Michael also has information about the Archangel Michael from an Orthodox viewpoint.

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Would Michaelmas not be the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers? That is celebrated on November 8/21.

Oh, I see. And oh dear, the Orthodox churches really likes those quirky, intriguing terms!

[Georgiy]

As on Big,Fat Greek Wedding, all these words come from Greek!

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Lol yes, Σύναξις των αρχιστρατήγων Μιχαήλ και Γαβριήλ και των λοιπών αγίων ασωμάτων και ουρανίων Ταγμάτων = Synaxis of the Archistrateges Michael and Gabriel and other Asomatic Saints and Uranic Hosts.

As crazy as the spelling Πριγκίπισσα Αλίκη του Μπάττενμπεργκ (Prigkipissa Aliki ton Mpattenmpergk)!

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Here is a new one for the quizzical seeking a summer challenge:

Royal Genealogical-Etymological East and West Slavic Summer Quiz
1. Which European monarchy is currently the only one in line to get a future sovereign consort speaking Russian?
2. Which Slavic-speaking kingdom did a dynasty originating in this country also rule?
3. Which Western European dynasty had at one time subjects that spoke both Germanic, Celtic, Romance and Slavic languages?
4. Which German dynasty employed Slavic nursemaids for religious reasons?
5. Which modern German dynasty is the only one with agnatic Slavic origin?
6. Which current European princess with certain East Slavic connections has a maiden name and title that is derived from the Slavic word for "fish"?
9. Which German dynastic residence has a Slavic name meaning "here be wild animals"?
7. Which current princess in a non-reigning house has a comital grandmother whose name and title means "fatty"?
8. Which current, reigning European queen is related to the outgoing president of a Slavic country?
10. Which former imperial residence has a Slavic name meaning "swamp"?

[TimM]

Which Slavic-speaking kingdom did a dynasty originating in this country also rule?

What country is "this" country?  You have to be more specific.

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Which Slavic-speaking kingdom did a dynasty originating in this country also rule?

What country is "this" country?  You have to be more specific.

Sorry, mean the country referred to in #1.

[Janet Ashton]

3. Which Western European dynasty had at one time subjects that spoke both Germanic, Celtic, Romance and Slavic languages?
4. Which German dynasty employed Slavic nursemaids for religious reasons?
5. Which modern German dynasty is the only one with agnatic Slavic origin?

5. Mecklenburg?
4. Is this one Saxony?
3. Coburg. I don't know if this was the answer you were thinking of, but it works...;-) What is "western european", though? Is Coburg western?

I won't try the rest, as many of them seem to concern current royals or would-be royals, and they don't interest me, so 'd need to do some research. :-) Would be curious about the castles, though,s o might follow those up as I can't think off-hand.....

BTW, do you know which European dynasty ruled subjects who spoke Germanic, Slavic, Romance languages, Albanian and Greek? :-)

[Kalafrana]

Is 10 Tsarskoye-Selo?

Ann

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Correct answers to the Royal Genealogical-Etymological East and West Slavic Summer Quiz:
1. Which European monarchy is currently the only one in line to get a future sovereign consort speaking Russian?
Luxembourg. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie spent a year studying art and literature in Moscow and speaks Russian.

2. Which Slavic-speaking kingdom did a dynasty originating in this country also rule?
The medieval Counts of Luxembourg inherited the Kingdom of Bohemia. The most famous of the Czech Lucemburkové was Emperor Karel IV.

3. Which Western European dynasty had at one time subjects that spoke both Germanic, Celtic, Romance and Slavic languages?[/b]
The Hanoverians. Their subjects spoke:
Germanic: English, German, Scots, Dutch (in New York State), Norn on Shetland and the Orkneys and  some Frisian (Helgoland from 1807).
Celtic: Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh and Cornish.
Romance: French (on the Channel Isles and in Québec).
Slavic: Polabian in the Hanoverian Wendland, untill it died out in the 1750s, approximately at the same time as Cornish.

4. Which German dynasty employed Slavic nursemaids for religious reasons?[/b]
The Albertine Wettins in Saxony, as the (Upper) Sorbs were the only native Catholics in the Kingdom of Saxony.

5. Which modern German dynasty is the only one with agnatic Slavic origin?
Mecklenburg.

6. Which current European princess with certain East Slavic connections has a maiden name and title that is derived from the Slavic word for "fish"?
Princess Michael of Kent, née Marie-Christine Freiin von Reibnitz. Reibnitz / Rybnica is derived from Slavic ryba, fish.

9. Which German dynastic residence has a Slavic name meaning "here be wild animals"?
Schwerin, grand-ducal mecklenburgian residence, is derived from Slavic zver, (wild) animal (Russian зверь, beast).

7. Which current princess in a non-reigning house has a comital grandmother whose name and title means "fatty"?
Princess Sophie of Prussia, married to the Prussian pretender, née Princess of Isenburg, is the granddaughter of Countess Irina Tolstoya. Tolstoy means fat, thick, stout in Russian.

8. Which current, reigning European queen is related to the outgoing president of a Slavic country?
Queen Mathilde of the Belgians is the 6th cousin once removed of (Count) Bronisław Komorowski, untill three days ago President of Poland.

9.
Where did that one go?

10. Which former imperial residence has a Slavic name meaning "swamp"?
Berlin is derived from Proto-Slavic brl, swamp (Silesian Polish: barzoł).

So 2 points to Janet :-)

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Is 10 Tsarskoye-Selo?

Tsarskoye Selo (Tsarist Village) is allegedly a corruption of Finnish Saarenkylä - island (Finnish saari > saaren) village.

BTW, do you know which European dynasty ruled subjects who spoke Germanic, Slavic, Romance languages, Albanian and Greek? :-)

The Savoys after WW1?

[Janet Ashton]

BTW, do you know which European dynasty ruled subjects who spoke Germanic, Slavic, Romance languages, Albanian and Greek? :-)

The Savoys after WW1?

Quite so! I think only German entered the lexicon with the Sudtirol after the War (there may have been some small number of German speakers before then, but 'm not sure); before 1914, they already had thoroughly multilingual subjects, with autochthonous enclaves of Greek and Albanian speakers on Italy's east coast, as well as a small group nearby speaking a language considered to be a Serbo-Croatian variant. All these people must have crossed the Adriatic to settle centuries before. The biggest group of Slavic speakers was of the Slovenes in the north-east, however (which became much bigger again after the war, followed by aggressive efforts to force them to speak Italian).

[Превед]

Quite so! I think only German entered the lexicon with the Sudtirol after the War (there may have been some small number of German speakers before then, but 'm not sure);

There have been small enclaves of German (or rather High Alemannic) speaking villages in Piedmont since the medieval Walser emigration, but of course the French element was far more predominant in the Savoyan lands untill 1860. (And has continued untill the present in the Aosta Valley.) And of course only educated Italians spoke "Italian" before WW2, the masses spoke very divergent regional dialects that even may be classified as distinct languages (Sicilian, Piedmontese, Venetian, Lombard, Sardinian etc.)