What does the name of your country means?

[Kitschum]

I know this one...

Sverige = Sve + rige = Realm of the Swedes, or words to that effect. Rige is cognate with Reich if that helps. In Old Swedish the name Svithjod (spelling varies) was also used, where thjod = people, and cognate with Deutsch. According to susning, Sweden is called Swiorice and Sweo-theod in Beowulf and Jordanes (500 AD) calls the people Suetidi.

Where Sve/Svi comes from is unclear, but it might be cognate with the Sanskrit reflexive pronoun sva (Latin: suus/sui, Swedish: sin/sig, German: sein/sich), meaning something like "one's own" or "oneself."

Hope someone got something outta this.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Ramo
Colombia was actually called the United States of Colombia in the middle of the 19th century.

If you are talking about the country in Latin America you are wrong.

It was called the Republic of Gran Colombia if I remember correctly. Gran Colombia was formed by Ecuador, Colombia, Panama and I think Venezuela.

[TCO]

Originally posted by dannubis
Belgium ...
Land of the Belgae, a collection of Gallic tribes ...

The name is totally artificial though. It didn't exist until 1830.

Is it an artificial country too? Should we partition it between Holland and France?

[Spiffor]

France.

Artificial name, direct legacy from the Frank invaders. "Franc" also means "free" is old French, but I think this meaning is centuries younger as the Frank invasion (about 1500 years ago).
The first official occurence of the word France, IIRC, was when Hugues Capet was officially crowned "King of France" in ca 880.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by GP


Is it an artificial country too? Should we partition it between Holland and France?

The French speaking Belgians are too poor to join France.
The Dutch-speaking Belgians can only feel superior when they compare themselves to the French-speaking ones

[Bereta_Eder]

The Flemish got rich now and they're back with a vengeance against previous french-speaking domination by the Waloons

Many flemish want to separate even more, although they have already separated most of their affairs, including their educational system.

Also I'd have to disagree with danubis about Belgium since Julious Ceasar aleggendly said that from all the gaules the belgians were the braviest

edit about the name belgium sure though.

[dannubis]

what i meant with 'artificial' was that during the entire period after the fall of the roman empire until the foundation of our nation Belgium did not exist. And the belgae tribes homeland was actually more to the north of our country.

and spiffor, your country has invaded ours several times during the past millenium... and each time we sent your troops home... So we don't have to look to our southern countrymen to feel swell

[Traianvs]

Erh Dannubis, a bit o' modesty wouldn't hurt... sure they invaded us numerous times, but our conto of victories isn't that big compared to theirs... okay there's 1302, but in 1304 they had Flanders back already


Btw the Belgae were Celts, Gauls.. perhaps but Gauls were the Celts on the northwest side of the Alps, I'm not sure if this is also applicable to the Belgae.. but if Caesar says so... no problem

[Jamski]

Germany - land of the plague

After all the deaths from the bubonic plague in the 14th century it was called Germany because there were many germs there.

Indeed.

No - its true.

-Jam

[alva]

Is it an artificial country too? Should we partition it between Holland and France?

No problem with the south hooking up to france and we always said, we would welcome Holland becoming part of the flemish

[Locutus]

Originally posted by Spiffor
"Franc" also means "free" is old French

So you're saying that when Americans renamed french fries to freedom fries, they were actually just translating it properly?

Originally posted by paiktis22
since Julious Ceasar aleggendly said that from all the gaules the belgians were the braviest

He said bravest but he meant most barbaric

Edit: Yes, Trajanus, (according to Caesar) the Belgae were one of 3 classes of Gauls, the other two were Aquitani and 'regular' Gauls (the ones you mentioned).

[Willem]

Originally posted by Locutus


So you're saying that when Americans renamed french fries to freedom fries, they were actually just translating it properly?

Now isn't that a classic case of irony?

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by dannubis
what i meant with 'artificial' was that during the entire period after the fall of the roman empire until the foundation of our nation Belgium did not exist. And the belgae tribes homeland was actually more to the north of our country.

They lived in the North Sea?

[Sava]

It's so sad that my nationality is named after an Italian navigator.

[alva]

Originally posted by Sava
It's so sad that my nationality is named after an Italian navigator.

Isn't there another therory too? Don't where I heard it, but I'm pretty sure of it.