Blog: Macedonian Issues - Μακεδονικά Θέματα
The Slavs begun arriving in the south Balkans sometime around the end of the 6th and the beginning of the seventh century AD. A well orchestrated attempt is being propagated out of Skopje to portray the Slavic presence in Macedonia as eternal, going back to the ancient Macedonians, who were a Greek tribe, and to the Paionians who were an ethno-linguistic group akin to the Greeks. Their theory is that the Slavs are Macedonians, not the Slavomacedonians Slavs, and that the original Slavic homeland was not in the Pripjet marches of Byelorussia and Ukraine but in Macedonia. This, obviously has no bearing on history, archaeology and forensic linguistics and it makes a travesty out of everything that is commonly accepted by the academic community world wide.
A famous or infamous proponent of pseudomacedonism is Mr. Aleksandar Donski, a self proclaimed "professor of History". He has written numerous books or should we call them propaganda treatises, where his repeating motto is that the modern Slavomacedonians, the Slavonic speaking "Slavomakedonci" of FYROM are the autochthonous Macedonians who have saved in their language many of the names of the ancient Macedonians.
In a series of articles under the general title: "Macedonian names and MakeDONSKI pseudo-linguistics, we have time and again uncovered the faulty shallowness of these claims that cannot hold their own against any serious attempt to disprove them. Whenever History is replaced by propaganda, the people against whom propaganda is directed are on the losing side, intellectually and otherwise.
A crime has been committed against the people of the former Yugoslav Republic of Makedonija, a crime of the BIG LIE against their own self identity. This may sound like a harsh statement, but it is precise. What makes this BIG LIE more unacceptable is not that is merely portrays a false self image on the people of FYROM, which is bad enough in itself. What complicates the Macedonian name issue is that by adopting a false identity, the pseudomacedonian Skopjans want to elevate what was the fringe of the ancient Macedonian kingdom (and barely qualifies as Macedonian geographically and historically) and pass it as Macedonia proper, denying the Macedonian identity from the Macedonian Greeks who have all the reasons of history and language supporting them.
What is even more reprehensible is that by adopting a pseudo-Macedonian identity,
the Skopians then turn and "demand" the liberation of the rest of "their" Macedonia. Irredentism, based on true or fake "historic rights" is what makes the volatile Balkans flare up into eruptions of hatred and killing from time to time. The use of Balkan ethnic hatred by "outsiders" as it happened during the 1990's break up of Yugoslavia, is what fuels the outlandish demands of Albanian Kossovar-Tetovar and Slavomacedonian-Skopian ultra-nationalism. They can see that "anything" is possible, even the capture of Thessaloniki, Greece's million strong, second largest city as a capital of a Slavonic "Makedonija".In this light, pseudo-scientists in the pay of Skopian propaganda, characters of the type of Aleksandar Donski, Aristotel Tendov and Tome Boshevski among others, do not seem as ludicrous as they firstly appear, but their pseudo-macedonism takes on its truly sinister irredentist flavor.
In this article we will not try to disprove the alleged "Slavic" character of some ancient Greek or Thracian name in Donski's pseudo-Macedonian candy box. We will instead look at the true character of the modern Slavomacedonian male names and what they tell us about the true identity of the Slavic speaking inhabitants of FYROM.
In the 1996 "Orthodox Calendar", published by the Synod of the so called "Macedonian Orthodox Church" we find the following list of male names used in FYROM.
It is inappropriately misnamed (something to be expected in this misnamed country)
"Macedonian names of Biblical Origin". As we will show, there is very little "Macedonian" and very little "Biblical" in the names below.
What is a "Macedonian name? Are we to call Macedonian names the names that appear in ancient Macedonian history, after the Greek-speaking Macedonians conquered this land sometime around 800-750 BC? If this is a proper description, then Macedonian names, are all the names that appear in the literary, historical and epigraphical record of ancient Macedonia, since this is the Greek tribe that gave their name to this land. Over ninety five percent of these names are Greek, with some Paionian and some Thracian names appearing here and there. The vast majority of these names appear in every other dialect of Greek speaking areas around the Hellenic speaking world. Are the names Alexandros and Philippos and Aristoteles "Macedonian" names? While the most famous persons carrying these names are unquestionably Greeks of Macedonia, these names also appear as everyday Greek names in every other part of Greece, and the Hellenic speaking world and not only in Macedonia. Ptolemaios, Antiochos, Hephestion, Lysimachos are not names exclusive to the Hellenic-speaking Macedonians.
With the arrival of the Romans, initially and with the Slavs, the Albanians and the Turks in Macedonia much later on, their Latin, Slavonic, Albanian and Turkish or Arabic names arrive in Macedonia with them. Should these names now be re-named "Macedonian"? My position is that if we are to be scientific and precise then we must properly call these names "Roman, Slavic, Albanian or Turkish names common in Macedonia" at such and such time period.
The names of the ancient Macedonians were as Greek as any Peloponnesian, Thessalian, Ionian or Sicilian Greek name with some names being exclusively used in their dialect, which is something common to all other Greeks but also to all spoken and live languages around the world.
Biblical names, are names that appear in the bible, and as such are traditionally called the names that are Hebrew in origin. The New Testament, besides Hebrew has several Greek names and some Roman names too. Hebrew names start appearing in Macedonia with the arrival of Christianity in the first century AD and this is well documented in the funerary epigraphical record. This is also the time that the Thracian names start fading away and eventually they disappear by the 4th c AD with only ancient Greek and Christian (Greek, Latin and Hebrew) names surviving.
Let us now look into this list of names common among the Slavomakedonci and see how "Macedonian" they are. We classify these names according to the original linguistic pool from which they are derived.
A
Avakum Avram Adam Agapij Aleksandar
Alimpij Atanas Angel Angelarij Andon
Andrej Angjelko Antim Antonij Apostol
Ariton Arsenij Artemij Arhangle Atanasij
HB: Avakum, Avram/Abraham and Adam are indeed Biblical/Hebrew names (3/20).
LN: Andon and Antonij are Roman names, from Antonius (2/20).
GK: Agapij/Agapios, Aleksandar/Alexandros, Alimpij/olympios, Atanas/Athanasios, Angel/Aggelos, Angelarij/Angelos, Andrej/Andreas, Angjelko/Angelos, Antim/Antimachos, Apostol/Apostolos, Ariton/Ariston, Arsenij/Arsenios, Artemij/Artemios, Arhangle/Archangelos and Atanasij/Athanasios are all Greek names (15/20.
B
Blagoj Blagun Blazhe Bogatin Bogdan
Bogoja Bogoljub Bogomil Bogoslav Bozhidar
Bozhin Bojan Boris Boshko Branimir
Branslav Branko
SL: Blagoj, Blagun, Blazhe, Bogatin, Bogdan, Bogoja, Bogoljub, Bogomil, Bogoslav, Bozhidar, Bozhin, Bojan, Boris, Boshko, Branimir, Branslav, Branko are all Slavonic names, without exception (17/17).
V
Vangel Varnava Vasil Veljan Venijamin
Veselin Vidoe Vikentij Vladimir Vlastimir
HB: Venijamin/Benjamin and Varnava are indeed Biblical/Herbrew (2/10).
LN: Vikentij/Vikentius is Roman (1/10).
SL: Veljan, Veselin, Vidoe, Vladimir and Vlastimir are Slavonic names (5/10).
GK: Vangel/Evangelos, Vasil/Basileios are Greek (2/10).
G Gavril Georgij Gerasim Gligor Gligorij
Gorazd Goran Gorjan Goce Grigor
Grigorij Grozdan
HB: Gavril is Hebrew (1/12).
SL: Gorazd, Goran, Gorjan, Goce, Grozdan are Slavonic (5/12).
GK: Georgij/Georgios, Gerasim/Gerasimos, and Gligor, Gligorij, Grigor, Grigorij, all four of which are derived from Grigorios are Greek names (6/12).
D David Damaskin Damjan Danail Dejan
Deljan Despot Dimitar Dimitrij Diogen
Dobre Dojchin Doksim Doncho Dorotej
Dragan Dukdin Dushan
HB David and Danail are Hebrew/Biblical names (2/18).
SL Dejan, Deljan, Dobre, Dojchin, Doncho, Dragan, Dukdin and Dushan are Slavonic (8/18).
Gk Damaskin/Damaskinos, Damjan/Damianos, Despot/Despotes, Dimitar/Demetrios, Dimitrij/Demetrios, Diogen/Diogenes, Doksim/Eudoxios and Dorotej/Dorotheos are Greek names (8/18).
GJ GJerasim GJero GJoko GJore GJoshe
GJorgjija GJorche GJuro GJurchin GJurshin
HB: GJoshe/Joseph is Hebrew (1/10).
GK: GJerasim/Gerasimos, GJero/Ieron, GJoko/Georgios, GJore/Georgios, GJorgjija/Georgia, GJorche/Georgios, GJuro/Georgios and GJurchin/Georgios are Greek (9/10).
E Evgenij Elisie Erazmo Eremija Efimij
Emanuel
HB: Elisie, Eremija and Elisie are Hebrew/Biblical names (3/6).
GK: Evgenij/Eugenios, Erazmo/Erasmios and Efimij/Euthymios are Greek (3/6).
ZH ZHarko ZHelimir ZHivko ZHivorad
SL: ZHarko, ZHelimir, ZHivko and ZHivorad are Slavonic (4/4).
Z Zafir Zaharie Zdravko Zlatan Zlatko
Zograf Zoran
HB: Zaharie (1/7).
SL: Zdravko, Zlatan, Zlatko and Zoran are Slavonic (5/7).
GK: Zograf/Zographos (1/7).
DZ DZvezdan DZvonko
SL: DZvezdan and DZvonko are both Slavonic names (2/2).
I Ivan Ignat Ignatij Igor Ilarion
Ilija Inokentij Iraklij Irinej Isaija
Isidor Ice
HB: Ivan, Ilija and Isaija are Hebrew names (3/12).
LN: Ignat, Ignatij and Inokentij are Latin, extensively used in Byzantium (4/12).
Ice is indeterminate.
SL: Igor is Slavonic (1/12).
GK: Ilarion/Ilarion, Iraklij/Heracles, Irinej/Eirinaios and Isidor/Isidoros are Greek (4/12).
J Jakim Jakov Janaki Jane Joanikij
Joakim Jovan Jonko Jordan Josif
HB: Jakim, Jakov, Janaki, Jane, Joanikij, Joakim, Jovan, Jonko, Jordan, Josif are all Hebrew/Biblical names (10/10).
HB/GK: Janaki, though Hebrew/John has a very modern Greek loan form Giannakis/Little John, and Joanikij, though originaly Hebrew appears here in its hellenized version as Ioannikios.
K Kalistrat Kiprijan Kiril Kitan Kliment
Kozma Konstantin Kostadin Krale Krste
Kuzman
LN: Konstantin/Constantinus, Kostadin/Constantinus and Krale/Carolus are Latin (3/11)
SL: Kitan, Kuzman (2/11)
LT/SL: Krale, though Originaly Latin is also used in Slavonic languages as a name denoting King due to the legacy of Charlemagne (1/11).
GK: Kalistrat/Kallistratos, Kiprijan/Cyprianos, Kiril/Cyrillos, Kitan, Kliment/Klimis, Kozma/Kosmas, Krste/Christos are Greek (6/11).
L Lavrentij Lazar Lambe Leonid Leontie
Lefter Luka
HB: Lazar/Lazaros is Hebrew (1/7).
LN: Luka/Lucas and Lavrentij/Laurentius are Latin (2/7)
GK: Lefter/Eleutherios, Lambe/Lampes (from Charalampes), Leonid/Leonidas, Leontie/Leontios are Greek (4/7).
LJ LJube LJuben LJubomir LJupcho LJudmil
SL: LJube, LJuben, LJubomir, LJupcho, LJudmil are Slavonic (5/5).
M Makaraie Makedon Maksim Manoil Manol
Manojlo Marin Marko Matea Matej
Metodij Miladin Mile Mirko Miron
Miroslav Misail Mitan Mitre Mihail
Mladen Mojsej Mojsie
HB: Manoil/Emanuel, Manol/Emanuel, Mihail/Michael, Matea/Matthew, Matej/Matthew, Manojlo/Emanuel, Mojsej/Moses, Mojsie/Moses and Misail/Michael are Hebrew/Biblical names (9/23).
LT: Maksim(us), Marin(us), Marko/Marcus are Latin (3/23).
SL: Miladin, Mile, Mirko, Miroslav, Mitan and Mladen are Slavonic (6/23)
GK: Makaraie/Makarios, Makedon, Metodij/Methodios, Miron and Mitre/Mitros a diminutive of Demetrios are Greek (5/23)
N Najden Nase Naste Natanail Naum
Nace Nakje Neven Nedelko Nektarij
Noefit Nestor Nikanor Nikita Nikifor
Nikodim Nikola Novak Nove
HB: Natanail and Naum are Hebrew names (2/19).
SL: Najden, Nakje, Neven, Nedelko, Novak and Nove are Slavonic (6/19).
GK: Nace/Anastasios, Naste/Anastasios, Nektarij/Nektarios, Noefit/Neophytos, Nestor, Nikanor, Nikita(s) and Nikifor/Nikiphoros, Nikodim/Nikodemos and Nikola(os) are Greek (10/19).
O Ognen Ordan Orce
SL: Ognen, Ordan, Orce are Slavonic (3/3).
P Pavle Pandil Pane Pantelejmon Panche
Partenij Paskal Pahomij Pejko Petar
Petko Pimen Plamencho Polikarp Prodan
Projko Prokopij Prohor
LN: Pavle is Latin (1/18).
SL: Panche, Pejko, Petko, Plamencho, Prodan, Projko, Panche (7/18).
GK: Pane/Panagiotis, Pandil/Pantelis, Partenij/Parthenios, Paskal/Paschalis, Pahomij/Pachomios, Petar/Petros, Pimen, Polikarp(os), Prokopij/Prokopios, Prohor(ios) (10/18).
R Radovan Radomir Radoslav Razmo Rajko
Rangel Ranko Rastko Ratko Ratomir
Rafael Ristan Riste Rodoljub Romil
Ruse Rusomir
HB: Rafael/Raphael is Biblical (1/17)
LT: Romil/Romylus is Latin (1/17)
SL: Radovan, Radomir, Radoslav, Razmo, Rajko, Rangel, Ranko, Rastko, Ratko, Ratomir, Ristan, Riste, Rodoljub, Ruse, Rusomir are all Slavonic (15/17).
SL/GK: Riste is a derivative of the Greek Christos.
S Save Sazdan Samoil Sande Sarafil
Sare Sasho Svetislav Svetozar Svetolik
Svetomir Serafim Siljan Simon Slave
Slavoljub Slobodan Smile Solunche Sofronija
Spasen Spiridon Srebre Sreten Stamen
Stefan Stojan
HB Save/Sava, Samoil/Samuel, Serafim/Seraphim are Hebrew (3/27)
SL Sazdan, Sande, Sarafil, Sare, Sasho, Svetislav, Svetozar, Svetolik, Svetomir, Siljan, Slave, Slavoljub, Slobodan, Smile, Solunche, Spasen, Srebre, Sreten, Stamen, Stojan are Slavonic. (21/27)
SL/HB Stojan is a derivative of John, a Biblical name.
SL/GK Solunche is derived from the Greek name Thessalonike and Sasho is a Slavic diminutive of the greek name Alexandros.
GK Simon, Sofronija/Sopfronios, Spiridon, Stefan(os) are Greek (4/27)
T Tanas Tase Tashko Temelko Teodor
Teodosij Teofan Teofil Teofilakt Timotej
Tihomir Trajan Todor Trifun Trpe
LN: Trajan/Traianus is Latin (1/15)
SL: Tashko Temelko, Tihomir, Trpe are Slavonic (4/15)
GK: Tanas/Athanasios, Tase/Anastasios,Teodor/Theodoros, Teodosij/Theodosios, Teofan/Theophanes, Teofil/Theophilos, Teofilakt/Theophylactos, Timotej/Timotheos, Todor/Theodoros and Trifun/Triphon are Greek (10/15)
KJ KJire KJirko
SL: KJire and KJirko are Slavonic (2/2)
F Fidan Filimon Filip Firfo Flore
Fotij
LN: Flore is Latin (1/6).
SL: Fidan and Firfo are Slavonic (2/6).
GK: Filimon, Filip/Philippos and Fotij/Photios are Greek (3/6).
H Hranislav Hristijan Hristo Hristifor
SL: Hranislav is Slavonic (1/4)
GK: Hristijan/Christianos, Hristo/Christos and Hristifor/Christophoros are Greek names(3/4)
C Cane Cvetan
SL: Cane and Cvetan are Slavonic (2/2).
CH CHaslav CHedo CHedomir
SL: CHaslav, CHedo and CHedomir are all Slavonic (3/3).
SH SHane SHishko
SL: SHane and SHishko are both Slavonic (2/2).
There are a total of 292 names in this list, all common to male Slavomacedonians. Out of these names 42 are Biblical/Hebrew in origin, 18 are Latin in origin, 128 are Slavonic in origin and 103 are Hellenic/Greek in origin.
If we look at the numbers of each category we arrive at these percentages:
Hebrew/Biblical names: 42 names or 14.38%
Latin names: 18 names or 6.16%
Slavonic names: 128 names or 43.83%
Hellenic/Greek names: 103 names or 35.27%
Instead of trying to "prove" an unprovable and wholly fictitious Balkan and Macedonian autochthony, using the ancient Greek names of the ancient Macedonians as a fake spearhead (foolishly attempting to explain them as Slavonic in nature), the Skopian propagandists should at some point make an effort to gain some crumbs of their long ago lost seriousness by sitting down and trying to explain the flood of Hellenic names in their own onomastics: more than one in three names, fully 35.27% of Slavomacedonian names are Hellenic in origin.
Instead of trying of claiming (un-historically) that the two Byzantine monks from Thessalonike, in the imperial diplomatic service, the nobles Constantinos-Cyrillos and his brother Methodios were Slavs, they should try to be as grateful to the Greek nation (as all the other Slavs are, starting with the Russians), for the gift of Christianity and Graeco-Roman (Byzantine) civilization that their progenitors received from the Greeks. A whopping 35.27 of the Slavomacedonian male names, proves the point as to who influenced whom, after all.
As far as onomastics go, Greek names account for over 95% of the ancient Macedonian
names, over 95% of modern Macedonian Greek names (the rest being Biblical and Latin) and over 35% of modern Slavomacedonian male names. Slavonic names account for almost 44% of all modern Slavomacedonian male names while there is not a single one, I repeat, NOT A SINGLE ONE Slavonic name in the modern Greek (Macedonian or other) onomastics whether ancient (that would be a historical joke) or in the modern Greek one. Here we treated only the male Slavomacedonian names. We will revisit this issue again with the female names common among the Slavomacedonians of FYROM-Skopje. As for the last names, the fact that such well known Slavomacedonian names as Gruevski, Chervenkovski and Milososki rhyme perfectly well with Jaruzelski, Brzezinski, Lempitski, Moskovski, Malinovski and Sibirski tells us volumes about the closest linguistic relatives of the Slavomacedonians. I have not seen many Poles, Czecks, Slovaks or Russians claim descent from the Greek-speaking ancient Macedonians, after all: they are serious about their self esteem and very much comfortable and proud about their Slavic self-identity not to play havoc with it. If only their Yugoslavian (= south Slavic) cousins from Skopje would do the same, instead of acting like adopted Balkan orphans tragically searching for their long lost roots, the Macedonian name issue would not be here.
Pseudo-Macedonism, as we have proven time and again, is based on a Big Lie, a fake identity imposed on an esentially Slavonic nation; Slavonic in language and culture, though not necessarily in DNA or ethnic descent, which is mixed and it matters very little in identity anyway. Pseudo-Macedonism is a transformational travesty in the most literal sense of the world and this is not an insult, it is a political description.
