The Bulgarian calendar was a solar calendar system used by the Bulgarians, who from the 4th century onwards dwelt in the Eurasian Steppe north of the Caucasus and around the banks of river Volga. In 681, part of the Bulgarians settled in the Balkan peninsula and established First Bulgarian Empire. The main source of information used for reconstruction of the Bulgarian calendar is a short 15th century transcript in Church Slavonic called Nominalia of the Bulgarian Khans,[ Образуване на българската държава. проф. Петър Петров (Издателство Наука и изкуство, София, 1981) стр. 171.] The reading, along with the "cyclic calendar" interpretation itself, was originally proposed by Finnish people Slavist Jooseppi Julius Mikkola in 1913. Later, there have been various modifications and elaborations during the 20th century by scholars such as Géza Fehér, Omeljan Pritsak, Mosko Moskov and other scientists.[ Zlatarski, Vasil. 1918. Istoriya na balgarskata darzhava prez srednite vekove. Balgarsko letobroene (in Bulgarian).]
Reconstructions vary slightly because some of the names are unattested, and the exact form of a few is debatable. The following list is based on Mosko Moskov's and description of the average mainstream interpretation, as well as his own reconstruction, and takes into account the existing disagreements:[Именник на българските ханове – ново тълкуване. М.Москов. С. 1988 г. § 80,70]
Years:
|
|
| Somor |
| Shegor |
| Ver? |
| Dvansh |
| Vereni? |
| Dilom |
| Imenshegor? |
| Tekuchitem? |
| |
| Toh |
| Eth |
| Dohs |
Comparison with Turkic calendars
The following comparison table was made based on
Omeljan Pritsak's analysis.
[Die bulgarische Fürstenliste und die Sprache der Protobulgaren. Otto Harrassowitz-Wiesbaden, 1955.]
|
| Mouse | Somor,
( čomor) [ Corresponds to tat. "jomran" "settled" from the Turkic root "jomra"
-] | | küskü | сычқан | сысҡан | тышқан | кÿске | қойон
„Rabbit“ |
| Ox | Shegor,
σιγορ [ Съответства на турската дума sığır „говедо“. ] | | ud | сығыр | һыйыр
„крава“ | сиыр | інек | улу
„Dragon“ |
| Uncertain, probably Tiger / Wolf | Ver/Vereni,
Vereni [ According to Pritsak (cit. lit.) it corresponds to Proto-Turkic. börü 'wolf', taken in mar. "puree", sensed. "biræg". But comparing the name of the year from the teleutic cycle circle, we see that "vereni" may be the tabu name for "dragon" = "rope" and be compared with chuv. "faithful", Old Turkic. örgen 'rope'.(Мудрак, цит. лит.)] | bars (Turkic) | bars (Turkic) | барс,
пәләң (Turkic) | барыс | барыс | тÿлгÿ
„Fox“ | йылан
„Snake“ |
| Rabbit | Dvan
( davlan) [ Proto Bulgar. davlan Corresponds to the Lambdaism rule of Old Turkic. tabïšɣan. ] | tabïšɣan | tavïšɣan | таушқан | ҡуян | қоян | хозан | ат
„Horse“ |
| Dragon | | lüi/lü (Chinese) | luu (Chinese) | лу балық | луу | лув | килескі
„Lizard“ | қой
„Ram“ |
| Snake | Dilom
( čilom)[ Corresponds to hearing. çĕlĕn, Old Turkic. yïlan "snake".] | yïlan | yïlan | йылан | илан | жылан | чылан | мечин
„Monkey“ |
| Horse | Ima[According to Pritsak (cit. lit.) this word is borrowed in mar. imne 'horse', deriving them from Old Turkic. emlik at – "unridden horse, colt", but later took on the meaning of "horse". Mar. "imne" is probably borrowed from Hmong. – see Fassmer (cit. lit.) under "imnyushka". See Beshevliev for the opinion that "ima" is Old Bulgarian. adj. place for a binary number.]
(Imen) | | yunt,
yund | йылқы | илҡы | жылқы | чылғы | ит
„Dog“ |
| Ram | Teku,
Teke [Corresponds to hearing. "so" "ram", Old Turkic. teke "goat".] | qony | qoin | қой | ҡой | қой | хой | қақай
„Boar“ (Mongolian) |
| Monkey | | bičin | bičin | биҗин | мишин | маймыл,
мешін | кіжі
„Human/Man“ | чычқан
„Mouse“ |
| Rooster | Toh ( čux) [Corresponds to hearing. čăhă, Old Turkic. takïɣu hen < diakïɣu. Employed in ung. tyúk. ] | takïɣu | takïɣu | тауқ | тауыҡ | тауық | таңах | тақаа
„Rooster“ (Mongolian) |
| Dog | Eth [ Corresponds to hearing. yită, Old Turkic. it "dog".] | it | it | ит | эт | ит | турна
„Crane“ | инек
„Cow“ |
| Boar | Dohs
( čočka) [ Corresponds to tat. "chucka" "pig".] | laɣzïn (?) | toŋuz | тоңуз | доңгыз | қара кейік | öскі
„Ram“ | пар
„Tiger“ |
References and notes
External links
