The Anthroponym Hзоть (Izot) – Historical and Linguistic Problems
The Anthroponym Hзоть (Izot) – Historical and Linguistic Problems

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the historical and linguistic aspects of the anthroponym ‘Izot’, which appears in the 12th century Bulgarian Apocryphal Chronicle. The discussion explores the existing opinions about the historical prototypes of ‘Izot’ and leads to a hypothesis of its probable historicity based on historical and comparative linguistic analysis. A conclusion has been reached that despite the influence exerted by apocryphal prophetical literature on the Chronicle and the presence of certain traces of the epic tradition, the passage concerning ‘Izot’ is most likely a later adaptation of a lost Old Bulgarian text with historical content. The other two anthroponyms included in the story of Izot are also analyzed. Ozia is identified with the Muslim caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan (717–720). Two different hypotheses about the identity of Goliath are presented. According to the first one, it reflects the mediaeval Bulgarian notions of Franks. According to the second, the anthroponym is Biblical rethinking of the name of the Great Moravian ruler Rostislav (846–870).

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