Proishozhdenie nazvanij udmurtskich rodov
The Origin of the Names of the Udmurt Clans

Summary/Abstract: A hypothesis according to which the names of the Udmurt “matriarchal” (sic!) clans (vorshud) go back to the names of their totems is based on incorrect interpretation of the ethnographic sources. One of the main mistakes of so-called vorshud theory is the replacement the term vyzhy ‘clan’ by the term vorshud. Actually the vorshud or shudvord's' is a sacred patron of the patrilineal clan vyzhy. Consequently, the term vorshud name can not be used in meaning ‘clan name’. The members of the vyzhy thought themselves as descended from a common male ancestor whose name was used by them as a clan nickname. In other words, the author of present article regards that the names of the old Udmurt clans were formed in accordance with the following anthroponimic model: the name of male ancestor + the old Permic suffix of collective plural -a, which had the same function as, for example, the German -ing/-ung (like in Karoling) or the Slav -itshi/-ovitshi (like in Rjurikovitshi). Instances: Bija < Bij ‘Prince’ + -a, Durga < Dureg ‘Smith’ + -a, Jubera < Juber ‘Starling’ + -a, Shudja < Shudej ‘Happy’ + -a, etc.

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