The Oldest Water Names and the Toponyms of the Western Bieszczady and Beskid Niski Formed on their Basis

Abstract

The leitmotif of this study is the particular relationship of the names of Carpathian rivers to the terms signalling their source areas in the early stages of settlement development. The starting point is the Wisłok River and the medieval name of its upper catchment – Wysloczkie. The patterns captured here can also be seen in the basins of the Osława, Hoczewka, Solinka and San in the Western Bieszczady, and the Jasiołka and Ropa in the Beskid Niski, as well as in the valleys of many smaller watercourses. Some of the original mountain names of the catchment area were incorporated in the names of later settlements, e.g. Wisłoczek, Huczwice, Sianki, Ropki, and some in area names, e.g. Tarnawki, Żerniczki, Tworyńczyki. It was particularly difficult to establish the latter correlates, as most of them were forgotten after the post-war population displacements. The material base of the work consists of the author’s own toponymic data (approximately 12,000 names), including several hundred hydronyms, obtained from local people through interviews. The comparative material comes from historical works, mainly by A. Fastnacht, and archival maps of the studied area.