Thursday, November 14, 2013

TAURI

The name of Crimean tribe of Tauri (Ταύροι), first mentioned by Herodotus, in fact is a Kartvelian adjective თაური [tauri] relating to the noun თავი [tavi], head, and meaning anything related to 'head'. Like here, where tauri means a 'headbutt'.

Thus, the word Tauri most likely meant 'heady' or 'big-headed' people. In Kartvelian it's not the plural form. The i-ending just means the nominative case, no matter singular or plural. While Greeks misinterpreted it as the plural form Ταύροι, which led to misinterpreting the nation's name all over the world. In particular, the Ukrainians and Russians call it ТАВРИ, while it should have been ТАУРІ. Exactly like Georgian surnames of Gomelauri, Tsiklauri, etc.

The Greek word ταῦρος meaning bull is likely to have the same origin: a big-headed animal.

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