Introduction. The foundation of the late Prof. Vékony's interpretation of the various rovásirásos/ runiform inscriptions which have turned up over the last decades in the Carpathian Basin and the former territory of the Khazar Khaganate, is his decipherment of the famous Nagyszentmiklós rovásirásos / runiform inscriptions. I thought it would be informative to give an overview of his procedure, thought process, and results, in order to better understand the basis for much of what appears on the internet regarding these, and other rovásirásos/ runiform relics.
Gábor Vékony (2004) The Székely Script: Its Relics, Relations, and History, Publisher: Nap Publishers Ltd., Budapest
Vékony Gábor (2004) A székely irás: emlékei, kapcsolatai, története, Kiadó: Nap Kiadó KFT, Budapest
Corrections: Vekony's interpretation of Inscription 1 (= VIII. 1) should read: "Heated vosud for warming up the drinker" and not "Heated or fermented vosud for the drinker to warm up".
A Novočerkasski Kulacsfelirat (the Novocherkassk inscription on the earthenware flask from Novočerkassk, Rostov Oblast, Russia)
The Novočerkassk flask (novocserkasszi kulacs) is a canteen-shaped earthenware vessel about 30-35 cm in diameter and no more than 8 cm in width (Artamonov 1954: 264). It is kept at a museum in Novočerkassk about 20 miles northeast of Rostov-on-Don or about 40 miles northeast of the Sea of Azov, in the heart of Old Khazaria. The figure below is a graphic representation of the runiform (rovásirásos) inscription on the flask as reproduced in Kyzlasov 1994: 248. The letter-signs were inscribed into the wet clay before the vessel was fired.
Vékony interpreted this inscription to read: 'Oh, we drink, we drink from (this) voša!' (turkic reading) (Vékony 2004: 250). He transliterated letter-signs 14-18 (right to left) as v-o/u-š-(a)-d-(a)-n 'from voša' (turkic) Vékony 2004: 250. Vékony made reference to this inscription and specifically to his interpretation of letter-signs 14-18 to help validate his reading of inscriptions # 10a and 10b (G&R-T, Inscription # III. 7/ 1 and # IV. 7/2) on vessels 3 and 4 of the Nagyszentmiklós treasure (see above):
. . . such an assumption [that 'vošud' is the name of a drink] is somewhat risky, but a variation of this drink-name can be found in inscriptions on the Novočerkassk museum flasks . . . Vékony 2004: 139.
. . . such an assumption [that 'vošud' is the name of a drink] is somewhat risky, but a variation of this drink-name can be found in inscriptions on the Novočerkassk museum flasks . . . Vékony 2004: 139.
HRP suggests that letter-signs 14-18 have a more likely interpretation given our present state of knowledge of the Old Turkic runiforms:
HRP proposed reading (right to left): k-(ü)-z-ič-/l/-ü (< küzečlig) 'an earthenware water vessel' (turkic) or k-(ü)-z-ič-/l/-(i)-yü 'like an earthenware jug or vessel'
Scribal error or sound change: <š> for /l/ in this environment (perhaps due to the inscriber confusing <l2> with common Turkic <š>); <z> = Yenisei variant, but /ž/ is a possible reading if z > ž/ Vy_Vy , so /ž/ (hung. orthography = /zs/) can't be ruled out as the actual phonetic value for this letter-sign, thus allowing k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(e)-yü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü as a possible reading). (This variant of <z> (= /z/ or /ž/) is likely related to Orkhon Turkic runiform <s1>.)
Compare Clauson 1972: 757 küzeč 'a jug or other vessel'; 758 küzečlig 'earthenware water vessel' as in Xak. XI küzečlik titig 'clay suitable for making an earthenware water vessel'.
The entire inscription should probably be transliterated as the following (reading right to left): (e)-š-(i)-č-qa-y-u : (a)-m-u-č-(i)-qa-y-u : k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(i)-yü or (e)-š-(i)-č-(a)rqa-y-u : (a)-m-u-č-(a)rqa-y-u : k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(i)-yü .
This interpretation agrees with I.L. Kyzlasov's representation of the inscription (above) (ie., without a word-separating sign between letter-signs 8 and 9) and not with the one depicted in Vékony 2004: 243 (which shows a word-separating sign between letter-signs 8 and 9). Kyzlasov's representation is based on a photograph of the inscription found in Artamonov (1954).
A possible reading might look something like: (e)š(i)č qayu : (a)muč qayu : k(ü)žičl(i)yü 'What cooking pot (=wife), what "amuč" (=mistress) is like a drinking jug?' where "amuč" is possibly a term for a type of woman (magyarul: (Kérdés:) Van (föz-) fazék (= asszonyka), van "amuč" (= úrnö-ka) úgy, mint az ivokulacs?.
Compare Clauson 1972: xl -layu: / -leyü: meaning 'like' as in eg. 'like a wolf'; see also Erdal 2004: 380 "seyiz yIngak barča küzečleyü čokradi" which is translated as 'The four corners of the earth boiled like a pot.' ("seyiz yIngak barča" = 'all eight directions/ points of the compass')
"Éšič" 'earthenware cooking pot' may be a play on words in old turkic, compare: é:š 'companion, spouse, wife' + -č 'diminuative, hypocoristic name', so éšič 'earthenware cooking pot' in one sense, but 'little wife, dear wife' in another sense. This may dovetail with the derived meaning of am + -č 'little mistress, dear mistress', given what am means in old turkic (Clauson 1972:155) and perhaps colored by what umuGh means in old turkic (Clauson 1972: 157).
Spelling peculiarity: <š> = /l/ and <l2> = /š/.
Compare: Clauson 1972: 257 éšič '(earthenware) cooking pot'
Clauson 1972: 757 küzeč '(earthenware) jug'
Clauson 1972: 675 kayu (= qayu) ~ qanyu 'which, what'
Clauson 1972: 253 é:š 'companion, spouse, wife' + Clauson 1972: xli; Tekin 1968: 104 -č 'diminuative, hypocoristic'
Gronbech 1942: 37 amu 'Weibliche Scham, 'vuluua' (CC = 13th century Cuman-Kipchak: Komanisches Wörterbuch, Kopenhagen, 1942)
Scribal error or sound change: <š> for /l/ in this environment (perhaps due to the inscriber confusing <l2> with common Turkic <š>); <z> = Yenisei variant, but /ž/ is a possible reading if z > ž/ Vy_Vy , so /ž/ (hung. orthography = /zs/) can't be ruled out as the actual phonetic value for this letter-sign, thus allowing k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(e)-yü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü as a possible reading). (This variant of <z> (= /z/ or /ž/) is likely related to Orkhon Turkic runiform <s1>.)
Compare Clauson 1972: 757 küzeč 'a jug or other vessel'; 758 küzečlig 'earthenware water vessel' as in Xak. XI küzečlik titig 'clay suitable for making an earthenware water vessel'.
The entire inscription should probably be transliterated as the following (reading right to left): (e)-š-(i)-č-qa-y-u : (a)-m-u-č-(i)-qa-y-u : k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(i)-yü or (e)-š-(i)-č-(a)rqa-y-u : (a)-m-u-č-(a)rqa-y-u : k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-ü or k-(ü)-ž-ič-/l/-(i)-yü .
This interpretation agrees with I.L. Kyzlasov's representation of the inscription (above) (ie., without a word-separating sign between letter-signs 8 and 9) and not with the one depicted in Vékony 2004: 243 (which shows a word-separating sign between letter-signs 8 and 9). Kyzlasov's representation is based on a photograph of the inscription found in Artamonov (1954).
A possible reading might look something like: (e)š(i)č qayu : (a)muč qayu : k(ü)žičl(i)yü 'What cooking pot (=wife), what "amuč" (=mistress) is like a drinking jug?' where "amuč" is possibly a term for a type of woman (magyarul: (Kérdés:) Van (föz-) fazék (= asszonyka), van "amuč" (= úrnö-ka) úgy, mint az ivokulacs?.
Compare Clauson 1972: xl -layu: / -leyü: meaning 'like' as in eg. 'like a wolf'; see also Erdal 2004: 380 "seyiz yIngak barča küzečleyü čokradi" which is translated as 'The four corners of the earth boiled like a pot.' ("seyiz yIngak barča" = 'all eight directions/ points of the compass')
"Éšič" 'earthenware cooking pot' may be a play on words in old turkic, compare: é:š 'companion, spouse, wife' + -č 'diminuative, hypocoristic name', so éšič 'earthenware cooking pot' in one sense, but 'little wife, dear wife' in another sense. This may dovetail with the derived meaning of am + -č 'little mistress, dear mistress', given what am means in old turkic (Clauson 1972:155) and perhaps colored by what umuGh means in old turkic (Clauson 1972: 157).
Spelling peculiarity: <š> = /l/ and <l2> = /š/.
Compare: Clauson 1972: 257 éšič '(earthenware) cooking pot'
Clauson 1972: 757 küzeč '(earthenware) jug'
Clauson 1972: 675 kayu (= qayu) ~ qanyu 'which, what'
Clauson 1972: 253 é:š 'companion, spouse, wife' + Clauson 1972: xli; Tekin 1968: 104 -č 'diminuative, hypocoristic'
Gronbech 1942: 37 amu 'Weibliche Scham, 'vuluua' (CC = 13th century Cuman-Kipchak: Komanisches Wörterbuch, Kopenhagen, 1942)
_________________________________
A Stanica Krivjanskaja-i Kulacs felirata (the Stanitsa Krivyanskoe inscription on the earthenware flask from Novočerkassk/ Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, Russia)
The Stanitsa Krivjanskaja flask is a canteen-shaped earthenware vessel which turned up at a museum in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, Russia in 1942 (Artamonov 1954: 263). The letter-signs were inscribed into the vessel in an arc immediately beneath the mouthpiece of the flask. G. F. Turčaninov's (1964) graphic reproduction of the inscription is believed to be the most accurate representation to date. The figure below represents the runiform (rovásirásos) inscription on the flask.
A Stanica Krivjanskaja-i Kulacs felirata (the Stanitsa Krivyanskoe inscription on the earthenware flask from Novočerkassk/ Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, Russia)
The Stanitsa Krivjanskaja flask is a canteen-shaped earthenware vessel which turned up at a museum in Novocherkassk, Rostov Oblast, Russia in 1942 (Artamonov 1954: 263). The letter-signs were inscribed into the vessel in an arc immediately beneath the mouthpiece of the flask. G. F. Turčaninov's (1964) graphic reproduction of the inscription is believed to be the most accurate representation to date. The figure below represents the runiform (rovásirásos) inscription on the flask.
Vékony dismissed ščerbak's turkic interpretation (ščerbak 1954) ('. . . kumiss, pouring kumiss in the large opening, drink!') on the grounds that several words are divided by word-separating signs, and Turčaninov's Circassian (kassog/ kabardian) interpretation (Turčaninov 1964) ('[This] water-pitcher belongs to Layuk the Kuu (Kweyi?) warrior, (who) was famous') on the grounds that the Turčaninov reading is from left to right (very unusual for an eastern script) and the fact that we are dealing with a canteen-flask and not a water-pitcher. (BTW, weren't the Kuu supposed to be a Baskir people, and therefore turkic of some sort?). Others have Turčaninov's reading begin with '(This) kurgan' instead of '(this) water-pitcher' but I still think we are dealing with a canteen-flask and not a kurgan or water-pitcher.
Vékony interpreted the text as a pre-ossetian (alanic east iranian) inscription in some old khazarian turkic-related script. He based his interpretation on the results of his readings of the Nagyszentmiklós inscriptions and the previously described Novocherkassk flask inscription. Vékony read the inscription from right to left as follows (alanic) : vošudanu : thav ú : danu : č(a)rith : niuz(a)g : th(a)x(i)č(a)n : U(a)č(a)g : b(a)f(i)sta-a '[The/ this] vošu drink [is] yours. [The/this] drink should sustain [= keep alive] [the] drinker [ie., the one who drinks it]. For you, Uačag wrote this. (ie., Uačag wrote this for you).'
Vékony interpreted the text as a pre-ossetian (alanic east iranian) inscription in some old khazarian turkic-related script. He based his interpretation on the results of his readings of the Nagyszentmiklós inscriptions and the previously described Novocherkassk flask inscription. Vékony read the inscription from right to left as follows (alanic) : vošudanu : thav ú : danu : č(a)rith : niuz(a)g : th(a)x(i)č(a)n : U(a)č(a)g : b(a)f(i)sta-a '[The/ this] vošu drink [is] yours. [The/this] drink should sustain [= keep alive] [the] drinker [ie., the one who drinks it]. For you, Uačag wrote this. (ie., Uačag wrote this for you).'