The Wendish Research Exchange - Wenzel, Walter: The Tribal Name Besunzane in a New Light.

Lětopis Abstract 2018 1: Wenzel, Walter: The Tribal Name Besunzane in a New Light. With a Map

The tribal name Besunzane has repeatedly been the subject of academic investigation, the last example being an unpublished study by Bernd Koenitz. He firstly brought into his reflections the form Phesnuzi, first registered in the Bavarian Geographer (around 850), but up to now mostly overlooked, without however giving in our view a convincing evaluation of both pieces of evidence. We have made however the following deductions: Old Sorb. *Běžunčane, the people of Běžunk‘, and Old Sorb. *Běžunci, the Běžunks, the people of Běžunk'. The same formation structure is shown by the name of the neighboring tribe, the Dziadoszanie in Lower Saxony, around 850 Dadosesani and Thadesi, Old Polish. *D́adošane and *D́adoši, the people of D́adoš, the D́adošs‘. The name of the Milzane may have developed along the same lines, Old Sorb. *Milčane alongside *Milci, the people of Milk, the Milks‘.