Zur Runeninschrift auf dem Goldhorn B von Gallehus

Abstract The gold horn B from Gallehus, datable to about AD 400, bears the following runic legend: ek, Hlewagastiz Holtijaz, horna tawidō ›I, H. H., made the horn‹. The Proto-Nordic weak verb taujan* – a causative ›to make sth. being added together, add together‹ → ›to make, produce‹ – is unlikely to have had a dedicatory meaning. The nominative endings in Hlewagast-iz and Holt-ijaz indicate that the language of the inscription is Proto-Nordic (urnordisch), seeing that the regular endings in WGmc. would be *-i, -ija and in EGmc -s, *-īs. The first element of Hlewagastiz appears to be related to OIcel. hlé n. ›lee, shelter‹ rather than to an otherwise unrecorded Germanic counterpart to Gk. κλέ(ϝ)ος ›fame‹. The second anthroponym, Holtijaz, is unlikely to be a patronymic ›son of *Holtǣ‹, for *Holt(a)nijaz would be the form to be expected here. From a morphophonological point of view, Holtijaz may be a byname denoting place of origin (either ›of the wood‹ or ›from Holt‹), but there is no earlier evidence available in support of such a formation. More probably, we are dealing with the second constituent of a double name PNord. Hlewagastiz Holtijaz with parallels, for example, in Early Gmc. Harigasti Teiwǣ, Ostrogoth. Gunthigis Baza and West Franc. Berthchramnus Waldo.