Lechia
Lechia is a historical and/or alternative name of Poland,[1] stemming from the word Lech (which is also a common first name). It is still present in several European languages and some languages of Central Asia and the Middle East:
- Lahestan/Lehestan in Persian
- Lengyelország in Hungarian
- Lehastan in Armenian
- Lehistan in Ottoman Turkish (Polonya in modern Turkish, but Polish language is still called Lehçe)
- Lenkija in Lithuanian
- Lehia in Romanian
The term Lechia derives from the tribe of Lędzianie.[2] See name of Poland and Lechites for details. It is also the derivation for the term Lechitic languages, associated with Poland. Term "Lechia" also derives from legendary king and founding father of Poland - Lech.
Several Polish sports organizations are named Lechia. The best known example is Lechia Gdańsk. Other examples are Lechia Lwów, Lechia Dzierżoniów, Lechia Zielona Góra and Lechia Tomaszów Mazowiecki. In the People's Republic of Poland, the Nivea branch located in Poznań was named the Pollena-Lechia Cosmetics Factory (Fabryka Kosmetyków Pollena-Lechia).
See also
References
- ↑ "Laesir is the Old Norse term for the Ljachar, a people near the Vistula in Poland". [in:] Theodore Murdock Andersson, Kari Ellen Gade Morkinskinna : The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157). ISBN 978-0-8014-3694-9 p. 471; "The word here for Poles is "Laesum" – the dative plural from a nominative plural "Laesir". This clearly is derived from the old name for Pole – "Lyakh", since in the course of the Slavonic paradigm -kh- becomes -s-in accordance with the "second palatalization" and the addition of the regular Norse plural ending of -ir- [...] [in:] The Ukrainian review. 1963. p. 70; "eastern Wends, meaning obviously the Vjatyci/Radimici, Laesir "Poles" or "Western Slavs" (ef. Old Rus'ian ljaxy) [in:] Omeljan Pritsak. Old Scandinavian sources other than the sagas. 1981. p. 300
- ↑ (Polish) W. Chrzanowski. Kronika Słowian: Polanie. Vol. 2. Libron. 2006. p. 73.