Balkans=Haimos

[akritas]

Balkans it is quite a recent term, popularized in the early 19th century by the German geographer August Zeune. He spoke of a Balkan Peninsula analogous to, say, the Iberian Peninsula.

In Bulgarian Balkan means simply ‘mountain’, and in Turkish ‘steep forested mountain’. It came, however, to denote the chain of mountains which in ancient times was known as Haimos.

Balkan Peninsula in the ancient times was called Haimos (pronounced Hemos) and this name would be the most apropriate name for this peninsula while the name for its populations would be Haimian (pronounced Hemian).

Some sources that can guide us that Haimos was the original name of the today Balkan (which sounds vastly more european by the way) and its Hellenic origin.

One from the source is the Hellenic mythologie.

The Haimos, son of Voreas and Orethias, was spouse of Rodopi and father of Evros. Haimos and Rodopi tried to be gods in the place of Zeus and Hera. The Zeus, wanting him to punishes him , transformed his woman in the homonym mountain, while his son him it made river, known Evros. The Haimos, wanting to be with his family, was transformed in the mountain range of Haimos, which surrounds the mountain of Rodopi and Evros river.

According the Columbia University Balkans , Bulg. Stara Planina (stä'rä plä'nēnä'), major mountain range of the Balkan Peninsula and Bulgaria, extending c.350 mi (560 km) from E Serbia and Montenegro through central Bulgaria to the Black Sea. It rises to 7,794 ft (2,376 m) at Botev, the highest peak. The Balkans are a continuation of the Carpathian Mts. The forested range is sparsely populated and rich in a variety of minerals.

[Peace Lover]

In Albanian can be interpretated " ëmë " wich is a Tosk dialect word , means " mother " . In standart Albanian is said " nënë " .

[akritas]

So the Greeks identified Haimos as male and the Albanians interpretated as ...female

[Peace Lover]

Originally Posted by akritas

So the Greeks identified Haimos as male and the Albanians interpretated as ...female

The idea was , motherland in an old variety maybe , " ëmës " in Tosk Albanian dialect means of the mother .

[Tsontos]

Peace Lover which university did you get your degree in etymology and linguistics at?

[akritas]

...is obvious from Wikipedia University

[Sniper]

anyway in Greek means blood.isn't it?

[akritas]

No...the origin of this word is unknown !!!

[olvios]

αιμός means forested,forest in ancient greek

&

Balkan is a Persian word

[olvios]

Αίμος

Γιος του Βορέα και της νύμφης Ωρειθυίας, βασιλιάς της Θράκης. Σύζυγός του ήταν η Ροδόπη, με την οποία απόκτησε ένα γιο, τον Έβρο. Σύμφωνα με ένα μύθο που αναφέρει ο Πλούταρχος, επειδή ο Αίμος καλούσε τη Ροδόπη Ήρα και αυτή τον Αίμο Δία, οι δυο μεγάλοι θεοί αγανάκτησαν γι' αυτό και τους μεταμόρφωσαν στα ομώνυμα βουνά.
Σύμφωνα με άλλη πληροφορία ο Αίμος ήταν το βουνό, στο οποίο κατάφυγε ο Τυφώνας, που τον καταδίκασε ο Δίας. Εκεί αντιστάθηκε και εκσφενδόνιζε εναντίον του Δία ολόκληρα βουνά Τότε ο πατέρας των θεών τον πλήγωσε με τους κεραυνούς του και το αίμα που χύθηκε έβαψε το βουνό κατακόκκινο. Τ ο βουνό ονομάσθηκε έτσι από αυτόν.

In Greek mythology, King Haemus (or Haimos) of Thrace was the son of Boreas. He was vain and haughty and compared himself and his wife, Queen Rhodope, to Zeus and Hera. They changed him and his wife into mountains (Haemus Mons and Rhodope Mountains, respectively). In Greek, the Balkan Peninsula was thus known as the Peninsula of Haemus (Χερσόνησος του Αίμου). This naming of the Balkans has some basis amongst today Greeks as well.

Haemus 1 is said to have offended the gods, and for that reason turned into a mountain in Thrace [Ov.Met.6.83].

Haemus 2. Defender of Thebes during the war of the SEVEN [Stat.Theb.7.644].

http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/...urythemis.html

Its an Ancient Greek name of Greek individuals and of mythological personas