October 1st, 2017

The name of Croatia is derived from the Croat people, the first known mention of whom appears on the Brahnimir Inscription, dating to 888. However, Croatian cars are emblazoned with the letters 'HR'. Why? The initials betray the Croatian name of the country: Hrvatska. Intriguingly, nobody knows exactly where the name came from, although that's not to say that there is a shortage of theories. Part of the difficulty in conclusively placing the name comes from the difficulty in placing the people: nobody knows where the Croats came from.

Bonus:

One of the more fanciful theories (today more-or-less discredited) claims the Croats originated in ancient Iran. The claim goes on to suggest the name Hrvatska comes from the ancient region of Harahuvatiš (today referred to as Arachosia), which historically extended as far as the Indus river.

Bonus 2:

...but one can go even deeper down the rabbit hole. Harahuvatiš is the the Old Persian equivalent of the Sanskrit word (सरस्वती Saraswati), which is the name of a mythical river mentioned in the Rig Veda, written sometime in the 2nd Millennium BC. Over the course of three and a half millennia the river may have dried up or rerouted, however much archaeological work has been put into affirming the myth by analysing maps and soils of northeast India.

Bonus 3:

...and there is one final layer. Sarswati was not only the name of the ancient river, but the river goddess associated with it. Her name comes from सरस् (sars, meaning lakes or waters) and वती (wati, meaning woman), hence 'woman of the waters'. Today Sarswati remains a major goddess, although she has lost her ancient roots to today embody knowledge, music, and wisdom. So are the Croatian license plates unknowingly paying homage to an ancient Indian river goddess? As good a story it would be, there are issues with the link between Hrvatska and Arachosia, and thus it seems as though the conclusion is fanciful. Still, imagining 'what if' leads us down some fascinating alleys that span 3,500 years and 5,600 km.

-E

Note: I am at an astrophysics conference in Croatia for the next week. Posts may reflect this.