THE NATIONAL EPIC AS A SOURCE OF PLACE NAMES. THE TOPONYMY OF ESTONIAN SETTLEMENTS ON THE BLACK SEA COAST OF THE CAUCASUS

Abstract

The article examines changes in place names in areas along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus where Estonian settlers were relocated in the 1880s. Following the conquest of the Black Sea coast, Tsarist authorities sought to assert their power by introducing new place names, thereby inscribing their ideology onto the foreign territory. The names assigned by the authorities typically reflected the names of “heroes” of the Caucasian War, high-ranking representatives of the Russian administration, or members of the Tsar’s family. However, the authorities also allowed settlers significant freedom in naming their new settlements. Although the settlers’ chosen names did not reflect the colonial ideology of the Russian Empire, the names were influenced by the prevailing ideology in the settlers’ homeland. For Estonians, this was national romanticism, which drew inspiration in part from Estonian mythology. The article explores which mythological figures were used in the names of Estonian settlements in the Caucasus and the purposes behind such naming. It also investigates the motivations behind the creation of local microtoponyms.

Keywords: Toponymics, settler colonization, Estonian settlements, migration, national epic