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Notes on Marco Polo : vol.2 |
816 322. QUTACATU
322. QUTACATU acata P5 acatu, cocatu F accatu L achatu F, LT, TA', VA, VL acra P | aghatu TM catu, qiacatu Fr chiacato R chiachatu V chiato F, FA, FB | chyacato Z chyacatto Zr quiacatu F, L quicatu Ft |
This name was still wrongly read « Kendschatu » all along Hal, but, in the Index (II, 466), an alternative form « Keichatu » has been added, and has been adopted in Hat, 247, for Wasâf's rl f. Recent authors, like BROWNE (Hist. of Pers. lit., III, 37-39), transcribe « Gaykhâtû ». Hethum's various readings suppose « Quaygato » or « Caygato » (Hist. des Crois., Arm., II, 188-190, 315); the «Quegato» of Paolino da Venezia in GOLUBOVICH (Bibl. bio-bibi., II, 95) is derived from Hethum; the Syriac form is Kaihatu. The name has always puzzled me. It looks like a Mongol name with the adjective suffix -tu; but few Mongol words are transcribed with h, and above all there is an incompatibility in Mongolian between k and h in a term which is not a compound. In a work of Uluy-Bäg quoted in a passage of Abu-l-Ghazi which I cannot find in DESMAISONS'S edition and translation, it is said that Gäibatu's original name was « Enkatu » (« Unkatu » according to HOWORTII, III, 357), which is said to mean in Mongolian « wonderful », « astonishing » (Hal, I, 396) ; according to d'OHssoN (Oh, iv, 82), it is Gäibatu itself which would have such a sense. I do not see what
Enkatu » or « Unkatu » may be. As to Gäibatu, there is in Mongolian a verb yaiqa-, « to be astonished », a noun yaigal, « astonishment », an adjective yaiqaltai, « astonishing », « wonderful », but no *yaiqatu, which seems an impossible derivation; moreover, I do not remember any case, for the present, when Mo. y- was transcribed g- (or k-) in the Mongol period by men like Rasidu-'dDin; it is always rendered by y- or q-. So, while it seems certain that the author of the explanation had yaiqa- in view, it may be for an original name yaigaltu (normal double form of yaigaltai), but not for gäihatu; and the author of the glose, be he Uluy-Bäg or any other, had a feeling, or knew, that Gäibatu was not the original form. I have thought of a secondary form where the name would have been have Iranicized by adding the Mongol suffix -tu to Persian käyâhân, gdyâ het n,
sweet words » (the dropping of final -n is regular in similar Mongol derived forms) ; but it is only a surmise, perhaps too bold. Anyhow, I transcribe Gäibatu, provisionally.
Gäibatu was Abaya's son and Aryun's younger brother. He succeeded Aryun, but ascended the throne only on July 22, 1291, four months and a half after Aryun's death. He proved to be a most dissolute sovereign, and was finally murdered on April 21, 1295, by Baidu (for the date, see
Baidu »).
Apart from his « Mongol » name, Gäibatu was also known under the appellation of Irinjintorji or Irän. in-dorji, which was on his paper-money and on his coins; it has long been recognized as a Mongolized form of Tib. Rin-6h'en rpo-rïe, « Jewel Diamond ». According to Wassâf (cf.
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