Once again on St. Ioannikios the Great and the Slavs of Bithynia

Abstract

This study focuses on three main topics, all re- lated to St. Ioannikios the Great: a) the names of the saint’s parents: Myritzikios (father, bearing a Slavic name) and Anastaso (mother, bearing a Greek name), which might indicate a mixed marriage. b) Ioannikios’ family name Boilas, which was originally a title used by the Bulgars, later applied to Slavs by the Byzantines or, less probably, the Bulgars. As a title and a nickname, the term later evolved into a family name. c) The toponym “ta Marykatou” (Ioannikios’ birthplace) is the Hellenized form of the Slavic personal name (in the genitive) Markota. All this evidence coincides with the population transfers of the Slavs from the Balkans to Bithynia.