According to
Max Vasmer, the name Pronya is associated with the
Czech proný (fast, indomitable), in turn, possibly, arising from the Czech
prudký (fast, compare with the Russian word
prud). According to
Vladimir Toporov and
Oleg Trubachyov, the name of the Pronia has
Baltic origins. They propose that this
hydronym evolved as follows:
*Piren –(Baltic) –
*Prena – *Pryona – Prornya. This correlates with the names of the Peranka, Perenka, Perinka, Piryanka rivers, which lie in the Sozh basin near the Pronya. Accordingly, the river is called the
Pirėnai in
Lithuanian or the
Piranen, Piron in the
Ancient Prussian. Earlier, together with the modern name the river was also called the Propoy, also referring to its fast flow. The name of the city of Propoysk, renamed
Slavgorod in 1945, arose from this term.
Legends According to legend, the name arises from a girl named Basya and a youth named Pronya who lived nearby, who were in love with each other. Pronya was a poor peasant, and therefore Basya's parents were against their wedding. The lovers decided to flee, but were pursued. Not managing to elude their pursuers, the couple wished for the gods to grant them a future together. When the girl's father reached the glade, he saw the confluence of two rivers, which turned into the Basya and Pronya. Another legend tells that the Pronya was named for a
Romani girl who drowned in the river. ==Hydrography==