Editing Heruli (section)

===Name===
In English, the plural "Heruli" can also be spelled as Heruls, Herules, or Herulians. The name can be written without "h" in Greek (Ἔρουλοι, 'Erouloi'), Latin (''Eruli''), and English. Whether or not the h-sound was an organic sound is uncertain.{{sfn|Prostko-Prostyński|2021|p=19}}

In the earliest mentions of them in 4th century records, they were called Eluri ('Ερουλοι), with the "L" and "R" reversed compared to later records. This has led to doubts about whether these first "Erouli" from the Sea of Azov were the same people as the later Eruli from the Danube.{{sfn|Steinacher|2010|p=322}} [[Dexippus]] whose writings about these early "Eluri" only survive in fragments, gave their name a Greek etymology, claiming that they were named after the swamps (ἕλη, ''hélē'') of their Azov homeland.

According to modern scholars the etymology of the name is uncertain but it is thought to be Germanic. More speculatively, it is possibly related to the English word ''[[earl]]'' (see [[erilaz]]) implying that it was an honorific military title.{{sfn|Neumann|1999|p=468}} (This etymology is associated with the speculation that the Heruli were not a normal tribal group but a brotherhood of mobile warriors, though there is no consensus for this old proposal, which is based only on the name etymology and the reputation of Heruli as soldiers.{{sfn|Steinacher|2010|pp=359-360}}) 

There have been proposals which connected this etymology with Germanic words found in [[runes|runic]] inscriptions in Scandinavia signifying a pronunciation ''erilaR'', and there have also been proposals that the word is connected to Germanic words for werewolves and beings with magic powers. None of these proposals can be verified.{{sfn|Prostko-Prostyński|2021|p=20}}