The trivial certainty that <vanth>
comes from *somewhere* does not mean that its source is or will ever be
identifiable to us. In a poorly understood language like Etruscan many names
will be etymologically ambiguous or obscure. The fact that they resemble
something in a different language means practically nothing if a connection
cannot be independently established. And why should Vanth be connected with a
word meaning "king", of all things?
But wait! How do you know that the names
Vanth and Thanatos are unrelated? Thanatos < *thwánato- (<
*dHwnh2-to-). Why not an Etruscan borrowing from early Greek?
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 10:15 PM
Subject: [tied] wanax: vN-h2eg'-t- ?
Alright, but then where does the name of Vanth come from? The names
Thanatos and Vanth are not the same. Tell me, what possessed the Etruscans to
call Thanatos "Vanth" then? Sometimes mythologies collide and new functions are
given to old deities. Is there reason to doubt the antiquity of the
name?