Re: Boiotia < *bhoi- ?

From: cas111jd@...
Message: 11240
Date: 2001-11-19

--- In cybalist@..., "Christopher Gwinn" <sonno3@...> wrote:
>
> > My hypothesis is that the Bryges and Boiotians were early Celtic
> > tribes. The Boiotians were part of the same historic Celtic tribe
> > known as the Boii in Bohemia (named after them), and both
> Transalpine
> > and Cisalpine Gaul. Their name means "cattle",
>
> Uhh...no it doesn't. This is the problem with people coming up with
> their own etymologies based on incomplete knowledge of a language
> family. Boii comes from a root meaning "strike/beat" (Gaulish
bogio-
> /boio-, with loss of internal -g-, as in *cagion, which gives Late
> Gaulish caio).
>
> > though this may have also been for their tutelary goddess who was
> > also the eponymous goddess of the river Boyne in Ireland.
>
> That makes no sense - let's say that a certain tribe _did_ contain
> the root Bou- "cow" - that does not at all mean that they were
> dedicants of the Irish goddess (she is not found elsewhere, btw)
> Bouinda "white cow" - the name could simply mean that the tribe was
> famous for its cattle-raising abilities.
>
> > The Bryges lived on in Celtic Europe of the as the Brigantes of
> > Britain and the Brigantii of southern Germany, and probably, I
> think,
> > of the Roman town of Brigetio on the middle Danube. Their
eponymous
> > goddess was known to the Gauls, and lives on today as the Irish
> Saint
> > Brigit.
>
> More ridiculousness.

It's nice to be important, but it's also important to be nice.

Bo Find: Ireland. `White Cow'. She came from the western sea to
Ireland and gave birth to cattle for the people, then she
disappeared. White cows are conspicuous in IE mythology, best known
as Io in Greece and still sacred today in India.

The 'White Cow' goddess, common to the IE mythologies and, IMO,
synonymous with the cosmic cow goddess, is also known as Boann,
Boinn, Boand, Boannan. I read where this was the eponymous goddess of
the Boii, but I don't have the source. You know that there is a lot
of misinformation out there. They must publish it on purpose in order
to needle self-important brahmas busy into firing off blunt retorts.
Keeps them busy, I guess

>
>
> > Mythology also shows a connection. Firstly is the myth of the
> > Calydonian Boar Hunt, which has an exact parallel in Welsh myth.
> Even
> > some of the names are similar,
> > and the details of the story are too
> > close to be coincidental (IMO).
>
> Which names woud those be?
>

The myth of the Calydonian Boar Hunt is in part a prelude to the
Trojan War and more directly a prelude to the story of a civil war in
Aetolia. It also contains several parallels to the British legend of
the hero Culwhch and the Twrch Trwyth (Welsh 'Giant Boar', see Note 1
below). Culwhch was the son of Celyddon Wledig, whose name recalls
the eponymous founder of Calydon (Note 2), the ancestor of Meleager
who is hero of the Greek version.

Culwhch was cursed by his stepmother that he could never marry anyone
but Olwen, daughter of the giant Yspaddaden Pencawr. To gain her,
Yspaddaden made Culwhch, in 'Heraclean labors'-type fashion,
accomplish thirty-nine impossible tasks, the chief of which was to
shave the comb from between the ears of Twrch Trwyth, who was
ravaging the land.

Culwhch enlisted the help of Arthur and his knights (Arthur was no
doubt grafted onto this story in the medieval era), and several men
died before the task was accomplished. However, the boar escaped,
swimming out to sea to an unknown destination.

While the Twrch Trwyth was originally a king changed into this great
beast because of his wickedness, Artemis conjured up and sent the
Calydonian boar to ravage the Greek land after Meleager's father
Oeneus (Note 3) forgot to sacrifice to her after a harvest. Meleager
rallied the Calydonians and the neighboring Curetes against the
enormous boar. As in Britain, a large hunting expedition was
organized and several men died in while pursuing the beast.

The Calydonian boar was killed after the renowned huntress Atalanta
wounded it in the leg with an arrow, Amphiaraus next shot it in an
eye also with an arrow, and Meleager finished it off after stabbing
it in its side with a knife. After the boar was killed Meleager chose
to award the spoils to Atalanta, whom he coveted (thus her role
equates to that of Olwen). The resulting dispute over these spoils
led to Meleager killing his uncles.

It was then that the hero's mother (Althaea) cursed him -- in the
Greek version with the violent wrath of the gods. In the epilogue to
the British version, Yspaddaden assumes the role of the victim,
perhaps after reneging on his bargain with Culwhch. Mirroring the
death of the Calydonian boar, Culwhch and his companions wound the
giant Yspaddaden -- in the knee, the eye, and the stomach. After this
he weds Olwen, and Goreu finishes off Yspaddaden.

Conclusion: We might be tempted to conclude that early Christian
Welsh borrowed from the story of the Greek myth to give us their
version in an Arthurian tale. However, the key link between these two
region and times is the name of the Greek town of Calydon and
Caledonia (Yeah, I know: superficial similarity), the name of ancient
Scotland (see Note 2). As will be shown elsewhere, the most likely
explanation for this shared myth came to Greece in late prehistoric
times with early Celtic colonists from central Europe.

Note 1: Actually, Culwhch's name is interpreted as meaning "pig-sty"
after his mother was scared by pigs and this induced his birth.

Note 2: These names also may be linked to the ancient name for
Scotland, Caledonia, the eponymous tribe of which may have been named
for by a pan-IE goddess found in Scotch and Irish myth as Cailleach
(and modern Kelly), Manx as Caillach, and in India as Kali. Gender-
and Gaulish-specific, their name recalls the pan-Gallic god Caletos
(equated by the Romans with Mercury) and several place names in the
Gallic world. (Yeah, I know, "more ridiculousness")

Note 3: Meleager and Oeneus have name cognates with the Arthurian
characters known variously as Meleagant, Meleagaunce, or Melwas; and
Owain, though their characters don't suggest a connection.

>
> > Okay, feel free to shoot me down. :-)
>
> Consider yourself shot.

MEDIC! MEDIC!

CAS