Re: PIE *h1eish2-: 'mad attack'?

From: Abdullah Konushevci
Message: 46699
Date: 2006-12-16

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Abdullah Konushevci"
<akonushevci@...> wrote:
>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" <frabrig@>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear List,
> >
> > I have a query relating to the PIE root *h1eish2- (as given in
> > Mayrhofer's EWAia; in Pokorny it is *eis-1) 'to send (move
rapidly,
> > set in motion)'. This root appears in several IE words
> > denoting furious passion:
> >
> > Avestan ae:s^ma- (from the suffixed IE form *eis-mo-) 'anger'
> >
> > Old Indo-Aryan is.min (from the suffixed IE form *eis-mo-
> > ) 'impetuous' (= furious), an adjective appearing four times in
> the
> > RV to characterize the wild and impetuous entry of the storm-
gods
> > Maruts and of their father Rudra
> >
> > Latin i:ra-, having a more archaic form (attested in Plautus)
eira-
> > (from the suffixed IE form *eis-a:-) 'anger, rage'
> >
> > Greek oima- (from the suffixed IE form with o-grade ablaut *ois-
ma-
> > ) 'stormy attack, rush, instigation', oistros- (from the
suffixed
> IE
> > form with o-grade ablaut *ois-tro-) 'madness'
> >
> > Old Norse eisa- (from the IE form with o-grade ablaut *ois-) 'to
> > storm in'
> >
> > According to G. Dumézil (quoted in M. Speidel, "Berserks: A
History
> > of Indo-European 'Mad Warriors'", _Journal of World History_ 13,
> > [2002], pp. 277-8), Pokorny's PIE root *eis-1 would constitute "a
> > technical term of the Indo-European 'warrior bands' [who fought
> > madly and wildly, and were 'specialized' in going berserk]",
i.e.,
> a
> > term originally designating a mad attack, and only in a wider
> > sense 'to send, move rapidly, set in motion'.
> >
> > Is this thesis plausible?
> >
> > Best,
> > Francesco
> ************
> If it is of any help, I will add some additional examples form
> Mallory-Adams: *H1oistro/eHa- 'anger, any strong feeling' (e.g.
> Lith. aistra 'passion', Grk oistros 'gadfly, sting, anger'; from
> *H1eis- 'set in motion'; oistros is borrowed via Latin, in NE
estrus.
> In Indo-Iranian cognates, eg. Skt isna:ti and Av ae:š-, do
> indicate 'set in motion' while other cognates indicate slightly
> different activities, e.g. ON eisa 'go dashing' or, further
removed,
> Grk inao: 'pour'.
> I think that also Alb josh 'to attract, draw, fondle' could be a
> derivative of contracted form *H1e:s-o, for it cannot be connected
> with *yeudh- as Orel thinks, because *y- would have yielded gj- or
z-
> , till *h1e-, as in *H1es-mi > Alb jam '(I) am' shows that *H1e-
> /*H1e:- yields also /j/; *H1eg'hs-tos > jashtë 'outside'. But,
zero-
> grade form *H1is-n-yo have yielded Alb hij 'to hit' from < hinjo.

I forgot to add here also Alb jesh 'was' from *H2wes-.
>
> Konushevci
>