From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 54092
Date: 2008-02-24
----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel J. Milton" <dmilt1896@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Latinus geminus
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:
>
> No, Remus is 'colored, dark one'.
>
> Patrick
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...>
> To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 8:18 PM
> Subject: Res: [tied] Latinus geminus
>
>
> *yemonos > Latin *ieminus > corrupted > geminus
> *Yemos > Latin *Iemus > corrupted > Remus
*****
I've got lost in this complex thread and can't find what Patrick is
saying "No" to, but I'd rather see his evidence for "Remus -colored,
dark one", not just an ex cathedra pronouncement.
Puhvel (Comparative Mythology, last few pages) says "The
Proto-Roman names of 'Twin' and 'Man' may have been *Yemos and *Wiros,
or with the augmentative suffix *Yemenos and *Wirinos. *Yemenos
survives in the Old Irish 'emain' and in Latin 'geminus', both meaning
'twin'. The word-initial sequence *yem- has disappeared from the
Latin phonetic pattern and by some kind of cross-attraction has been
replaced by gem- in 'geminus'. The mythical name *Yemos, matching
Vedic 'Yama-' has been similarly transformed to 'Remus' by
alliterative association with 'Romulus'."
I'm inclined to trust Puhvel, or at least take him very seriously.
Dan
***
Actually, Dan, I would be inclined to trust Puhvel, too. He is an excellent
scholar.
But his argument amounts to imitative alliteration. Not a really arguable
explanation: possible, but how to prove it?
Pokorny's 5. re:-, 'dark', *re:-mo-, the same. (p.853)
Probably, Puhvel's little foray into political correctness.
Romulus, I would derive from *ro:m-, 'adult human', + -*lo, 'big'/'little'.
I love PIE myth, by the way. I overdosed on Graves and 3-tiered Frenchman as
a youth.
What do you think is the deeper meaning of the myth (if any)?
Patrick