Re: Scythian tribal names: Paralatai

From: david_russell_watson
Message: 59450
Date: 2008-07-03

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "A." <xthanex@...> wrote:
>
> In light of Piotr's etymology, did anyone ever have an opinion
> regarding Alexander's question of Targitaus <-> Thraetaona ??

'Thraetaona' is a clear-cut derivative of the name of Thrita,
whose Vedic counterpart is Trita (Aptya), from P.I.E. *trito-
"third", and so there is no question of 'Thraetaona' coming
from 'Targitaus', and neither is 'Targitaus' easily derivable
from 'Thraetaona'. A partial connection is still possible,
though, if the 'tar' in 'Targitaus' meant "three", comparing
Ossetic '(a)rta' and Proto-Indo-Iranian *traya-.

However the creation and evolution of myths follow no regular
rules of the sort that sound changes do, and so, even lacking
an etymological connection between their names, the characters
themselves could still conceivably have been counterparts of
some sort, but which case would have to be made on some other
basis than the cognacy of their names.

David