From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 138
Date: 1999-10-31
----- Original Message -----From: Alexander StolbovSent: Sunday, October 31, 1999 5:48 PMSubject: [cybalist] Re: Cowpokes and Centaurs.Mark Odegard wrote:<<Whatever the case, Alexander and Piotr seem to be recapturing a genuine IE *word* [*kent- stem], one used in the management of cattle. I'd be interested to see what Sanskrit or Avestan might turn up in way of a cognate.>>Does anybody have access to original texts of Avesta and Atharvaveda?The word 'goad' (in Russian strekalo) is mentionen in Atharvaveda III, 25.In the 2nd fragard of Videvdat (Vendidad) it is told how Yima extended the earth striking it with 2 sacral tools. Usually these tools are translated as 'arrow' and 'golden lash'. However there is a variant of translation 'whip' and 'goad'.It would would be interesting to see what literally is written in Avestan and Vedic.Alexander Stolbov
I don't think there are any attested cognates of *kent- in Vedic. One frequent word for 'goad' is pratoda- (m.), cf. tudati 'hit', todayati 'goad, prick' (the same root seems to underlie Latin tundo, tutudi, tu:sum 'pound, thump'. Another one is aSTra: (f.; ST for a postalveolar cluster) which, could also mean 'whip', I believe, and is very similar to (perhaps confusible with) astra- (m./n.) 'dart, arrow; bow'. It must be the word you're looking for, though I can't consult the Atharvaveda now. The 'arrow' word is of course a member of the great *xak- 'sharp' family (cf. Slavic ostr-); I suspect (very tentatively, since I can't work out the details without more checking) that aSTra: may be derived from *xag- 'lead, drive' (Latin ago etc.).Piotr