Piotr wrote
> In view of Old Indic dÄnu- 'dew, dripping water' and Avestan
dÄnu-, Ossetic don 'river', I'm beginning to doubt if the
original
meaning of hydronymic *dÄnu- was 'swift'. The hypothetical
development 'swift' > 'river, current' is uncontroversial, but why
'swift' > 'dew'? But if *dÄnu- = 'flowing water', all the other
meanings can be explained quite naturally. *DÄneu-jo-s would be
'like
running water' > 'torrential, swift'.
It also makes me think again of the Tuatha de Danann as "people of
the
river". Dedan, also appears in the Bible where the Denden were one
of
the Peoples of the Sea. The Greek Danaids have been linked to the
same source as do the Dardanelles. Given the flowing of water
through
the straits following the breach of the Bosphorus a name linked to
"the swift" could be appropriate.
"Peoples of the River" becoming "Peoples of the Sea" perhaps? One of
my kites?
Regards
John