Re: [tied] Re: Sarasvati

From: João Simões Lopes Filho
Message: 4019
Date: 2000-09-23

Thanks for correcting my mistake about helix/helike:
Maybe the alternance *swelik- / *salik- = *sxwelik-? ( with different vocalizations : swelik- and s@...)?
Or is there  some kind of contamination?
----- Original Message -----
From: Piotr Gasiorowski
To: cybalist@egroups.com
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2000 11:44 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Sarasvati

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2000 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Sarasvati

 
Greek he:liks means 'fellow, peer' or (as an adjective) 'of the same age'. The willow (or more precisely Salix fragilis) word is helike:. The Latin and Celtic words are short-vowelled too, though the quality *a remains to be explained. But note the s-less variants in Germanic: OE welig 'willow' as opposed to sealh 'sallow'. There may have been two vaguely similar words for different species of willow, say, *(s)wel-ik-ax- vs. *sal-(i)k-, hybridising occasionally, as willows often do.
 
Piotr

Joao wrote:
 
OK, you must be right. I think I goddess of aerial/celestial waters does make sense.
But IE fro willow is *sa:lik- (cf. Greek He:lix, Latin Salix, VIrl sail (gen. sailech)).