Re: [tied] Hermes etymology & anthropomorphic maps

I like Pokorny's explanation of Loki from *Leug- "break/divide." This would
make Loki "the Destroyer." It may be that Lugus/Lug comes from the same
root, though it is now widely accepted amongst (Dumezilian) Celticists that
Lugus comes from *Leug- "oath/swear." This would make Lugus (*Leug-eu-s)
"(Oath)Swearer."

Things that we must remember about Lugus (and his Irish/Welsh counterparts):

1) He is specifically connected with horses and horseracing
(Lugus/Lug/Lleu); 2) he is connected with hilltops (Lugus/Lug/Lleu); 3) his
festival coincides with the harvest season (Lug/Lugus); 3) he is armed with
a firey/powerful spear (Lug/Lleu); 4) he can take on eagle form (Lleu - note
Odinn as an eagle); He is mortally wounded and then healed (Lleu); He is
connected with healing (Lug); He is connected with valleys/brooks
(Lugus/Lleu); He is connected with sovereignty (Lug); He is a master of the
occult, knows demon magic (Lug - note his "Fomorian" style dance in Cath Mag
Tuired)); He is of 1/2 demon ancestry (Lug); His brother is a sea god/seal
(Lleu, perhaps Lug); he may be connected with Apollo Belinus (note Welsh
name Llywelyn from *Lugu-Belinos); He is a shoemaker (Lleu/Lugus); He is a
master of all arts and skills (Lug).

This is only a sampling. Lugus seems to be a very complicated god and I
think that more reasearch needs to be done before we assign him an assured
PIE identity - though I would lean towards an Rudraic-Apollonic-Odinnic
direction.

The closest to a trickster god in Celtic tales is Bricriu of the poison
tongue in the Ulster myths.
-Chris Gwinn