Re: Language - Area - Routes

--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:

> I've been trying to see how far back we can trace the Norse names

Eysýsla and ADalsýsla for Saaremaa and Estonia. They are mentioned in
Scandinavian sagas of the early Viking period (Estonians = Sýslukind)
and reflected in Alfred's translation of Orosius at the end of the
ninth century. They seem to have been given by Swedes exploiting the
East Baltic lands.

Seem to be have been given? I trust you to continue your research.

>
> Old Norse sýsla, -u (weak fem.) 1. business, work, 2. as a law

term, any stewardship held from the king or bishop; as a geographical
term, a district, bailwick, prefecture (also in placenames).

>
> Derived from sýsa, sýsti [defective verb: only the pret. and the

past part. attested] to be busy with a thing, give effect to it.

>
> Piotr

Thank you, but we still have the word in Danish. I know its semantics.

Torsten

>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Piotr Gasiorowski
> To: cybalist@...
> Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 4:30 PM
> Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Language - Area - Routes
>
>
> I wrote:
>
> The name doesn't go back to prehistoric times...

I came up with another thought:

PGmc aluth "ale" > Fi. olut, and similarly in Estonian and Latvian,
but not AFAIK in Lithuanian (also > Da. "øl" bier). If you have been
to these parts you know how sacred this drink is here.

Torsten