Re: [tied] Evil Giants

----- Original Message -----

From: Piotr Gasiorowski

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 5:46 AM

Subject: [tied] Evil Giants

Sorry, Joao, but *tunuz > *etunaz is too incredible to merit discussion. Besides, there is no independent evidence for reconstructing PIE *d@... (not a very plausible noun, either) 'giant'.

 

But *ednos for the "ettin" word (the canonical PGmc form should be quoted as *itunaz) wouldn't work either, not even phonologically: an epenthetic *-u- has got no business to appear after a light syllable, so hypothetical *ednos would have given *ittaz with -tt- via Kluge's Law (nasal assimilation). The Old English word for "giant" would have been *ett rather than eoten.

 

Here's a bran'-new etymology. I'd like to propose that *itunaz derives from PIE heteroclitic *o(:)dwl, *odulo-/*oduno-, *edwo:l, *eduno- 'pain, pang, evil' (reconstructed in a slightly different shape in the EIEC), which may or may not be connected with *h1ed- 'eat' (allegedly via "biting pain" or "pain that eats at you") -- but I would tentatively suggest a link with *od- 'hate, regard as evil' (Latin o:di:). Here are more cognates:

 

Hitt. idalus, Luw. adduwal- 'bad, evil'

Toch. yolo 'evil' < *edwol-o:n

Gk. odune: 'pain'

OE atol 'savage, terrible' (thus formulaically of trolls and dragons in Beowulf)

 

Of course the derivation is straightforward: *edunos > *itunaz.

 

Piotr

 

 

 

---- Original Message ----

From:  João Simões Lopes Filho <jodan99@...>
Date:  Thu Feb 15, 2001 11:00pm
Subject:  JOETUNN x DANAVA

 

 
What's the etymology of JOETUNN?
The usual explanation is:
Joetunn < PGerm *Etunaz < *ed- " to eat"
The meaning seemed to be "eater", but *-nos is a passive suffix, isnt it?
 
And if...
 
*Etunaz < (with influence of et- "to eat") < *Tunaz < *DnNOS or *DnNUS (with *etunuz > etunaz ?)
 
This DnNOS/-US remember Indian DANAVA- (sons of DANU).
 
So, what you think about a *DnNOS meaning "giant" ?