Re: [tied] hlaefdige

One of the Polish words for 'employer, principal', still current in the language, is chlebodawca 'bread-giver'. I'm not sure if it simply translates German Brotgeber (same meaning) or is an independently coined Polish compound. The former possibility seems more likely to me, as Polish is not particularly rich in old native compounds. Polish chleb (Slavic *xle^bU < *xlaib-) and Old English hla:f (> loaf) are related, by the way. The Slavs apparently borrowed hlaifs from the Goths or other eastbound Germani well before the disintegration of Proto-Slavic.

I agree that the "lord" and "lady" words were initially poetic kennings. They gained wider currency and gradually ousted older and non-exclusively English terms like fre:a, dryhten, ides, etc. during the Old English period. I suppose what made them attractive was their alliterative pairing Dryhten (< *druxti:na-z), for example, has the etymological meaning 'troop-leader' or 'warlord', but by the time Old English became a literary language it usually meant "the Lord" (= Christ), and did not survive long even in that last niche.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Mark DeFillo

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2001 7:11 PM

Subject: [tied] hlaefdige > lady, etc

Izzy Cohen has written that he does not understand why "lord" and "lady" come from words meaning loaf-guarder (hlafweard) and loaf-kneader (hlaefdige , and proposes loanwords from other languages instead. The matter of the semantic progression is clearer when we consider the nature of IndoEuropean tribal society, which the AngloSaxons were part of. (And there is now a revival of AngloSaxon tribalism, called theodism or theodisc geleafa.)In IndoEuropean societies, a lord is like a father and provider to his people. Loyalty is given to him and his lady with the expectation that the lord and lady will protect the people from enemies and from hunger. There are many inspiring stories from many branches of the IndoEuropean family of peoples illustrating this point. Also, the AngloSaxon words in questions are probably poetic compounds of the typical Germanic "kenning" type. They are descriptions of the one of the functions of the tribal leaders: to ensure the wellbeing of their people.

Re: [tied] hlaefdige > lady, etc