Re: Backward Etruscan

--- In cybalist@..., "Glen Gordon" <glengordon01@...> wrote:

> Me:
> >>Dunno about clerar. Are you sure you don't mean /clenar/? The
>>latter
> >>means "sons".
>
> Chris G:
> >I likely just mispelled it, seeing that it is translating the

Greek >"Zeus'

> >Boys" Dioskouroi.
>
> Well, there ya go then.
>
> Me:
> >>Menrva looks like native Etruscan because of the typical -va
>>suffix,
> >>which might be used for a collective sense, but I'm not sure what

it would

> >>mean.
>
> Chris G:
> >I have seen some try to reconstruct a proto-form, *Menesua,

relating >it to

> >the moon and to menstruation.
>
> That would be great if Etruscan were an IE language... but it's

only related

> to IE at best, not part of it. The Etruscan word for "moon" is

known to be

> /tiur/ and I haven't seen any such "moon" word like *menes- outside

of IE.

> Plus, *-s- changes to -r- in _Latin_. We're not talking about

Latin. We're

> talking about Etruscan. So, we would be best to look for something

along the

> lines of preEtruscan *Mener-va instead. This *mener- looks like the

plural

> of something and this would go well with the -va suffix... but I

still don't

> have a clue as to what it might mean. Good try though.
>
> I notice that there are other Etruscan deities starting with /man-/

that

> might relate to the etymology of Menrva, like Mania, the goddess of

the

> underworld, and Mantus, god of the underworld. As well, there are

words like

> /mani/ "the dead". I see a common theme happenin' here. Is it

possible that

> *Mener-va originally meant "place of the dead" or "the dead"? Could

Minerva

> have been originally the embodiment of the underworld just like

Canaanite

> Mot, before being artificially connected with Athena? Just a

thought.

>
> - gLeN
>

Here's a nice repository for *man- words:

http://www.angelfire.com/rant/tgpedersen/man.html

Feel free to use it.

Torsten