I forgot to add that *ermVna- þiuda-/kunja-
may also mean "the human race" in general. This is indeed the normal meaning of
<eormencynn> in Old English:
God gesceapo ferede æ:ghwylcum on eorþan
eormencynnes.
God has borne his decrees to everyone of
the human race on earth.
In some compounds "eormen-" alternates with
"earth-" or "world-", which is why I think "earth" and "eormen" may be
etymologically related.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: "Irmin" and
Hermes