--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" <alxmoeller@...> wrote:
> I should like to ask if nowadays in the christian folks in Europe
are
> some pagan sacral expresions which call with the title of "saint" or
> holy elements as earth, stars, sun, sea, moon, water, fire.
> Since the catholic church was more represive versus such pagan
> expresions, I will expect to find something like this in the Ortodox
> area of the christianity which was more liberal from this point of
view.
> If there are any folk which still kept such elements for holly or
> saintly, then which of these elements ( earth, stars, sun, sea,
moon,
> water, fire ) are still considered in folk's mouth as "saint's" or
> holly?
>
> Alex
************
Dear Alex,
I think that PIE root *dei- 'to shine, day, God' (see Pokorny *dei-)
derives in Albanian words: <di> 'to know' (*ei >i),
<dije> 'knowledge', <dijetar> 'scholar', <dinak> 'cunning,
<dituri> 'learning' and <ditë> 'day' (*dei-ta:-). Prefixed form
<gdhij> 'to wake up, to rise', <gdhihem> 'to dawn up' and, that's
important here, <diell> 'sun' (*dei-el, cf. *sw-el 'sol' and, with
variant suffix -en, *sw-en 'sun', probably the root of Albanian
hyll/yll 'star', if we have to deal with s-mobile), besides feminine
form Diella and diminutive Dilë. So, to my opinion, the supreme God
of Proto-Albanians was Sun. This is the reason why _Dielli
perëndon_ "The sun is reigning", was translated correctly into Greek
as "Ho Helios basileuei" (in P. Budi's "Dictionary
" 1635 - the
verb <perëndon> has only the meaning `to reign').
Furthermore, according to Hans A. Pohlsander and Suny Albany "When
Diocletian and Maximian announced their retirement in 305, the
problem posed by the Christians was unresolved and the persecution in
progress. Upon coming to power Constantine unilaterally ended all
persecution in his territories, even providing for restitution. His
personal devotions, however, he offered first to Mars and then
increasingly to Apollo, reverenced as Sol Invictus."
I am aware too that E. Hamp and P. Gasiarowski have different
opinions about etymology of the Alb. word <diell> `sun', trying to
explain it from PIE *sw-el-, but it is my opinion and my attempt to
explain this word.
Konushevci