Re: [tied] Re: Vanir,etc.

14-01-04 13:47, Sergejus Tarasovas wrote:

>> From: Piotr Gasiorowski [mailto:piotr.gasiorowski@...]

>> It has been compared with Avestan hamae:star- 'fighter,
>> opponent' < *sam- +
>> (s)meit-tor- 'he who knocks down' (Pokorny under *smeit-),
>> PIr. *hamaistar-.
>>
>
> I know. The question remains, who or what is opposed, fought and, for that
> matter, knocked down by hamsters?

Both the big European hamster (_Cricetus cricetus_) and the "rat-tailed"
hamsters of Asia and SE Europe (genus _Cricetulus_) are fierce little
devils for their size. They'll do anything that can be done (leap up,
bite, inflate the cheek pouches, make noises) to defend their granaries,
rather than escape. A hamster can stand its ground against a weasel or a
fox. The original habitat of hamsters was the steppe, so it's easy to
see why an Iranian word might have been borrowed.

Piotr