From: Exu Yangi
Message: 34320
Date: 2004-09-27
>From: "Daniel J. Milton" <dmilt1896@...>No, you're not actually. Sponges were a cheap commodity for the romans, who
>
>--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel J. Milton" <dmilt1896@...>
>wrote:
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > from M�ller:
> > >
> > > Gothic 'Twahan', OHGG 'dwahan', OE 'Twe:an', ON 'Twa:'
> > > (Dan. 'to:' "abluere, wash clean, wash away",
> > > Gothic 'Twahl', OHG 'dwahal' "bath"
> > > OHG 'dwahilla', 'dwehila', German 'zwehle', 'quehle' "washing
> > cloth,
> > > towel",
> > > OPruss 'twaxtan' "bathing sponge"
> > >
> > > Hebr d-w-H- "absp�len (den Altar, die Blutschuld)"
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > If it's a loan it would be interesting to know whether it was
> > > borrowed with the religious/legal significance. 'Twahan' is
> > strictly
> > > about cleaning the body, not clothes (which is where 'wash'
>comes
> > > in). Elsewhere in IE, cleaning both in the literal and
>figurative
> > > sense is *lu- (AFAIK), but in Germanic that root is still used
>in
> > > the figurative sense.
> > >
> > > Torsten
> > *********
> > I'm surprised to learn that the Old Prussians bathed with
> > sponges and that this is reflected in the limited Old Prussian
>texts (mostly religious I believe) that survive. Even in the
>Bible, from the shores of the Mediterranean (certainly more Porifera-
>friendly than the Baltic), the only sponge is I believe that on
>which Jesus on the Cross was offered vinegar. Or am I
>taking "sponge" too literally?