Re: [tied] Re: Orlog

At 10:36:00 AM on Thursday, October 28, 2004, Daniel J.
Milton wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "A." <xthanex@...> wrote:

>> While I am here pondering the roots of various terms, can
>> anyone provide the etymology of the Norse term "orlog"?

Properly <ørlo,g> 'fate', formally a plural of <ørlag>,
though I don't know that the latter actually occurs. There
seems to be an OE cognate <orlæg> 'fate'.

> 'Log' is the Old Norse for "laws" (and indeed source of
> the English word).

I believe that <ør-> is from *uz- 'from, out of'; I've seen
the word etymologized as *uzlagjan 'that which is laid out'.
That would make the second element related to <lo,g>
'law(s)', but not identical. (OE <lagu> 'law' would seem to
be a borrowing of an older singular *lagu rather than of
<lo,g> itself.)

> I assume 'or' equals the German 'ur' "primitive", but this
> just my guess pending an authoritative answer.

German <ur-> is indeed also from *uz-, both in this sense
and in the privative sense seen in OHG <urtriuwi> 'treulos';
if I'm not mistaken, the verbal prefix <er-> is the weak
form of the same element.

Brian