Re: [tied] Wolf, varg

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...> wrote:

> tgpedersen wrote:
>
> > If there were no encounters between Iranian-speakers and Germanic-
> > speakers, it is a freak accident, yes.
>
> Reflexes of *wargaz are actually pretty widespread in Germanic and

don't

> always mean 'wolf'. We have e.g. OE wearg (n.) 'felon, outlaw, villain,
> monster, evil being' and (a.) 'evil, malignant, cursed', OHG warg
> 'demon, criminal' and MHG warc 'monster'. ON vargr also means 'outlaw,
> malefactor' in addition to 'wolf', so there's little doubt that we are
> dealing with a metaphorical epithet.
>
> > And does *w-rg- have non-Germanic relatives?
>

Perhaps interestingly, Finnish borrows 'voros' (criminal, thief) from
Slavic and 'varas' sing. 'varkaat' plur. (thief) from Germanic.

Peter P