Re: That old Odin scenario ...

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:

>
> At 12:51:23 PM on Monday, June 22, 2009, tgpedersen wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > So it seems it's *nem-et-, of which the first element was
> > an adj. That fits in with the Danish place names (Niløse
> > is on Sjælland, the rest on Djursland in Jutland or just
> > south of it), and presumably British Nympton.
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemeton
>
> <Nympton> (<Nemetone Episcopi> 1269, <Bysshopes Nymet> 1334,
> <Bishops Nymeton> 1377; <Nimeton(e)> 1086, 1238, <Nimet>
> 1238, 12490) is 'estate on the river Nymet'. The river-name
> is 'pagan sacred place, sacred grove', from Prim. Welsh
> *nïv~ed, Brit. *nemeto- (OIr. <nemed> 'sacred place',
> OFrank. <nimid>, Gaul. <nemeton>, Lat. <nemus> 'sacred
> wood', Gk. <némos> 'wood'). The element is found in the
> OWel. place-name <Eidnivet> and the OBret. place-name
> <Iudnimet>. Matasovic appears to suggest a possible
> connection with PCelt. *nemos- 'heaven, sky' (< *nebHos
> 'cloud, cloudy sky').

It would seem that Nymet as a river name is not documented directly.
http://www.ndas.org.uk/place_names.htm

And
'The Nymptons and the Nymets lie within an area which, to judge by the place-names, remained heavily wooded until a relatively late date. On the south-eastern edge of this area is Morchard Bishop. Morchard (DB Morchet) represents British Celtic mor+ cet `great wood'. It seems possible that we have here an area with religious associations from the pre-Roman period. Any such associations remained strong enough to be maintained in the form of a district name despite the otherwise blanket removal of British Celtic place-names from Devon at the West Saxon take-over.'

So the Nymptons and Nymets are the sole surviving Celtic place names in Devon. Perhaps one should count in the fact that Devon was not Celtic, but Belgic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgae

Of the Nemet- places mentioned in
http://www.roman-britain.org/nemeton.htm
Nemetacum or Nemetocerna Atrebatum and
Nemetodurum (Nanterre)
are on Belgic territory


Torsten