Re: The etymology of herold

> Hello Torsten
>
> Thanks for your detailed answer. It is indeed interesting that your
> post refers to Etruscan and Rhaetic.
>
> Quote: "- Finally, as Massimo Morandi confirms (p.c), hari- for
> *harja- is an anticipated Etruscoid outcome."
>
> Question 1: Could hara- for *harja- be a possible outcome?
>
> The word "haraliu" is to be found on the Lemnos Stele, an epitaph
> over a person obviously of high rank, who seems to be linked to
> Rome and Phokaia + perhaps several places/cities close to each
> other in the east Greece of the archaic period.
>
> B. The side of the stele
>
> Line 2: rom:haralio:ziwai:eptezio:arai:tiz:Poke
>
> (I wonder if a correct translation of this line could be something like):
>
> rome:(herold/messenger?):dead/deceased:
> (of?)Efesos:Heraion:Teos:Phokaia
>
> I know that this is a long shot on thin ice & deep waters, ….but
> could haraliu be an early form of "herold/herald/hiraut"?

The problem is that the Lemnos stele
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemnian_language
is dated to the 6th cent. BCE and the Grimm sound shift which Germanic *har- must have lived through in order to match up with its other IE (and Yeniseian) cognates took place, judging from placenames in W Germany and the Netherlands, no earlier than the 1st cent. BCE. So I'd have to say no.

> --------------------------------
>
> Question 2:
>
> Would it be possible that "herold/herald/hiraut" could be derived
> from greek "heros"?
>
> Hero - 1387, "man of superhuman strength or courage," from L. heros
> "hero," from Gk. heros "demi-god" (a variant singular of which was
> heroe), originally "defender, protector," from PIE base *ser- "to
> watch over, protect" (cf. L. servare "to save, deliver, preserve,
> protect").

No, I think the -ld- at the end would need an explanation. Also, the semantics is not good.

> Me: Please note Latin: "deliver" above
>
> As a coincidence the PIE base *ser- also appears on the Lemnos
> Stele in line 4 and 7 on the front in the words zeronai and
> zeronaiþ:
>
> 4. ewisþo:zeronaiþ;
> 5. ziwai
> 6. aker:tawarzio
> 7. wanalasial:zeronai:morinail
>
> and on
>
> B. The side of the stele in line 1:
>
> 1. holaiezi:Pokiasiale:zeronaiþ:ewisþo:towerona

A match between a three-phoneme IE root and a similar one in an unknown language without known meaning? That's rather bold.

>
> (Transcription is found on
> http://www.carolandray.plus.com/Eteocretan/Lemnian.html
> Perhaps V should be used instead of W for the Etruscan letter F,
> and S instead of Z for the Etruscan letter Z.)
>
> Does any of this make sense?

Let's say I disagree.


Torsten