Re: Hello again

I'm new to the group, but have been studying Old Norse for a couple of years, and lately Anglo-Saxon with a linguist friend of mine. I have just been going through Beowulf trying to get a fairly satisfactory translation and with his help muddled out a bit of what they might have meant by the name Beowulf.

The Bee Wulf > Bear is an incorrect folk etymology. Beo [bēon f. nap.] + Wulf > stinging wulf which is a descriptive way of saying, I believe, Strong Wolf. That's just my two pence worth.

pam wisniewski

----- Original Message -----

From: Jamie Fessenden

To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 12:23

Subject: RE: [norse_course] Hello again

I thought the word 'beo' meant 'bee.' Bee-wolf?

Jamie

-----Original Message-----
From: Haukur Thorgeirsson [mailto:haukurth@...]
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 11:59 AM
To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Hello again

> Is there any saga that has a mage (or > anyone else realy)singing to the spirits, asking them to aid him and or > singing their praises. Hmph. Maybe something from the 'gyðja' in Örvar-Odds saga. Maybe this: Hjálpi Æsir ok Ásynjur gervöll regin gyðju sinni. (May the gods and the goddesses - all the powers - help their priestess.) Or this: Auð þættumst ek eiga nógan, ef ek inn ítra Álf of fyndak; blót gefk honum ok bú fjögur; hann mun yðr alla í eld draga. I would consider myself to have enough wealth if I found the glorious Álfr. I give sacrifice to him and four farms - he will draw you all to fire. > Is the Old Norse word for bear Beowulf? No, it is not. The general word is 'björn'; thought to be derived from the same stem as 'brown' with the original IE-stem (lat. ursus) being lost due to a taboo. Kveðja, Haukur

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Sumir hafa kvæði... ...aðrir spakmæli. - Keth Homepage: http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: norse_course-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

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