From: Haukur Thorgeirsson
Message: 2096
Date: 2002-09-05
>The name-word "Urð" is related (maybe even a cognate of) "Ur" which meansHeinleinian? Figures.
>'before/origin of' and is often us as a prefix in the same instances where
>one may use the Greek prefix 'Proto'.
>I've found that complete grokking of the term requires the study of otherI think you should be very careful in trying to read meaning into a whole
>'U-' prefixes like 'Un' and 'Um'. 'Un' is used to make the word 'Undir'
>which is the translated as 'Under' in English. 'Um' means
>'around/about/throughout' and has an osmotic quality of permeating a concept
>completely. 'Um' is used within the word 'Umbla' (i.e. Auðumbla) which means
>'blossoming into creation' or something like that (the prefix 'Auð-' like
>the English prefix 'Ad-' means 'to promote/to encourage/to nourish/to rear'
>so the Primal Cow Auðumbla is named 'Encourager/Nourishor of Creation').
>Therefore, to say that the word 'Urð' means 'past' is inadequate. I prefer
>to translate it as 'the origin' or simply 'before'.
>"Verdandi" is more literal and means 'happening right now'. It's moreThe name Verðandi is the present participle of the verb 'verða' meaning
>immediate than the word 'Present' has in our 'present' English speaking
>society. (interestingly, the word Verða means "happening/occuring" while
>Verð means "worth/price/value" - this is interesting because of the
>following...)
>Zoega and Gordon translate "Skuld" to mean 'Debt'. Precisely how the NornIt does mean 'debt'. A related noun (via i-mutation) is 'skylda', meaning 'duty'.
>'Skuld' represents 'Debt' I can only conjecture. Probably related to how the
>future is an emptiness that requires filling. Hey - that sounds pretty good.