Hello I think I have something similar to add to your discussion:

I've looked up the word in the 'Sprach Brockhaus'. Wiesbaden 1976.
It's an old, but still reliable dictionary. It has the valkyrie as 'Walküre'
(the word is feminine) with the following explanation: 'Kampfjungfrau',
die die Gefallenen nach Walhall führt. ("Maiden of the fight/struggle
who leads the fallen to Walhalla")

The word 'Kür' in German stands for 'choosing, selecting', but it is
archaic, and 'Wahl' is used in stead of it in standard language. 'Kür' still
comes in some old words, like 'Kurfürsten' ("referring those archbishops
and rulers who had the right to take part in the election of the emperor
of the Holy Roman Empire")

Somewhat similar to Walküre is ‘Willkür’ which has the word 'Kür' as the
second part, and the word 'will' as first. It means a choice on your own
without obeying rules, law, or the interests of other people.

As fir the first part of the Valkyrie, I have found the name
Walburg/Walburga which according to the Sprach Brockhaus
means 'Burgherrin' ie. the 'mistress of a castle/burg', so it is likely
that 'Val-/Wal-' stands for a woman, and the other part of the word '-
kyrie, -burga' adds some meaning to it.

Then again the German word 'Walstatt' means the 'place of a struggle,
fight or battle'. ('-statt'=place). So 'Wal-' could stand for 'battle,
struggle, fight'. The Germanic/Norse god 'Wodan/Odin' is also referred
to in German as 'Walvater', i.e. 'father of the fight/battle'.

Confusing, isn't it?

Greetings,

Imre Kovacs


Annika Larla Evensen McKibbin <runadis@...> írta:

> Hi
>
> this discussion may be over a long time ago, but i feel the need to

point out that valkyrie stemms from the two words 'valr' and 'kjosa'.
meaning 'the fallen', also 'place of battle', and 'to choose'. the word
valkyrie means one hwo chooses the fallen, if it's who are to fall in
battle or which of the fallen goes where after death is not clear. but
that this was one of their domains seems to be clear. they seem to
have filled many functions in the mythology, many of them doubling up
vith varios other 'jobs' as well. what seems to be a common link to me
is that they are all women with powre in the aereas of masculine action.

>
> runadis
>
> llama_nom <600cell@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Val,
>
> I suspect that quote is just a non-linguist's guess on the basis of
> the similarity in sound. There were no referrences to support the
> claim, nor any explanation of how exactly they are supposed to be
> related, or why the change in meaning. The implication that valour
> is in some way derived from valkyrie is just silly (as you point
> out, valour has a well established Latin origin), but could a Latin
> word beginning val- be cognate with a Germanic one? I'm not an
> expert, but it doesn't seem impossible. Then again, it's also a
> very short and simple syllable, so plenty of room for coincidence.
>
> No connection mentioned in Fick-Falk-Torp (Wörterbuch der
> Indogermanischen Sprachen: Dritter Teil: Wortschatz der

Germanischen

> Spracheinheit).
>
> I wonder if there's a connection between 'valr' "the slain",
> and 'val' "choice". If the slain are those chosen to die.
>
> Llama Nom
>
>
>
> --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "valrayno" <vgrayno@...>

wrote:

> >
> >
> > >
> > > "The legacy of the Valkyrie lives on in the word "valour", a
> > > reference to heroism in battle"--first I've heard of this!!
> >
> > I'm not sure these two word are related. "Valour" is from the
> french
> > and latin and has to do with strength: Valour, Valiant, even
> valid,
> > going back to the Latin "valere"- to be strong.
> > My name is Val so I have often been wondering myself about the
> > connection between the French meaning and the Germanic/Norse
> of "the
> > slain", but I have found no connection so far. I suppose it is
> > possible that valour and Valr could be related very very distantly
> or
> > that the "valour" was influenced by the word Valkyrie because of
> its
> > reference to battle. Does anyone know more about this?
> >
> > Val
>
>
>
>
>
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