I read a discussion about the origin of the ON words `vargr'
and `ulfr' that took place in Okt-Nov 2003 in this forum (see
messages 3864-3872).
The modern Swedish word for wolf is varg (In OSw. it was apparently
vargher). Now, I'm trying to find out whether 'varg/vargr' originally
referred to the animal wolf or if this was a later figurative
meaning.
The word appears in `The Helgi Lays' and `Äldre Västgötalagen' from
the 13th century with the meaning 'wolf', and this seems to be the
case in some earlier works as well. The Skaldic Project's database
shows that `vargr' and similar forms appear in almost as many
instances as `ulfr' in all the poems listed there. I don't know
whether that bit of information in itself proves anything at all, and
my attempts to decipher a few of the contexts in which the word
appears have been unsuccessful.
`vargr' also bears some resemblance to the word for wolf in some
ancient languages like Avestan ('vehrka') and Old Persian ('varka'),
both of which apparently stem from PIE *wlkwos. The circumstance that
the Finno-Ugric language Mordvinian reportedly derived its word for
wolf, 'vrgaz', from Avestan might also be worth to mention.
I am aware that words related(?) to varg/vargr in other Germanic
branches, like Germ. würgen, OE wearg, wyrgan, OS warag, are not
known to have had the meaning 'wolf', evidence that seems to indicate
that vargr originally had another meaning than `wolf'.
If anybody feels like commenting on this, please go ahead.