[gothic-l] Re: Gothic rel. & mag. 1a

[faltin2001]

--- In gothic-l at y..., "M. Carver" <me at m...> wrote:
> Hails!
> 
> Though we had a discussion on (h)aljoruna a long while ago, I 
thought the
> topic of religion and magic might connect easily with mythology, 
and so I
> quote Grimm's *interesting theories*:  - Mat?aius:
> 
>         2. [VELEDA. GANNA.] ALARÛN.
>   If, as I suppose, the generic term idis was already current in 
the time of Tacitus, he gives us other more
> specific appellations as mere proper names, though still a certain 
general meaning seems to belong to them too. His
> statements about Veleda, Ganna, and Aurinia I have already quoted 
in ch. V, where the connexion between prophetesses
> and the priestly office was pointed out....
> ...Aurinia is said (p. 95) to have been famous in Germany before 
Veleda; copyists may easily have corrupted ali into
> 'au,' and runa into 'rinia': we should then have Aliruna, though it 
would be still more handy if Tacitus had written
> Alioruna. But anyhow we cannot fail to recognise the agreement 
(which many have noted) with Jornandes cap. 24, who,
> in accounting for the origin of the Huns, relates of the Gothic 
king Filimer: Repperit in populo suo quasdam magas
> mulieres, quas patrio sermone aliorumnas (al. alyrumnas, aliorunas, 
aliuruncas) is ipse cognominat, easque habens
> suspectas de medio sui proturbat, longeque ab exercitu suo fugatas 
in solitudine coegit errare. Quas silvestres
> homines, quos faunos ficarios vocant, per eremum vagantes dum 
vidissent, et earum se complexibus in coitu
> miscuissent, genus hoc ferocissimum edidere.' Many names of women 
are formed with -rûn, -rûna (Gramm. 2, 517), and
> OHG. documents even offer, though sparingly, Alarûn Alerûna, MB. 3, 
416 (an. 1140); 'Gosprecht der Alraunyn sun,'
> MB. 27, 80 (an. 1309). I have never seen Elirûn, the form we should 
expect from ali-. (6) But it is significant,
> that the ON. name Ölrûn, Sæm. 133-4, belongs precisely to a wise-
woman; and alrûna (Graff 2, 523), now alraun, from
> its old sense of a prophetic and diabolic spirit, has at length 
passed into that of the root (mandragora, mandrake)
> out of which he is cut.



Very interesting! I never thought of this connection, but it seems 
very plausible. The Alraune-root is the epitome of a magic/witch 
plant (at least in Germany.) The Alraune-root has the shape of a 
human body. When a medieval wooden foor in a local monastry in my 
home area was investigated some years ago, the archaeologists found 
many Alraune-roots, sometimes 'dressed' in cloth beneath it, which 
supposedly medieval nuns had depostited there for supersticious 
reasons. 

cheers,
Dirk





 We not turn to some other names, about which the fountain of 
tradition flows more freely
> (see Suppl.).
> 
> [and later...]
> 
> 
> WOOD-WIVES.
>   We have seen that the wish-wives appear on pools and lakes in the 
depth of the forest: it is because they are
> likewise wood-wives, and under this character they suggest further 
reflections. The old sacred forest seems their
> favourite abode: as the gods sat throned in the groves, on the 
trees, the wise-women of their train and escort would
> seek the same haunts. Did not the Gothic aliorunas dwell in the 
woodland among the wood-sprites? Was not Veleda's
> tower placed on a rock, that is, in the woods? The Völundarqvi?a 
opens with the words:
>  meyjar flugo sunnan Myrkvi? igögnom,
>  maids flew from south through murky wood to the seashore, there 
they tarried seven years, till they grew homesick:


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