Etruscans (was: minimal pairs)

[Christopher Gwinn]

> Also "Aplu".  But are these names really Greek, in the sense of
> having IE etymologies?  I have heard that of the Greek gods only Zeus is IE.

I wouldn't go that far - surely we have a few more like:
Pan (Archaic Paon) from PIE *Pausonos "nourisher" (the equivalent of Vedic
Pusan)
Thygater Dios (epithet of dawn goddess) from PIE *dhugHter diuos "daughter
of the sky" (=Lithuanian Dievo Dukte, Indic Duhita Divah)
Erynys may represent PIE *sereniuHs "speedy/quick one?" (= Vedic Saranyu).

There are others which have PIE etymologies, but no assured direct
linguistic matches to gods from other IE groups:
Hera (*yer- "season/year")
Poseidon (*poti-da-on- "husband of Da (mater)")
Dionysos (*diwo-nus-os "nursling of Dyeus")
Hades (*sam-wid- "reuniter")

Ares, Hephaistos, Artemis and Apollo are usually taken as loans.  (Artemis and
Apollo perhaps are Anatolian)

-Chris Gwinn