[gothic-l] Haliurunnas = Haljoruna ?

[Philip Rusche]

>  The basic meaning of halja/hel is "the concealed, the hidden"; hence
>"the otherworld" (world of departed spirits).  On an etymological basis one
>wouldn't suppose any evil connotation necessarily associated with "hel".
>But is there any use in actual Germanic literature which _doesn't_ suggest
>an evil meaning?  I suppose most uses of the word are post-Christian, in
>which case it's picked up the significance of the (Christian use of)
>"Hades".  But I'd be interested to know if it ever has a more equivocal
>sense.

This may be true for the basic, original meaning of halja/hel, but at least
for the Anglo-Saxons it had taken on thoroughly Christian meaning long
before the examples of hellerune.  In OE these are all clearly associated
with the Christian hell and with evil beings.  Even if these beings are
presented as non-Christian, they are allied with the Devil. (besides the
Beowulf example, and the biblical source of the glosses, it also occurs in
OE in a gloss to Aldhelm's De laudibus virginitate).
This makes the occurrence of the word in Gothic very interesting since it
suggests a common Gmc origin and presumably therefore an originally pagan
usage.
Apparently the OHG helliruna is a translation of necromantia. The reference
is Grimm's Deutsche Mythologie, 1175, 1178 (according to Bosworth-Toller).
So all the OE and OHG examples refer to communication with the dead.

Philip



/\     WISTR LAG WIGS RAIHTS
\/            WRAIQS NU IST                               <> David Salo
<dsalo at softhome.net> <>




-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>
Tellme Sports. Tellme Stocks. Tellme News. Just Tellme.
http://click.egroups.com/1/9530/8/_/3398/_/970720993/
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.
Homepage: http://www.stormloader.com/carver/gothicl/index.html