logic error: Gapt [gothic-l]

[keth at ONLINE.NO]

Albareiks wrote:
>Hails Dirk!
>
>>I think that the names Gaut/Gaus and Gapt are typical pairs of gods
>>and analogous to the Vandalic gods Raus and Rapt (as reported by
>>Herwig Wolfram in 'Rom und die Germanen). Wolfram states that the name
>>Raus and Rapt mean wooden beam and wooden stave (rohr in German), i.e.
>>stand for the wooden images of Germanic gods.
>
>
>That is indeed a tempting conclusion, but the fact that Raus and Rapt begin
>with r-, cannot be etymologically connected to Gaut and Gapt, and are
>semantically very different, suggests that the only real similarity is that
>if one *artificially* puts Gaut and Gapt together (the names appear together
>nowhere, and nothing suggests they are distinct from one another and should
>be laid side by side), the set rhymes with Raus and Rapt.  Also, there are
>no "Rausi," or any tribe of "Rapids" associated with the Vandals or anyone
>else.  I think we might be dealing with the difference between apples and
>oranges here.

These names were communicated by a Roman historian, Cassius Dio, who
lived around 200 AD. He tells that the Hasdingi came and settled in Dacia
under their leaders Rhaus and Raptus during the reign of Marc Aurel.

But I am not at all convinced that we know enough about the true etymology
of these four names to be able to make a comparison on that basis.
Deciding whether they are semantically different or related, is also
difficult when we do not know what the names mean. Nevertheless,
I'll make an attempt:

As point of departure I take the name-explanations that Dirk
suggested. We then find connections with the English word "rafter",
Old English "ræfter". In modern Norwegian it is called "raft",
which are the timbers that are mounted from the top of the long
wall of a house to the top of the roof (møne). The "rafter" then
lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the house. The "åser"
that I described in an earlier post, are then put on top of the
"rafter" so that they all lie paralell to the axis of the house.
In Old Norse it was called "raptr" (the ON "p" is often realized
as "f" in modern Norwegian, e.g. ON eptir -> mod.N. efter), with
the meaning "Dachsparren, Balken", i.e. the same meaning as in
modern Norse. The word also occurs in Middle Low Dutch as
"rafter", "rachter", "rechter". Jan de Vries also tells us
that this word is related to the ancient Personal Names
"Raptos" and "Reptila". Here Raptos must be one of the names
mentioned by Cassius Dio as the name of one of the Vandal kings
who came into Dacia in 170/171 AD, and won land in the Northern
Carpates on the upper Theiss. It is, however, I think, of
considerable interest that the other name of the same root
that de Vries mentions, is a Gepid name. For since the name
"Gapt" is clearly linked to that of the Gepids, this shared meaning
of the names Raptos and Reptila, then creates a
link between Raptos/Reptila and the pair Gapt/Gaus.

For the other name of the two Vandal kings, Rhaus, I find
an Old Norse word "reyrr" that may be related. It must
be the same as modern German "Rohr" (tube), and in ON it
can signify "reeds"; that is reeds of a certain water plant
that was used for covering the roofs of houses. That
is interesting, for then we have the pair of meanings
"Rafter & Reed"  :), which sound like the name of a company
that is into roof-thatching !

Now, of course thick reeds are also used as tubes that
can be used to conduct water. And then the water
"gushes forth" from the end of the tube. Now "gushing"
is nothing but the ON verb "gjósa" that we earlier found
to be related to the Norse river name "Gauss". Thus we
have semantically come full circle. (See the Gothic
etymology of "raus", ahd "riusa")

Another possibility, and this time not following
the idea of "reyrr", but this time ON "rausn" f.
= glory, magnificence. "rausnarverk" = great and
difficult work. Also the foreroom of a warship,
and faroese "roysni" = gabled housefront.
Also: "raust 2" n. = upper gable of house
(nynorsk røyste, swedish röst = roof-beam,
mhd roste = gitterwerk, balkenunterlage, mnl roest=
hahnenbalken).

How to get from here to Dirk's pointer at an explanation
due to Wolfram, in die Germanen u.Rom, that the 'Rohr'
can also be a timber that is hollow at the center,
tubelike, and used for carved idols, I have the idea that
for carvings like that it was necessary first to
drill a hole through the center of the treetrunk.
This is something that is still practiced by woodcutters,
who know that such a channel will remove internal stress
forces from the wood, thus preventing it from cracking.
This is a fact of physics, and those who carve whole
treetrunks use this trick. An example are the Norwegian
treetrunk-chairs: they are still made that way, and I have
an old one that I own myself, and it too is hollowed out.


Best regards
Keth




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