Niuja Waurda

[llama_nom]

> > *mageis (mJA) "magus, wiseman"
> 
> If borrowed it should have been magus and inappropriately coincided 
> with the inherited magus for "boy". What could have been a pure-
> Gothic word? Maybe something like *saiþa-manna or *saiþa-hameis
> M.-ja or –hams M.-i (apart from ON seiðmaðr, there's a mention of 
> Saitchamimi/s/ dat. pl. in a continental votive inscription with 
> meaning "die durch Zauber ihre Gestalt ändern können"). No doubt 
> there must've been a rich terminology. Could one also form masculine 
> from haljaruna "maga mulier" (haliurunnae pl. in Jordanes)?

Old English has masculine 'hellrúna' besides feminine 'hellrúne' and
'hellerúne', 'hellrún' and 'hellrýnegu'.  Compare also OHG 'hellirúna'
"necromantia".  Old English also has 'tungolwitega' and 'tunglere' for
astronomer (Go. *tunglawitja, *tunglareis) -- a less sinister
application for the Biblical magi?  As a Zoroastrian priest, a
compound with -gudja (funigudja) perhaps?  And we recently discussed
the adjective'lubjaleis', which is attested once in the plural in the
substantivised sense of magicians.  Another possibility: *galdramanna
(cf. ON galdramaðr).

LN

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