New file uploaded to gothic-l (Christmas and Yule)

[llama_nom]

Thanks, Ingemar!  There are a few suggestions regarding the etymology
of Torsmånad here:

http://runeberg.org/svetym/1083.html

Judging by Icelandic þorri and Norwegian torre, it could be that the
association with the god Tor is a folk-etymology.  The idea that it
might have originally meant "dry month" is strange given all of these
names from England and Germany that refer to how wet it is!  But maybe
this is due to the different climate further north -- dry, I guess,
because the land is frozen (see the first ON quote below).  I've also
seen the Icelandic name interpreted as "frozen snow" (maybe still
related to this root meaning dry?).  Old Icelandic sources name Þorri
as the son of Snær (snow).  Snær's other children are named after
various types of snow (drift, blizzard, powdery snow).  Hversu Noregr
byggðisk:

Fornjótr hét maðr. Hann átti þrjá sonu; var einn Hlér, annarr Logi,
þriði Kári. Hann réð fyrir vindum, en Logi fyrir eldi, Hlér fyrir sjó.
Kári var faðir Jökuls, föður Snæs konungs, en börn Snæs konungs váru
þau Þorri, Fönn, Drífa ok Mjöll. Þorri var konungr ágætr. Hann réð
fyrir Gotlandi, Kænlandi ok Finnlandi. Hann blótuðu Kænir til þess, at
snjóva gerði ok væri skíðfæri gott. Þat er ár þeira. Þat blót skyldi
vera at miðjum vetri, ok var þaðan af kallaðr Þorra mánaðr.

(...The Kænir made sacrifices to him so that he would make it snow and
 there would be a good surface for skiing on.  That sacrificial feast
took place at midwinter and Þorri's month (Þorra mánaðr) was named
after it.)

Fundinn Noregr:

Fornjótr hefir konungr heitit. Hann réð fyrir Gotlandi, er kallat er
Finnland ok Kvenland. Þat er fyrir austan hafsbotn þann, er gengr til
móts við Gandvík; þat köllum vér Helsingjabotn. Fornjótr átti þrjá
syni. Hét einn Hlér, er vér köllum Ægi, annarr Logi, þriði Kári. Hann
var faðir Frosta, föður Snæs ins gamla. Hans sonr hét Þorri. Hann átti
tvá syni, hét annarr Nórr, en annarr Górr, dóttir hans hét Gói. Þorri
var blótmaðr mikill. Hann hafði blót á hverju ári at miðjum vetri; þat
kölluðu þeir Þorrablót. Af því tók mánaðrinn heiti.

Þat var tíðenda einn vetr at Þorrablóti, at Gói hvarf í brott, ok var
hennar leita farit, ok finnst hún eigi. Ok er sá mánaðr leið, lét
Þorri fá at blóti ok blóta til þess er þeir yrði vísir, hvar Gói væri
niðr komin; þat kölluðu þeir Góiblót. 

http://www.snerpa.is/net/forn/fornjot.htm

Gói is the name of the next month after Þorri.  The other theory is
that þorri refers to the lessening of the severity of winter, the
reduction, dwindling, decrease, waning, coming-to-an-end of winter,
cf. Icelandic þverra "to dwindle, decrease"; þurðr (also 'þurða') "a
decrease, waning".

LN



--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, "Ingemar Nordgren" <ingemar at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi Llama non,
> 
> You asked about the Swedish month-names. If we go back to the
> Bondepraktika, which is not ON but just medieval we have:
> 
> January- Torsmånad
> February- Göjemånad
> March - Martius, Mars månad  (latin of course)
> April - Aprilis, April månad (-"-            )
> May - Majus, Maj månad       ( -"-           )
> June -  Midsommarmånad (and Junius)
> July -  Hömånad
> August - Skördemånad
> September - Höstmånad
> October -  Slaktmånad
> November - Vintermånad
> December - Julmånad
> 
> Accordingly I fucked it up earlier with Göje and Slaughtermonth which
> are February and October. 
> 
> Suggestion for May I would say Lövmånad/Leafmonth since e.g. Maypole
> is understood as a leafed pole. May bis the rebirth of leafed plants.
> 
> March and April I do not really know but I think it should be natural
> with 'vårmånad'-spring month for April?? 
> 
> I am a bit dubious concerning Tor in january since he is connected
> with farming and specially ploughing in old  saywords.At Borholm it
> says 'Three (plough)lines for Þórr give a green spring'. During the
> Disting the first symbolic ploughlines were made with sacrifice of
> bread to Freja. I would  rather have Torsmånad in March as a
> preparation for sowing and January would fit better to e.g.
> frostmånad-Frost month or better Midvintermånad-Mid Winter month since
> the Midwinter feast/Disting starts its cycle 21 januari but during  an
> 8-years cycle it moves until 19 february.At the Disting the first
> symbolic ploughglines were taken and hence Ploughmonth -Torsmonth
> would fit rather well the following month and before sowing/planting
> in 'Vårmånaden'(Spring month)
> 
> This, as I say, is a medieval naming being used until almost modern
> times and hence there has been a lot of late influence on the naming.
> 
> Best
> Ingemar
>


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