LL-L "History" 2008.10.10 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 10 October 2008 - Volume 02
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "History" 2008.10.09 (02) [E]

Beste Jonny



Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.10.09 (01) [E]



You report:

The saga tells, that a special group of people, a probably Celtic
tribe, living around there (near the Alpes) had invented a method to find
the arch (crater?)of the meteorites. This made them capable to forge weapons
you would not have found anywhere else in Europe. Even the Roman Empire
partly bought their swords there.



Mark:

Ja, in 1881 there was a bad drought, & Lake Constance sank to its lowest
level in historic times, exposing piles from a Helvetian lake-town
(destroyed, we may suppose in the campaigns of Big Julie). In amongst the
dross they found Gallic long-swords (spathas)of such quality these
blades could be bent into a bow & sprang back straight, as perfect an
example of spring-steel as was hard to meet even in Napoleonic times.



This casts a certain light on a certain calumny. Other Classical sources
write of how a Gallic warrior frequently had to step out of the battle-line
to straighten his sword-blade under his foot. Nonsense: I don't see a man
stepping out of the battle-line for any reason. If the enemy doesn't gut
him, his outraged buddies will. This is an old Classical lie told against
sundry enemies, one the Romans stole from the Greeks like so much else.
Less-than-tool-steel-quality could make six spearheads to one sword-blade, &
not need to be such quality steel either. You can kill with a spear, & arm
five more warriors.



Jonny:

(BTW: What means 'to channer on it.' and when and what was the 'La Teinè
expansion',

svp?)



Mark:

' Channer' comes from the Scots, (to gnaw - om te knaag). As in 'The
channering worm doeth chide'  (the gnawing worms complain), so say two
brothers called from the grave to "explain themselves" to their grieving
mother, & must in haste return.



The La Teine period runs from about the fifth century B.C. First typical
samples of the culture being recovered from graves from about 480B.C.



Groete,



Mark
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