LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.20 (01) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 20 January 2010 - Volume 01
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From: Kevin & Cheryl Caldwell <kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.19 (03) [EN]

“Nasenhaarschneider, only I don't know what that is called in English.”

Nose hair trimmer.

Kevin Caldwell

Laurel, MD

From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.19 (02) [EN-NDS-NL]

May we really imagine the ancient "Nordmänner" taking a downright real bath
-- with soap, warm water, towels and everything -- in a wooden tub *every
saturday*? *Every* saturday? Even in winter? Or maybe even in cold water,
when no warm water could be got? This is fascinating. I feel I have wronged
them hitherto. I had very modest ideas about historical hygiene. Now I will
not be surprised about them having had toothbrushes (a new one every month
or so?) and maybe Nasenhaarschneider, only I don't know what that is called
in English.
----------

From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.19 (03) [EN]

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com <mailto:sassisch at yahoo.com>>

>
> Subject: Etymology
>
> Folks,
>
> Apparently, Danish and Dano-Norwegian /lørdag/, Swedish /lördag/,
> Neo-Norwegian /laurdag/, Faroese /leygardagur/ and Icelandic /laugardagur/
> (Saturday) come from Old Norse /laugardagr/.
>
> The Old Norse verb /lauga/ means ‘to bathe’, and it is related to the
> feminine-gender noun /laug/ (pl. /laugar/) ‘bath’, ‘hot spring’. I believe
> that /laug/ is the cognate of English “lye”, Dutch /loog/ and German
> /Lauge/.
>
> So Saturday used to be bath day up north.
>
>  Not only up north in Scandinavia. Saturday was also bathing day in my Low
Saxon home region until recently (recently meaning the time when public
water lines and then modern bath rooms became common). I don't know whether
this is a common inherited feature or just coincidence, but most likely it
is a Christian feature to be clean when attending church. Or is the word
'/lørdag/' already attested for pre-christian times?

Marcus Buck

----------

From: "Mari Sarv" <mari at haldjas.folklore.ee>
 Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.19 (03) [EN]

It used to be a rule in Estonian traditional society as well. Actually,
heating the sauna is still customary mostly on Saturdays.

But what facilities Nordmänner could have? Something like sauna or what? Any
ideas?

Mari Sarv

From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2010.01.19 (02) [EN-NDS-NL]

May we really imagine the ancient "Nordmänner" taking a downright real bath
-- with soap, warm water, towels and everything -- in a wooden tub *every
saturday*? *Every* saturday? Even in winter? Or maybe even in cold water,
when no warm water could be got? This is fascinating. I feel I have wronged
them hitherto. I had very modest ideas about historical hygiene. Now I will
not be surprised about them having had toothbrushes (a new one every month
or so?) and maybe Nasenhaarschneider, only I don't know what that is called
in English.

Hartlich!

Marlou

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

....

So Saturday used to be bath day up north.
----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Thanks, everyone.

As Marcus says above, this is how it used to be until fairly recently, and
I'll add to this "before the introduction of hot tap water."

Also, by "up north" I had meant Northern Europe in general, but I should
have made this clearer.

Water tended to be heated in large pots on the hearth or wood or coal stove
and then poured into a movable tub (temporarily placed in the kitchen or
general living room). Those that had a separate laundry room would bathe
there. The usual tub was just large enough for an adult to sit in with bent
knees. Usually the entire family would use the same water, so by the end of
it would definitely look like *laug*. This was quite a production and also
relatively costly (since it used a lot of fuel). So once a week seemed
plenty in those days.

Icelanders tend(ed) to enjoy hot springs, of course.

In Jewish families of the north this tended to happen on Friday afternoon,
before the beginning of *Shabbath *that evening, unless one went to the *
mikwah*, the usually communal ritual bath with its roots in the Near East.

Of course, the Finnish, Estonian and other Finnic people got it right, as
did many Russians with Finnic roots and/or influences, as well as indigenous
Siberians and Americans. The sauna (as well as Russian *banya* or Siberian
and American sweat lodge) causes you to sweat and get heated you up so much
that even in the wintertime you could go for a roll in the snow or for a dip
in a hole in the ice for a few seconds.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

•

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