fun with linguistics

Written by thehouseofvines

I like the word Tívar for the combined Æsir and Vanir pantheons, by the way; it prioritizes neither side (and also leaves room for the inclusion of Skythian, Slavic and related deities, which we do in Starry Bear.)

Here’s the entry from the Skaldic Lexicon Poeticum. (Their entry on óðr is also pretty interesting.)

Though I also like Æsir since the word for Gods in Etruscan is 𐌀𐌉𐌔𐌄𐌓, despite their non-Indo-European status, which might otherwise explain it. 

11 thoughts on “fun with linguistics”

    1. Well, that and the Skyths, Slavs, Sarmatians and other nomadic steppes populations have an Iranian stratum. Keep in mind, this is either before or during the early formative stages of Zoroastrianism, so we’re talking a very different Iran than most folks are familiar with. (Alright, most people are only familiar with Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran, but you get what I mean.)

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  3. From what I’d heard previously, the Asuras in Vedic culture were thought to be like the Titans, and that the “reversal” of that in the Avesta and so forth signified that Zoroastrainism’s “reformed polytheism” kind of turned the Indo-Iranian branch’s tendencies on its head.

    I’ve always thought the Titans and the Vanir were a bit more directly comparable, and yet the schema suggested by the above would likely reverse that…

    But perhaps the Titanic dimension is just a red herring to bring in, being that the concept and all of the baggage from it is far later chronologically than the Vedic and Indo-Iranian matters…?!?

    Or…not?

    ;)

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    1. But then again, this may just illustrate the problem with setting up any sort of dualism or–dare I say it?–binarism amongst divine beings. The reality is always far more complex!

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      2. I agree. The ADF split of Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits are a little better. However, many Beings are neglected in that divide also. Then there are Beings who are shades of several, while Others are multiple in their Selves. Pazuzu would a multiple in my opinion.

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