Re: Yeah!

[Andrew Smith <hobbit@mail.earthlight.co.nz>]

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Clinton Moreland-Stringham wrote:

> On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Padraic Brown wrote:
> 
> > An euphemism?  I just came across one in Kernu, this evening.  It's the
> > old "how do we get around the swearing by the Old Gods bit without
> > actually bringing Them up by name?" routine.  The Irish had "tongu
> > natongat mo thuath" (I swear what my people swear); the Kernu have "pery
> > sagrament lor meu sengoggi" (by the sacred oaths of my ancestors).
> 
> 	In Aelya, that first one would be:
> 
> 	Tongan ihne ya daenya tonga 'hne.
> 	Swear-I it-pat which people-my swear it-pat
> 
In Brithenig the cognate of sagrament is sagrefent, so I suppose they
would say "tra llo sagrefent di few hantegessur".

It is interesting to note that this latin word has survived into English,
with some change of meaning, as sacrament.  It reminds me that I recently
discovered that the Welsh word for universe is _bydysawd_ derived from
Latin _baptizatus_.  While there is a heavy-handed understanding that the
universe equates with the 'baptized', i.e. Christendom, there is also an
implicit understanding that creation itself is sacramental.

The Brithenig word for universe is ill bethisad.

There, finally said something!

- andrew.

Andrew Smith                                  <hobbit@earthlight.co.nz>

MAN, despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many
accomplishments; still owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil
and the fact that it rains.
							   - Anonymous