The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #109303 Message #2295130
Posted By: Jim McLean
22-Mar-08 - 10:21 AM
Thread Name: Folklore: Selkie/Selchie? & pronunciation
Subject: RE: Folklore: Selkie/Selchie? & pronunciation
Each-uisque 'horse-water' 0r water horse (kelpie); hippo-potamus 'horse-river'; ros-mer 'horse-sea(water)'or water horse. In those three examples the word for horse comes first and is translated into English as 'water horse' or, if you like, horse of the water (sea) using the genitive. I have discussed this with Scandinavian scholars at the School of Celtic and Scottish Studies and they are in agreement with me. We mustn't forget that we are not dealing with modern Danish. I don't understand -- 'wood' is a perfectly good Scots spelling of the old English word, possibly more common than 'wud'---. I have never read the word 'wood' meaning angry in Scots although 'wud' is common and I don't know why Jamieson would write 'like wood he sprang the castill about' when he knew the word 'wud'. 'Wood' could mean 'angry' in middle English but Jamieson uses it as a noun which doesn't make sense, 'wood-like' or 'wud-like' would seem to be more fitting.