Re: Pablo is back, Job, Argentina, Relay, Lord of the Rings

----- Original Message -----
From: Lars Henrik Mathiesen <thorinn@...>

> > Date:         Wed, 9 Jan 2002 13:14:03 +0100
> > From: daniel andreasson <danielandreasson@...>
>
> However, Tolkien will have been well aware that Norse hrafn would have
> come from an Indo-European stem very like *kraban-. Which is not to
> say that he chose craban for crow because of that --- as you say, it's
> a very natural name for the bird, so it's not much of a coincidence.
But of course!  I'm looking at my dictionary of Indo-European word
roots.  OE hraefn along with Norse hrafn comes from *ker, an IE
"echoic root," "indicating loud noises of birds."  It yields, interestingly,
both *hraban (proto. Ger) and OE hroc--"raven" and "rook."  It also
develops into our word "retch" (from OE hraecan-"to clear the throat") and
"ring," from OE hringan, "to resound."  We also get "kestrel," "craven,"
and "crevice" in extended forms.  Latin _corvus_ , "raven," is also from
this root.  Being a philologist, Tolkien would have known this.  From which
of his invented languages is crebain supposed to be?  I'm getting back
in touch with all of this after years!

Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net

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