Re: Montanian

Am 09/23 12:13  Sally Caves yscrifef:

> Speaking of "breasted male,"  which I take to mean
> "breasted human being" in your language (?), the
> derivation of "woman" in Old English is _wyfman_,
> "female man."  The word "man" simply meant
> human being.  It was coopted, of course, to mean
> "human male," but the word that designated "human
> male" in Aelfric's time was _wer_, not _mann_.  The
> words for the sexes used continuously by Aelfric:
>
>     wifhades, werhades:  "female," "male."
>
> So when Eufrasia (i.e. Euphrosyne) of the Saints Tale
> in Old English was discovered after her death to be
> a woman and not a monk (she had disguised herself
> as a monk in order to live the life of a holy man), they
> spoke of her reverently as a _wifhades man_, "a person/
> man of the female sex."
>
Sally, how common was the use of _waepned_ to describe male?

- andrew.
--
Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@griffler.co.nz
alias Mungo Foxburr of Loamsdown
http://hobbit.griffler.co.nz/homepage.html

It's all over now.  They stand backs to the wall
Waiting for the fascist's sword to fall
In the desperation of a young life about to end
He turns before the bullet, And forgives a friend.
                               - Johnny Clegg and Savuka, Warsaw 1943

Reply