The etymology of the German Hell...
- From: "Heidi Graw" <heidigraw@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:50:05 GMT
Hello Illustrious Scholars and Experts Extraordinaire of sci.lang! ;-)
Some of you may remember my making a nuisance of myself some time ago.
Well...I'm BACK! You may now all shudder and convulse if you will. I'm
here to pick your brains....Hehehehe...;-)
Anyway, I've got one Hel of a question for you. Perhaps some of you can
oblige me.
From the on-line etymology dictionary:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Hell&searchmode=none
O.E. hel, helle "nether world, abode of the dead, infernal regions," from
P.Gmc. *khaljo (cf. O.Fris. helle, O.N. hel, Ger. Hölle, Goth. halja "hell")
"the underworld," lit. "concealed place," from PIE *kel- "to cover, conceal,
save" (see cell). The Eng. word may be in part from O.N. Hel (from P.Gmc.
*khalija "one who covers up or hides something"), in Norse mythology Loki's
daughter, who rules over the evil dead in Niflheim, the lowest of all worlds
(nifl "mist"), a death aspect of the three-fold goddess. Transfer of a pagan
concept and word to a Christian idiom, used in the K.J.V. for O.T. Heb.
Sheol, N.T. Gk. Hades, Gehenna. Used figuratively for "any bad experience"
since at least 1374. As an expression of disgust, etc., first recorded 1678.
Hell-bent is from 1835. Hell-raiser is from 1914 (to raise hell is from
1896); hellacious is 1930s college slang. Expression Hell in a handbasket is
c.1941, perhaps a revision of earlier heaven in a handbasket (c.1913), with
a sense of "easy passage" to whichever destination. Expression hell of a
_____ is attested from 1776. Hell or high water is apparently a variation of
between the devil and the deep blue sea. To wish someone would go to hell is
in Shakespeare (1596). Snowball's chance in hell "no chance" is from 1931;
till hell freezes over "never" is from 1919. To ride hell for leather is
from 1889, originally with reference to riding on horseback. Hell on wheels
is from 1843.
*****
O.k...that translation takes care of Hel and Hell as far as Old English and
Old Norse are concerned.
What I would like to know is the etymology of the German word "hell" which
means "clear, fair, light." The word "Helle" in German means "brightness,
clearness." There are all sorts of German gals named "Hella." So, a German
woman named Hella would have had that name attributed to her because she
looks bright and fair. She may be a blonde and blue-eyed lady.
Is this German "hell" in any way connected to the P.Gmc. *khaljo and/or
from PIE *kel- meaning "to cover, conceal save [as in save to keep]?"
If it has that shared root, when and why did this word take on a different
meaning....bright instead of concealed? Is it possible to be bright and
concealed, ie. like a buried crystal?
If it does not have that shared origin, from whence did this word come?
I don't have access to a German language etymology dictionary, so any help
you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Heidi
.
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