An alternative history of IE languages and the AIT.

[l.m.fosse at easteur-orient.uio.no]

>> aroung 5000 BC. Teutonic mythology does speak of Odin the first
>> ancestor and carrier of fire coming from the east. Do not scholars
>> still have to look eastwards to look ito the Aryan past ? Whereas

I would like to remind you that Odin is a mythological figure. To Snorri
Sturluson, who has given us the information we have on old Norse mythology,
Asia in this context must have been Turkey and South-Eastern Russia (the
country to the east of the Black Sea). Placing Odin in Asia may very well
have to do with the fact that the first syllable of the Old Norse spelling
of Asia - 'As-ia - is reminscent of the Old Norse word for God: 'As. Snorri
says: " (the land) To the east of (the river) Tanakvisl (=Tanais) in Asia
was called 'Asaland or 'Asaheim (home of the 'As), and the main fort in
that land they called 'Asgard". Snorri is actually trying to historicize a
mythological narrative. His remarks on the ancient Nordic gods should be
treated with the utmost care in discussions like this.

Lars Martin Fosse



Lars Martin Fosse
Research Fellow
Department of East European
and Oriental Studies
P. O. Box 1030, Blindern
N-0315 OSLO Norway

Tel: +47 22 85 68 48
Fax: +47 22 85 41 40

E-mail: l.m.fosse at easteur-orient.uio.no