16 June 2020

KNI, KNÍ, KNY - knee, 'degree of kinship'

[Added 18-5-24:] A relation to English kin, and Latin genus (→ genetics, genealogy, gender) seems obvious (as well as kind and kennen). Compare Middle Dutch Cnie ]
man kneeling at a love-altar,
between 1762-1825
woman kneeling at a death-altar,
18th century
Some varieties of the word:
knee - English
knie - Dutch, German, Afrikaans
knæ - Danish
kne - Norse
knä - Swedish
hné - Icelandic
genou - French
genu, geniculum - Latin

In the Oera Linda texts, the word is used in two different contexts: 
  • KNIBUWGJANDE TÁNK - 'knee-bending thanks': fragments 2 and 3
  • SJUGONDE/ FJARDE KNY/ KNÍ - seventh/ fourth degree: fragments 1, 4 and 5

1. [010/17]
THA HJU HIRA BÀRN VPBROCHT HÉDE ALTO THÉRE SJUGONDE KNY
When she had raised her children to the seventh generation (or: degree)

2. [011/26]
WR.ALDAS GÁST MÉI MÀN ALLÉNA KNIBUWGJANDE TÁNK TOWÍA
To Wralda's spirit alone should the knee be bent in gratitude
[lit. "... dedicate knee-bending thanks"]

3. [012/06]
NIM NÀMMAR KNI.BUWGJANDE TÁNK FON.JV NÉSTON ÁN
Never accept obeisance* from your kinsmen
[*obeisance (excessively servile gratitude) — lit.: knee-bending thanks]

4. [016/03]
HJA NE MÜGON NAVT VPFOLGATH NE WERTHA THRVCH HJARA SIBTAL. NÉJAR SÁ THA FJARDA KNÍ
they shall not be succeeded by relatives nearer than the fourth degree

5. [022/28]
SA NE MÉI NÉN SIBBA HIM VPFOLGJA THÉR.IM NÉIAR SY SA THA FJARDE KNY
[then] he may not be succeeded by a relative nearer than the fourth degree
[lit. "no relative may succeed him..."]
at

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous4/5/21 03:52

    Made me wonder 'KNI.BUWGJANDE': because that is what knees do: knikken en buigen. Just like the neck (nek=neig, neigen=buigen, it has the facility for leaning towards). Just like the L-bow. Just like the kneel (kniel), as it says: you place the knie-aan-hiel if you kneel.

    About the kny as a degree of relatives, it crossed my mind that there is a saying in Dutch (Flemish?): familie van het zevende knoopsgat (family of the seventh buttonhole), for rather distant relatives.
    Referring to the last buttonholes of a shirt. Now, the button is the 'knoop' (or 'knop'), knot if you wish. Did I see you (k)nod allready? ;-) Could it be that in former times, we did not as much use a buttonhole but the knot (kny) itself (shirts in earlier times were tied together) to indicate closeness of relatives? To make it compleet, i would like refer to the use of the word 'knotsknieen' for very pronounced knees. As for another designations i like to link the word 'kinematic' with 'kniematig'.
    No fluent movement without bending those knees :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan Ott5/5/21 12:01

    Some interesting associations. I like Knie-hiel => kniel and "familie van het zevende knoopsgat"; did not know the expression. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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