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| Relief from Smyrna (present-day Izmir, Turkey) |
The
English and
Dutch online etymology databases both claim that the word 'slave' is derived from the Slavic people, for so many of them would have been subject to slavery. Their name is ...
"usually considered a derivation from slovo ("word"), originally denoting "people who speak (the same language)", i. e. people who understand each other" (wiki)
This does not make much sense to me. The cognates below would all have to be derived from medieval Latin, although the concept of slavery must be much older. Would all these languages not have had their own word for it? Or would they all have exchanged it for the Latin variety?
The
German online etymology database is more precise and less certain about how the words are related.
The Oera Linda-book suggests that the word slave came first. S
LÁVONA is a common word in the OLB and it simply means
slaves. The people that the authors of the Oera Linda texts belonged to considered themselves
free (FRY; FRYA was not only the name of their primal Mother, it also means
the free);
this was their highest value, the most sacred part of their identity.
They saw people who did not value their own freedom, who needed masters
to be ruled over, as
slaves.
Some modern cognates (sing./ plur.; masculine form only):
slave, slaves - English
slaaf, slaven - Dutch, Frisian
slaaf, slawe - Afriakaans
slave, slaver - Danish, Norse
slav, slavar - Swedish
sclav, sclavi - Romanian
skllav, skllevër - Albanian
Sklave, Sklaven - German
schiavo, schiavi - Italian
esclave, esclaves - French
esclavo, esclavos - Spanish
esklabo (sing. and plur.?) - Basque
σκλάβος, σκλάβοι - Greek
sclábhaí, sclábhaithe - Irish
asclau, esclaus - Catalan
escravo, escravos - Portuguese
Varieties used in OLB: (fragment nrs.)
noun - plural (slaves)
SLÁVONA - 4, 9, 11-16, 20, 24-25, 27, 29-30, 32-35
. SKIN.SLÁVONA (apparent slaves) - 2
. SLÁVONA.BANDA/ -BENDA (slaves chains) - 7, 31
. SLÁVONA FOLK(A(R)) (slave people/ folk) - 10, 21, 26, 28, 36
. SLÁVONA KÉNINGGAR (slave kings) - 17
SLÁFONA - 19
SLÁFONUM - 1
SLÁVONUM BLOD (slaves' blood) - 23
SLÁVONENA - 8
noun - singular (slave)
SLÁF - 3, 5
SLÁV - 22
(female slave:) SLÁFINE - 6
verb (to slave, i.e.
work like a slave)
SLÁVTH - 18
Fragments in OLB:
1 [002/07]
HÀVON HJA FRYA.S RÉD MIN.ACHT ÀND SE TO HJARA SLÁFONUM MAKAD
they ignored Frya's advice and used them as slaves
2 [003/08]
THÁ THA SKIN.SLÁVONA VSA TÁL MÀCHTICH WÉRON
When these apparent slaves had learned our language
3 [008/05]
THÉR.ER ANSACH WÀRTH SLÁF
whoever looked at her became enslaved [lit.
became slave]
4 [010/07]
JO TO SLÁVONA TO MAKJANDE
make you into slaves
5 [011/16]
THÉR NÉN SLÁF IS FON ÉN ÔTHER
whom is neither the slave of another
6 [012/28]
MOT IK ANDA BÀRN.TAM ÉNER SLÁFINE FÁRA LÉTA
must be paraded with collar and leash like a slave girl [lit.
I must let them be walked on a slave girl's leash]
7 [033/20]
SLÁVONA.BANDA OM JAHWELIKES FRYA HALS
bonds of slavery [lit.
slaves chains]
over every Frya's neck
8 [034/01]
ALSA BEN.IK É.LIK ANTHA MINNISTE JWAR SLÁVONENA
I would be like the lowest of your slaves
9 [035/12]
VMBER SLÁVONA FON TO MÁKJANDE
enslave [lit.
make slaves of]
them
10 [050/29]
SLÁVONA FOLKA STAPPATH VPPA THIN KLÁT
slave folk step upon your clothing
11 [052/03]
HJA SEND SLÁVONA FON THA PRESTERUM
they are slaves of the priests
12 [054/26]
WI ALLA WILLATH THIN SLÁVONA WÉSA
we shall willingly be your slaves
13 [070/31]
THAT WI NÉN SLÁVONA HÉDE
that we had no slaves
14 [071/02]
HO BIST WEL AN THINA SLÁVONA KVMEN
How did you get your slaves then?
15 [071/08]
SÁ MOT.I THINA SLÁVONA FRY LÉTA
you must set your slaves free
16 [078/12]
ET SULVER THÀT THA SLÁVONA UTA SULVER.LÔNA WNNON
the silver that their slaves gathered in the silver mines
17 [088/31]
WELDA É.LIK THA SLÁVONA KÉNINGGAR
rule like the slave kings
18 [100/19]
HJARA GÁST SLÁVTH HIM SELVA IMMER OF
their minds always work like slaves [lit.
their mind always 'slaves itself off']
19 [121/09]
WY NE MÜGON NÉNE SLÁFONA NAVT NE WRDE
We can never be slaves
20 [128/27]
THRVCHDAN WI NÉNE SLÁVONA NAVT NÉDE
as we had no slaves
21 [134/25]
NISTON THA SLÁVONA FOLKAR NÀWET FON FRYHÉD
the slave peoples knew nothing of freedom
22 [137/05]
THÉR AS SLÁV THJANADE
who had been enslaved [lit.
who served as slave]
23 [140/25]
THISSA SKILUN WÉSA UT FORSTA BLOD. FON PRESTERUM BLOD FON SLÁVONUM BLOD ÀND FON FRYA.S BLOD
They will be of royal blood, of priestly blood, of slaves' blood and of Frya's [or:
free man's]
blood
24 [142/22]
FON THRJU WORDA SKILUN VSA ÀFTERKVMANDE AN HJARA LJUDA ÀND SLÁVONA THA BITHJUTNESSE LÉRA
Of three concepts, our descendants will teach the meaning to their people and to slaves
25 [160/19]
ALLE SEND SLÁVONA WRDEN
All have become slaves
26 [160/31]
THAT ALLE SLÁVONA FOLKAR MANLIKÔTHERA LIK ÔRA MÀNNISKA BISKOJA
that all slave folks consider each other as strangers
27 [190/04]
SÁ SKILUN JY THÉRTHRVCH SLÁVONA WERTHA
that will make you into slaves
28 [190/07]
HO T. BÍ THA SLÁVONA FOLKAR TO GVNGEN IS
how this has affected the slave peoples
29 [197/32]
ALHWENNE THÉR NÉN GOLA NER SLÁVONA NACH TARTARA MÁRA FON FRYA.S ERV TO VRDRÍVANE SEND
until there are no more Gols, Slaves or Tartars to be expelled from Frya's territory
30 [200/01]
THÀT FOLK FON LYDA SEND THÉR AS SLÁVONA
The Lyda folk are there as slaves
31 [203/12]
ALSA SKILUN HJA SLÁVONA BENDA VMBE HJARA HALSA KRÉJA
they shall find slave chains placed around their necks
32 [207/10]
SÁ THAT HJA TO THA LERSTA WEL SLÁVONA NIMMA MOSTE
so in the end they had to use slaves
33 [207/21]
THÀT STORA FOLK WÀRTH HALDEN. THAT MOS RA AS SLÁVONA THJANJA
the strong were kept to serve as slaves [lit.
the strong folk was kept, that had to serve them as slaves]
34 [208/02]
HWÉR SLÁVONA JEFTHA GOD KÉM
wherever slaves or goods arrived
35 [208/17]
AS.ER WLA SLÁVONA INBROCHTE
than he had brought foul slaves in
36 [209/01]
LÉTAR HÀVON HJA FON.ET SLÁVONA FOLK WIVA RÁVATH
Later they stole wives from the slave folks
