personified Belief by Jb. Matham, after Goltzius (1593) |
There is a somewhat incongruent line I found in most English editions of the OLB I read, and I am wondering how you will deal with it in your new translation. We know the Fryas believed in the occult, as Minnos was a seer*, and Kalta a witch, so it is confirmed they had a belief in sorcery/ witchcraft. We also know from a line later in the book (I forgot where exactly) they believed that wicked souls would 'haunt the earth' after death, so they also believed in 'evil spirits'**. Despite all of this, in Frethorik's writings we hear him denounce the (Scandinavians?), he states "They believe in bad spirits, sorcerers, witches, dwarves, and elves as if they descended from the Fins".*** I think a better word for 'believe' would be worship, because we know the Fryas would have also believed in sorcery and bad spirits, however they didn't worship sorcerers and spirits, like the Fins would've. Changing 'belief' to worship makes a lot more sense to the reader, and makes more sense of the general religious worldview of the Fryas, however I am wondering if changing it would maintain the translation's integrity.
* [029/10] MINNO WAS [...] SIANER - Minno was [...] seer; this does not have to be interpreted as 'occult' as it can simply mean he had a clear vision (was 'clairvoyant').
** [127/15] '... if you defile your soul, you will never reach Walhalla. Your soul will then wander over the earth without being able to see the light. Like bats and owls you will hide in your hole by day, and come out at night, crying and howling upon our graves, while Frya must turn her head away from you.'; this was Friso speaking, who may well have been influenced by foreign beliefs. I agree however, that there are enough fragments suggesting a belief in what we might call the 'supernatural'.
*** see fragment [133/10] below.
This inspired me to do a quick study, the conclusion of which is that (BI)LÁWA does mean 'believe' as is clear from the contexts in which it is used. However there are some other interesting conclusions to be drawn from the study below. For now, I will have to leave these to the discretion of the student.
1. Oera Linda words and their modern cognates/ varieties
A. (BI)LÁWA (verb)
believe - English (noun: belief)
geloven - Dutch (noun: geloof)
glauben - German (noun: Glaube)
leauwe - Frisian
B. LÁWA (noun) [unclear if this word is related to the previous, but since its spelling is identical I have included it here]
lion - English
leeuw - Dutch
Löwe - German
liuw - Frisian
løve - Norse, Danish
lejon - Swedish
ljón - Icelandic
[Note: Through Latin leō (...) ‘lion’ derived from Greek léōn. The -w- in Old Dutch is an intervocal transition sound. The Greek word is derived from an unknown language. The Semitic words for ‘lion’ (Hebrew lāvīʾ, Assyric labbu, Akkadic lābu) deviate too much.] Dutch source (my underlinings): etymologiebank
C. VRLOVA (verb)
(promise - English)
beloven - Dutch (noun: belofte)
geloben (archaic) - German (noun: Gelöbnis)
love - Danish (noun: (løfte)
lova - Swedish (noun: (löfte)
love - Norse (noun: love)
lofa - Icelandic (noun: (lofa)
D. ORLOVI (noun) used as meaning 'permission'
furlough, leave - English
verlof - Dutch
Urlaub - German
ferlof - Frisian
orlof, leyfi - Icelandic
orlov - Danish
løyve - Norse
lov - Swedish
E. LOV (noun)
(praise - English; cognate love)
lof - Dutch (verb: loven)
Lob - German (verb: loben)
2. Oera Linda fragments and translation
[037/05]
WI WILLATH BILÁWA THÀT THIN RÉD GOD SY
We want to believe your counsel is good
[132/05]
ANG THRVCH OVERBILÁWICHHÉD
anxious from superstition
[132/20]
SÁ LÁWATH HJA THÀT THENE GÁST THES VRSTURVENE THÉR INNE FÁRATH
they believe that the spirit of the departed resides in it
[133/10]
ÔLON LÁWATH HJA AN BOSA GÁSTA. HEXNA. KOLLA.
ULDERMANKES. ÀND ELFUN AS JEF HJA FON THA FINNA WEI KÉMEN
They persistently believe in evil spirits, witches, sorcerers,
little forest men and elves as if they stemmed from the Finns
[139/10]
ALLE THÉR AN HIM ÀND AN SINA LÉRA LÁWA WILDE
all who would believe in him and his teachings
[210/25]
THRVCHDAM.ET FOLK NAVT LÁWA NAVT NILDE
THAT WODIN HJAM HELPA KVSTE
because the folk would not believe
Wodin could help them
B. LÁWA - lion
[009/25]
THRVCH THENE KRÀFT HJRAR BLIKKAR STRÉK THENE LÁWA TOFARA HJARA FYT DÀL
The force of her glance made the lion lie down at her feet
[109/20]
THÉR SEND WOLVA BARA ÀND SWÁRTE GRISLIKA LÁWA
There are wolves, bears and terrible black lions
C. VRLOVA - promise (Dutch: beloven)
[003/01]
VRLOVANDE.RA KY MITH GOLDEN HORNA
promised them mountains of gold (lit. 'cows with golden horns')
[003/10]
VRLOVADON HJA FON SINANT WÉGUM JETA.N ÀFTER.DÉL BY
were promised a back yard on behalf of the magus
D. ORLOVI - permission
[093/01]
HÉDE MIN BURCH.FÁM ORLOVI VMBIM BUTA THA LAND.PÁLA TO HELPANE
my burg maiden was permitted [lit. 'had permission'] to merely banish him
[113/15]
HETH HJU ORLOVI FRÉJAD VMBE NÉI HJRA HUS TO GÁNE
she asked leave to go home
E. LOV(E) - praise (LOV.SPRÉKA/-E: 'ode' lit. 'praise-speak', LOVLIK: 'admirable' or 'laudable' lit. 'praise-like')
[095/20]
THÉRE BURCHFÁM.S LOV
Ode to the burg maiden
[091/05]
LOV.SPRÉKA OVIR MIN MÀM
an ode to my mother
[091/01]
HWANA KVMTET WÉI THÀTSTER SOKKE HÁGE LOVE TO SWIKTH
why do you praise her so much?
[092/15]
THÀT IS LOVLIK
That is admirable indeed
[097/20]
IN THA LOV.SPRÉKE
in the ode
[154/05]
THA JONGA FÁMNA KÉTHON SINA LOVE
the young maidens praised him