Kevlar
Troubadour
Yeah, I meant to point that out and I forgot. I'm not sure the exact meaning of dvergar, but I'm positive it has nothing to do with elves. I believe in Old Norse elf was alfr (silent r, I think), plural alfar.
Wikipedia has this to say:
I think all of those possible etymologies open up some truly great possibilities for playing with the species.
Also, back on subject: I just remembered one thing that always bugs me, to a much lesser degree, is the use of wights to refer to undead, which I think can be traced back to (guess who?) Tolkien's barrow-wights. Wight, though, really meant a living thing or human being, and this I'm sure Tolkien knew. Those who came after just assumed it meant an undead creature. Still, I have a lot less issue with this than others.
And, to add on to the orc discussion, I just remembered something else:
The word ork was apparently used in the epic Beowulf. I've heard two theories on its meaning: 1. Savage, unwashed men or barbarians; and 2. Horned demons of some sort.
I'll see if I can verify its presence and find said theories and any others, but Googling "ork" isn't going to help much.
EDIT:
Here's a half-coherent but rather interesting Google translation from Danish Wikipedia:
I think skældet is supposed to be or is the same as skællet, which means scaly. I can't figure out grissetrynet, but gris means pig, so that might be telling.
According to Wikipedia, as far as Tolkien was concerned orc/ork was Old English for demon. Him being a Professor of Anglo-Saxon, this is a completely valid theory.
Wikipedia has this to say:
The etymology of the word dwarf is contested, and scholars have proposed varying theories about the origins of the being, including that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits or beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in the Indo-European root *dheur- (meaning "damage"), the Indo-European root *dhreugh (whence modern German Traum/English dream and trug "deception"), and comparisons have been made with Sanskrit dhvaras (a type of demonic being).
I think all of those possible etymologies open up some truly great possibilities for playing with the species.
Also, back on subject: I just remembered one thing that always bugs me, to a much lesser degree, is the use of wights to refer to undead, which I think can be traced back to (guess who?) Tolkien's barrow-wights. Wight, though, really meant a living thing or human being, and this I'm sure Tolkien knew. Those who came after just assumed it meant an undead creature. Still, I have a lot less issue with this than others.
And, to add on to the orc discussion, I just remembered something else:
The word ork was apparently used in the epic Beowulf. I've heard two theories on its meaning: 1. Savage, unwashed men or barbarians; and 2. Horned demons of some sort.
I'll see if I can verify its presence and find said theories and any others, but Googling "ork" isn't going to help much.
EDIT:
Here's a half-coherent but rather interesting Google translation from Danish Wikipedia:
In the Old English tale of Beowulf the hero Beowulf fights against the evil Grendel, who is descended from the breed Orc-Neas, meaning "dead Orcus." Grendel lived in a cave under water, just as another of medieval orcs - killer whale. The killer whale is called in English orca and was a source from the Middle Ages described as: Skældet, grissetrynet, stiff brush and had tusks (like the orcs in some fantasy novels).
I think skældet is supposed to be or is the same as skællet, which means scaly. I can't figure out grissetrynet, but gris means pig, so that might be telling.
According to Wikipedia, as far as Tolkien was concerned orc/ork was Old English for demon. Him being a Professor of Anglo-Saxon, this is a completely valid theory.
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