|
In Norse mythology, Ask and Embla (from Old Norse ''Askr ok Embla'')—male and female respectively—were the first two humans, created by the Gods. The pair are attested in both the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, three gods, one of whom is Odin, find Ask and Embla and bestow upon them various corporeal and spiritual gifts. A number of theories have been proposed to explain the two figures, and there are occasional references to them in popular culture. ==Etymology== Old Norse ''askr'' literally means "ash tree" but the etymology of ''embla'' is uncertain, and two possibilities of the meaning of ''embla'' are generally proposed. The first meaning, "elm tree", is problematic, and is reached by deriving '' *Elm-la'' from '' *Almilōn'' and subsequently to ''almr'' ("elm").〔Simek (2007:74).〕 The second suggestion is "vine", which is reached through '' *Ambilō'', which may be related to the Greek term ''ámpelos'', itself meaning "vine, liana".〔Simek (2007:74).〕 The latter etymology has resulted in a number of theories. According to Benjamin Thorpe "Grimm says the word embla, emla, signifies a busy woman, from amr, ambr, aml, ambl, assiduous labour; the same relation as Meshia and Meshiane, the ancient Persian names of the first man and woman, who were also formed from trees."〔Thorpe (1907:337).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ask and Embla」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|