P IS FOR PETER, P IS FOR PAIN | 2006-05-17
Peter is confusing an old political writer with a whole bunch of facts, and for me that is a pain in the Nether Regions.
And I'm NOT talking theology here.
Keep it up. Pain is about ten thousand percent better than silence.
To begin with, in response to my referring to Old Norse speakers, Peter made a common-sense correction:
"I imagine that any native Old Norse speakers are older than even you are, Bob."
Actually, Peter, the last time I was in Iceland, a LONG time ago, Old Norse was alive and well there. When a new word came in, they woud try to introduce an Old Norse word for it, rather than letting the English word take over.
I understand that the overwhelming majority of the sagas and eddas the Church didn't burn are still untranslated, but htey are working on it. Everybody else is learning Hebrew and heiroglyphics.
The people who wrote me, unanimously, about my making the difference between knowldge and wisdom were all fluent in Old Norse, from profession to hobby. I would take their word over a Dutchman writing in German.
Once again, keep in mind that EVERYBODY sees knowledge as a lower form than Wisdom. I cannot imagine how your writer, who obviously has a high opinion of Norse thinking, would not have been influenced by this.
Remember what Wagner did to Odin in the Romantic Age. He declared that Odin lost an eye for love of Freya!
Whatever the High Motivation is in the age a writer is writing will be what he tries to turn it into.
So my default setting is onthe people who USE the language.
And what is the POINT here?
Do we really want Odin to be one more Chinaman sitting around waiting for Wisdom while children starve around him?