The etymology of Yulemath

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caedmon
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The etymology of Yulemath

Post by caedmon »

Possible Hobbit culture rather than Dunedain....

Where (in-universe) does the math in Yulemath come from?
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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caedmon
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Re: The etymology of Yulemath

Post by caedmon »

ok, I think I answered this for myself....


The professor took it from the Anglo-Saxon: mǽþ which means 'mowing/harvest' and took on the meaning 'time-off holidays'.

SO this would be like saying, "We get time off after we bring the harvest in.", or, "We take of two days of the six days of Yule. We call those days the YuleMath."


http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/022245


http://middleearthrangers.org/forum/vie ... ath#p16118
-Jack Horner

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Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
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Manveruon
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Re: The etymology of Yulemath

Post by Manveruon »

Makes sense to me! Good sleuthing!
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Re: The etymology of Yulemath

Post by Udwin »

Huh. I'd never come across that word in my previous Old English studies, so that's a good find. After-math makes a bit more sense now.
That's a decent explanation--since 'mǽþ' is already an existing word-- but I'd always assumed that '-math' was simply JRRT's 'wearing down' of the '-monaþ' ('month') found in the name of many months in the Germanic calendar, which Tolkien 'borrowed' for the names of the Mannish/Shire calendars. Solmath (February; 'mud-month'--late winter gets soggy), Wedmath (August; 'plant-month'), Blotmat (November; 'blood-month', owing to sacrifices), and the aforementioned Yulemath of course.
Personae: Aistan son of Ansteig, common Beorning of Wilderland; Tungo Brandybuck, Eastfarthing Bounder, 3018 TA; a native Man of the Greyflood, c.850 SA
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