Читать книгу The Origin of the Planet’s Toponyms - Alexander Tokiy - Страница 16

There is no need to talk about delicious and pleasant food. The food is always pleasant. Probably, it is possible to enhance its taste with a soft sound “l’” – “ml’”, “ml`eko” (an ancient form of the word “moloko” – “milk” ), “molot’” (grind), “mal`en`kiy” (small), but there is no great need for this. Although were found many “sacred stones” on which grain was ground.

However, there is a need to protect people from trouble and aggressive danger that food can bring. Therefore, two combinations of protoroots: “mr” and “rm” appeared. Despite the fact that they are based on two roots: “m” for food and “r” for aggression, their meaning is markedly different.

The protoroot “mr” – “aggressive food” – has the meaning “mertviy” (dead). Perhaps, “food that carries aggression, trouble, pain and death.” It formed a large number of words: “mor” (pestilence), “mertviy” (dead), “smrad” (stench), “merzost’” (abomination) and others. This is the “moroz” (frost) that kills all living things. This is also the “more” (sea), the famous “mertvayavoda” (dead water), unsuitable for drinking, but having healing properties, water which has retained its name in Russian folk tales about “living” water and “dead” water. This is the Greek god of dreams Morpheus, and even the science of “morphology”. Surprisingly, this root also forms the word “mir” (peace). However, the interpretation is a little creepy: peace (mir) came after the last warrior died. There was no one to fight. Then came “mir” – eternal rest. “Zamirenie” (from Russian archaic verb “usmirit’” which meant, “to make piece”). Over time, the meaning of the word expanded, but the original meaning “absence of war”, or “to replace war” remained.

The protoroots “m” and “r” in reverse order form a protoroot that has a completely different meaning. “Rm” is aggression that prevents access to food. It is easier to understand its meaning if we consider the word “rama” (frame) formed by this root. Russian Dictionary by Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl or the etymological dictionary of the Russian language by Max Fasmer is enough to hear the whole palette of meanings of this ancient protoroot. Moreover, both Fasmer and Dahl explain this word in exactly the same way. Only Fasmer believes that this word is German, and Dahl writes that the Germans borrowed it from the Slavs. The word “ramo” has quite a lot of meanings, from the concept of “plecho” (shoulder) to a variety of meanings: “buiniy” (violent), “sil`niy” (strong), “ogromniy” (huge), “krepkiy” (hard), “dremuchiy” (dense), “kray” (edge), “granitsa” (border). It even reaches such meanings as “chudo” (miracle) and “chudovishche” (monster). Such were the obstacles that a person had to overcome in order to get food and survive.