Capricorn 8: Birds in the house singing happily

T h e n o u n bi rd d e s ce n d s f r o m t h e O l d E n g l i s h b ri d , w h i ch m e a n s y o u n g b i rd . O n e I n d o - E u r op e a n r o o t c a r r y i n g t hi s m e a n i n g i s t h e I n do - E u r o p e a n ( I E ) a wi which means bird. Its paronyms are

a vi a n , a via t io n , c a vi a r , e gg , o st ri c h , o va l ,
a n d o va ry . 1 I n f o r m a l l y , t h e w o r d bi rd , a s w e l l a s i t s s y n on ym c h i c k , i s a re f e r e n c e t o a young woman.2 T h e n o u n house d e s c e n d s f r o m O l d E n g l i s h h us w h i c h m e a n s d w e l l i n g , sh e l t e r, h o u s e a n d i s r e l a t e d t o t h e P r e - G e r m a n i c kh u sa n , t h e O l d F ri s a n h u s , t he D u t c h h ui s, a n d t h e Ge r m a n

H a u s. I t s u l t i m a t e o r i g i n i s u n k n o w n h o w e v e r .

O n e p o s si b i li t y i s ( s )k eu -

, t h e I E r o o t o f t h e v e r b h i d e a n d w h i c h m e a n s t o c o v e r, c o n ce a l. 4 P a r o n y m s i n c l u d e c u s t o dy , c u ti c l e , ho a rd , h o s e, h u ddl e , h u t , ob s c u re ,

re c o i l , s c u m , s ky , a n d s ki m .
A s e c o n d p o s s i b l e o r i g i n f o r hous e i s t h e I E r o ot k e l -2 wh i c h a l s o m e a n s t o c o v e r , co n c e a l, sa v e . 5 I t s p a r o n y m s a r e ca l yp so , c e l l, ce l l a r ,

c l a n de s ti n e , c on c ea l , c o l o r, h a l l, he l m , h e l me t , h o l d , h o le, h o l l o w , h o l s t e r , o c c u l t , Va lh a l l a , t h e n a m e Wi ll i a m , a n d h o u si n g ( a n o r n a me n t a l
o r p r o t e ct i v e c o ve r i n g f o r a sa d d l e ) . Th e l a s t w o r d , h o u s in g , i s o b v i o u sl y a h o m o n y m o f t he fo r m t h a t m e a n s b u i l d i n g s o r o t he r sh e l t e r s i n w h i c h p e op l e l i ve a n d p r o v i s i o n o f l o d g i n g o r s h e l t e r a n d a h o l e , g r o o v e , o r s l o t i n a p i e ce o f wo o d i n t o w h i c h a n ot h e r p i e c e i s i n se r t e d . B u t t he y a r e m o r e t ha n h o mo n y m s . B ot h r o o t s a n a l y z e d a b o v e m e a n t o c o v e r , a synonym of shelter.
1 2 3 4 5 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo -European Roots, p. 6 http://onelook.com/?w=bird&ls=a http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=house Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 78 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 38 Starling Hunter 2011 1

T h e w o r d s i ngi ng d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e IE r o o t se ngw - w hi ch m e a n s t o s i n g , ma k e a n i n c a n t a t i o n . 6 P a r on y m s i n c l u d e t he w o r d so n g , a s w e l l a s t h r e e c o mp o u n d wo r d s M e is t e rsi n ge r , m in n es i n ge r , a n d s i n gs pi e l e a c h o f w h i c h i s o f Ge r m a n o r i g i n . T h e w o r d h a p py d e s c e n d s f r o m t he I E r o o t k ob - w h i c h me a n s t o s u i t , f i t , s u c c e e d . I t s p a r o n y m s i n c l u d e hap , ha pp e n , ha p le s s , a n d m i s ha p . 7 TH EMES : A s n o t e d a b o v e , o n e o f t he p a r o n y m s o f house i s w o r d

c a l yp s o . A s a p r o p e r n o u n , Ca l yp s o re fe r s t o a se a n y m p h w h o d e l a y e d
O d y s s e u s o n h e r i sl a n d , O g y g i a , f o r s e v e n y e a r s. 8 A s t h e s t o r y g o e s , w h e n r e t u r n i n g f r om T r o y , O d y s s e u s ' s h i p ca m e f o r t he se c o n d t i me b e t w e e n S c y l l a a n d C h a r y b d i s , t h e fe a r e d m o n s t e r s t h a t w e r e a t e a c h s i d e o f t he s t r a i t se p a r a t i n g I t a l y a n d t h e i s l a n d o f S i ci l y . 9 A f t e r Z e u s d e s t r o y e d h i s s hi p , O d y s s e u s d r i f t e d fo r n i n e d a y s a t s e a a n d o n t h e t e n t h w a s h e d u p on t h e s h o r e o f t he r e m o t e i s l a n d o f Og y g i a i n t he W e s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n . T h e l e g e n d co n t i n ue s : The goddess Calypso, who lived in a cave sheltered by alders, aspens and cypresses, received him kindly and looked after him. And having fallen in love with him and wishing him to stay with her forever, she offered to make him immortal and ageless. But Odysseus refused the beautiful goddess' splendid offer. And instead of living the sorrowless life of an immortal, being cherished by a lovely goddess, he chose to languish in misery in this golden prison, longing for Ithaca and Penelope. During the day the inconsolable Odysseus sat on the Ogygian shore, giving himself to tears and heartache as he looked across the sea, and by night the cold lover Odysseus slept with the still ardent Calypso in her cavern, a lovely place with many trees and birds and a garden vine with great bunches of grapes trailing round the entrance, and surrounded by four rivulets running in every direction, and meadows where the iris and the parsley flourished. Everything, they say, was so delightful that even an immortal visitor would have gazed in wonder at the goddess' home. However, for Odysseus this island was the prison that kept him away from home for seven years

6 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictiona ry of Indo European Roots, p. 75 7 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 43 8 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Calypso 9 http://www.maicar.com/GML/Calypso3.html Starling Hunter 2011 2

E v e n t ua l l y , t h e g o dd e s s e s Z e u s a n d A t h e n a i n t e r v e n e d on O d y s s e u s b e h a l f a n d f o r c e d C a l y p s o t o a l l o w h i m t o l e a ve . S h e i s re p o r t e d t o h a v e s a i d t o hi m : "My unhappy friend ... as far as I am concerned there is no need for you to prolong your miseries or waste any more of your life on this island. For I am ready with all my heart to help you leave it." B u t h a v i n g b e e n h e l d a g a i n st h i s w i l l fo r s o l o n g , O d y s se u s w a s a t f i r s t s k e p t i ca l : And as Odysseus could not believe what he was hearing, and instead suspected some mischief, she gave him the greatest and most solemn oath that the gods can take: "Now let Earth be my witness, with the broad Sky above, and the falling waters of the Styx ... that I harbour no secret plans against you ..." A s n o t e d a b o v e , t hi s e x c e r p t o f t he s t or y e m b o d i e s e l e m e n t s o f a l l o f t h e k e y w o r d s a n d t h e i r p a r o n y m s . F i rs t w e s e e t ha t C a l yp s o t a k e s i n a n d s h e l t e r s O d y s s e us a f t e r h i s m i s h ap a t s e a . S he p r o v i de s h i m w i t h t he b e s t f o o d a n d s h e l t e r , he r l u x u r i o u s h o m e b e i n g i n a c a v e r n . R e c a l l t ha t h o le a n d h o l l o w a r e p a ro n y m s o f hous e a n d s y n o n y m s o f c a ve r n . De s p i t e t h e p a r a d i si a c a l e n v i r on s i n c l u d i n g t h e p r e s e n c e o f bi rds ( w h i c h p r e s u m a b l y s a n g ) , b e i n g h e l d a g a i n s t h i s w i l l m a d e O d y ss e u s u n h app y a n d t h e i s l a n d s e e m s a s a p r i s on c e l l . W h e n C a l yp s o f i n a l l y a g r e e d t o r e l e a s e O d y s s e u s sh e w a s r e q u i r e d t o a s s u r e h i m w i t h a v o w t h a t s h e h a d n o c o ve rt o r s e c re t m o t i v e s. T h e s i mp l e s t w o r d i n g f o r t h e t h e me o f t h i s s y m b o l i s ODYSS EY.

Starling Hunter 2011