Syrhed

[Helena]

Has anyone an idea where the name Syrhed came from? It doesn’t sound Dutch, Frysian or “Celtic”, as a matter a fact I couldn’t place it at all. Untill yesterday but before I finish the forming of my idea and before I will try to communicate it, I wanted to ask you this question. That way I might get better informed and I do not influence unnessecarily your possible input.

(I hope my english is suffisient enough for you to understand)
Thank you,
Helena

[ott]

In short, the verb SÍRA or SJARA meant to decorate, adorn, ornament.
The derived noun SÍRHÉD, SIARHÉD meant ornament, jewelry, adornment.
(For ending -HÉD, see this 2011 blog post.)
I made a word study for you on the wiki here.

[Helena]

Thank you Jan! I didn’t see this seemingly obvious meaning.

I want to tell you what the reasons are for my question, but I prefer to do this firstly Dutch. So I will go to the Dutch forum for that.

[Nordic]

Saga researchers over at Germanic Mythology website have a page on Otharus and Syritha:

the tale of Otharus and Siritha, found in Saxo Grammaticus' Danish History, Book 7 (c. 1120). He believes the names of the protagonists, Otharus and Syiritha, derive from the names Óðr and Sýr. Óðr is the name of Freyja's husband found in Snorri's Edda (Gylfaginning 35), and Sýr ('sow', female pig) is a byname of Freyja herself (Gylfaginning). Rydberg suggests that she acquired this name in time of captivity among the giants. (Source: Germanic Mythology website)

Freyr (i.e. Wralda) famously has his boar and Odin/Wodin had also his boar feast at Yule (source, "med Odens galtens förtärande"). Animal references in general Norse usage are not degaratory as animals like horse, goat, boar or pig, bull or cow etc have also mythical foundational connotations.

An interesting possibility is that the Latin language Gesta Danorum text could be downstream of OL one, as the "Otharus" makes appearance also in the OL version albeit as ordinary non-personal word otherum used to end the sentence just before the introduction of Syrhed or "Syritha". It's as if somebody read the OL note on Sirhed, mistook unknowingly or by purpose an Óðr-sounding word for actual Óðr, added the Latin language suffix ~us instead of original ~um and then made a Freyja (Frya) related story out of it. Please see here:

Sirhed-Syritha-Otharum.png (27.55 KiB) Viewed 2911 times

As noted, the name may derive from the outlook related term sír or sjar for the very description of Syrhed describes her prettyness. Finnish language siro 'petite, graceful, delicate' is a close match. Many OL related Norse-Finnish characters have such likely etymologies, like Górr, the leader of the unknown other Finnish army group in 051, from presumed korea 'beautiful, decorated, flash'.

[Wil Helm]

Sirhed as jewel (sieraad, decoration, something beautifull, elegance)

Broken down etymologically, in the most original language every part should make sense.
So imo it comes from zwier-od. Could be also zwier-heid, but i tend to the first.

Zwieren: swirl (met veel zwier = with panache, slingeren, slinger=decoration)
Od: (as in klein-ood), something precious

Edit: yes yes, i see Jan replied in similar way and had a link about the interpretation and usage of "-hed" in OLB.
Must read Maybe it is sier(zwier)-heid after all. If we want to check what clues OLB could give in "their" etymological interpretation, this is definitely the correct approach. But then I want also a general correction of our modern mainstream etymological explanation of "sieraad". It tells it is a loanword? Palm on head in any way.

sieraad.PNG (37.79 KiB) Viewed 2905 times

[Nordic]

I wonder what makes the word a loanword in the attached image to the previous post. Isn't it a pan-Germanic word in its roots? The medieval and renaissance examples given sound childlike and amateurish in language use when compared to OL (that has seemingly more a system to it). It's as if the Christians back then were somewhat clueless as to how to spell or write, with no standardised transcription system known to them.

Foreign imported Latin or French linguistical influence could be the reason, in an opposite to what mainstream history teaches as in their viewpoint there was no medieval literature or that much any writing at all before Latin or French usage. Perhaps this same issue connects to Saxo's Latin language case of Otharus and Syritha.

[Wil Helm]

I wonder what makes the word a loanword in the attached image to the previous post. Isn't it a pan-Germanic word in its roots? The medieval and renaissance examples given sound childlike and amateurish in language use when compared to OL (that has seemingly more a system to it). It's as if the Christians back then were somewhat clueless as to how to spell or write, with no standardised transcription system known to them.

Foreign imported Latin or French linguistical influence could be the reason, in an opposite to what mainstream history teaches as in their viewpoint there was no medieval literature or that much any writing at all before Latin or French usage. Perhaps this same issue connects to Saxo's Latin language case of Otharus and Syritha.

Oh, I like this reply Nordic. I would give a thumbs-up iconwise if i should know how to do it
Me I wonder also what makes a word a loanword in those texts or "specialists" minds.

I would refer to the example of the french word "mannequin". When we (Flemish, Dutch, German, English, Norse, Dansk, Swedish, whatever except French) use it: is it a loanword from french? We (at Flemish side) know (or shoulda know) that it directly and no-other way comes from the French interpretation of the Flemish word manneken (little man). What tells that about the textile industry in France by the way? Total different topic. But bastardised it comes to us again as if we should accept it as a French word? Or a german word? Or an English word? Or a Danish word? ....