DzNikedz By Asar Imhotep (October 23, 2013 Æ revised October 29, 2013)
The MOCHA-‐Versity Institute of Philosophy and Research
luntu/lumtu/muntu This paper is an examination of the Greek word nike (ȃȓțȘ). which has become famous, in modern times, as a result of the sports apparel company by the same name (created by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight). Practically all of the dictionaries that have examined this word suggest that the word nike is Greek. However, beyond Greek, these same dictionaries are unsure of its ultimate etymology.1 In this brief essay, we suggest that the term is not of Greek derivation, but is indeed African and that this term is a borrowing into the Greek language from Egypt. Before we can get into the heart of our discussion, we must first properly define this term in Greek. The Online Etymological Dictionary (OED) has the following examination: Nike: Greek goddess of victory (identified by the Romans with their Victoria), literally "victory," probably connected with neikos "quarrel, strife," neikein "to quarrel with." As a type of U.S. defensive surface-to-air missiles, attested from 1952.
Wikipedia has the following: In Greek mythology, Nike (Greek: ȃȓțȘ 9LFWRU\, pronounced >QӿޝN )@ޝܭwas a goddess who personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was
1
See for instance The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language ³1LNH9LFWRU\*UHHNQRXQRI unknown origin. [Eunice, Nicholas, (Nickel), Nike.]
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Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of Pallas (Titan) and Styx (Water),[1][2] and the sister of Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal). [1] Nike and her siblings were close companions of Zeus, the dominant deity of the Greek pantheon. According to classical (later) myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for the Titan War against the older deities. Nike assumed the role of the divine charioteer, a role in which she often is portrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame. Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. Most other winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena, and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. [3] Nike is one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins. [4] Names stemming from Nike include among others: Nikolaos, Nicholas, Nicola, Nick, Nicolai, Nikolai, Nicolae, Nils, Klaas, Nicole, Ike, Niki, Nikita, Nika, Niketas, and Nico.
Statuette of goddess Nike found in Vani, Georgia.2
Some of Nike¶VDWWULEXWHVFDQEHVXPPDUL]HGDVIROORZV Symbol: wings; often depicted with a wreath of victory or a staff; the chariot Strengths: very fast runner, swift flyer, able charioteer W eaknesses: can be capricious (inconsistent) in dolling out victory Parents: daughter of Styx, called a nymph but actually the presiding spirit over the major river of WKH8QGHUZRUOGDQG3DOODVD7LWDQ+HKDVWKUHHEURWKHUV=HORV³ULYDOU\´.UDWRV³VWUHQJWK´DQG %LD³IRUFH´ O ther: Some sources give her father as Ares, the God of War. The most famous statue of Nike is the Nike of Samothrace, a Greek island in the northern Aegean. This statue is now in the Louvre Museum in Paris.3 2
Retrieved from Wikipedia October 22, 2013. 6HH³)DVW)DFWV1LNH´E\GH7UDFL5HJXODhttp://gogreece.about.com/od/greekmythology/a/mythnike.htm (retrieved October 23, 2013) 3
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In other words, the word nike is a Greek terP WKDW PHDQV ³YLFWRU\´ DQG LW KDV EHHQ SHUVRQLILHG DV D winged goddess with the same name. Research has uncovered that many of the Greek gods, in fact, derive from ancient Egypt (Obenga 1992, Bernal 1987, Diop 1991). This is definitely the opinion of Herodotus who took great advantage of the opportunity, in his Book II , to hammer down this belief of the adoption of Egyptian gods by the Greeks. As Herodotus suggests: The names of nearly all the gods came to Greece from Egypt. I know from the inquiries I have made that they came from abroad, and it seems most likely that it was from Egypt, for the names of all the gods have been known in Egypt from the beginning of time, with the exception (as I have already said) of Poseidon and Dioscuri²and also of Hera, Hestia, Themis, the Graces, and the Nereids. I have the authority of the Egyptians themselves for this. (Herodotus, Book II 50.2)
We suggest here that the goddess Nike, PHDQLQJ³YLFWRU\´derives her name from an Egyptian word, and that Herodotus is correct in his assessment²at least with this goddess²as it regards the origin of the name of Greek gods.
An African Examination Other sources accessible to the author for the word nike ³YLFWRU\´ LQ ,QGR-European, do not posit a derivation of the term beyond the Greek language. Therefore, it is assumed that this word is a Greek innovation. Pierre Chantraine (1968-75), the prominent linguist and etymologist of Greek, argues that the origin of nike (and its derivative neikos ³GLVSXWHEDWWOH´ LV³XQNQRZQ´It is my contention that the word
nike is a loan from Egyptian and is rendered nxt ³strong, victory, victorious, mighty, stiff, hard, stiffen, become hard, successful´; Coptic nchot "victory, become hard and strong." Martin Bernal, in his Black Athena Vol. III: The Linguistic Evidence (2006: 384-385), suggests that nike is also a loan into Greek, and he too suggests nxt.t and nxtw ³YLFWRU\´ DV LWs origin. Bernal, however, connects neikos with reflexes in Semitic: Arabic naky ³WR EH GHIHDWHG´ QDN¶\D ³LQIOLFWLng of LQMXU\´+HEUHZ nakah ³WRVPLWHWKHSDVVLYHRUQLSKDOSHUIHFWIRUP nikkah). My analysis in the original incarnation of this article was independent of Bernal (2006), and this essay can now be seen as a supportive text with a more expansive analysis on the subject. The Egyptian form provides us with a wider range of meanings and a central theme can be ascertained from an examination of variant forms provided in the following table. T able 1: nxt H ieroglyphs
L exeme
M eaning
nxt
victory, strong, victorious, stiff, hard, obdurate [ adjective ]
nxt
hack up, cut up [ verb ]
nxt
powerful [ adjective ]
nxt
strong, victorious, mighty, stiff, hard, stiffen, become hard, successful [ adjective + verb ]
nxt / nxtw
strength, force, power, victory [ noun ]
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nxt
strong man, champion, bully [ noun ]
nxt
a strong of arm, adult, a champion [ adjective + noun ]
nxt
to be stiff
nxt
a heroic [ adjective ]
nxtw ib
courage, valour, bravery [ noun ]
nxtw
strength, victory, hostages [ noun ]
nxtw
stronghold, fortress [ noun - arch. ]
nxtt
power, strength, triumph, stiffness, rigidity (of organs etc) [ noun - bod. ]
nxt
to protect [ verb ]
As we can see here, the variety of associations ranges IURP ³FRXUDJH, bravery, strength, power´ to ³SURWHFWLRQ´7KHFRQFHSWRI³YLFWRU\´DVVHHQKHUHLVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKKDYLQJWKHQHFHVVDU\³VWUHQJWK´ DQG³FRXUDJH´WRRYHUFRPHDVHHPLQJO\LQVXUPRXQWDEOHREVWDFOH Although the Indo-European (IE) languages have another wRUG IRU ³YLFWRU\´ WKH UDQJH RI meaning for such terms mirrors that which we find in the Egyptian variations of nxt. For example, Mallory & Adams, in their book The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-IndoEuropean World (2006: 281), provides the following commentary on a conceptually relatable word to nxt. 7R FRQTXHU RQH¶V HQHP\ LV LQGLFDWHG E\ seƣh- DQG LWV GHULYDWLYHV ZKLFK PHDQ µFRQTXHU¶ µYLFWRU\¶ HJ 2,U seg µVWURQJ¶ 1+* S ieg µYLFWRU\¶ *UN ekhurós µ:UP VWURQJ¶ +LW sakkuriyaµRYHUFRPH¶6NW sáhas- µYLFWRU\¶ sáhuri- µYLFWRULRXV¶ DQGµKROGIDVW¶LWVXSSOLHVWKHEDVLF*UHHN verb pNKǀ µKROG¶ 7KHZRUGZDVDOVRDSRSXODUHOHPHQWLQSHUVRQDOQDPHVDPRQJWKH&HOWVHJ Gaulish Sego-marus) and Germans (ON S igur⇥r). Probably originally a nominal root, *gwyehaZKLFKPHDQVµSK\VLFDOIRUFH¶LQERWK*UHHNDQG,QGLFFDQDOVRPHDQµRYHUFRPH¶HJ. ON kveita µPDNH DQ HQG WR NLOO¶ *UN EtƗ µSK\VLFDO IRUFH YLROHQFH¶ 6NW jy̷ µIRUFH YLROHQFH¶ jin̷ti µRYHUSRZHUVVXSSUHVVHV¶ 4
:H VHH KHUH WKDW ³YLFWRU\´ LV FRQQHFWHG WR ³VWURQJ FRQTXHU SK\VLFDO IRUFH DQG YLROHQFH´ $V demonstrated above, fundamentally, these meanings for *seƣh- are inherent in the word nxt. The cognate term for Egyptian nxt or Greek nike in ciLuba-Bantu is nke "solid, hard, fixed" (syn. ndendende "tenacity, toughness, persistence"). 7KH 6WURQJ¶V Greek Dictionary (1890) provides some added clarity and support for our connection. Strong records the following entries:
4
If we are to assume that the s- in *seƣh- ³FRQTXHU´LVD³FDXVDWLYHSUHIL[´WKHQ seƣh- and nxt might share the same historical root: i.e., -g- and -x- respectively. Compare the PIE -gh- segment to Egyptian kh-A ³VWURQJEORZ´ (storm), kh-b ³QDPHRI6HWHQFRXQWHUWKHEXOO GDPDJH´kh-sw ³PDOHYROHQFH´kh-s ³KDXJKW\URXJK´0RUH investigation is needed here. The root of nxt will be discussed further below.
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SG3529 nike (nee'-kay) "apparently a primary word; conquest (abstractly), i.e. (figuratively) the means of success:--victory." SG3528 nikao (nik-ah'-o) "from 3529; to subdue (literally or figuratively):--conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory." SG3534 nikos (nee'-kos) "from 3529; a conquest (concretely), i.e. (by implication) triumph:-victory."
We observe here that nike SULPDULO\PHDQV³FRQTXHVW´DQGLWLVIURPWKLVQRWLRQRIDVXFFHVVIXOFRQTXHVW WKDW³YLFWRU\´EHFRPHVLWVVHFRQGDU\PHDQLQJWe see this same type of connection in another unrelated *UHHNZRUGIURP6WURQJ¶V'LFWLRQDU\ SG2358 thria mbeuo (three-am-byoo'-o) "from a prolonged compound of the base of 2360; and a derivative of 680 (meaning a noisy iambus, sung in honor of Bacchus); to make an acclamatory procession, i.e. (figuratively) to conquer or (by Hebraism) to give victory:--(cause) to triumph (over)."
7KHUHIRUHZHFDQVHHDSDWWHUQLQDVVRFLDWLRQVEHWZHHQWKHFRQFHSWRI³FRQTXHULQJ´DQG³YLFWRU\´I posit here, given the Egyptian connection, that nike XOWLPDWHO\ FRPHV IURP WKH FRQFHSW RI ³VWURQJ´ DQGWKDW ³VWURQJ DUPLQJ´ ZDV WKH RULJLQDO WKRXJKW DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK ³FRQTXHULQJ´ 7KH XQGHUO\LQJ PHDQLQJ RI ³YLFWRU\´KHUHLVWR(successfully) ³RYHUSRZHU´VRPHWKLQJ The -t in the C3 position of nxt is a suffix. This is often mistaken as a feminine affix, but this is not the case. This suffix brings about a secondary meaning (gerund) on a noun or adjective that does not have the suffix originally.5 It also serves as a nominalizing affix on verbs (i.e., turns verbs into nouns). Moreover, the suffix can also act as a definite or indefinite article like in the Kalenjiin (Nilo-Saharan) language: e.g., chii ³PDQ´chiito ³DPDQ´; ko ³KRXVH´koot ³DWKHKRXVH´ A few examples are in order: Egyptian: sr ³VKHHS´sr(j).t ³DSDUWLFXODUVKHHS´ Kalenjiin: kechiir ³VKHHS´kechiiryet ³DVKHHS´ Egyptian: aw ³ODUJH´aw.t ³ODUJHQHVV´ Kalenjiin: oo/woo ³ODUJH´oo-into/oo-indo ³ODUJHQHVV´W!G Egyptian: bjn ³EDGHYLO´DGMHFWLYH bjn.t ³´HYLO´QRXQ Kalenjiin: bunyoon ³HQHP\´DGMHFWLYH bunyoot ³DQWKHHQHP\´ (noun) Kalenjiin: boon ³ZLWFKLQJ´bondit ³DQWKHHYLO´RU³WKHZLWFKFUDIW´ Egyptian: am ³HDW´am.t ³IRRG´ Kalenjiin: a m ³HDW´YHUE a miit ³IRRG´RU a mdit ³WKHIRRG´ (noun) Egyptian: msyt ³HYHQLQJPHDO´ Kalenjiin: a misyeet ³DQ\PHDO´ERWKWHUPVGHULYLQJIURPWKHYHUEURRW a m ³HDW´ Egyptian: mn ³EHLOO´mn.t ³VLFNQHVVGLVHDVHZRXQG´ Kalenjiin: mian ³EHLOO´mian-eet ³WKHVWDWHRIEHLQJVLFN´m ion-to/mion-do ³VLFNQHVVGLVHDVHLOOQHVV´ Egyptian: mtw ³WRVSHDNWDON´mt.t ³VSHHFKGHFUHHZRUG´
5
Dr. Taaita araap-Toweett, in his Kalenjin Nouns and Their Classifications PDVWHU¶VWhesis (1975) introduced the terms inclusive singular nouns (i.s.n) to refer to all Kalenjiin singular nouns that are in their primary form and do not, therefore, have the grammatical /-t/ suffix. The Kalenjiin are modern descendents of the ancient Egyptians who speak a Nilo-Saharan language (see Sambu 2007, 2011).
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Kalenjiin: mwa ³VSHDN´ mwaeet ³VSHHFK´RU mwaitaaet ³DQQRXQFHPHQW´VHHDOVR a mda ( a mta ³SUHDFK LQIRUP´ZKLFKEHFRPHV a mdaaet ( a mtaaet ³VHUPRQVOHVVRQVDQGLQIRUPDWLRQ´ 6DPEX-146)
With this being said, we suggest that the form nxt is a secondary derivation on a primary form; one by way of the suffixal /-t/. Forms without the -t suffix can be seen below:
H ieroglyphs
L exeme
M eaning
nx
succor, protect, protection [ verb + noun ]
nxw
protector, defender [ noun ]
nxw
helper [ noun - title ]
The /x/ and /S/ sounds in Egyptian often interchange (see Imhotep 2013, Bilolo 2011). With that said, the following terms may be relevant: nS ³H[SHO IURP GLVRZQ D ZRPDQ ´ nS ³WR GULYHRXW´ The n- in nxt is another morpheme. This leaves -x- as the root and can be seen in the word xw ³SURWHFWLRQ´ xwj ³protect, exclude, exempt, set aside, avoid, prevent, equip with´ The -x- URRW XOWLPDWHO\ GHULYHV IURP D ZRUG IRU ³DUP´ DQG WKH DUP FDQ HYHQ EH VHHQ DV D determinative in the hieroglyphic renderings of nxt . Campbell-Dunn (2009b) provides the following entries: Sumerian á ³DUPVWUHQJWK´
ARM K A ³DUP´³VWUHQJWK´
PWS ka, bua (ba) ³DUP´ >%8 ȕ@ Sumerian C-loss [k > h or b > v] Sumerian PWN BUAK, GWAL, KA (KYA), KWÁN ³DUP´ Sumerian Bantu gado ³DUP´bóko ³DUP´ Sumerian ³+RORKROR´bokó ³DUP´NDO¶³WRFXW´ Mande bolo, bolo-kala, kã mba-kala ³DUP´wa ³DUPVWUHQJWK´ ES Didinga kalkic ³DUPSLW´kom ³EHVWURQJ´ *K = #
*A = a
M I G H T Y, T O B E .$³KDQG´ L$³KDQG´
*B = #
kalag ³VWURQJ´ a 5, aka ³PDNH´ Á-KAL ³VWUHQJWK´ áh, ahi ³DUPVWUHQJWK´
*A = a Sumerian kalag (kala) ³EHPLJKW\´ -g
PWS ka ³KDQG´ PWS gán ³ELJ¶ PWN KA, (KYA) ³KDQG´ PWN GÀ ³KXQGUHG´ Bantu kod ³EHVWURQJ´ Indiki ne-kara ³KDQG´ Ngala nkasu ³VWURQJ´ Mande EDU¶ND-le ³VWURQJ´ Mangbetu kwakwara ³VWURQJ´ PCS *kpa, *gba ³KDUG´
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*K = k
*A = a
*L = l
*A = a Sumerian a, kal ³VWUHQJWK´
ST R E N G T H
-l
.$³KDQG´ PWS ka ³KDQG´³0D\*RGPDNHP\ULJKWKDQGVWURQJ´ PWN KA, (KYA), KWAN, GWAL ³KDQG´ Mande (Delafosse 1929) gbere, B gere, M gete ³VWURQJ´gbesi, M gese ³IRUFH´ Mangbetu kwakwara ³VWUHQJWK´ Khoisan : Sandawe //ga ³VWDQG´" [ Sumerian a has lost the initial k] *K = #
*A = a
*L = l
*K = k Sumerian gu2 ³WDOHQW´
T A L E N T (weight) .8³ELJ´ PWS kuì ³ELJ´ See PWS guà ³PXFK´ [PNC ku ³JURZELJ´@ PWN KWUL ³EHELJ´ Bantu kúd ³EHFRPHVWURQJ´ Bangi nguya ³VWURQJ´6RNRngulu ³VWURQJ´ Mande J\Ɨ³ELJ´ Mangbetu kwokwo ³ELJ´ *K = g
*U = u
The primal noun is Proto-Western-Sudanic (PWS) *ka ³DUP hand´DQGWKH³DFWLRQVRIWKHDUPKDQG.´ Its subsequent adjectives share the same linguistic root (see discussion in Imhotep 2013 Appendix A). The root -k- (Egyptian -x-) can be seen in the following reflexes in Egyptian. anx
captive
sqr anx
Prisoner of War, Captive, Living Prisoner [ noun ]
nxtw
stronghold, fortress [ noun - arch. ]
nxtw
hostages, securities [ noun ]
nxtw
strength, victory, hostages [ noun ]
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nxrw
(something that is harmful ?) [ noun ]
nxnx
to attack [ verb ]
nD
save, protect [ verb ]
The underlying theme of these terms is the ³DFWLRQVRIWKHDUPV´7RPDNHVRPHRQHD³SULVRQHU´LVWR ³VWURQJ DUP´ WKHP RU ³KROG´ WKHP ³FDSWLYH´ (Greek nikao ³VXEGXH´ 2QH ³DWWDFNV´ nxnx) with one¶s arms. Even today LQ (QJOLVK ZH FDOO ZHDSRQV ³DUPV´ DV WKH\ DUH H[WHQVLRQV RI RXU SK\VLFDO DUPV 7o ³VDYH´DQG³SURWHFW´nD DOVRUHTXLUHVRQH¶VDUPV,LQFOXGHGWKLVWHUPEHFDXVHWKHD/ sound originally derived from /g/ [g>D], which itself is just a voiced /k/. A dialectical variant of /x/ is /q/ in Egyptian and we can see the root -x- > -q- in the following reflexes: HqA
captive [ noun ]
HqA
to capture, to plunder, to take captive [ verb ]
HAqw
captives [ noun ]
HAqw
spoils (of war) [ noun ]
HAqt
booty, loot, spoils (of war) [ noun ]
This secondary notion of strength (from arm) is then transferred to other concepts. For instance, strength and power LVRIWHQFRQQHFWHGWR³ELJQHVV´DQGWKLVFDQEHUHIOHFWHGLQ(J\SWLDQZLWK nxti ³the giant´ Because this root extends to mean ³YDORU VWUHQJWK YLFWRU\ FRXUDJHRXVSURWHFWLRQ HWF´WKHVH FKDUDFWHULVWLFVDUHRIWHQDVVRFLDWHGZLWK³EDWWOH´DQG³ZDU´7KH-x- root can be seen in such related terms as r a xt ³war, combat, battle´6; xrw ³battle, war´7KHx/ sound also corresponds to /H/ in Egyptian (dialectical?). Therefore, we have reflexes of aHA ³war, combat, battle, fight´ aHAwty ³warrior, male, man´ (x>H). Notice how the -ty suffix provides a secondary meaning on the primary root in the later example. The x-r variations of the root in Egyptian are given as k-l in Bantu. The following is from the Bantu Lexical Reconstruction 3 (BLR3) online database. Note that Proto-Bantu (PB) /l/ is realized as /d/.
6
The word xt FDQPHDQ³VWLFNVWDIIFDQH´³wood, timber, tree, woodland, mast, stick, poleURG´DQGLVXVHGLQ battles or fights. We also have the word xt a ³DZHDSRQ´6Rr a xt, basically, PHDQVWR³XVHDZHDSRQ´JRWRZDU
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MAIN
be strong; be hard; be difficult
H (V)
1874
être fort; être dur; être difficile Total Distribution: Regions: 5: NW SW Ce NE SE Zones: 12: B D F G H K L M N P R S MAIN
1874
H
V
DGHLMNRS
V
be strong; be hard; be difficult intoxicate
DER
1877
H
DER
1878
H
V
become intoxicated
BDFGHKLMNR
DER
7002
H_
N
strength
R
DER
7026
N7
drunkard
HLM
GHLMP
See also: MAIN
1872
HL
N 9/10
lion
BCHLR
MAIN
1875
H
V
work
DFJ
MAIN
1876
H
V
choke
EN
MAIN
1883
HL
bird of prey spp., hawk spp.
ABCDGJKLMNRS
MAIN
6999
H
N (5/6), (7/8), 9/10, 11/10, (12/13), (19/13) V
take; touch
CGJMN
MAIN
7008
HL
N9
crocodile
C
We should take some time to note how this root in Bantu is applied to and becomes the word for certain animals that are known to be ferocious and skilled hunters: i.e., *kóci ³OLRQ´ kódì ³FURFRGLOH´ kódì ³ELUG RI SUH\´ KDZN $V VWDWHG HDUOLHU WKH x/ and /H/ interchange or are variants of each other. We should also note that the /A/ sound was historically a /r/ or /l/ (Imhotep, 2013). With that said, Proto-Bantu *kódì ³ELUGRISUH\´KDZN is a dialectical variant of the Egyptian word Hr or Hrw ³7KHJRG+RUXV´ZKLFKLVSHUVRQLILHGDVD³KDZNIDOFRQ´+HLVNQRZQIRUUHYHQJLQJ the death of his father and engaging in a long drawn-out battle with his uncle Set. The linguistic phenomenon of paronymy is at play in this story. Paronymy involves a perceived relationship between words that sound alike or are similarly pronounced. (J\SWRORJLVWVFDOOWKLV³SXQQLQJ´ Thus, Hr ³KDZN +RUXV´ 3% kód ³EH VWURQJ´ LV DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK aHA ³war, combat, battle, fight´ DQG xrw ³battle, war´ A reflex exists in ciLuba as ±kolèj ³KDUGGULYHWRXJK´!mwoyo mukolè ³FRXUDJH EROGQHVV´(J\SWLDQnxt jb ³FRXUDJHYDORUEUDYHU\´ In Egyptian, the / r/, /A/ and /n/ sounds interchange (Lorpieno, 1995: 33). Often these interchanges in sound provide slight shades of meaning on the root. It is also my contention that the Egyptian sounds /q/, /x/, /k/, /H/ and /h/, are in reality variants of each other. With that said, I argue that Egyptian nxt ³YLFWRU\´ LV MXVW D YDULDQW RI WKH ZRUG qnt ³YLFWRU\´ E\ ZD\ RI PHWDWKHVLV RQ WKH YHODU DQG QDVDO consonants in the C1 and C2 positions, respectively. The following table provides the following reflexes of qnt.
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H ieroglyphs
L exeme qnt
victory, might [ noun ]
M eaning
qn
Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero [ noun - title ]
qni
powerful (of speech), stout (of heart), active [ adjective + verb ]
qni
be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active [ verb ]
qn
to weaken [ verb ]
qni
eager, strong [ adjective ]
qnw
feats [ noun ]
qnw
brave deeds [ noun ]
qn
offence, audacity [ noun ]
qn
complete, accomplish, cease, bring to an end, to finish off [ verb ]
qnt
brutality, violence [ noun ]
qnqn
castigation, beating, blows [ noun ]
qnqn
to assault [ verb ]
qnqn
to bruise [ verb ]
qnqn
flatten (metal), deal wrongly (with), to be beaten [ verb ]
qnqn
crush, beat (people), kill, pound up (medicines), beat out, to assault [ verb ]
qni
conquer, amount (to), be profuse [ adjective + verb ]
As we can see here, qn(t), and its variations, have the same meanings as nxt mentioned earlier.
Nike = Goddess Hathor/Isis Some readers may dismiss this connection between the goddess Nike and the Egyptian term nxt; not because there is any linguistic difficulties, but because they cannot recall a goddess in the Egyptian pantheon that goes by the same name. However, there is a goddess by the name nxt and she is a variant of the goddess Hwt Hrw ³+DWKRU´7 The very term itself is deified in many significant ways. 7
Thanks to brother Sonjedi Ankh Ra for helping me find this specific correlation.
Page 10 of 23
For instance, we have in Egyptian: nxt a variant of nxt
³D JRG´ %XGJH D . It in-of-itself is a
³'LYLQHSRZHU´%XGJHD . We note also that our term under examination is
used in relation to the god Ra, as an aspect of the sun: nxx 387a). We also have the following variation (Budge 387a):
³DIRUPRI5DWKHDXWXPQVXQ´%XGJH
1RWLFH WKH ³ZLQJV´ RQ WKLV UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ 7KLV LV LPSRUWDQW EHFDXVH WKH JRGGHVV Nike is also depicted ZLWKZLQJV$VZLQJVGHDOZLWK³IOLJKW´DQG³PRYHPHQW´ZHNQRZWKLVIRUPKLQWVWRWKHPRYHPHQWRI the sun and/or light. With that said, we also have the feminine counterpart given with the word:
nxt(t) ³DJRGGHVV´%XGJHD This form and association can be found in the raw nw prt m Hrw (Words for coming forth into day), Lepsius Papyrus, Chapter 140, Line 7. This section of the chapter reads: His Majesty shines as on the First Occasion and the Sacred Eye is in his head; Re, Atum, the Sacred Eye, Shu, Geb, Osiris, Seth and Horus, Mont, Bah, Re the Everlasting, Thoth who travels eternity, Nut, Isis, Nephthys, H athor the victorious, the two Songtress-goddesses, Maat, Anubis of the land, born of eternity, and the Soul of Mendes: when the Sacred Eye has been reckoned up in the presence of the Lord of this land, and it stands complete and content, these gods are joyful on this day; their hands support it and the festival of all the gods is celebrated. (Wasserman, 2008: 120)
The word nxt(t) is an epithet for the goddess @wt @rw (Hathor). We see a variant of this root, in association with Hathor, with the word: Axt ³+DWKRUFRZ´%XGJHD $VQRWHGLQWKHDERYH FLWDWLRQWKHVHUHIHUHQFHVDUHLQDVVRFLDWLRQZLWK³OLJKW´DVHPLWWHGIURPWKHVXQ³His Majesty shines as RQWKH)LUVW2FFDVLRQDQGWKH6DFUHG(\HLVLQKLVKHDG´ Thus we have: iAxt iAxw
(epithet of Hathor);
³XUDHXVVHUSHQW´%XGJHD 8 We have to keep in
³radiance´DVDJRG Axt
mind that Hathor is another form of Hrw , and WKXVWKHDVVRFLDWLRQZLWK³ZLQJV´ As @rw and @wt @rw deal with the sun, an alternate IRUPLVPRUHVSHFLILFWR³GLVWDQW´VXQVLH³VWDUV´7KLVFDQEHVHHQ with the word AxAxw appear to be borrowed by the Greeks. Above we noted nxx
³VWDUV´nxx
³DVWDU´7KLVDVSHFWRI+DWKRUGRHVQ¶WUHDGLO\
³DIRUPRI5D´DQGnxx
³WKHVXQDVDQROGPDQWKHZLQWHUVXQ´
This is a play on words (paronymy). In Egyptian we have nxx ³the aged, old´ nxx ³EH ROGROGDJHWRODVWWKHROGWKHDJHG´8QOLNHLQWhe West, in Africa, the older you are, the more powerful \RX EHFRPH 7KLV LV EHFDXVH RQH¶V DJH LV DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK ZLVGRP EXW QRW RQO\ WKDW LW FRUUHODWHV WR knowledge of certain spiritual technologies that are not generally learned by young people. One also accumulates more wealth (ideally) the older one gets, and wealth brings you power. 8
We note that the /A/ and /n/ sounds interchange: Axt <> nxt.
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This could also explain the paronymic association between nxt a ³DJRG´DQGnxx ³WKHDJHGthe ROG´:HILQGDFRUUHODWLRQEHWZHHQnxx ³WKHDJHGWKHROG´DQGWKH%DQWXterm nganga, which are the elder arbitrators and medicine-PHQLQ$IULFDQVRFLHWLHV$³JRG´LQWKH$IULFDQVHQVHLVMXVWDQHOGHURU priest (Imhotep 2013). The elders are in charge of the collective healing of the community (Somé 1994, Fu-Kiau 2001, 2006). This underlying connotation of power and strength may also have transferred to certain types of plants. This may be reflected in nxtyw (a plant); xt ³D GUXJ IRUP´ PHGLFLQDO 7R PDNH PHGLFLQHRQHRIWHQKDVWR³SRXQG¶DQGSXOYHUL]HWKHSODQWVLQWR a powder. There may be a correlation WKHUHEXWWKHUHPD\DOVREHDFRQQHFWLRQEDVHGRQWKHSODQWVDELOLW\WR³ILJKW´DQG³DWWDFN´GLVHDVH In connecting the Egyptian word qni ³EUDYH VWURQJ QRXQ WR FRQTXHU YHUE ´ ZLWK SRVVLEOH forms in Greek, Bernal provides the following instructive commentary. According to the ancients, Akoniton D ³SRLVRQRXV SODQW´ JDLQHG LWV QDPH IURP EHLQJ ³ZLWKRXW duVWRUWKHVDQGRIDQDUHQD´NRni" and, therefore, invincible. Modern scholars disregard this as a folk etymolRJ\ , EHOLHYH WKDW LQ WKH VHQVH RI ³ZLWKRXW DQWLGRWH´ LW PDNHV JRRG VHQVH Q n provides a reasonable etymology for kainumai + ³WRVXUSDVVRYHUFRPH´DQGIRU kaino (5 ³WR NLOO´&KDQWUDLQHSURYLGHVDQH[SODQDWLRQIRUQHLWKHURIWKHVH%HUQDO6)
,QRWKHUZRUGVWKLVQRWLRQRI³VWUHQJWK´JLYHQE\qni (Yorùbá akoni ³EUDYHSHUVRQKHUR´*UHHN-koni -), EHFDPH DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK D SRLVRQRXV SODQW ZLWK DQ XQGHUO\LQJ PHDQLQJ RI ³LQYLQFLEOH´ 7KH (J\SWLDQ word nxtyw (a plant) may be related. Compare with Egyptian an anx ³VXVWHQDQFH´anx ³JDUODQG´ (a plant), anx.t ³FRUQ´3ODQWVDUHXVHGIRUPHGLFLQHWRFXUHGLVHDVHDQGZHFDQVHHDUHIOH[LQFL/XED BwAnga ³PHGLFLQH PHDQV RI SURWHFWLRQ VXSSRUW RI KHDOWK´ 7KLV URRW ZKHQ UHGXSOLFDWHG NgaNga), meaQV ³GRFWRU´ $V ZH QRWHG HDUOLHU nxt FDQ DOVR PHDQ ³SURWHFW´ 7KLV URRW LV SUHVHQW LQ FL/XED DV sungila ³WR GHOLYHU SURWHFW IURP WR VDYH´ sungidila ³WR VHSDUDWH GHOLYHU GHIHQG DJDLQVW WR KHOS´ sàngaja/sàngalaja ³WRFXUHUHWXUQKHDOWK´$ZRUGIRU ³PHGLFLQH´LQWKH
power, grimness [ noun ]
sxm
gain control, have control [ verb ]
sxm
to be stout, undertake (works) [ verb ]
sxm
with powerful arm [ noun - title ]
sxm
to be powerful, to be terrible of, possessed of [ verb ]
sxm
mighty one, power [ noun ]
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sxm
mighty one [ noun ]
sxm
a Power (personified as a diety) [ noun ]
These hieroglyphs reaffirm this association beWZHHQWKH³DUP´DQG³SRZHU´; as we can see a good number of the examples above contain the arm glyph. We can also see that sxm was also deified as a god. This masculine god has a female counterpart known as %xm.t . This goddess is most frequently depicted in semi-anthropomorphic form as a lioness-headed woman. She often wears a long wig and usually has a solar disk balanced atop her head in this aspect. She is associated with the sun in her aspect as the "Eye of Ra" (or Ptah) and in this aspect is the personification of Hathor as well (Wilkinson, 2003: 181). Sekhmet (%xm.t) is known for her dual nature: as a destructive force and as a protective force. The destructive force is linguistically built off the root xm "demolish (buildings), harm (someone), dig up (earth), debar (from), exclude, attack (enemy), to force (open)." These are all actions of the harnds/arms. The goddess also had the power to ward off pestilence and she could function as a healing deity, even being called 'Sekhmet, mistress of life' (Wilkinson, 2003: 181). The goddess %xm.t corresponds to the deity Sakpatá / ѻэ̖̖֓kpэ̖֓Qi֓ among the vodun practitioners in the Bight of Benin (EݝH)RQ$MD3ހOD3ހHܩa, Gun, Maxi, etc.).9 In the Ancient Nile Valley, as well as in the Aja-Tado area, Sakpatá and %xm.t, were considered as the most feared deities of their respective pantheons. Sakpatá LVDVVRFLDWHGZLWK³VPDOOSR[´ as a controller of the disease, but (like %xm.t) is also invoked to cure from and prevent epidemics. Another correspondence between the two is that %xm.t is often depicted as a lioness that emerged from the uraeus snake. Sakpatá is often symbolized by a furious leopard and is said, in some legends, to change into a snake. We will now explore parallels of the linguistic term nxt and of the goddess Nike with the Yorùbá god of iron Ògún (
Nike and Ògún In this section, we posit that the goddess Nike (n-k) of the Greeks is a distant variation of the Yorùbá god Ògún (g-n). Although the genders are different, the names and function of each are practically the same: the consonants are just switched in their names respectively (metathesis). We suggested earlier that Heru (Horus) is a variation of Nike (they share the same root). Here the /r/ in Heru and /n/ in Nike interchange. With that said, it would stand to reason that, fundamentally, Nike = Ògún = @rw. To understand the connections between these deities, we must first examine the attributes of Ògún among the Yorùbá of Nigeria. The following summary and linguistic examples will come, primarily, from two sources. The ILUVW LV 0RGXSH 2GX\R\H¶V Words & Meaning in Yorùbá Religion: Linguistic Connections in Yorùbá, Ancient Egypt & Semitic (1996: 79-94). The second is $IULFD¶V2JXQ2OG:RUOGDQG1HZ(1997), edited by Sandra T. Barnes. Other insights are included using myself, as a practitioner of the tradition, as a resource.
Origins of the Ògún Myth Ògún is typically associated with the creation of iron that has been forged through the smithy. He is also the personification of war and technology in general. However, his roots are more ancient and the myth 9
6HH6DQGUR&DSRFKLFKL¶VDUWLFOH³8QHVVDLFRPSDUDWLIVXUTXHOTXHVGLYLQLWpVWUDGLWLRQQHOOHVGXJROIHGH%pQLQHWGH ODYDOOpHGX1LODQFLHQQH´$1.+Q6 - Année 2007, Gif-sur-Yvette: Khepera.
Page 13 of 23
associated with him is the way our most ancient human ancestors came to terms with the natural phenomenon of a volcano. Ògún, in Yorùbá liturgical conceptualizations, is the òrì ܈à RI ³FUHDWLYH WUDQVIRUPDWLYH HQHUJ\´ He is popularly known as the deity/spirit of hunting, iron, and warfare. His characteristics have expanded over the years, which range from modern technology to highway safety: anything that includes danger, metal or transportation. We come to discover through the many myths associated with Ògún that he is also a farmer, an artist, an inventor, protector of orphans, a roof over the homeless, a terrible guardian of the sacred oath, and the ³ORUGRIWKHURDG´WRVDFUHG wisdom.10 He is a spirit that embodies two images. On the one hand he is a terrifying specter: a violent warrior, fully armed and laden with frightening charms and medicines to kill his foes. On the other hand, Ògún LV VRFLHW\¶V LGHDO PDOH D OHDGHU NQRZQ for his sexual prowess, who nurtures, protects and relentlessly pursues truth, equity and justice. The early Yorùbá postulated that an agent on top of the volcanic mountain existed to explain the phenomenon of fire. This agent is Ògún. This is proven by examining the story in which Ògún, on one day, was coming down from the hill-top wearing clothes of fire and covered in blood (Oduyoye, 1996: 146 n.2, Barnes, 1997: 106). On top of the mountain, the Yorùbá posited a town of fire²symbolically named Ìrè (Cf. Yorùbá ààrò ³ILUHSRW´$UDELFµDUDD ³WREXUQ´+HEUHZ ir ³KHDW´$IDU ur and Bari yur ³VHWRQILUH´ 2WKHU myths affirm directly this fact; stating that he came to the world from a volcano as it was erupting and brought with him the ability to forge weapons and tools (Turner and Coulter, 2001: 360). In the Ijebu dialect of Yorùbá, red hot charcoal from the fire is called ogunná.11 Ògún (g-n) is not only known among the Yorùbá, but also among the Sanskrit speakers of India as Agni (g-n): The Indian god of fire. Sanskrit has a host of terms with this root that relates to fire: agni/ agniH ³ILUH´agniparvataH ³YROFDQRYROFDQLFFRQH´ agnishalaakaa ³PDWFKVWLFN´ agnishhu ³LQWKH ILUHV´ agnau ³LQ WKH ILUH FRQVXPPDWLRQ´ $OVR WKH 6ODYLF JRG RI ILUH LV QDPHG Ogoni (Patricia and Coulter, 2001: 360). There is also Agnar (Norse; Teutonic) hero who is the God of Light. Turner and Coulter, in their book Dictionary of Ancient Deities (2001: 25), also note that Agni is spread across many countries with attributes and associations that will become familiar to us throughout this text, which we can cross compare with Ògún amongst the Yorùbá of Nigeria. Agni/Ogni ( Agne, Agnis [Brahamanic, Hindu, tantric, Vedic; India) is also known as Ag, Agni Yavishta, Agoni (Slavic), Anala, Asani (Lightining), Bhava (Existence), Brhaspati (Lord of Devotion), Dhumakety, Grahapati , Grhapati (Lord of the House), Hotar (the Invoker), Isana (Ruler), Jatavedas (All-Knowing), Mahadeva (Great god), Moloch, Narasa msa (Praise of Men), Ogoni (Slavic), Pasupati (Lord of Cattle), Pav, Pavaka (The Purifier), Pra mati, Tudra (Roarer), S arva (All), Ska mbha (Support), S layer of Rokshasas (Slayer of Evil Spirits), Surya tanunapat (Son of Self), Trita, Trya mbaka, (Three-Mothered or Three-Eyed), Ugra (dead), Vaishwanara (Universal Man), Yavishta .
The myth of Ògún is a record of the varied philosophizing of the Yorùbá on the natural phenomenon of wild fire put to use by man²for heating, lighting, cooking, hunting, war, metallurgical work and metal crafts (Oduyoye, 1996: 80-81). The above renderings in Indo-European helps to further demonstrate that Ògún¶VRULJLQ is in fire and not in hunting (specifically) as proposed by Robert G. Armstrong in his essay ³The Etymology of the Word Ògún´in Barnes (1997: 29-38). The association of hunting with Ògún is probably the result of an old African method of hunting, which scorched the forests in an effort to drive out the wild-life. This made the animals easy targets for hunting as they would get caught running out of 10
See Clyde W. Ford, A Hero With An African F ace: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa (1999:166). Bantam Books. New York, NY. 11 Westermann (1927) reconstructs many monosyllabic stem words (after his Proto-Western-Sudanic (PWS) roots), many with optional consonantal Auslaut, or even alternate Auslaut forms, with a following nasal or resonant: ka, kal ³FUDE´ka, kan ³VLGH´kà, kàn, kàl ³FKDUFRDO´7KHUHIRUHYorùbá ogunná ³FKDUFRDO´LVMXVWDYDULDQWRI3:6 kàn ³FKDUFRDO´
Page 14 of 23
the forHVWIURPWKHILUHV,WPD\DOVREHDUHQGHULQJRIWKHZRUGIRU³NLOO´from the Niger-Congo root kú, kúá ³NLOO´6XPHULDQ hul ³GHVWUR\´ &DPSEHOO-Dunn 2009a: 168). The concept of paronymy is not only characteristic of ancient Egyptian, but is characteristic of African languages and myth-making in general (see Imhotep 2011, 2013). Thus, they may have seen a commonality in the pronunciation of words for ³ILUHYROFDQR´DQG³NLOOLQJ´ It should be noted that the ancient Irish goddess by the name of Morrigan is associated with volcanoes, death, creation, violence, sex and war. The popular consensus argues that the word Morrigan is comprised of the words Mor (great) + rgan ³TXHHQ´ ,WKLQNWKLVLVIRONHW\PRORJ\:HKDYHDVLPLODU issue with the origins of the word gun (pistol, cannon, rifle, etc.) in English. The current literature speculates that the word gun derives from Gunnhildr, which consists of gunnr + hildr, both meaning ³ZDUEDWWOH´$UHZHVHHLQJDSDWWHUQKHUH"%RWK Morrigan and Gunnhidr are associated with war and battles, and the word Morrigan is associated with practically all of the known attributes of Ògún: volcanoes, death, creation, violence, sex and war. It is my contention that both the -gan in Morrigan and the word gun derive from the g-n root for charcoal/fire, which later became associated with iron weapons. Because fire and the creation of weaponry became associated with violence, power and war, this later was associated with army generals of war and can be seen in the Japanese word Shogun. The word Shogun is a contraction of seii taishogun (征夷大将軍), ZKLFKOLWHUDOO\PHDQVD³FRPPDQGHURIDIRUFH´ It is a military rank and historical title for a hereditary military dictator of Japan. Seii FRXOGPHDQ³FRUUHFW location, correct position, sincerH WUXH KHDUW FRUUHFW PHDQLQJ JRRG IDLWK´ 7KH ZRUG taisyo means ³JHQHUDODGPLUDOERVVor OHDGHU´The word gun PHDQV³DUP\IRUFHWURRSV´ (Egyptian qnyt ³the Braves (a military corps d'elite)´ qn 'Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero"). Remember that Ògún is a warrior and the Japanese word Shogun sounds a lot like Yorùbá Á̗܈gun ³FRQTXHURUYDQTXLVKHUYLFWRU´ Compare Yorùbá Á̗܈gun with PIE *seƣh- ³conquer, YLFWRU\´ There are many terms attached to the Yorùbá term ògún that bring about shades of meaning associated with warfare: ounogun (weapons), ologun (brave warrior), olori ogun (general of the army), egbe omo ogun (army), ohun elo ogun (arms), opa ogun (war staff), ija ogun (fight or battle), a܈àgun (a rebel, a revolter) and balogun (war chief). It is apparent that Ògún is a very ancient deity; traceable possibly to when man first left the continent of Africa to populate the rest of the earth. It will be later demonstrated (Imhotep forthcoming) that the Egyptian title km wr, ³DQHSLWKHWIRU Wsir,´LVHTXDWHGZLWK Ologun (wr km) ³DZDUULRUFKLHI´RIWKHm. We also have in Kalenjiin (Nilo-Saharan) kii m ³VWURQJ KDUG´ kii mnoteet ³VWUHQJWK SRZHU´ ki mki m ³VWURQJVWLIIILUPIXQGDPHQWDO´ ciLuba nkama ³IRUFHPLJKWSRZHUVWUHQJWK´; Egyptian gm ³VWUHQJWK SRZHU PLJKW´ We note also in Egyptian jkm ³VKLHOG SURWHFWive device) [Wb 139 I]. We suggest that km wr ³*UHDW %ODFN´ LV QRW WKH SURSHU WUDQVODWLRQ EXW VRPHWKLQJ PRUH DORQJ WKH OLQHV RI ³Powerful lord´RU³*UHDWZDUULRU´We are supported with a variant, with slight change in meaning, gn wr
³WKHJUHDWUXOHU´Compare also to kmA wr
³*RG´>Wb V 37].
Ògún: God of War Fire and weaponry are instruments of power, and the g-n root can be seen in the following Egyptian terms: gn ³powerful, respected´gm ³strength, power, might.´ It is my contention that the Egyptian words gn and gm are variants of the word qnj ³be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active´ Strength and valor are characteristics of a warrior/hunter. Iron, steel and other metals, all forged in the smithy, are also symbols of strength given the hard texture of the metals. Ògún, as previously stated, is the patron of iron and war. Warriors saw the advantages of going to war under the sign of such a patron: Ògún could ensure an inexhaustible supply of iron implements of war. Therefore, since Ògún is the spirit behind fire and Page 15 of 23
ZHDSRQV KH EHFRPHV WKH ³*RG RI ZDU´ DPRQJ ZDUULRUV 7KH YROFDQLF RULJLQV RI WKH P\WK DUH VWLOO invoked to imbue a warrior with the violent temper of a volcano. The Egyptian name for their elite military unite was qnyt ³the Braves (a military corps d'elite)´7KHZRUGLVDUHIOH[RIWKHQDPH of the ancient Middle East clan of smith, the Kenites. The name means, ³EHORQJLQJWRWKHFRSSHUVPLWK´ This word for copper is reflected in Egyptian as gn ³FRSSHUREMHFWV´ gnw ³PHWDOSRWVRU YDVHV´ As noted previously, Ògún is the patron of both warriors and hunters. The difference between war and hunting is that in war violence is directed at human beings, whereas in hunting the violence is directed towards animals. In each endeavor, the same weapons are used: e.g., spear, arrow, javelin, sword, and now-a-days, the gun ( Ògún). In Yorùbáland, the hunters predominate in the worship of Ògún.
Ògún = Cain of the Bible As noted by Oduyoye (1996), the name Qayin (Cain) of the Bible is linguistically cognate with Ògún of Yorùbáland. Cain, for the Hebrews, is the patron of violence and was depicted as the being that executed the first murder. While the Africans venerated Ògún ³WKH SDWURQ VSLULW RI LURQ DQG ZDU´ WKH +HEUHZV vilified him and cursed him to forever be a wanderer. The word Cain ( Qayin) is simply a word designating a craftsman, a metal worker or farmer. It is seen in the name Tuwbal-Cain, who in Genesis 4:22 was the one who first forged various implements of copper and iron. The connection between Ògún and Qayin is beyond simple parallelism, but is a matter of themes built off of cognate terms. Comparative linguistics demands that this type of assertion be backed by evidence that will show a phonological correspondence between the corresponding sounds in the two words. They must both stand on both legs: in both form and meaning. We need to show, therefore, that Yorùbá g-n corresponds with Semitic q-n/q-m. This can be seen in the following table. H ebrew qum ³ULVHXSVWDQGXS´
qomah ³KHLJKW´VWDQGLQJ place
qemah ³IORXU´
qaneh ³VWDON´
Q ayin = C ain = Ògún Yorùbá gùn/gun (òkè ³FOLPE´KLOO gùn/gun (akaba ³FOLPE´DODGGHU gùn/gun (esin ³ULGH´DKRUVH O gùn ³KHLVWDOO´ LH³LWLVORQJ´ Ò gún ³LWLVHUHFW´ Ò gún µ\àQ³VKHLVSURWUXGLQJDWthe breasts. Her breasts KDYHEHFRPHHUHFW´
A rabic qaa ma ³KHURVH´
ogún ³ZDU´
maqa ma ³FRPEDW´
gún lè ³WRVHWWOH´ a-dá-gun-odò ³VWDJQDQWZDWHUV´
aqa ma ³WRVHWWOHWRVWD\LQ SODFH´
gún ³WRSRXQG´SXOYHUL]H gún yán ³WRSRXQGL\áQ´ àgúnmu ³PHGLFLQDOKHUEV´SRXQGLQWRDSRZGHU àgàn ³EDUUHQZRPDQ ´
aqa ma ³VWHULOH´
gún ³WRSULFN´ ̖́gún ³WKRUQVVKDUSSRLQW igun ³HGJH´VKDUSFRUQHU
µTDPK³VWDON´
Page 16 of 23
Qayin ³&DLQ´ qanah ³KHDFTXLUHG´ miqneh ³DFTXLVLWLRQ´ qinyah ³SURSHUW\´
Ògún ³JRGRILURQ´ ogún ³SURSHUW\LQKHULWDQFH´
Qayn ³VPLWK´
As we can see, the sound correspondences are regular. Further data exemplifying the correspondence between Semitic /q/ and Yorùbá /g/ can be seen below. ³IRROLVK´ ³ZDOO´ ³IHWWHUV´ ³YLOODJHV´ ³DSH´
Arabic ha muq
qe:d qura qird
Hebrew
qiyr
Yorùbá òmùgò ³IRRO´ ògiri àgádágodo ³SDGORFN´ egurè ³YLOODJHFRXQWU\VLGH´ lágídò ³PRQNH\´ (metathesis)
ÒgúȀDz Ȁǡdz While the phonological correspondence of Hebrew /q/ with Yorùbá /g/ seems to have no complications, it should be noted that the voiced velar /g/ alternates with its voiceless counterpart /k/ in Yorùbá: in much the same way as with the /l/ and /r/ liquids in Yorùbá. For example, in Hausa we have the word gama ³WR EHFRPSOHWH´Yorùbá not only has ogún ³WZHQW\´DQG ìgàn ³ILQLVKHGSURGXFWKLJKHVWTXDOLW\´EXWDOVRó kún ³LWLVIXOO´(J\SWLDQqm ³WRWDOXSWRDPRXQWWRFRPSOHWH´qn ³FRPSOHWH, accomplish, cease, bring to an end, to finish off´ Compare to ciLuba nko "fullness, completion, perfection." In utterances, such as found in the structure of Yorùbá gin, the /g/ tends to be devoiced to /k/. Hence, Agin- does not occur in Yorùbá; it is Akin. The Ògún/akin situation is reflected in Ol-ógìnní/ekùn ³FDWWLJHU´ This alternation between /g/ and /k/ has been utilized within Yorùbá to achieve semantic shading. We posit that this same process is present in the Egyptian language (e.g., nkt/qnt ³YLFWRU\´ qnj/gm ³SRZHUIXO´gm ³SRZHU´ Yorùbá /g/
Ogún ³*RGRILURQZDU KXQWLQJ´
Yorùbá /k/
akin³EUDYHU\EUDYH YDORU´ Okun ³VWUHQJWK´ akoni ³EUDYHSHUVRQ KHUR´ okàn ³OLRQ KHDUW´± heart
Egyptian
ci L uba
qn/qni ³EHEUDYHEH VWURQJ´ qn.t ³EUXWDOLW\YLROHQFH YDORU´
di-kima, bu-kitu, mu-kale ³EUDYH´ lu-kana ³EUXWDOLW\´ Cye-nge ³ZDU´ bu-kole ³IRUFHHQHUJ\ VWUHQJWK´
xrw ³EDWWOHZDU´ xrw.yt ³ZDU´ xrw.yt ³ZDU´ xrwyw ³ZDUUHEHOOLRQ UHYROW´ Hrw ³WHUURUGUHDG IULJKW´
gún ³WRSRXQG´
kàn ³WRKDPPHU´ kúná ³WREHSRZGHU± VPRRWK´
qny(t) ³HOLWHFRUSV´ qn ³EUDYHPDQKHUR soldier, mighty, capable, DFWLYH´ qma ³WRKDPPHURXWWR FUHDWH´
Kanda "to refuse permission, forbid, prohibit, restrain, command or order not to do, disapprove" [n+l>nd] kala ³VWUHQJWKSRZHU´ nkama ³IRUFHPLJKWSRZHU VWUHQJWK´
Mu-kanda ³WRSRXQG´ ka-koono(u) ³SRZGHU´ (< koona ³VFUDSHVKDYH JUDWH´
Page 17 of 23
ogún ³WZHQW\´FI+DXVD kun ³WREHIXOO´ gama ) gún ³ILQLVKHGSURGXFW´ grade1
okan ³´± integer
igun ³DQJOHHGJH H[WUHPHV´ òógun ³SHUVSLUDWLRQ´ (moisture) ègún ³WKRUQV´ ológìnní ³FDW´
èkun ³HQGVOLPLWV´ ikun ³PRLVWXUHLQWKH QRVWULOV´ ikín ³VWDONUHHG´ ekun ³WLJHU´FDWIDPLO\
qm ³FRPSOHWHWRWDOXS WRDPRXQWWR´ km ³FRPSOHWHWRWDOXS WRDPRXQWWR´ km ³ILQLVKHGHQG FRPSOHWH´ xm ³WREULQJWRHQG´ hn ³WROLPLW´km ³SXWWo DQHQG´ qn ³PDW´
nkum ³HQG´
Nkamukilush) Mu-nkan-gi ³WKRUQV´
kìnníún ³OLRQ´FDW family)
As we can see here, the Yorùbá g-n root semantically and phonetically corresponds with Greek nike and Egyptian nxt/qnt LQ WHUPV RI ³EUDYHU\ VWUHQJWK YLROHQFH DQG ZDU´ 7KH FL/XED-Bantu /l/ sound also corresponds with Egyptian /n/ and the above themes can be seen in ciLuba hale (also kule ³WREHFUD]\ GHUDQJHG ZLOG IRROLVK PDG UHFNOHVV YLFLRXV YLROHQW´ WR EHFRPH« hala ). The /k/ sound can also alternate with /sh/ in ciLuba, so we have the following reflexes: -shilè(à) "severe, hard, tough, scary, stiffened, stiff, strong, solid"; ۃ-kolè -shilè(à)" ۄa great strength." This corresponds to Egyptian xrw ³ZDU EDWWOH´ZKLFKKDVDUHIOH[kAhA ³GLIILFXOWVWURQJZLOG´We also have in Egyptian Drj ³ILUPKDUGHIILFLHQW´>:E99], where /D/ historically derives from /g/. See also nTrt ³IL[HG´>:E,, 366]. The /T/ sound in Egyptian derives from Afro-Asiatic /k/.
Conclusion The Greek word nike PHDQV ³YLFWRU\´ DQG ZDV SHUVRQLILHG DV D JRGGHVV WKDW ZDV DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK ZDU politics, sport, courting, love and childbirth.12 We posited that this term is actually African and derives from the Egyptian term nxt ³YLFWRU\ mighty, obdurate, stiff, hard, support, stiffen, become hard, successful, strength, force, strong man, champion, bully, strong of arm, adult, a hero, to protect." This term was personified as a goddess nxt.t (a form of Hathor) and it was this deity that was directly borrowed into the Greek pantheon. This term is reflected in ciLuba-Bantu as nke "solid, hard, fixed" (syn. ndendende "tenacity, toughness, persistence"). Some semantic shading occurs with an alternation of phonemes, and by way of metathesis, which can be seen in the word qnt ³victory, might, brutality, violence"; qn 'Brave man, Elite Soldier, Hero"; qnj "be strong, valiant, mighty, capable, active, conquer, amount (to), be profuse." This form of the word is cognate with the patron of war and violence in Yorùbá: Ògún, which has by-forms of the word rendered akin ³EUDYHU\ EUDYH YDORU´ okun ³VWUHQJWK´ akoni ³EUDYH SHUVRQ KHUR´ okàn ³OLRQ KHDUW´± heart. Ògún, like the goddess Nike, was also associated with war, politics, sport, courting, love and childbirth (as a god of fertility). Another association with Ògún is his role as a fertilizing agent of the earth. In Imhotep (forthcoming), I have demonstrated the linguistic correspondence between Yorùbá Ògún and Igbo ogwu.13 His role as a spirit of fertility corresponds with the Igbo goddess of fertility Ogwugwu.14 12
See www.goddessnike.com/goddess_nike_and_her_roles.php (retrieved October 23, 2013) Linguistically, names that correspond with ògún (g-n) in Yorùbá will drop the final -n in Igbo (-g-). 14 Ogwugwu LVDOVRWKHVSLULWRIWKH³GDUNIRUHVWV´ 13
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Ogwugwu literDOO\ PHDQV ³ZHOO RU KROH RU SLW´ (Umeh 1997). In the town of Ekwulumi, the spirit of fertility is named Uku, and helps barren women to bare children. Ògún, in his positive creative aspect, symbolizes order. Ògún is also involved in procreation (as farming is an act of creation). Ògún presides over the beginning of life and the cutting of the umbilical cord, and he is there at the end of life as well. ÒgúnLWLVVDLG³LVWKHKRHWKDWRSHQVWKHHDUWKWREXU\\RX´ Ògún okoko yeri ogu). Praise poems associated with Ògún are often sexual in nature. The themes are aimed at illuminating the generative aspects of Ògún. For example: O ৢH¶SӑҒQMDQQDEL¶Pӑ V¶LOp,MDQQD A gbӑҒ V¶RNyOXNXRNRqUzRMj He made his penis lengthen to father a child in the house of Ijanna. We heard how the penis struck those in the market! We therefore equate the goddess Nike with Yorùbá Ògún. Both names come from a root cognate with Egyptian nkt/qnt. Although the Egyptians did not deify the latter terms, they deified a variant of this root as the god @rw (Horus), where x>H and n>r. As noted in Proto-Bantu, *kódì ³ELUGRISUH\´KDZN LVD dialectical variant of the Egyptian word Hr or Hrw ³7KHJRG+RUXV´and derives from the same root as PB *kód ³be strong; be hard; be difficult´ In ciLuba we have Nkulu, Nkole, Ngal, nGole, Cyal, Kal; ciKololo ³KDZNELUGUDYHQ.´ 7KHVHWHUPVFDQDOVRUHIHUWRD³SURPLQHQWPDQ´We note as well that the goddess Nike LVGHSLFWHGZLWK³ZLQJV´MXVWOLNH@rw (Horus) among the ancient Egyptians. Egyptian H-r is k-l in ciLuba. The k-l root in ciLuba has the following reflexes: kale, kala15 : to be strong, strong, well, vigorous, arduous, firm, steady, solid, hard, immovable, fixed, steadfast, powerful, robust, tough (as meat), violent, severe, serious (matter), fertile, or rich or productive (soil), loud (voice); kala (v): to be strong, be full grown, be mature, be firm, be steady, be stable, be solid, develop, grow, be mature, to exist, to be.
Thus, Nike is a variant of Ògún (Akin; Qayin/Cain), which are both variants of @rw (Horus). They refer to the courage, strength and valor needed in times of war and in the hunt. The inspiration comes from witnessing the wonder and damage done by ancient volcanoes. When surmounted by immeasurable FKDOOHQJHV LW LV WKH ³VSLULW RI WKH YROFDQR´ DQ HUXSWLQJ ILUH; bravery) that allows one to triumph over adversity. These terms also refer to the instruments of war, which are needed WR HQVXUH ³YLFWRU\´ RU ³VXFFHVV´ in any battle. The one who has the most advanced weapon, and can wield the weapon most efficiently, will have the upper hand in a fight. It is strength, determination and the willingness to never give up (persistence, be stubborn) that will ensure success in life. These are the characteristics needed in all sports and that is the spirit of what is captured in the name for the modern sports apparel company: Nike. Although Nike and Ògún are different genders, it should be noted that Ògún is also a goddess in Yorùbáland (Barnes 1997). We noted that Yorùbá g-n can also correspond to Egyptian k-m. Therefore, worthy of consideration is kmjt ³goddess´ [Wb V 130]. Another interesting parallel exists between Ògún and Nike. However, it is not between the deities themselves, but between Ògún and the Nike ³VZRRVK´V\PERORQWKHORJRIRUWKHDSSDUHOFRPSDQ\
15
It should be noted that within ciLuba, the /l/ is often interchangeable with /m/. The /l/ corresponds to Egyptian /m/ and /n/ as well.
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The famous swoosh ORRNVOLNHD³FKHFN´VLJQ%XWLWDOVRORRNVOLNH the traditional swords of Yorùbáland, which can be seen in the image below.
Above is a figure carrying a ceremonial sword called udamalore ³VZRUG RI WKH ZHOO ERUQ´ from the Yorùbá people of Owo, Nigeria | Ivory | Late 19th century. The udamalore is a ceremonial sword worn by the Olowo, ruler of Owo, and his high-ranking chiefs. It shows the wearer is considered well born, mature, powerful and influential, a person who is like the elephant. This fragment is from the tip of the sword blade and portrayed a chiefly figure crowned with a coral openwork cap holding a sword. The cap originally had a bird, the emblem of spiritual powers, projecting from its side. The shape of the blade may EH LQVSLUHG E\ WKH VKDSH RI DQ HOHSKDQW¶V WUXQN 7KH ILJXUH DERYH LV FXUUHQWO\ EHLQJ KHOG LQ WKH 6PLWKVRQLDQ¶V1DWLRQDOAfrican Museum of Art, Washington, DC (Object Number: 2005-6-80). As we can see here, the Nike swoosh and the Yorùbá udamolare sword are very close in shape. I do not argue that the Nike Company ³ERUURZHG´ WKLV VKDSH DQG PRGLILHG LW from Africa; just that it is ironic that an instrument of Ògún (the sword) would find symmetry in design with a modern sports company that bears its name unknowingly. Millions of consumers are walking around with a bit of $IULFDQUHOLJLRQDWWKHVROHVRIWKHLUIHHW0D\EHWKLVLVWKHVHFUHWWR0LFKDHO-RUGDQ¶VVXFFHVV ²Asar Imhotep
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Dictionnaire ciLuba http://www.ciyem.ugent.be/ (French) Kalenjiin Online Dictionary http://africanlanguages.com/kalenjin/ 0HHXVVHQ¶V3URWR-Bantu Reconstructions http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/CBOLD/Docs/Meeussen.html Tower of Babel http://starling.rinet.ru/ Yorùbá Dictionary http://www.Yorùbádictionary.com/
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