*harjaz

Reconstruction

The noun is *harjaz in Wiktionary, Ringe and Bammesberger,^[1][2][3] and the stem *harja- in Kroonen and Köbler.^[4][5] Orel heads it as an i-stem, *xariz, beside *xarjaz in compounds.^[6] LÄGLOS writes *xarja-z, with Proto-Norse *harjaR.^[7]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kóryos (“detachment”),^[8][1] which Ringe explains as a derivative of *kóros "cutting, section, division", made into a noun meaning "detachment, war party" in the northern languages.^[8] Wiktionary glosses the PIE word "war, troops" and derives it from *ker- "army".^[1]

Morphology

A masculine ja-stem.^[9][10] The Old High German neuter can be seen as an old collective in *-io-, but Kroonen thinks the masculine older,^[4] and EWA finds the original masculine in a single passage of Otfrid.^[11] Kroonen sees a still older formation *koro- in Old Persian,^[4] and Bammesberger describes *kor-yo- as a yo-derivative of that thematic stem.^[12] In Bammesberger's view Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (harjis) is an innovation, since *harjaz would regularly have given Gothic *haris.^[13]

Evidence

The word is attested in all three branches: Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (harjis), Old Norse herr, and Old English here, Old Frisian here, Old Saxon heri and Old High German hari in West Germanic.^[4] It is among the oldest runic words: a bone comb from Vimose reads Proto-Norse ᚺᚨᚱᛃᚨ (harja), dated by Ilkjær to about 160 AD, perhaps a personal name or an epithet "warrior" in the nominative singular.^[10] The Rö stone of about AD 400 has Proto-Norse ᛊᚹᚨᛒᚨᚺᚨᚱᛃᚨᛉ (swabaharjaz).^[14] Antonsen finds the stem in Proto-Norse ᚺᚨᚱᛁᚢᚺᚨ (hariuha) on the Sjælland bracteate 2 of 450–550.^[15] In West Germanic the ending was already reduced to -i on the Weser rune bones,^[14] which Köbler dates to the second quarter of the 5th century.^[16] Wiktionary mentions a possible record as hari on the Negau B helmet, dated 450–350 BC, though the inscription may have been added much later, before 50 BC.^[1]

The word may have been borrowed into Finnic as Finnish karja (“cattle, herd”), but LÄGLOS marks it as uncertain, since a Baltic source would fit the sounds as well.^[7] Outside Germanic, its relatives include Old Irish cuire (“company, host”) and Lithuanian kãrias (“army”).^[2][4]

Competing analyses

Orel's i-stem *xariz differs from the ja-stem of Kroonen, Ringe and Wiktionary.^[6][4][2] For the Vimose comb, Seebold proposed a link with "hair" instead.^[10] Kroonen finds the likeness of the Odin name Old Norse Herjann and Ancient Greek κοίρανος (koíranos, “ruler, commander, lord”) notable;^[4] Torp had already set the two side by side.^[17]

Meanings

1. host, troop, army^[4][2][18]
2. army leader, commander, warrior^[1][19]

Old English also used the word for "battle, war, devastation",^[20] and Old Norse and Old Saxon for "crowd, people".^[21][22]

Derivatives

• *harjōną "to overrun with an army, to lay waste".^[23]
• *harjanaz "leader of a war band", a name of *Wōdanaz.^[24]
• Compounds: *harjafardiz "military expedition", *harjafulką "men of war", *harjamann- "warrior" and *harjawegaz "highway";^{[25][26][27][28]} Orel writes them *xari-farđiz, *xari-fulkan, *xari-mannz.^[29]
• Names such as *Harjawaldaz and *Raginaharjaz.^[30][31]

Reflexes

• Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌾𐌹𐍃 (harjis, “army”)^[32]
• Old Norse: herr (“army, crowd, people”)^[21]
• Old English: here (“army, troop, host; battle, war”)^[20]
• Old Frisian: here (“army”)^[33]
• Old Saxon: heri (“crowd, people, army”)^[22]
• Old High German: heri (“army, troop, crowd”)^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjaz
2. ^ a b c d Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 115
3. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 35
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 211
5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *harja-
6. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xariz
7. ^ a b Kylstra, A. D.; Hahmo, Sirkka-Liisa; Hofstra, Tette; Nikkilä, Osmo (1991–2012), Lexikon der älteren germanischen Lehnwörter in den ostseefinnischen Sprachen, 3 vols, Amsterdam / Atlanta / New York: Rodopi, p. s.v. karja
8. ^ a b Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 76
9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. harjis
10. ^ a b c Looijenga, Tineke (2003), Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 160
11. ^ a b Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. heri
12. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 66
13. ^ Bammesberger, Alfred (1990), Die Morphologie des urgermanischen Nomens, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 40
14. ^ a b Nielsen, Hans Frede (2000), The Early Runic Language of Scandinavia: Studies in Germanic Dialect Geography, Heidelberg: Winter
15. ^ Antonsen, Elmer H. (1975), A Concise Grammar of the Older Runic Inscriptions, Sprachstrukturen A 3, Tübingen: Niemeyer, p. Sjaelland bracteate 2
16. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. heri
17. ^ Torp, Alf (1909), Wortschatz der germanischen Spracheinheit (Fick, Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogermanischen Sprachen, 4th ed., vol. 3), Göttingen, p. 76
18. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *harja- 1
19. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *harja- 2
20. ^ a b Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. here
21. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard, Altnordisches Wörterbuch, online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary database copy), p. s.v. herr
22. ^ a b Tiefenbach, Heinrich (2010), Altsächsisches Handwörterbuch / A Concise Old Saxon Dictionary, Berlin / New York: De Gruyter, p. HERI
23. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjōną
24. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjanaz
25. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjafardiz
26. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjafulką
27. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjamann-
28. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *harjawegaz
29. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. *xari-farđiz
30. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *Harjawaldaz
31. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *Raginaharjaz
32. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. harjis
33. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altfriesisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. here