Etymology. The origin of words. Sometimes this issue comes up in groups on Facebook. What exactly is the origin of the word “rune”? Or “Seidr”? Or any other word related to the work of a Vitki? Interesting questions to be sure. Yet really what does it matter?
I maintain the only issue that should surround a word is how it is used currently. The only thing that matters is the current use and meaning of a word. Everything else in my opinion is merely mental mastrubation.
Take the word “rune”. The origin of that word is the word “runa” which means “mystery”. What does this mean to us now? Would we not have discovered this meaning if we simply studied them? What difference does it make if a word is Old Norse or Old German or whatever? The meaning of a word is what it does for us today. So in this case the word means “mystery” to us today because in studying the runes we find it to be true.
My opinion is that a word is only as good and as powerful as it’s current usage. Otherwise we run the risk of being trapped in some dusty yesterday rather than being full and vibrant practitioners of a living craft. And that’s what I strain to be. A living breathing Vitki with his eyes looking towards the future. Not looking back on where we’ve been.