[Dragaera] Reck my rede

Steve Rapaport steve at romlin.com
Sat Sep 2 02:30:39 PDT 2006


And I just wondered about "rede" and King Ethelred and got this from
Wikipedia:

Ethelred succeeded to the throne aged about 10 following the death of his
father King Edgar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_of_England> and
subsequent murder of his half-brother Edward the
Martyr<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Martyr>.
His nickname "The Unready" does not mean that he was ill-prepared, but
derives from the Anglo-Saxon<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_language>
*unræd* meaning "without counsel" or "indecisive". This could also be
interpreted as a pun on his Anglo-Saxon name, *Æþelræd*, which may be
understood to mean "noble counsel".

On 9/2/06, Steve Rapaport <steve at romlin.com> wrote:
>
> Cool --
>
> Living in Sweden now I get a new perspective on Germanic languages and old
> English words.    I'd never before seen an English cognate to the Swedish
> "råd", meaning "advice or counsel", but thanks to you and Shakespeare, I
> believe I have now.  (Looked up German, seems to be "raten")
>
> "Reck"  is more obvious, looks like cognate to the English
> "reckon"(figure), the German "Rechnung" (reckoning or adding up), and the
> Swedish "att räcker" (to suffice).
>
> Thanks!
>
>
> >
> > Hey Mark, I couldn't find "She wouldn't wreck her own reed" (from
> > somewhere around the middle of /Athyra/) at your Jokes and Allusions
> > page.  This was especially strange since I'd have sworn I'd seen it
> > there.
> >
> > Ophelia: ...But, good my brother,
> > Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
> > Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;
> > Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
> > Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
> > And recks not his own rede.
> >
> > /Hamlet/, I. 3.
> >
> > Jerry Friedman is posting this to the list for anyone who missed it.
> >
>


-- 
\Steve



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