Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/Wōdanaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Related to *wōdaz (“rage, manic inspiration”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂t- (“to be excited”). Compare Old Norse óðr (“rage”), Dutch woede (“rage”) and woeden (“to rage”), Irish fáidh, Latin vātēs.

English Wednes (in Wednes-day) is not an exact cognate but rather continues Proto-Germanic *Wōdinaz, pre-Germanic *Wātenos. (Old Norse Óðinn, however, due to its lack of umlaut, appears to continue *Wōdanaz and the replacement of the suffix vowel appears to be secondary, (compare Proto-Norse ᚺᚨᛁᛏᛁᚾᚨᛉ (haitinaʀ) and ᛊᛚᚨᚷᛁᚾᚨᛉ (slaginaʀ), from *haitanaz and *slaganaz, respective past participles of *haitaną and *slahaną).^[1])

This suggests a variation of the theonym in early Germanic, *Wōdanaz vs. *Wōdinaz. The form with -i- as attested in Old Frisian wednesdei appears to have been present in Frisia (cf. also similar Middle Dutch wenesdach). The situation in Old English is unclear. The attested Old English forms point to *Wōdanaz, but i-umlauted forms surface in records after the end of the Old English period. Thus, wōdnesdæġ is replaced by continuations of *wēdnesdæġ around AD 1200. The same transition to the umlauted form of the theonym during the 12th or early 13th century (early Middle English) is also found in English placenames, such as Wensley (Wednesleg ca. 1212, earlier Wodnesleie), Wednesbury (Wednesbiri 1227, earlier Wadnesberie, Wodnesberia), Wednesfield (Wednesfeld 1251, earlier Wodnesfelde).

Based on an Old English form Ōdon, which appears to have been borrowed from Old Danish, Schaffner deduces that the original shape of the theonym was likely *Wōdunaz rather than *Wōdanaz.^[2]

The oldest attestation of the theonym, Proto-Norse ᚹᛟᛞᚾᚨᛊ (wodnas) from the Vindelev bracteate X13 (c. 5th century), suggests a fourth possibility, *Wōdnaz, although this would require independent i-insertion in both Proto-/Old Norse (after i-mutation had run its course) and proto-Anglo Frisian (before i-mutation had begun). It is conceivable that such a change could have originated in one of the two groups and spread through diffusion to the other (since these are the two northernmost branches of Proto-Germanic).

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɔː.ðɑ.nɑz/

*Wōdanaz m^[3]

1. Woden or Odin, the Germanic supreme god. Identified in later times with the Roman god Mercury.

• *Wōdinaz, *Wōdunaz, *Wōdnaz