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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Hi, Mariano, Not quite, "Viper" is spelled tsadek-peh-ayin... "tsepah." Back in May 2004 there was a discussion on Isa 14:29 where the progression is nakash > tsepah > seraph [snake->viper->perhaps the desert krait] Me sticking my tuppence in: >The simplest level of taxonomic classification is visual and by what we >would call Family, which is to be expected without microscopes and lab >tools. Isaiah 14:29 lists our modern classifications of Suborder Serpentes >by taxonomic Families: Superfamily Colubroidea (snakes) -> Family Viperidea >(vipers) -> ??Family Elapidae (cobras, coral snakes, and relatives). >The "seraph" of these passages may be the small and deadly member of the >Family Elapidae, the desert krait. I can't recall at the moment if basilisk was translated into OE, but they usually came up with translations of critters, not transliterations, e.g. the plague locust was translated as a bumble bee -- and I sure hope nobody tried to eat one. Basilisk, according to the OED, is imported into English from French and they give no etymology. My Babiniote [Lexico Neas Ellenikes Glossas] doesn't give the etymology on this one. According to Liddell, Scott, Jones, the critter may be the Egyptian Cobra, again without etymology -- but the "Basili-" part certainly could come from "king cobra." Then the cobra supposedly freezes its prey... which would account for the powers of this perhaps not entirely mythological beastie. Hope all this is of some help, Rochelle Mariano Paniello wrote: > Rochelle Altman wrote: > > Dont need a substitute for "Basilisk." Basilisk is a Greek translation of > the Hebrew word for "viper." > > *I thought Hebrew for viper was epheh or ephah. Surely basilisk > derives from > basileus? > > MP > > ********************************************************************** > To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME > to: [log in to unmask] > To send a message to the list, address it to: > [log in to unmask] > To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion > to: [log in to unmask] > In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: > [log in to unmask] > For further information, visit our web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html > ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html