The word "cannibal" means something like "priesthood of baal"

[9-10ths_Penguin]

It's a loanword. My argument is not that it should line up perfectly with the original language. Many loanwords have altered pronunciation or spelling compared to the original word. Rather I'm talking about the source of the modern word. So it's not going to line up perfectly in spelling or even pronunciation with Hebrew. In fact it would have been a different Alphabet used anyway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_alphabet

You think the Caribbean natives had a loanword from ancient Hebrew?

I didn't realize you were Mormon.

 

[74x12]

Making Caesar out to be a reliable source about the Gauls is a lot like making Hitler out to be a reliable source about the Jews.

Did it ever occur to you that the mastermind of a genocide might portray his victims badly to justify his own crimes?

Yes such an eventuality has occurred to me. That's why I used the word "purportedly". However, I wouldn't put it on the same level as Hitler with the Jews. Hitler was completely biased against Jews who the Nazis claimed were "almost 100% ape". Basically not evolved. (Don't ask me how this made sense because they also claimed the Jews were really a "hidden hand" power.)

Caesar on the other hand did not seem to hate the Gauls. He did want to conquer them for Rome but he had positive as well as negative things to say about them. He considered them primitive compared to Rome's advanced civilization. Which they arguably were in many ways. But in his book he even seems to sympathize with them. He admires their bravery in their fight against the advanced might of Rome. However being Caesar, he doesn't seem to let mere sympathy get in the way of his desire for glory and power.

He may have exaggerated some negative aspects of Gallic culture to gain war support from Romans back home, but I don't think he made everything up out of thin air. Besides, there is other evidence of human sacrifice being engaged in by various Celtic groups.

You think the Caribbean natives had a loanword from ancient Hebrew?

I didn't realize you were Mormon.

Yeah ... no that's not at all my argument.

 

[Shaul]

I'm not that ignorant. I knew this. In fact I've likely been to the same website. The fact is, it means what it means in the Hebrew or Phoenician in spite of all the counter explanations.

Well you sure didn’t act like you weren’t ignorant. Actually, if you had been ignorant you could have been excused. But since you claim you already knew the source of the word and push this drivel anyways, then it shows you are just spouting silliness. There is no real connection between the English word cannibal and the Hebrew words for priest and the foreign god called Baal.

 

[Shaul]

Etymology can not be used to reconstruct History reliably. Consider the tragic tale of Jacob Bryant who spent his life attempting to do it. The scholar Jacob Bryant writes Analysis of Ancient Mythology, which with excruciating care falsely connecting ancient Greek myth with Genesis, but it relies upon etymological similarities in word structures and presumes the Egyptian myths to be corruptions of other stories. He also argues in two books also relying upon etymological clues that the Greek city of Troy never existed, which we now know to be incorrect. He also publishes other errent works all based on etymological reconstructions. Despite being wrong he is very sincere and devout.

There might be more than a few etymologist professionals that would disagree with you. I’m just saying ...

 

[74x12]

Well you sure didn’t act like you weren’t ignorant. Actually, if you had been ignorant you could have been excused. But since you claim you already knew the source of the word and push this drivel anyways, then it shows you are just spouting silliness. There is no real connection between the English word cannibal and the Hebrew words for priest and the foreign god called Baal.

Wow, case closed. Shaul thinks that there is no real connection.

 

[Sir Doom]

There might be more than a few etymologist professionals that would disagree with you. I’m just saying ...

No, you're just speculating.

I would speculate that convoluted theories of word origin originating from people who care little for the subject are a constant thorn in the side of people who care enough about it to make it a career.

 

[Shaul]

Wow, case closed. Shaul thinks that there is no real connection.

Although you were attempting to be facetious, that is quite probably the first actually correct thing you’ve written in this thread.

 

[Shaul]

No, you're just speculating.

I would speculate that convoluted theories of word origin originating from people who care little for the subject are a constant thorn in the side of people who care enough about it to make it a career.

You can’t possibly know that I am speculating. That is patently unknowable to you. But then you flippantly deride entire fields of knowledge, so there it is.

 

[siti]

You're all wrong - its perfectly obvious that the word cannibal is derived from the early Scottish soccer tradition of guarding the ball very defensively - known in early Scots language as "canny ball" from "canny" meaning "tight-fisted" and "ball" meaning...er... "ball". If the defenders attempts to hog the ball failed, they ate the opposing player - this tactic, although ostensibly illegal in the modern game, is still employed by some South American players to this day and there is some confusion as to whether it really originated in Scotland or was discovered by Columbus when he went to watch a game in the New World in the 15th century - but the evidence strongly suggests that the Mayans were simply imitating Scottish football.

 

[Sir Doom]

You can’t possibly know that I am speculating. That is patently unknowable to you. But then you flippantly deride entire fields of knowledge, so there it is.

You can’t possibly know that I am speculating. That is patently unknowable to you. But then you flippantly deride entire fields of knowledge, so there it is.

My apologies I thought you were the other guy. Carry on.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Again I'm not that ignorant. Have you ever heard of a word with more than one meaning? Double meanings?

To quote Led Zeppelin
"'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings"

Sure. SOMEtimes they do. What's your evidence in this particular case, though?

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Making Caesar out to be a reliable source about the Gauls is a lot like making Hitler out to be a reliable source about the Jews.

Did it ever occur to you that the mastermind of a genocide might portray his victims badly to justify his own crimes?

Quite so. Hence I mentioned sources being "arguable" But like I said, even if the Celts WERE full on cannibals, it's still ridiculous to assume that they weren't perfectly capable of producing their own traditions and religious practices, that they must have somehow imported the practice from elsewhere. AFAIK there is zero evidence of any sort of early Celtic/Phoenician cultural link, and to claim such based on the vague similarity of a word, a word that we know is etymologically unrelated to either culture anyway, purely for the purpose of trying to shoehorn some Bible based demonising in is just silly.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

- but the evidence strongly suggests that the Mayans were simply imitating Scottish football.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame

Makes more sense than the Baal worshiping Celts theory.

 

[Rival]

Some White Nationalists have this stupid theory that 'Saxons' is a baastard form of 'Isaac's sons'.

This seems to be on par with that.

 

[Gallowglass]

There is evidence that Baal was worshiped in the British isles since ancient times. Take the "Celtic" holy time of "Beltaine". Is it really BAALtaine?

No. First off, Bealltainn is a fire festival. Ba'al was a storm god. Secondly, etymologically, no. It is derived from proto-Celtic belo-te(p)niâ which scholars believed referred to "bright/white fire." It is cognates with the Old English bael, meaning white, and the Slavic baltas and beloye, also meaning white. (See Baltic Sea [White Sea] and Belarus [White Russia])

 

[Brickjectivity]

There might be more than a few etymologist professionals that would disagree with you. I’m just saying ...

Etymology is cool and important.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Etymology is cool and important.

 

[jonathan180iq]

If I've learned anything of RF, it's that we should all start worshiping Baal and eating each other, because linguistics.

 

[Quintessence]

Just when I thought I'd seen the most zany, Pagan-hostile rubbish imaginable, I read this opening post. I am wondering what dank crevices these nonsense ideas were fished out of... and what possible purpose there is in dredging them up for display.

If you're going to bastardize Pagan mythos, at least do it in style...

(that's supposed to be an image of Marvel's Thor... which for whatever reason isn't parsing)

 

[Sir Doom]

Are you trying to say Marvel isn't an accurate source of Norse mythology? But... But... The incredibly objective historical institution known as Ancient Aliens said that gods are just early alien visitors just like Marvel! And that's on the History Channel!!!!! They can't put fake stuff on there... Its illegal or something!