VOYAGES IN THE POLAR SEA 



is only a transference of consonants, which is often met with 

 in borrowed words in different languages. 



I asked Professor Konrad Nielsen what he thought about this, and whether 

 he could imagine any Finnish-Ugrian origin of the word, or whether any 

 similar word was known, for instance, in Samoyed. He considers that my as- 

 sumption may " be quite well founded." ^ He has consulted Professor Setala 

 of Helsingfors about it, and the latter thinks that if the word was borrowed 

 from Finnish into Russian, there is nothing to prevent its being connected with 

 the Norse rosm (hvalr) — the latter would then, of course, be the primary 

 form. Similar metatheses are found in other Norse loan-words in Finnish. 

 Konrad Nielsen thinks that "the Lappish word is pretty certainly borrowed 

 from Finnish, so that the idea of its Norse origin meets with no difficulty from 

 that quarter." And as to the possible Russian origin of the word, he has 

 spoken to the Slavic authority. Professor Mikkola, who informs him that in 

 popular language the Russian word is only found in the most northern dialects, 

 and there is no point of connection in other Slavic languages, so that he re- 

 gards it as probable that it is not originally a Slavic word. No Finnish-Ugrian 

 etymology for the word can, according to Konrad Nielsen, be put forward. 

 " In Samoyed," he says, " the name for walrus is only known as far as Jura- 

 Samoyed (the most western dialect of Samoyed) is concerned: 't'ewot'e,' 

 ' tiut'ei.' I have compared this with the Lappish name for seal, * daevok ' — 

 *davak* — 'daevkka.' In this I see evidence that the Lapps (contrary to Wik- 

 lund's view) were acquainted with the Polar Sea and its animals before they 

 came to Scandinavia." He also draws my attention to the fact that " the Fin- 

 nish 'norsu' (in the older language also 'nursa'). 'elephant,' seems to be con- 

 nected with ' mursu,' which is easily explained by the analogous use of walrus- 

 tusks and elephant-tusks." 



Professor Olaf Broch also considers my assumption probable, and has sub- 

 mitted the question of the etymology of the Russian " morsh " to Professor 

 Berneker, who may doubtless be regarded as the first authority in questions of 

 this kind. He replies that a " wdld " etymologist might connect the word with 

 a series of words in Slavic languages which express various movements; but 



1 He calls my attention to two papers by Professor Sophus Bugge [in " Ro- 

 mania," iii. 1874, p. 157, and iv. 1875, p. 363], in which the etymology of the 

 French word " morse " is discussed. Bugge first seeks to explain the word 

 (precisely as above) as a metathesis for " rosme," from the Danish " rosmer " 

 = Old Norwegian " rosmall," " rosmhvalr." In the second paper he withdraws 

 this explanation, and says that V. Thomsen has pointed out to him the identity 

 of " morse " with the Russian " morsh," Polish " mors," Czechic " mrz," 

 Finnish " mursu," Lappish " mors." The word would " according to V. Thom- 

 sen be rather of Slavic (cf. 'more,' sea?) than of Finnish origin." After what 

 • has been advanced above, this last conclusion may be somewhat improbable. 

 Professor Nielsen also refers to Matzenauer Cizi slova, p. 257, which I have 

 not had an opportunity of consulting. 



