206 KINDRED GROUP-MARRIAGE 



high degree of development antecedent to the use of a 

 term for the paternal relation, and further to neglect 

 the argument as to date which arises from the great 

 diversity of Aryan terms for patriarchal ruler. On 

 these grounds it seems to me that the notion of father 

 as feeder of the household must be rejected, and that 

 we must again turn to the sexual conception to find 

 the origin of the word, even if in so doing we are 

 charged with having only a midwife's horizon. Such 

 is, in truth, largely the horizon of the primitive savage, 

 whose conceptions we are tracing. Nor are we without 

 the warrant of philological parallels ; the Armenian hayr, 

 father, is possibly derived from a root corresponding to 

 hi, beget ; the Greek (frvrwp, father, is similarly associ- 

 ated with (frvw, and the word parent has a like origin. 



Accordingly we may ask, whether any trace of the 

 sexual idea is to be associated with the root pdf 

 The reply must be in the affirmative. The Sanskrit 

 patis denotes a spouse, Greek TTOO-^?, has the same 

 meaning ; irvTvia is kone, queen, and mistress. Latin 

 potens and impotens carry with them the notion of 

 sexual virility and its opposite. We have also 779705, 

 7rao5, kinsman, and Latin paro in paricida, mark- 

 ing an Aryan root pdsos. Possibly connected with 

 the root pd are Sanskrit pdsas, Greek Treo? for the 

 female organ of sex ; and Greek Treo?, Latin penis ( ? for 

 pesnis), M.H.G. vasel, A.S. faselt for the male organ. 

 Noteworthy in this respect is the O.H.G. fasel for 

 proles, offspring. Further, Gothic fddjan, O.S. fodian, 

 O.H.G. fdtjan, M.H.G. vuten, O.S. fuddan, have the 

 sense of fill, feed, and, according to Schade, of gebdren. 



