Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1977, Page 83

UM ORÐIÐ VATN(S)KARL
89
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SUMMARY
The present article deals with the meaning, origin and history of the word
vatn(s)karl in Icelandic or rather West-Scandinavian (Icelandic, Norwegian and
Faeroese). In Icelandic the word is found in documents from the 13th century.
Its use is frequent in manuscripts written in the 14th—18th centuries.
Vatn(s)karl has three meanings in Icelandic: 1) the Water Bearer, i.e. the
llth sign of the Zodiac, obviously a loan-translation of aquarius in classical
Latin, 2) common water jug and 3) aquamanile, a ewer used for hand washing
during Mass. This last meaning receives a special attention in the paper.
Sources show that the word refers solely to the function of the object, regard-
less of its form. There is, however, no reason to doubt that it was in some
cases formed like a ewer, in others like an animal, e.g. a lion like mediaeval
aquamanilia frequently were. No aquamanilia shaped like a man have been found.
Vatn(s)karl literally means ’watennan’, the second part of the compound
being karl, ’man.’ Earlier attempts to explain the origin of the word are proved
to be erroneous. But how can vatn(s)karl acquire the meaning aquamanile? Here,
again, the Latin aquarius comes into the picture. In English mediaeval sources
this Latin word can be found in the sense of ’ewer, especially for holy water,’
an elliptic form of urceus aquarius.
In the I3th century and even earlier when the word vatn(s)karl was formed,
the Icelandic church was strongly influenced by the English church. The West
Scandinavians (Icelanders, Norwegians and the Faeroese) must have known
that aquarius in classical Latin not only meant the Water Bearer but also ’water
carrier.’ In England they learned the word in the meaning of ’ewer for holy
'Water.’ As a result they simply formed the word vatn(s)karl for aquamanile
without regard to the shape of the object. This kind of loan-translation is very
common, not only in Icelandie, but also in most other languages.