COMPARISONS of LANGUAGES INVOLVED
in the translation of the MAALAN AARUM |
INTRODUCTION |

3.1 |
|

3:2 |
They lived where it snowed.
They lived where it stormed.
They lived where it was always winter. |

3:3 |
While still in their cold land
They remembered longingly
the mild weather,
the many deer,
and also foxes |
HUNTERS GO EVERYWHERE |

3:4 |
The poor, lonely, but tough men
became hunters and
left those living
in strong houses.
|
Maalan Aarum |
Algonquin |
Old Norse |
chitanes-sin
powalessin
peyachik
wikhichik
pokwihil |
tschitannessin
pāwanniw sin
peshik
wikiwakpoquihilleu |
stinnadra
by vanr sin
berr sik
viigi-ak
braaka vera |
 |
|
 |
As they journeyed
some being strong
some rich
(into) hunters
(and) house builders
they separated |

original English
translation

translation
of Old Norse |
?no recorded sounds?
(They) hardened
Being poor
only self
(from) stronghold land
(they) be breaking |
WORD (PHRASE) BY WORD (PHRASE) DECIPHERMENT
(All references are to Sherwin’s eight volumes of the Viking and the Red Man) |
Original English |
As they journeyed |
|
Recorded sounds |
?no recorded sounds? |
|
Algonquin words |
|
|
Old Norse |
|
|
Norse/English |
|
|
|
|
|
Original English |
some being strong |
|
Recorded sounds |
chitanes-sin |
1* |
Algonquin words |
tschitannessin |
v. 7 p. 135 |
Old Norse |
Stinnadra (sin) |
2* |
Norse/English |
(they) hardened |
|
|
|
|
Original English |
some rich |
|
Recorded sounds |
powales sin |
|
Algonquin words |
pāwanniw sin |
v. 3 p 105 |
Old Norse |
by vanr sin |
|
Norse/English |
being poor |
3* |
|
|
|
Original English |
(into) hunters |
4* |
Recorded sounds |
peyachik |
|
Algonquin words |
pe shik |
v. 4 p. 23 |
Old Norse |
berr sik |
|
Norse/English |
only self |
Lonely? |
|
|
|
Original English |
(and) house builders |
4* |
Recorded sounds |
wikhichik |
|
Algonquin words |
wikiwak |
v. 1 p. 238 |
Old Norse |
viigi-ak |
|
Norse/English |
(from) stronghold land |
|
|
|
|
Original English |
they separated |
|
Recorded sounds |
pokwi hil |
|
Algonquin words |
poqui hilleu |
V. 4 p. 115 |
Old Norse |
braaka vera |
|
Norse/English |
(they) be breaking |
|
Notes |
1* Once again, it appears that the ending “a” morphed into an “n” over space and time. |
2* The Norse word ending is unexpected. Sherwin may have had good reasons to leave out the reflexive “sin” which seems to be used by Algonquins and the MA creators. But the Algonquin and MA creators may have been using a word where “sin” had already merged into “rdasin” and then the “rda” was dropped for ease of pronunciations. Dropping syllables from the middle of a long word was a common Norse trait. |
3* The Algonquin/Old Norse words give an opposite meaning from the original English version. “Hardened, lean, and alone” might better describe young men who leave home than “strong and rich.” A variation of the Algonquin word for “hardened” can mean, “strong.” |
4* The Maalan AarumEnglish order of hunter and house builder is reversed. This reversal is indicative of a Historian, Recorder, and Editor who may not have known what each memorized MA words meant. The Historian may have memorized the meaning of the verse. Somewhere in the memory process the order of hunter and house builder became reversed. |
back to top |
|

3:5 |
Separated from home
like breasts on the same body
the hunters became tougher
extremely good and
they reached for the sky. |

3:6 |
The hunters camped
in the north, east,
south and west. |
CHRIST TRUMPS ODIN |

3.7 |
The man, who ruled
in that old, northern land
that they all left,
was baptized to be pure. |

3.8 |
The discouraged people
were worried about
worn out land
they had to abandon.
The priest said,
"We decent people
should go somewhere else."
|

3.9 |
The common people
in the east stole away
the brothers
abandoned all
with great discouragement
and again discouragement |

3.10 |
In a short while
the weeping, weak, dirty.
needy (people from)
the burnt land
saved themselves and
rested on the other side |

3.11 |
After moving down
from the snowy land
and discreetly leaving
the cousins separated
through out all the land |

3.12 |
Where there was little
pack ice in heaped ice
with a lot of snow drifts,
the white geese ruled
and the white bear ruled |

3.13 |
Floating up the streams
in their canoes,
our fathers were rich.
They were in the light
when they were at these Islands. |
THE DECISION |

3.14 |
"Head Beaver and Big Bird
said 'Let us go to Akomen'" |

3.15 |
All say they will go along,
All who are free to go. |

3.16
|
Those of the north agreed.
Those of the east agreed.
Over the waters
Over the frozen sea
They went to enjoy it |
THE MIGRATION |

3.17 |
On the wonderful slippery water,
On the stone hard water, all went
On the great tidal sea,
Over the [puckered pack ice] |

3.18
|
[I tell you it was a big mob]
In the darkness,
all in one darkness
To Akomen, to the [west],
In the darkness
They walk and walk,
all of them |

3.19 |
The men from the north,
the east, the south,
The eagle clan, the beaver clan
the wolf clan,
The best men, the rich men,
the head men
Those with wives,
Those with daughters,
Those with dogs |

3.20 |
They all come.
They tarry at the land
Of the spruce pines,
Those from the east
Some with hesitation.
Esteeming highly their
Old home at the mound land |