(urth) Etymology/meaning/onomatopoeic aspects of the word "Urth"

[Michael Straight]

I don't know if it has anything to do with Wolfe's intent, but I can't
look at the word "Urth" without thinking of the ancient Mesopotamian
city of Ur.

Also, there just aren't many English words that start with "ur".
It's a weird-looking word, which is part of what makes it attractive
and exotic.

-- Rostrum

2008/4/24 Dan'l Danehy-Oakes <danldo at gmail.com>:
> Pavel,
>
>  There's a fair amount packed into the name. Urth or Urdr or Urd is the name
>  of the eldest of the three Norns, the Norse equivalent of the Fates. The
>  names of the other two, Skuld and Verthandi, are given to Mars and Venus
>  in the New Sun epoch.
>
>  But there's more: another variant on the name of Urd is Wurd, or Wyrd,
>  which means, simply, fate or destiny. Urth is in some sense the destined
>  world.
>
>  And, as long as we're poking at names, let's not forget Lune, whose
>  name is of course a variation of Luna, Moon, but which also suggests
>  to an English speaker a Loon, or Lunatic, a madman (or woman).
>
>  The Moon itself, because of its phases, has traditionally been taken to
>  hold in itself all three phases of the Triple Goddess, of whom the
>  Fates/Norns are one variation/version, not to be confused with the Furies
>  and the Graces, who are also incarnations of the Triple Goddess (indeed,
>  the nine Muses may be also, depending on whom you ask).
>
>  The Three are Maiden, Mother, and Crone, and one of the significances
>  of "Urth" is that Mother Earth is no longer a Mother, she is now a Crone;
>  she is barren. Her function is to cut the thread that Skuld spins and
>  Verthandi dyes.
>
>  When Urth becomes Ushas, she becomes the Maiden once again.
>
>
>
>
>  2008/4/24 Pavel Bakič <pavelbak at gmail.com>:
>
>
> > A question for the first-language speakers out there: We have a discussion
>  > going on concerning a proper rendering of the word "Urth" into Czech, and
>  > would appreciate any comments concerning the connotations the word has for a
>  > native speaker, apart form the obvious "Earth". An existing translation of
>  > The Shadow of the Torturer has "Urzemě", which translates literally as
>  > "Ur-Earth" (without the repetition of the "r" phoneme or the
>  > "vowel-consonant[s]" syllable structure, of course).
>  >
>  > I did search for previous threads concerning the topic, but the fact of the
>  > archive-site being itself called Urth made it somewhat difficult.
>  >
>
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>
>  --
>  Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
>  -----
>  http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
>  http://www.danehyoakes.com
>
>  I once absend-mindedly ordered Three Mile Island dressing in a
>  restaurant and, with great presence of mind, they brought Thousand
>  Island Dressing and a bottle of chili sauce. -- T. Pratchett
>
>
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