17-07-2016, 07:58 AM
I haven't had time to blog about this (or about anything lately) but I have spent much time looking at "gas mich" trying to determine if that is a long-S or an f because it looks like a rub in the parchment many have removed or impeded the stroke for the "f" (if it is an f).
If it's a long-S, I can't make much sense of the statement but...
If it is an "f" then gaf mich does make some sense as "gaf" was used, in a limited region in the German-speaking lowlands, to mean "gave". It was not frequently used, but I came across it in some late 14th-century and early 15th-century documents. I'm worry, I haven't the time to look up the references but if it happens to be "f", it would add the possibility of a somewhat fractured Germanic statement something like...
"so to take gave me" which may seem strange but could be interpreted in English as "so/thus [s/he] gave me [this] to take" (as in a medicine or as a charm, for example).
If it's a long-S, I can't make much sense of the statement but...
If it is an "f" then gaf mich does make some sense as "gaf" was used, in a limited region in the German-speaking lowlands, to mean "gave". It was not frequently used, but I came across it in some late 14th-century and early 15th-century documents. I'm worry, I haven't the time to look up the references but if it happens to be "f", it would add the possibility of a somewhat fractured Germanic statement something like...
"so to take gave me" which may seem strange but could be interpreted in English as "so/thus [s/he] gave me [this] to take" (as in a medicine or as a charm, for example).