From: utzoo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!benson
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Re: Posslq finds favor
Article-I.D.: dcdwest.175
Posted: Fri Feb 18 10:00:06 1983
Received: Sun Feb 20 02:11:45 1983
References: sentry1.1418


The Norse, who are some of our etymological benefactors, gave us another
synonym for posslq, leman.  Of course, we might as lief say leperson, but
that would mix our sources.  According to Poul Anderson in "The Last Viking",
a story of Harald Hardrade, the mistress of the king would be called
his leman and, often would have status equal to the wife.  The etymology
of the word suggests that it meant something like lover but it seems to have
had a more substantive social position.

Peter Benson
ittdcd
!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest