Thank the Germans for the word “thanks.”  The Proto-Germans coined the original connotation around 200 A.D. Then, the word for thanks was “pancian.”

When the Goths, the first Germans, traipsed from Sweden to the Baltic Sea around the time of Jesus, they no doubt left a trail of heart-felt thank you’s along the way.

Thanks for your mead.

Thanks for your head.

Thanks for your daughter.

Although we have no way of knowing how they said it.

Until that marauding horde reached the land which is now Denmark, stripping the landscape of any resources so the Danes resorted to whittling shoes out of driftwood.

“Pancian” morphed to “thankojan," replaced by “danke” in the Middle Ages. 

Fast forward several hundred years to the 20th century and the Austrians who fell under Nazi control as characterized by the movie The Sound of Music, for which we are all thankful that the seven, annoying Von Trapp children didn’t tap dance as well as harmonize.

I’m thankful the Allies defeated the Axis and saved the world from ledenhosen and the attendant inner-thigh chafing that comes from wrapping one’s privates in cowhide.

None of this etymology benefited the Native American Indians. The Anglos brought war, syphilis, smallpox and funny spats. Doesn’t seem fair the Pilgrims traded the Wampanoag tribe pestilence and pantaloons for maize soon after the meal.

As members of the League of Delaware indians, the Wampanoags spoke Algonquin. The Algonquin word for thanks is “meegwetch.”

Perhaps today’s slang “corn hole” is more fitting.

 
Posted by Andrew J. Lenza on 11/23/2011 12:11 PM   Comments (12)   Humor in the ActiveRain Channel   thanksgiving, humor  
Generate short URL

#OccupyDogPark
10/11/2011
share
I woke up ready to change my world. I’ve always felt a secret admiration for cats. They’re often maligned, labeled “aloof” and “distant. ” Who speaks for cats? I will, I thought to myself. I will speak for cats. I… more
Sonny's Key, Part I
06/07/2011
share
Non-real estate fiction.. Silence terrified Minna. Or so her lover thought. Sonny suspected an episode of her youth, a familial indiscretion of such magnitude that to refrain from conversation risked a return of the unspeakable horror. Minna… more
Images of Colts Neck Township New Jersey 07722
05/10/2011
share
Wonderful place to live and raise a family, Colts Neck New Jersey 07722. A favorite activity of local Colts Neck residents is walking or jogging on the Township complex paths located on Cedar Drive in plain view of the Colts Neck Police Department… more
Oh Brother Can You Spare a Like?
04/11/2011
share
While exiting Dunkin Donuts in Colts Neck a dapper stranger held the door open for me. “Thanks, ” I demurred. “Hey, can you do me a favor now? ” the gent asked. Not a single salt-and-pepper hair out of place. He reminded me… more
Lewis Woke Up As a Goat
03/28/2011
share
Lewis woke up a goat. Not an innocent dupe or the fall guy to a doomed enterprise. Not a straw man fronting a sinister evil who consummated a scheme. Lewis awoke as a real goat. Horns, overbite and stinking of urine. Lewis wasn’t the most… more
Welcome to the Spring Revival of Dorbrook Park, Colts Neck New Jersey…
03/18/2011
share
I guess you could say the collage of Spring earth tones that surrounds us, the swirl of gold and brown and tan, is really green waiting to happen. After a dismal Winter, Nature awakens. Especially in Dorbrook Park, Colts Neck New Jersey… more
Plan on Purchasing New Jersey Raw Land in Spring Lake? A Lecture by…
03/16/2011
share
"Before purchasing New Jersey raw land in Spring Lake, it's important the purchaser choose a real estate professional who is aware of local zoning codes and issues, " so says Michael Rubino Jr., Attorney-at-Law at today's Coldwell Banker Attorney… more
Renting Single Family Homes in Affluent New Jersey Suburbs: Colts…
03/12/2011
share
Who would pay three thousand, five thousand -- even twelve thousand -- dollars a month to rent a home in an affluent suburb of New Jersey? Happens more than one would imagine in a town like Colts Neck Township. What's the motivation of the renter?… more
Springtime in Colts Neck, New Jersey 07722
02/27/2011
share
I love the Netflix radio spots where the contestant attempts to correlate meaningless clues. Reminds me of the blog as a medium. Writing in the first person on a blog is akin to talking about yourself constantly. Everywhere. Blog long enough and… more
 
Img_0209

Andrew J. Lenza

Holmdel, NJ

More about me…

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Address: 998 Holmdel Road, Holmdel , NJ, 07733

Office Phone: (732) 946-9600

Cell Phone: (732) 580-0822

Email Me



Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog

Find NJ real estate agents and Holmdel real estate on ActiveRain.