Many thanks for your interesting and kind letter, in which you do me the
honour to ask my opinion respecting the pedigree of your island goblin,
_le feu follet Belenger_; that opinion I cheerfully give, with a promise
that it is only an opinion; in hunting for the etymons of these fairy
names we can scarcely expect to arrive at any thing like certainty.
I suppose you are aware that the name of Bilenger, or Billinger, is of
occasional though by no means frequent occurrence both in England and
France. You have heard of Billings-gate, and of Billing-ham, the
unfortunate assassin of poor Percival. Likewise of Billing-ton, all
modifications of the same root: Belingart, Bilings-home or Billing-ston.
But what is Billin_ger_? Clearly that which is connected some way or
other with Billing. You will find _ger_, or something like it, in most
European tongues--Boulan_ger_, horolo_ger_, tal_ker_ wal_ker_, ba_ker_,
bre_wer_, beg_gar_. In Welsh it is of frequent occurrence in the shape
of _ur_ or _gwr_--hin_ur_ (an elder), her_wr_ (a prow_ler_); in Russian
the ger, gwr, ur, er, appears in the shape of _ik_ or _k_--Sapojgn_ik_, a
shoemaker, Chinobu_ik_, a man possessed of rank. The root of all these,
as well as of _or_ in Senator, victor, etc., is the same as _ker_ or
_kir_; which means, Lord, master, maker, doer, possessor of something or
connected with something.
We want now to come at the meaning of Beling or Billing, which probably
means some action, or some moral or personal attribute. Bolvile in
Anglo-Saxon means honest, Danish Bollig; Wallen, in German, to wanken or
move restlessly about; Baylan, in Spanish, to dance, connected with which
are to whirl, to fling, and possibly Walloon and Fleming.
Belenger therefore may mean a Billiger or honest fellow, or it may mean a
Walter-_ger_, a whirl_enger_, a flinger or something connected with
restless motion.
Allow me to draw your attention to the word "Will" in the English word
"Will of the wisp." It must not be supposed that this "Will" is the
abbreviation of William; it is pure Danish, "Vild," pronounced "will,"
and signifies wild, "Vilden Visk; Vilden Visk," the wild or moving wisp.
I can adduce another instance of the corruption of the Danish "vild" into
"will." The rustics of this part of England are in the habit of saying
"they are led will" (vild or wild), when from intoxication or some other
cause they are bewildered at night and cannot find their way home. This
expression is clearly from the old Norse or Danish. I am not at all
certain that "Bil" in Bilinger may not be this same "will" or "Vild," and
that the word may not be a corruption of Vilden, old or elder, wild or
flying fire.
It has likewise occurred to me that Bilinger may be derived from
"Volundr," the worship of the blacksmith or Northern Vulcan.
[GEORGE BORROW.]
LETTER III.
_To_ MARY BORROW.
Constantinople.
_September_ 16_th_, 1844.