HALL

Wild Word Friday!

HALL? Ummm, what’s wild about that?

I’m not referring to HALL as in HALLway, but HALL as in the names of various German and Austrian places or towns such as HALLein, Schwaeblish HALL, and HALLstatt. You see, hal is the Celtic word for salt. During the HALLstatt Period (roughly around the 8th to 6th centuries B.C.) salt-making (or retrieving) was a big industry in Central Europe. The people who were  engaged in this industry were wearers of colorful woven clothing and also the inventors of the barrel. They used two- and four-wheel chariots and were gifted metal smiths.

The word HALL (hal), is an incredible clue for archaeologists as they trace the history of the Celtic peoples. Don’t you love to “sleuth” with words?

The Celts were travellers, and some of them eventually worked their way to the British Isles. Tell me about you. Does your family trace its roots back to the Celts? (Think plaid.)

Blessings!

Sue Harrison