Editing Midgard (section)

==Etymology==
{{wiktionary|middangeard}}
{{wiktionary|𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃}}
The [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] name {{lang|non|Miðgarðr}} is [[cognate]] with [[Gothic language|Gothic]] {{lang|got|Midjungards}} (attested in the [[Gospel of Luke]] as a translation of the Greek {{lang|grc|[[Ecumene|οἰκουμένη]]}}), [[Old Saxon]] {{lang|osx|Middilgard}} (in ''[[Heliand]]''), [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|Mittilagart}} (in ''[[Muspilli]]''), and [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|Middangeard}}. The latter, which appears in both prose and poetry, was transformed to {{lang |enm|Middellærd}} or {{lang |enm|Mittelerde}} ("Middle-earth") in [[Middle English]] literature.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Midgard | title = Online Etymology Dictionary | contribution = Midgard}}.</ref>

All these forms stem from [[Common Germanic]] {{lang|mis|*Meðjana-garðaz}}, a [[Compound (linguistics)|compound]] of {{lang|mis|[[:wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/midjaz|*meðjanaz]]}} ("middle") and {{lang|mis|[[:wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/gardaz|*garðaz]]}} ("yard, enclosure").
In early Germanic cosmology, it stands alongside the term ''[[:wikt:world|world]]'' (cf. [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|weorold}}, [[Old Saxon]] {{lang|osx|werold}}, [[Old High German]] {{lang|goh|weralt}}, [[Old Frisian]] {{lang|ofs|wrald}}, [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|verǫld}}), itself from a Common Germanic compound ''*wira-alđiz'' ("man-age"), which refers to the inhabited world, i.e. the realm of humankind.<ref>Orel, Vladimir E. (2003). ''A Handbook of Germanic Etymology''.  Leiden: Brill. pp.  264, 462. {{ISBN|90-04-12875-1}}</ref>