Old Norse Brokkr, Sanskrit Bhr̥gu-, and PIE *(s)bʰr̥(h2)g- ‘crackle, roar’

The article argues for a common etymology for Old Norse Brokkr and Sanskrit Bhr̥gu-, the names of two characters attested in two Norse and Indic mythical narratives which share comparable phraseology, narrative structures and ritual associations; the Norse myth’s connection with an archaeological artefact is discussed as well. Both names are traced back to a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)bhr̥(h2)g- ‘crackle, roar’, which may be reconstructed inter alia by comparing Greek and Vedic formations such as Greek baru-spháragos ‘with heavy roar’ : Vedic giri-bhráj- ‘heavy roaring’, Greek anemo-spháragos ‘with roar of winds’ : Vedic vā́ta-bhrajas- ‘with roaring of winds’, and Greek spharagéomai ‘crackle’ : Vedic sphūrjáya- ‘id.’, bhūrjáya- ‘id.’.