»Mon(t)joie« and its semantolexical variants

Abstract

Dictionaries of Old French and French etymological dictionaries generally define the warcry of the Frank kings, »Mon(it)joie!« »a mountain of yoy« with semantolexical variants: »hillock, slope«, »sign-post«, »pile (of stones«), »heap (of joy)«, »summit (of happiness, joy)« and such. In this work the author begins with the supposition that the formation of the cry is in diirect connection with the cult of saint Dionysus so that it is necessary to examine the historical sources and legacies dealing with the worship of this saint. The translation from Latin of the, for our problem, relevant fragment from the Life of st. Dionysus by the Jesuit Pierre Halloi in J. P. Migne’s rare edition which is kept in the library of the st. Mihovil monastery in Zadar is here published for the first time. The content of the fragment speaks in favour of the author’s supposition that in examining the etymological source of the noun »Mon(t) joie« one has first of all to take into consideration the full form of the Frank warcry: »Mon(t)joie« saint Denis!« which developed on the basis of ithe exchange of Jupiter (Mon Jove and not mon joye) for saint Dionysus. Its semantolexical variants result from the vernacularetymological development of the integral warcry. In the variants of meaning: »sign-posit«, »pile (of stones)«, »summit« etc, the author sees a distinct semantolexical group which has not yet been correctly defined but which would before point to a Galliclatin than a Frank source, a fact corroborated by a majority of corresponding dictionaries.