Indian Antiquary Vol 56

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 28

22
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ FEBRUARY, 1927
symmetry. It written in the beginning of the second line the mark of demarcation ought to have been placed between X and O and here too symmetry would have been lost. By placing X inside the symmetry has been kept with the II of first line and the sign of separation has been done away with. So to me it seems stands for x 10 or x/0, both O and standing for 1 =,= w.
As an example of symmetry see six lines each consisting of eight letters in the second half of lines 5-10, p. 200, Corpus Inscriplionum Semiticarum, Tomus II, Fasciculus Terlius, and also p. 97, L.A., vol. XIV (1885). Other inscriptions also show that in these Himyaritic inscriptions some sort of symmetry is often kept, e.g., if there are eleven letters in one line other lines also contain as far as possible the same number vide p. 222 of Corpus quoted above.
(c) in the second line perhaps also requires an explanation. It is aleph Ji (Hebrew ), the only difficulty about it being that its upper waving stroke touches the right hand vertical stroke of n in the first line.
3. With this explanation I would transcribe the Himyaritic characters in the usual way in Hebrew and then into Arabic to which they are more allied.
Transcription :
IIB
IIBOP
Himyaritio.
Hebrew
SOT 5
יז א ב
ח |
۲ بیت و داب
بادوات
Arabio.
wld, um por Translation - House No. 2 (dedicated to) Wadd Pater,
The letter B=o=p in the first line may be equivalent to = s mo. In Arabic to cut short the humming mummation or nunnation sound only one s mim is used and the process is called p Lösl as in lo= 10 wn. In Himyaritic also this is abridged from Grimme takes B= vide p. 313 1,0.8., (II) Fasciculus Quartus. See also p. 43, vol. IV, 1.4. Even it we take to be a part of K n ox and not a preposition before n o X the sense remains the same for ! means a resting place for the night and so a house generally.
Hence the inscription means : The House No. 2 dedicated to God or Father Wadd. The word ab was used by the Arabs as an honorific title. It has been used in the Quran (11, 127) for Abraham and his two sons and has also a meaning signifying the feeder. It has been specially found accompanying Wadd in the Himyaritic inscriptions (see C.1.8., II, pp. 386–87).
Wadd was a god worshipped by the Arabs, who often wore talismans bearing the name Wadd. The word itself is derived from wudd which means love. It was opposed to Nakruh, the god of hatred. It was" a certain idol which pertained to the people of Noah and then to Kelbor a certain good man who lived between Adam and Noah, and of whom, after his death, was made an image, which, after a long time, became an object of worship". Its name is mentioned in the Quran, vide ante, vol. LXXI, 22 and 23. The idol has been described by some to be the figure of a tall man wearing one loin cloth with another cloth over him, & sword hanging round his neck, with a bow and a quiver, in front a lanou with a flag attach ed to it," but the figure that we have got in the Museum is that of a man wearing a close LADO' Lwoon.
1 Ariul Quran, vol. II (1918), p. 128,