“What does hell mean?”
“Stupid question! The opposite of dark, of course. “
“But if you read the word somewhere, without context – how do you know that it is the German word and not the English? That means hell! “
“Well, you can not know that without context. But that hardly ever happens. If it did, the word in any English-speaking country would definitely mean ‘hell’. In German-speaking countries it could be both, because the English word is pretty well known here. “
“Yes, for example, ‘Burn in Hell!'”
“Literally, that means ‘burning in hell’, but in German it’s more like ‘stew in hell’. Both are unpleasant. “
“I’m friends with a Dane called Bright.”
“That’s something completely different again! Helle is a Danish maiden name. Incidentally, there is also a light in Greek mythology. She fell into the strait between Europe and Asia named after her Hellespont, Sea of Light. Today this strait is called the Dardanelles. “
“Not dark – hell – Danish first name – figure of Greek mythology. It’s getting crazier. What about the halberd? “
“With the weapon? It has nothing to do with any of the four meanings. Hellebarde comes from the Middle High German word ‘helmbarte’. So from ‘helmet’. “
“That’s enough for me. Soon I’m going to the Hellespont with my girlfriend Helle and enjoy the bright sun there, and if anyone bothers me, I draw my halberd and shout ‘Burn in Hell’! “