Southern Boy

El (எல்) and Al (அல்) are two Tamizh words that even Tamizhs may not be familiar with. These words have frequently influenced my etymological research, especially the word El. El means Sun and God in Tamizh. Then, what could be the meaning of Al? Yes! It’s Moon. So, El is Sun, and Al is Moon.

EL

El influences the Greek name of the Sun God, Hḗlios. If we closely look at the word Hḗlios, we can see El is present in it. Helium is an inert gas present in the Sun, thus it gets its name Helium. Helianthus is sunflower. Thus, Hḗlios and its influenced words have the Tamizh origin of El in this world.

Yellow is a color. Some people see the Sun as yellow. Even when we study in schools, we often paint the Sun yellow. So, it is generally considered yellow, though the Sun is actually white. Most people consider it yellow, and so, I guess, the word yellow (considered the color of the Sun) is influenced by the word El. Yellow contains the subword El.

As mentioned, El also means God in Tamizh. People from Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Tuticorin, and Kanyakumari often call others “Ela…”. For instance, “Ela engala irukka?” This is considered a brave tone (I am one among them). Some consider this way of addressing people disrespectful. However, no one calls an elder person with the “Ela” prefix. For fun, Ela means God as it contains the Tamizh word “El”. So, we people of the deep south pay respect to others by calling them “Ela” as it means “God”. Some Indian spiritualists may argue that we the people of deep south follow Advaita Vedanta by calling others God… (JFF)

But seriously, there is a famous instance where the word El is used to refer to God. Guess who? Jesus… While he was crucified, he called to God and said, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani (Matthew 27:46)”. Here, Eli means God. The biblical verse translates to, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The Bible or the Jews say Jesus spoke in a mysterious language to God that they didn’t know. Some claim it is Aramaic. But Jesus was in direct connection with God according to the Bible, as he speaks what God speaks. Then, how could he be forsaken by God while he was crucified? The Quran says Isa (Jesus) was not crucified but was raised up to heaven by God (Surah An-Nisa 4:157-158). Let it be. Many often argue, if the son of God was forsaken by his God, what about the people who hope in him?

Now, what could be the meaning of “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani”? Lama means a Buddhist Monk. People of Buddhism call the highest of their order, Lama. Sabachthani can be easily interpreted with basic Tamizh knowledge. “Saavu (சாவு)” means Death. “Thaa (தா)” means “Give”. “Nee (நீ)” means “You”. “Saavu” can become “Saabu” just like the Tamizh word “Kovam” became “Kobam”, “Theevam” became “Theebam”. Usually, the “va” sound becomes a “ba” sound. In Malayalam, a letter similar to the Tamizh letter வ (va) is പ (ba), and also we have വ (va).

Combining these, it becomes, “God God Lama Give Me Death!”. It makes sense now. But, remember, it’s just my assumption. The Tamizh meanings of these words make some sense. Did he speak Tamizh? A mysterious language by which he conversed with God?

Now, El is also present in some god names such as Hḗlios, the sun god of Greeks, Elohim, a Hebrew word for God, El Shaddai meaning God Almighty, Elijah meaning Yahweh is my God. Yaa also means God in Hebrew, but that means South in Tamizh. Ayya in Tamizh means, “a supreme one”. In Tamizh, there is a word Ellaalan (எல்லாளன்) which is a name of Lord Shiva.

AL

These are some connections with the word “El”. Now, we also have the word “Al”. As we already mentioned, Al means Moon in Tamizh. It also means “Dark, Night, Bad”. Alli (அல்லி: Water Lily) is a flower that blossoms only at night in the light of the Moon. Then, we can name Lotus as Elli as it blossoms in sunlight 😉. “Allum Pagalum (அல்லும் பகலும்: இரவும் பகலும்)” means “Night and Day” in Tamizh.

Even the name Allah has the word Al in it. We must note that the moon has always been symbolic and significant in Arab culture. From holidays to music, to literature, the moon has manifested itself in many aspects of Arab life. The moon has also emerged as a symbol for Islam, with the crescent and star becoming symbols of the religion. Including its Lunar Calendar. There are many names starting with Al in Arabic like Al Jazeera, Al Ameen, and so on.

Al also means “Bad”. If we look at the Quranic term “Dajjal”, it can be separated as Daj + Al. Thasam (தசம்) in Tamizh means Ten. A Tamizh literature, Nedunalvaadai, says “தசநான் கெய்திய பணைமரு ணோன்றாள் (நெடுநல். 115)” Daj seems like Thasam. Al means Bad/Evil. It means ten evils, just like the ten plagues in the Bible. People familiar with the Bible and Quran might find something matching here 🤫

Let’s continue…