Talk:heil

the word heil does not mean luck because there is no element of chance. It's closer to meaning being blessed.
 * Except that Heil is a noun, not an adjective. --EncycloPetey 20:23, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it matters that it is a noun. "Being blessed" is a more accurate English translation. There is no equivalent single word in the English language, saying it means luck is an oversimplification. It tells only half the story. Medievalists have to spend considerable space in their works to dispel that oversimplication. Really, "Heil" is a concept. It was a requisite for ancient German Kings in pre-Christian times. If the King did not live in a state of "Heil" good things would not happen to him and his tribe. Granted, I am only a grad student, but I am editing a work on the evolution of the European Monarchy by two professors. One based in Virginia, the other in Vienna. I can also speak German. The English word heal has it's root in the word heil. Back in the Dark Ages it was believed that the touch of a King could cure illnesses. Charelemage is even credited with having healed a Pope in the Book of Emperors. The reason for this is that they were believed to have the mandate of God and before that the Gods. All the more reason to say "heil" means "being blessed".