Page "Ask and Embla" Paragraph 3

Old Norse askr literally means " ash tree " but the etymology of embla is uncertain, and two possibilities of the meaning of embla are generally proposed.

The first meaning, " elm tree ", is problematic, and is reached by deriving * Elm-la from * Almilōn and subsequently to almr (" elm ").

The second suggestion is " vine ", which is reached through * Ambilō, which may be related to the Greek term ámpelos, itself meaning " vine, liana ".

The latter etymology has resulted in a number of theories.