Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund

German Etymology Origin disputed. Early etymological attempts linked the phrase to Germanic mythology or fairytales. In 1881, Robert Geete discovered the variant is Morgunstund gefur gull í mund, noting that the Icelandic is mund hand (derived from with non mund and cognate with goh munt) is distinct from is munnur mouth. Alfred Götze later challenged this as the proverb's origin, noting a lack of attestations prior to the 16th century. He supported Heinrich Brunner's theory that the phrase originated as a schoolmaster's mnemonic device la aurora habet aurum in ore (literally, "dawn has gold in [its] mouth"). However, modern scholarship based on the work of Richard Jente largley views the proverb as a vernacular evolution of the Humanist Latin maxim la aurora musis amica dawn is friend to the muses. Jente observed that 16th- and 17th-century variants frequently used de Brot bread, de Arbeit work, or de Gott God instead of Gold (e.g., Morgenstund hat das Brot im Mund). The rhyming version with Gold only became dominant and widely popular in the 19th century. Pronunciation de De-Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>) Proverb de proverb Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund Proverb extolling the virtues of activity in the morning hours, encouraging early rising Usage notes The phrase is usually used to cheer up or encourage people who have to do things early in the morning. It differs insofar from de der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm the early bird catches the worm, which is about being faster than one's competition. References de Mieder Wolfgang Morgenstunde hat Gold im Munde: Studien und Belege zum populärsten deutschsprachigen Sprichwort Wien Edition Praesens 1997 978-3-901126-77-2 de rhyming phrases