Re: bast-

--- In cybalist@..., tgpedersen@... wrote:

>
> Some stuff I picked up: bast, to baste "sow together", O. Fr.

bastir

> (Fr. bâtir) "build", German basteln "construct, build, put together
> in a haphazard, temporary fashion" (especially of hobbies, cf Levy-
> Strauss' 'bricoleur' the man who makes things on the spot, ad hoc).
> The AmE 'kludge' comes to mind. From this it easy to get,
> semantically speaking to both "bastard" (made without

plan, 'kludge'

> baby) and to various straps, litters etc used on pack animals.
> Personally I think the traditional interpretation of 'bast' in 'fil
> de bast' as "packsaddle" is suspect. A son made in the packsaddle?

A

> son dangling from the packsaddle?
>
> Torsten

Re: Bastarnae:
from Rigsthula, describing the three social classes, here the lowest
one:

6.
Great-grandmother bore a swarthy boy;
with water they sprinkled him, called him Thrall.
Forthwith he grew and well he throve,
bur tough were his hands with wrinkled skin,
with knuckles knotty and fingers thick;
his face was ugly, his back was humpy,
his heels were long.
Straightway 'gan he to prove his strength,
with bast a-binding loads a-making,
he bore home faggots the livelong day.

Note the bast-activity.

Torsten