Re: [tied] frog

Portuguese bruxa/Spanish bruja sugest *bruxa or brussa, brussia, brussea (cf. russeus > Port. roxo, Sp. rojo)

Joao SL

----- Original Message -----

From: Max Dashu

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 2:12 AM

Subject: Re: [tied] frog

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "João Simões Lopes Filho" <jodan99@...> wrote: > The word is "bruscus" in dialectal Latin, that is analyzed as **gWrodH-sko-, > akin to batrakhos (<*brathakos < *gWRdH-nko-) and German krote. > Some scholars link bruscus to Spanish bruja/Portuguese

bruxa "witch".

Intriguing idea. It does look more likely than Baroja's nominee mBRSH, (from a Moorish word for datura) as the source of bruja/bruxa. Folkloric connections of frogs to witches are quite common in Europe, but seem especially prominent in witch trial accounts from northern Spain/southern France. Some of these are however Basque-speaking cultures, but maybe they picked up the connection from Romance-speaking neighbors.

Max

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.