[gothic-l] Re: Analysis/Reconstruction of *Biari

[Håkan]

--- In gothic-l at y..., jdm314 at a... wrote:

Yes, why not add it to the list. I have a faint memory 
of 'chupacabras' appearing on the "x-files". But otherwise I think 
that 'unbiari' and 'bjära' could be separate words. I mean that 
Matthaius interpretation sounds realistic judged from my limited 
knowledge. But it struck me that the two words had some similarity.
If the word is coming from the root that Matthaius suggests, then the 
meaning could be "plough-by" or "ramming-by". If the general meaning 
was "help-spirit" for 'bjära', that could explain some phenomena in S 
Scandinavia. 'Bjära' mostly appears in old times in middle and north 
Scandinavia. I wrongly said that it was called 'bjära' also in the 
south, Scania/Skåne etc. But here the same being was 
called 'mjölkhare'"milk-hare". Maybe this is a influence that derives 
from the south. But it could also mean that the easter-bunny that 
appears in anglo-saxon and german tradition is from the beginning 
a "servant" or a "help-spirit" to for exemple a witch(häxa)or a 
invisible helper to a peasant. %) 

Håkan Liljeberg

of the icelandic spirit 'tillbera and the other being 'bjära', might 
not be like ON 'bera' "carry", but more in the direction what the 
moderator wrote. Or they might just be completely different beings 
with a coincidental likeness. 

> Hmmm, perhaps we could use this to reconstruct the Gothic word for 
> chupacabras, and add it to my list of monsters I used to post on 
Haloween ;)
> 
> IUSTEINUS
> 
> 
> In a message dated 4/25/01 6:23:08 PM, you wrote:
> 
> <<Hails Mat aius!
> 
> That word "biari" made me think about a similar word in nordic 
> 
> believs.
> 
> In south Scandinavian tradition is the word 'biera'or 'bjära'. That 
> 
> means a creature that comes to the domesticised animals like cows 
and 
> 
> goats at nights, and drain them of power and milk. In islendic 
> 
> tradition it´s called 'tillbera', that could mean "carry-to". The 
> 
> myths are alike as far as I can understand. It´s usually a women, a 
> 
> whitch, who put sticks, cloths and threads together. She says a 
magic 
> 
> spell and the cloth comes to life and must work for here. It just 
> 
> have to fed time by time with milk. It when goes out to milk the 
> 
> neighbours and other peoples cows. It takes away luck from the 
other 
> 
> farms to give everything to hi´s owner. Maybe it was a way to 
explain 
> 
> why some peasants were lucky and some continued to have misfortune.
> 
> "They are draining us from good fortune", could have been said by 
> 
> many farmers about their neighbours 150-200 years ago. And in some 
> 
> cases old people would suspect a 'biera'.
> 
> >>


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