LL-L "Botanica" 2005.10.05 (02) [E]

Wed Oct 5 15:47:21 UTC 2005

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
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05 October 2005 * Volume 02
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From: burgdal32admin <burgdal32 at pandora.be>
Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2005.10.04 (02) [E]

  rom: jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de>
  Subject: LL-L"Traditions"

  Dear Lowlanders,

  these days I heard about another tradition regarding houses.

  Traditionally the housese in our region had a thatched roof. The ridge
  normally was covered with heather. But at the gable top standing to the 
West
  people used to plant a herb, named G:'Fetthenne', in some regions also
  'Tripmadam'(what an intersting word!), bot. 'Sedum', and they called it in
  LS:'Donnerkruut'.

  My guess: it could be related to the Germanic God 'Donar', and the 
intention
  could have been a mystical symbol for the protection of the building.

  Originally there presumably was another, more technical reason: this herb 
is
  very resistant against all types of climatical variations and, different
  from heather, keeps alive and takes its roots deeply into the 
roof-material,
  like a kind of anchor.

  Greutens/Regards

  Johannes "Jonny" Meibohm

  ----------

  From: R. F. Hahn <lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net>
  Subject: Traditions

  Hi, Jonny, Lowlanders!

  Plant folklore is interesting, isn't it?

  Thanks for bringing this topic back to mind, Jonny.  I know that it is 
also a Scandinavian custom with the same folklore, and I think it's much 
more widespread than that.  In some places it is hung on the walls instead, 
or down from the eaves, again in order to ward off lightning strikes. 
Apparently, people were not only afraid of the lightning and the fire it can 
cause (expecially to thatched roof), but lightning was also regarded as 
enabling witchcraft.

  Botanical: _Sedum telephium subsp. maximum_

  Alternative Low Saxon names:
    Dickblatt (dikblat "thick leave")
    Dönnerluuk (dönner-luuk "thunder leak/onion")
    Dunnerkruut (dunner-kruud "thunder herb")
    Fettbuuk (fetbuuk "fat belly")
    Freer un Bruut (vreyer-un-bruud "groom-and-bride")
    Grote Fetthenn (grote vethen "great fat hen")
    Iesbloom (ysbloum "ice flower")
    Jehannskruut (Jehans-kruud "(St.) John's herb")
    Johannskruut (Johans-kruud "(St.) John's herb")
    Pollack (polak "Pole?")
    Pottlack (potlak "pot varnish"?_)

  (By the way, Jonny, I write _kruud_ with "d" because the plural is 
_kruyder_.)

  English: Great stonecrop, Orpine
  Dutch: Hemelsleutel (heaven's key)
  German: Fetthenne ("fat hen")
  Danish: Stenurt ("stonewort")
  Norwegian: Smørbukk ("butter/fat belly")
  Swedish: Fetblad ("fat leave"), käringkål ("hag's cabbage"),
    St Hansknopp (St. John's button), vanlig kärleksört
    ("ordinary lovewort")
  Icelandic: Sumarhnoðri ("summer globule")
  French: Herbe à la coupure ("grass in the cut/break",
    "clipping herb"?)
  Spanish: Hierba callera rosa ("pink callera(?) grass")
  Polish: Rozchodnik wielki ("great pink (plant)")
  Russian: Заячья капуста (Zajač'ja kapusta "hare cabbage")

  Regards,
  Reinhard/Ron
In Western Flemish we call  the 'sempervivum tectorum' 
"dunderbare/donderbare/dunderbaard/donderbaard/donderblare/donderbotte/dunderlook/huislook.

I do not know if '-bare' and '-baard' have the same origin.
We used to say 'dunderkruud' also.
'jovis baard' has also something to do with it.
Dutch "hemelsleutel" means in Flemish  "sleutelbloem" (sedum purpereum).

Groetjes
Luc Vanbrabant
Oekene

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Botanica

Dag, Luc!

> I do not know if '-bare' and '-baard' have the same origin.

Might _-bare_ be the plural of _-baard_ 'beard'.  It would make sense, give 
the "elusive d" in the Low German group.  Is that how you would normally say 
"beard"?  "Beard," too, makes sort of sense, in that the little "globular 
spikes" are somewhat curved and have the shape of a beard in 17th-century 
fashion.

> Dutch "hemelsleutel" means in Flemish  "sleutelbloem" (sedum purpereum).

Interesting!  In German _Schlüsselblume_ (also "key flower") is (_Primula 
veris Linné ssp. veris_ ~ _Primula officinalis_), belonging to the primulae 
(primroses).  Same in Low Saxon:

Karkenslötel (karken-sloetel, "church key")
Slantelbloom (slantel-bloum "key flower"?)
Himmelbloom (himmel-bloum "heaven flower")
Himmelslötel (himmel-sloetel "heaven key")

English: cowslip, paigle, peagle, peggle, primula, keyflower,
   key of heaven, palsywort, fairy cups, petty mulleins, crewel,
   buckles, plumrocks, mayflower, password, artetyke, drelip,
   Our Lady’s keys, Arthritica, Herb Peter
Scots: goslip, cooslip, coosmooth, spink, lady's finger, ladies'
   finger, lady-fern, kep
Dutch: gulden sleutelbloem ("golden key flower")
German: Schlüsselblume, Petersblume ("(St.) Peter's flower")
Danish: hulkravet kodriver ("? cowherd"?)
Norwegian: Mari(a)nøkleblom ("Mary's key flower")
Swedish: gökblomma ("cuckoo flower"), Jungfru Marie nycklar
   ("Virgin Mary's keys"), oxlägg ("ox lay"?), Sankt Pers nycklar
   ("St. Peter's key's)
French: primerolle, clef de Saint Pierre ("(St.) Peter's key")
Spanish: vellorita
Italian: primavera ("springtime")
Polish: pierwiosnek (pierwiosnka) lekarski ("medicinal primrose")
Russian: первоцвет _pervocvet_ ("primary flower"), баранчики
   _bagančiki_ ("little rams")
Finnish: kevätesikko ("spring primrose")

Clearly something folkloristic about the key(s) to heaven is going on there.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron 

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