Asturian-American Migration Forum

l.lourel/lloreu: pronounced Tsow-REHL, chiefly West Asturian, and Yow-REHL in Central Asturian. The dried, aromatic leaf of the laurel or bay tree, Laurus nobilis, used as seasoning in cooking. Other Asturian-language variants at lloreo, lloureu, lloriu.

The tree or shrub is called a l.loureira (Tsow-RAY-rah) or llorea (Yow-RAY-ah). From Old French laureole and Latin laureola, diminutive of laurea.

Usage examples:

Hai que mete-y fueyas de l.lourel al pote de fabas. [You need to add bay leaves to the cauldron with the Asturian beans]

Cagonros, esa l.loureira de Xuanon ta quitandome la vista’l pueblu! [Damn it, Xuanon’s bay leaf tree is blocking my village view]

Nolo, au metieras el mio ramu de lloreu? [Nolo, where did you put my bay leaf bundle?]

Meet Manulo, the accordion player of Aires del Palu, a local folk music band, and the local police officer of La Puela (Pola de Allande). He is married to Isabel Ochoa, who is one of the leaders of the Women’s Association, an advocacy group involved in cultural preservation. Both are charming, friendly people. If you visit Puela, make a point of saying hi and asking him about local lore.

Here, Manulo tells the ethnomusicologist Xose Anton Ambas about an exorcizing ritual done for sick cows. Evil eye (mal de gueyu) was thought to be at the root of sickness, both with people and animals. The ritual involved a borrayeiru, or a mix of bay leaves, salt, chicken droppings, and then setting the whole thing alight in a tin bucket. The smoke was placed under the udder of the cow to rid it of evil spirits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG8iAnQZQ9o

Minute 2:58

Manulo: …ou era fuerza sangre ou taba embruxao…
Ambas: decian, ta embruxao
Manulo: Ta embruxao ya a ver, hai que fader algo.
Ambas: esta vaca vei mal, nun miedra…
Manulo: Y oi, pues valia-y, eh?
Ambas: Ta embruxada…
Manulo: Fadiamos un borrayeiru debaxo de tal, mandabase, preparabase y fadiase un borrayeiru pa poder…
Ambas: Un borrayeiru?
Manulo: Si, con unas cruces feitas de l.lourel, sal ya outras cousas mas ya decian-y unas palabras pa…
Ambas: Cruces de l.lourel, habia que queimar cruces de l.lourel.
Manulo: Si, nel cubo
Ambas: Nun cubo.
Manulo: Nun cubo, con borrayu ya con…
Ambas: Chabase sal
Manulo: Sal ya cagal.lones de pita ya tou lo que hubiera…
Ambas: Queimabase
Manulo: Queimabase debaxo la vaca ya fadia’l fumu
Ambas: Debaxo la vaca pa que’l fumu
Manulo: Eso, esactamente…pa que fora pa la vaca

Thanks, Paul.

That's an distinctive conversational style. I remember years ago my cousin Pepe would respond to my letters in a similar style of repeating what I had written previously.

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Gracious, Paul.

Eso es un estilo de conversación muy distintivo. Recuerdo que ya hace años mi primo Pepe respondía a mis cartas en un estilo similar, me repetiendo lo que le había escrito anteriormente.

Now that you point it out, Art, the repetition in Camin de Cantares is often intentional, I think. Whenever there are words that people may not understand, Xose Anton makes a point of repeating them so people can put them in context and take note. For priming the mind, there's often nothing like redundancy.

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Agora que lo dices, Art, peimeque la repeticion de las pal.labras en Camin de Cantares ta feita adrei. Cuando xurde dalguna cousa que la xente nun ta avezao a escuitar, Xose Anton repitela pa contestualizala ya pa que teamos aliel.los. Nun hai nada cumo la repeticion pa deprender...

That'd make sense.

Tendría sentido.