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Subject: 
Blood Stone Castle parsed!
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.castle
Date: 
Sat, 1 Apr 2000 06:05:36 GMT
Viewed: 
2383 times
  
In lugnet.castle, Shiri Dori writes:
<fog clears>...
http://www.geocities.com/shiri_lego/inn.html
<snip>
Thanks! It's just that near such an amazing thing like the Blood Stone Castle,
it shrivels away and transforms to a meek little mouse. :-)


You're in good company, in with that Yellow Castle. It's like fleeing an
Imperial Star Destroyer, it is.

Now some word-book-fun. Some neighbors moved away last week and left behind a
heap of books in the junkroom. A curious mixture: History of the Jewish People,
Works of Josephus, New English Bible, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
Italian Folktales, Castles and Keeps of Scotland...

Of course I have them on MY book heap now. So, cracking open Castles. Facing a
color litho of Castle Stirling, the title page reads "Being a description of
sundry fortresses, towers, peels, and other houses of strength built by the
princes and barons of old time in the highlands, islands, inlands, and borders
of the ancient and godfearing kingdom of Scotland." By Frank Roy Fraprie.
Author of "Among Bavarian Inns." Illustrated. Boston, L.C. Page & Company.
MDCCCCVII.

Apparently, Queensborough Public Library got rid of it, Queens College got it,
threw it out about 1976, and one day my neighbors got it (or never returned
it?) In 2000, it lay in a junkroom. It is safe with me for the forseeable
future. (as if anybody knew anything about the future!)


So, wonderful names of Scottish castles, illustrated: Stirling. Glamis.
Tantallon. Dumbarton. Craignethan (Tillietudlem). Bothwell. Rothesay. Kilchurn.
Gylen. Aros. Dunstaffnage. Inverlocky. Invergarry. Kirkwall. Notland. The Broch
of Mousa. Cawdor. Spynie Palace. Fyvie. Dunnottar. Crathes. Edzell. Doune.
Huntingtower, or Ruthven Castle. Elcho. St Andrews. Newark. Campbell. Niddrie.
Linlithgow. Edinburgh. Holyrood Palace. Craigmillar. Dunbar. Dirleton.
Cessford. Smailholm. Hermitage. Neidpath. Caerlaverock. Threave.

Some 13th century castles: Duffus. Bocharm. Lochindorb. Strathbolgie.
Inverurie. Urquhart. Kildrummie. Kincardine. Brechin. Redcastle, Forfar,
Leuchars, Craill, Douglas, Turnberry, Linlithgow, Yester, Roxburgh, Jedburgh,
Lamberton, Morton, Dalswinton, Lochmaben, Congleton. "as well as many others.
The majority of these have disappeared."


A "peel" is a kind of solitary tower.

This book looks to be chock full of good stuff.

The names just go on and on.

So, take a Scotch name like Craigmillar. What is it? A Crag is a rugged rock or
cliff. Suitable for a castle. I guess it means the mill on the rock, or a rock
that ground up yer enemies like meal. Meal by the way is Dutch from malen,
meaning to grind, and is the root of the word Maelstrom, for a dangerous
swirling stream. (Stromberg anyone?)

(note: meals and mealtime are unrelated to grinding, those come from Old
English mael, meaning appointed hour or time to eat. A coincidence that it is
now spelled meal and means food.)

Caerlaverock. Some castle on a rock? Nay, I think not. I tried breaking it down
several ways, and discovered that a laverok is a lark in middle english,
chiefly Scotch. But possibly, lavoir, Middle French for wash cistern, rooted in
Latin lavare. I don't think Celtic carrus (wheeled vehicle) is relevant. Of
course an ock is a tough, hard, durable tree. I suppose a lark could be a bird
named in association with a castle that was tough like a tree that got washed
everyday. Or the castle could be named for the bird that washes oaks. Such a
pretty name. I could be full of lark kaka by now.

Get a Webster's, gentle reader, and feed your word hoard.

Caerblodrok?

Bloodstein?

Stearblood?

Rokkeblode?

Just different ways to mean blood-stone. Whatever that might be!

-Another Errick



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: Blood Stone Castle parsed!
 
(...) Well, that's very comforting. :-) <snip> (...) Sounds like a great book for inspiration! <snip> (...) That's a great description. Can I coax you to scan some of these? Will bribery do the trick? :-) (...) Such a dumb town! ;-) (...) I have to (...) (24 years ago, 1-Apr-00, to lugnet.castle)
  Re: Blood Stone Castle parsed!
 
(...) Barnes and Noble had this a couple years back, and may still do. My copy says "1993 Barnes and Noble Books". I was hoping for more detailed pictures and plans, but there is certainly a lot of historical stuff in it. (24 years ago, 1-Apr-00, to lugnet.castle)
  Re: Blood Stone Castle parsed!
 
(...) down (...) in (...) While I can't answer what the name means, I can tell you that Caerlaverock Castle was the seat of the Maxwell clan. It's walls never fell to siege (I don't think) and it was considered one of the strongest castles in (...) (24 years ago, 11-Jul-00, to lugnet.castle)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Blood Stone Castle completed!
 
(...) I concour, your excellency. (...) Well... rocks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me ;-) Rocks/stones/boulders are often part of the setting/terrian around the building, or alternatively the building is *made* of stone... (...) (24 years ago, 1-Apr-00, to lugnet.castle)

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