O Cebreiro

[Robert Spenger]

The following website:

http://www.guiarte.com/pueblos/muestrapueblo.asp?id=117

Includes this paragraph:

    El Cebrero, O Cebreiro, mons Februari o mons Zaberrium, de las viejas
crónicas camineras, poblado        con sabor a culturas de la edad del
Hierro, es como el can Cerbero, el guardián de la entrada a Galicia,
abundante en bosques, frutas y fuentes; rica en leche, miel, pescados de
mar, oro, plata, tejidos y pieles silvestres; rara en villas, ciudades y
sembrados; escasa en pan de trigo y vino, según reza la crónica de Aymeric
Picaud.

This would seem to confirm that it means "The February." El Cebrero in
Spanish and O Cebreiro in Galician (or Portuguese) would seem to be
derivations of Mons Februari, where the Mon got dropped out and the s and
f merged into the Iberian c. How the dog Cerbero or Cerberus (the Hound of
Hades) fits into this is another item. Is this another colossal pun? It is
a bit of a jump to switch the b and the r. Did Picaud originate this. Was
he also responsible for relating Compostela and Campos Stellae? His
account, the Codex Calixtinus, has plenty of humor in it, but I was never
sure if he intended it that way.

yours, in speculation

Robert




Sue Kenney wrote:

> This meaning was provided on the Santiagobis list serv:
>
> "Apparently, O Cebreiro was the place Octavius Augustus entered Galicia
> to bring it into the fold of the Roman Empire.
>
> One Arab author calls it 'Munt Febrayr' which the Codex Calixtinus
> writes as 'Mons Februari'. Othe documents call it 'Zebruaril' and
> 'Zeberrium'. Linked to the month? The quest goes on."
>
> Sue
> sue.kenneyasympatico.ca