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<div>Mention was made on the list a while back of the small piles of
stones beside the camino, especially obvious (if not overabundant) a
little way past Nájera. Further to this, I have just received some
information from the U of Santiago about what they are called, namely,
in Gallego, 'millardoiro', defined (in Spanish) as</div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">los montones de piedras hechos por
los peregrinos cuando se dirigen a un lugar de culto religioso</font>,
= "the heaps of stones made by the pilgrims when they are on
their way to a place of religious belief."</div>
<div>There is apparently no single Castilian Spanish word for them. My
correspondent, Manuel Singala, writes that Castilians have to
circumlocute:</div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="-1">Montículo formado por pequeñas
piedras amontonadas poco a poco por los peregrinos o romeros que se
dirigen a un santurario religioso</font> = 'tiny hill made of small
stones accumulated little by little by pilgrims who are on their way
to a religious sanctuary'.</div>
<div>As for the origin of 'millardoiro', one suggestion (he writes) is
that it is connected with the Latin root HUMIL- which gives English
the word 'humble'.</div>
<div>There is apparently a place (village?) near Santiago called
Millardoiro, and there is a Galician musical group by the same name
(as I found when I googled the word).</div>
<div>Now another question: why so many millardoiros specifically at
Nájera, so far from Galicia?</div>
<div>Tom Priestly</div>
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<div>+++++++++++++++++++++++<br>
Tom Priestly<br>
9215-69 Street<br>
Edmonton AB<br>
Canada T6B 1V8<br>
phone 780-469-2920<br>
fax 780-492-9106<br>
e-mail: tpriestlashaw.ca<br>
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