Difference between revisions of "Ligurum"
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It may be of interest to note that in the original Greek, Wellmann, vol. I, book II, chapter 81, pp.164/165, οὖρον ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἴδιον /oũron anthrṓpou tò ídion/ “A man’s own urine”, the view that lynx’s urine turns into stone is called μάταιος /mátaios/ “empty, idle, without ground”, and in the Greek, Dioscorides expresses the opinion that this is in truth the substance called ἤλεκτρον πτερυγοφόρον /ḗlektron pterygophóron/ “feather-attracting amber”, but no such scepticism is seen in the Longobardic translation. It was also in this translation that ἤλεκτρον /ḗlektron/ was corrupted to ''elecorum''. | It may be of interest to note that in the original Greek, Wellmann, vol. I, book II, chapter 81, pp.164/165, οὖρον ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἴδιον /oũron anthrṓpou tò ídion/ “A man’s own urine”, the view that lynx’s urine turns into stone is called μάταιος /mátaios/ “empty, idle, without ground”, and in the Greek, Dioscorides expresses the opinion that this is in truth the substance called ἤλεκτρον πτερυγοφόρον /ḗlektron pterygophóron/ “feather-attracting amber”, but no such scepticism is seen in the Longobardic translation. It was also in this translation that ἤλεκτρον /ḗlektron/ was corrupted to ''elecorum''. | ||
| − | The word ''ligurum'', due to contamination by later authors with the place-name ''ligurius'', {“from Liguria”}, cf. the variant ''ligurius'' and Simon’s ''ligurum'', has also the etymologically more correct variants in Latin ''lyncurion'', ''lyncurium'', ''lyncurius'' (Isidore) and many more. They all go back to a group of Greek variants like λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λυγγούριον /lyngoúrion/, also λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λιγκούριον /linkoúrion/ and λιγγούριον /lingoúrion/, in Aëtius even λογγούριον /longoúrion/, according to Liddell & Scott, where it is said that the term “was derived by the ancients from a compound λύγξ /lýnx/ {“lynx”, with the roots λυγκ- /lynk-/ and λυγγ- /lyng-/} + οὖρον /oũron/ { | + | The word ''ligurum'', due to contamination by later authors with the place-name ''ligurius'', {“from Liguria”}, cf. the variant ''ligurius'' and Simon’s ''ligurum'', has also the etymologically more correct variants in Latin ''lyncurion'', ''lyncurium'', ''lyncurius'' (Isidore) and many more. They all go back to a group of Greek variants like λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λυγγούριον /lyngoúrion/, also λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λιγκούριον /linkoúrion/ and λιγγούριον /lingoúrion/, in Aëtius even λογγούριον /longoúrion/, according to Liddell & Scott, where it is said that the term “was derived by the ancients from a compound λύγξ /lýnx/ {“lynx”, with the roots λυγκ- /lynk-/ and λυγγ- /lyng-/} + οὖρον /oũron/ {'urine'}". |
For further information see the excellent article online by C.J. Duffin, Fossils as Drugs: pharmaceutical palaeontology. In: Ferrantia 54, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg, 2008, Lapis Lincis, pp.11-20 | For further information see the excellent article online by C.J. Duffin, Fossils as Drugs: pharmaceutical palaeontology. In: Ferrantia 54, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg, 2008, Lapis Lincis, pp.11-20 | ||
Revision as of 16:49, 11 July 2012
Ligurum vocatur a multis urina lincis secundum Dyascoridem et lapis ex ipsa generatus dicitur elecorum capitulo de locio.
Apparatus:
lincis e | lĩcis AC | linciis B
generatur A | generatus B | generatus C e
de locio AC e | delotio B
Translation:
Urina lincis {“lynx urine”}, according to Dyascorides, is called by many people ligurum, and a stone is produced from it, called elecorum , as stated in the chapter: De lotio {“On urine”}.
Commentary:
Simon refers ultimately to Dioscorides Longobardus, book II, chapter ΞΔ' (64) De lotium humanum {sic!} {“On human urine”}, pp.206/207, where in fact the perceived medicinal properties of the urine of a number of animals are described as well. As for lynx’s urine he says: Lincei urinam, quem multi ligurum vocant, mox mejaverit, lapis fiet, quem multi elecorum vocant – “Lynx urine, which many people call ligurum, turns to stone soon after the lynx has let water, and many people also call this stone elecorum.”
It may be of interest to note that in the original Greek, Wellmann, vol. I, book II, chapter 81, pp.164/165, οὖρον ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἴδιον /oũron anthrṓpou tò ídion/ “A man’s own urine”, the view that lynx’s urine turns into stone is called μάταιος /mátaios/ “empty, idle, without ground”, and in the Greek, Dioscorides expresses the opinion that this is in truth the substance called ἤλεκτρον πτερυγοφόρον /ḗlektron pterygophóron/ “feather-attracting amber”, but no such scepticism is seen in the Longobardic translation. It was also in this translation that ἤλεκτρον /ḗlektron/ was corrupted to elecorum.
The word ligurum, due to contamination by later authors with the place-name ligurius, {“from Liguria”}, cf. the variant ligurius and Simon’s ligurum, has also the etymologically more correct variants in Latin lyncurion, lyncurium, lyncurius (Isidore) and many more. They all go back to a group of Greek variants like λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λυγγούριον /lyngoúrion/, also λυγκούριον /lynkoúrion/, λιγκούριον /linkoúrion/ and λιγγούριον /lingoúrion/, in Aëtius even λογγούριον /longoúrion/, according to Liddell & Scott, where it is said that the term “was derived by the ancients from a compound λύγξ /lýnx/ {“lynx”, with the roots λυγκ- /lynk-/ and λυγγ- /lyng-/} + οὖρον /oũron/ {'urine'}".
For further information see the excellent article online by C.J. Duffin, Fossils as Drugs: pharmaceutical palaeontology. In: Ferrantia 54, Musée national d’histoire naturelle, Luxembourg, 2008, Lapis Lincis, pp.11-20
See Lapis lincis
