Camino De Santiago – Place Names and Street Names As Border Posts in the Collective Memory (I)

HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography (2010) 4.1, 17-31 www.humangeographies.org.ro CAMINO DE SANTIAGO – PLACE NAMES AND STREET NAMES AS BORDER POSTS IN THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY (I) Ion Nicolaea* aDepartment of Geography, Bucharest University, Bucharest, Romania Abstract: An important subject of interest for human geographers has been, since at least Friedrich Ratzel’s time, the link between geographical reality and the place-names. These ‘fossils of human geography’ (cf. Raoul Blanchard) have become nowadays increasingly attractive for the cultural geographers interested, among other issues, in explaning the impact of some political actions (for instance giving names with political connotations to different places, especially streets and other public places) on the collective memory. Authors’ pedestrian trip (of almost 800 km) through the northern Spain along the St. James’ Way has been both, an experience, of meeting special people from all around the world and, an opportunity to discover the Spanish ‘place names envelope’ - at home. In addition it created the right occasion for the author to reflect on the impact of recent law on ‘Historic Memory’ (La Ley de la Memoria Historica) of the street names. This paper analyses the places names and the street names of some settlements of St James’ Way (Camino de Santiago) emphasysing the sources of places names (historical, natural, economical, religious ones) and the actions of the local authorities to implement the central decisions in the field of street names. There are used limited amount of examples as the work is at its beginning. Key words: Places names, Streets names, Political actions, Religious and historical aspects, St James’ Way Introduction situations from the past, closer or distant, situations which had impressed the The idea of this study appeared on the wide inhabitants, marked their existence, north-Spanish places crossed in the summer remaining in the memory of inhabitants, of the years 2008 and 2009 in the context of being noted in written documents of various pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Since significations. Once noted – as “marks” of in each locality where we were resting at the different parts of geographical reality – they end of a stage remained a few hours of acquired other significations as well than walking and contact with local reality, I those of contributing to orientation / considered properly to use this time to positioning of inhabitants in space. The discover the names of the places from the mental component, of the symbol represented local horizon (focus on streets’ names). by these names, increased with the Gradually, I gathered an interesting material, development of society. used as well in my lectures to students. In the real / particular case of the space As in the case of other spaces, the where is registered Camino de Santiago Toponymy of Spain represents a true archive (version camino frances) – route crossed by which preserves the memory of some pilgrims all over the world for more than a thousand years – the significations of places’ *Corresponding author: names exceed the simple reporting of Iberians Email: [email protected] to the space which they populate, offering ION NICOLAE interesting situations to those who are noted most famous town of Occidental Europe) and on camino due to cultural reasons. The resort Malaga, founded by Tyrians under the name to bibliographical sources and direct of Gadeira (romanised Gades, taken over by knowledge of appointed object remain Arabians as Qadis) and respectively Mainake obligatory conditions for a correct explanation (the Romans named it Malaca) (Celdran, 2002, of geographical names, of the significations 185, 465). The most “consistent” contributions incorporated by these during years. In the was that of Romans who dominated the particular case of streets’ names (odonyms), Iberian space, imposing a sole language, where we deal with an intervention (with variable appeared several names of places arrived up to intensities) of authorities, the streets’ names our days, in forms obviously amended but being most often used by inhabitants. meant to evoke their Latin origin. Ex. Astorga Taken as a whole, the names of places (<Asturica Augusta) capital of Maragateria, reflect the variety of natural environment, the Salcedo (<salicetum), in Galicia (on the route process of population and the long action of of camino), Pineda (<pinetum) – several active adjustment of communities to natural localities, including one on Maresme Coast in and social environment. At the same time, Catalunya, Zaragoza (<Caesaraugusta, name they represent a part of the cultural patrimony give in honour of Julius Caesar, Arabian form of a people, being necessary – in our case – to Saraqusta). know the elements which created the identity 3. The layer produced by Germanic of Spain. (fig. 1) It is approved – generally – the migrations, Visigoths and Sueves, when, for contribution of four successive layers of the first time in the history appears the history, of culture and civilisation, which geopolitical concept of Spain3. In toponymy, created the fundamental identity of Spain there have been preserved names of places (Drimba, 2007, 7). leaving from anthroponyms, most frequently 1. The first layer, that of Iberians in Galicia where sueves have established (established in 2nd millennium before Christ), (another Germanic people): Gomariz, mixed with Celtics (starting with VII century Gondomar (<Gundemar), Rairiz, Allariz, before Christ) – Celtic Iberians. From them Mondariz, Hermisende, Aldan, Sendium etc. remained names of rivers1, the hydronyms There have resisted up to present Latin- being, as we know, the category of names of Germanic, hybrid forms, such as Castrojeriz places most resistant to time erosion following (<Castrum Sigerici), Vileza (<villa de Agiza), the terms entered in the structure of some Villalan (<villa Egilani) etc. The Germanic toponyms arrived, some of them changed, up tracks in toponymy are more obvious in to present: berg / “mountain, briga / Galicia, Asturia and in lower proportions in “fortification” (ex. Juliobriga today Logrono), the provinces of Leon and Zamora (Fanjul, briva / “bridge” (ex. Brieva, near Najera), bur, 2005, 189). burr / “head”, “peak”. In the same toponymic 4. The layer produced by the invasions layer are also included the names of places of Moslems (started in 711) who named the resulted from euskerra (Basque), language space conquered Al Andalus4. The long isolated from the rest of European linguistic presence of Moslems (most of them in North families. I bring now in discussion two Africa, Hamites and not Semites/authentic oiconyms from Navarra2 section of camino – Arabians) left tracks in Iberian Toponymy, Zubiri (zubi+iri, “village from the bridge”) and more numerous in the south of the country. Huarte (<ura+arte, “water + land between For instance, there are several names of places waters”) reminding of the position of initial (especially hydronyms or oiconyms with the toft of this locality in the neighbourhood of origin in hydronyms) which begin with Guad Pamplona, in a wide meander of Arga river the equivalent of wadi-water: Guadajoz (Celdran, 2002, 903, 400). (“puddle river”, wadi alshush) (Albaiges, 1998, 2. The antic layer created / produced by 291), Guadalajara (“river of stones”, wadi aljar), Tyrians (including Carthaginians), Greeks and Guadalcanal (river with quay sector; wadi al Romans. They shall incorporate urban kanal), Guadalupe (“river of wolf”, wadi accommodations among which Cadix (the al-‘lub), Guadalquivir (wadi al-kibir, “great 18 HUMAN GEOGRAPHIES – Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, (2010) 4.1, 17-31 CAMINO DE SANTIAGO – PLACE NAMES AND STREET NAMES river”)(Albaiges, 1998, 294). Some Arabian al-qasr (arrived in Spanish as alcazar) is the hydronyms stood – by extension – on the base Arabian form of Latin castrum. On the track of other geographical categories of toponyms of pilgrims we encounter Villalcazar de Sirga, such as Guadarrama (in Arabian wadi ar- accommodation near Carrión de les Condes. Ramla, “river with sand, sandy”), name worn Another Arabian term – passed practically today by a locality (thus an oiconym) with unchanged (phonetically) in Spanish – is al- several mineral sources and mountain chain qantara (“bridge”), reproduced by the well- (namely a morphonym / oronym) near Madrid known oiconym Alcantara (prov. Caceres, (Sierra de Guadarrama). Some Arabian Extremadura) name came from the bridge denominations “migrated” with the Spanish over Tajo built during the reign of emperor colonists in the New World, being notorious Traian5 (Albaiges, 1998, 48). in this respect the oiconym Guadalajara worn Several toponyms (not all) which begin by one of urban agglomerations (4,2 million with the morpheme al- suggest the Arabian inhabitants, 2005) of Mexico. origin of these, signalling geographical Returning to Spain, let’s say that realities of most various. More known by oiconyms are also numerous, having as origin geographers (economists) is the oiconym the Arabian term al qalat (fortification/ Almaden which signalises antic exploitations castle/borough) – sign of long conflicts (until of cinnabar (mercury mineral) active as well 1492) between Christians and Moslems. currently from Ciudad Real province (Castilla Example: a) Alcala de Henares (<al-Qala la Mancha)6. Through Arabian, there have nahar, “castle on the river”)(Celdran, 2002, 27) arrived to us antic names of places such

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