Friol
LugoGalicia
Possessive toponym. The most widespread reading derives it from the Gothic anthroponym Froila or Froilanus (Hispanicised variant of the Suevic-Visigothic name Froila, 'lord', base frawila- 'master'), in possessive. The name was borne by several Asturian kings (Fruela I and II) and by Saint Froilán of Lugo (9th century), patron of the Lugo diocese.
Froila is one of the most documented Hispanicised Gothic anthroponyms in early-medieval peninsular onomastics —borne by several Asturian kings (Fruela I, son of Alfonso I; Fruela II, son of Alfonso III) and, more relevant to this region, by Saint Froilán (833-905), bishop of León and patron of the Lugo diocese, born in Lugo and founder of the monasteries of Tábara and Moreruela. The name derives from the Germanic base frawila- ('lord, master'), with the affective suffix -ila typical of Gothic anthroponymy. The form Friol with contraction is the result of the Galician phonetic evolution of the genitive Froilae → Friole → Friol. The hamlet head of the eponymous council sits in the Carba range, already close to the crossing with the Camino Francés. It preserves a notable rural patrimony, with several blazoned manor houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. The council also gives its name to the Friol fresh cheese D.O., one of the most artisanal in Galicia.
Evolution of the name
- Froila / Froilanus Latinized Gothic 6th — 9th centuries
- Friol medieval Galician from the 12th century
Glossary
- Anthroponym
- A personal name, often used as the base of toponyms (Lucronius → Logroño, Sigerici → Castrojeriz, Sacavus → Sacavém).
- Onomastics
- The linguistic discipline that studies proper names — of persons, places and institutions. "Onomastic readings" are competing etymological hypotheses about a name.
- Pazo
- A Galician lordly house, a fortified complex with chapel and agricultural dependencies, the basic cell of Galician feudalism. Pazo is the popular form of Latin palatium; pala/palas is a medieval variant, fixed in toponyms such as Palas de Rei.
Sources
- Piel, J.M. & Kremer, D. — Hispano-gotisches Namenbuch
- Navaza, G. — Toponimia de Galicia
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Camino del Norte