Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

ofrecer la púrpura

English translation:

make the offering of purple (cloth)

Added to glossary by David Ronder
Oct 17, 2016 20:58
7 yrs ago
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Spanish term

ofrecer la púrpura

Spanish to English Social Sciences History Medieval coronations
Something the king has to do in a medieval Spanish coronation ceremony:

...el rey sería alzado en una sede episcopal, debería guardar una noche de vigilia, en pie; después de oír misa, *ofrecer la púrpura*, repartir su moneda, y luego comulgar; por fin sería alzado sobre un escudo por los doce ricohombres del reino, y aclamado por ellos, que exclamarían por tres veces: “real, real, real”.

Discussion

Juan Jacob Oct 17, 2016:
Juan Jacob Oct 17, 2016:
Interesante. De todas las acepciones de "púrpura", debe ser esta:
púrpura de Casio

1. f. Oro en polvo finísimo, de color rojo parduzco, que se hace precipitar de las disoluciones de sus sales por medio de ciertas sustancias reductoras.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

Proposed translations

10 hrs
Selected

make the offering of purple (cloth)

Coronation ceremonies are full of symbolism. The associations of purple in royal ceremonial are obvious, and of course have Roman roots. Historically "púrpura" has two related meanings: (1) the precious and expensive dye, Tyrian purple (actually red rather than purple in the modern sense) extracted from a certain snail, and (2) cloth dyed with it, which is associated with emperors, monarchs and cardinals. It seems unlikely that the dye was offered here; it must surely be the cloth.

It need hardly be said that at a coronation purple (cloth) symbolises the power and dignity of the monarch.

Some other descriptions, worded differently, help us to understand what is happening here. We must, of course, concentrate specifically on medieval Navarra, and this is derived from the Navarrese fueros.

"Ofrecer" refers to an offering to God, in the sense of the offertories after the mass:

"noun, plural offertories.
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) the offering of the unconsecrated elements that is made to God by the celebrant in a Eucharistic service."
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/offertory

Here, of course, it has a special significance, as a symbol of royal submission to God and the concomitant suggestion that the monarch's power is derived from God.

Here are some other references:

"Hicieron lo que les aconsejaron, formaron y escrivieron los fueros: el primero fue establecer cómo se había de levantar rey y su juramento, ordenando que la noche antes vele en la Iglesia, y por la mañana asista al santo sacrificio de la Misa y reciba la Santa Eucharistía y ofrezca en el Altar Púrpura y de su Moneda; que puesto de pies sobre su Escudo le levanten los Ricoshombres clamando todos tres vezes: REAL, REAL, REAL, que derrame de su Moneda sobre las gentes y se ciña él mismo su espada, que es a semejança de cruz".
From Chavier, Fueros del Reyno de Navarra (1686), quoted in Alfredo Floristán, "El uso de la imagen como representación jurídica", in La historia imaginada: construcciones visuales del pasado en la Edad Moderna, 324, n. 21
https://books.google.es/books?id=ri_WrFHifCUC&pg=PT326#v=one...

(Note, by the way, that the offering includes both purple (cloth) and coins, and that subsequently the new monarch also scatters coins to the people; your "repartir su moneda" refers to the latter.)

"El ceremonial comprendía los siguientes pasos: vela de armas la noche anterior, asistencia a misa en la iglesia, ofrenda de púrpura y moneda, comunión, alzamiento sobre el escudo al grito REAL, REAL, REAL y lanzamiento de monedas sobre las gentes."
La Catedral de Pamplona, 1394–1994, 30
http://www.navarra.es/appsext/bnd/GN_Ficheros_PDF_Binadi.asp...

"Finalmente el obispo de Pamplona celebró una misa cantada, y al ofertorio ofreció el rey telas de púrpura y oro y sus monedas, según fuero, y comulgó de mano del obispo."
http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/32620/15504

There are others, but these are enough, I think.

So it means an offering made, in the religious sense of an offering (to God), and what is offered is purple cloth and gold coins: power and wealth. The way it is phrased doesn't suggest that the monarch offers his own purple robe, but simply some purple cloth. "Purple", in English, commonly means purple cloth anyway, so the word "cloth" needn't necessarily be added for a specialist readership; you decide.

The offering is an element of many coronation ceremonies. Here is an interesting account of the coronation or our very own George IV in 1821:

"The Offering.— The King, attended by the two Bishops, his supporters, the Dean of Westminster, and the Noblemen bearing the Regalia and the four swords, passed to the Altar; where his Majesty uncovered, and kneeling upon the cushion, made his first offering of a pall or altar-cloth of gold."
A Brief Account of the Coronation of... George IV, 16
https://books.google.es/books?id=ZV8UAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA16
Note from asker:
That'll do nicely, Charles. Thank you. In the event I included 'cloth' because it ran better in the sentence and made things absolutely clear.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
3 hrs

offer the (his) royal purple robe

The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=110147579X -
Simon Price, ‎Peter Thonemann - 2011 - ‎History
There was the same polarity of views concerning Tiberius Gracchus. His enemies alleged that he had received a royal purple robe and diadem from the Attalid ...

Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1909496626 -
Plutarch - 2013 - ‎Fiction
... speak there, said that he was a neighbour of Tiberius, and therefore knew that Eudemus of Pergamum had presented Tiberius with a royal diadem and purple robe, believing that he was going to be king in Rome.

the ceremonial elevating of a new king is apparently described in Appendix mI or Appendix III of the following book (somewhere towards the end of its 288 pages):

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1400875447 -
Ralph E. Giesey - 2015 - ‎History
... the famous mediaeval Navarrese alzar el rey, the “Germanic” elevation of the king ... to the accompaniment of the “thrice-royal” cry: REAL, REAL, REAL.oo This is ... oo The alzar el rey ceremonial is given below, Appendix mI, at the bottom of ... at least) an Aragonese practice; see below, Appendix III, for Charles; above, ...

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1400875447 -
Ralph E. Giesey - 2015 - ‎History
... the Fuero of Navarre itself (referred to hereafter as FN 1,1,1) which contains the fueros to be sworn and a description of the ceremonial elevating of a new king.

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
press.princeton.edu/titles/1020.html
RE Giesey - ‎
In the 1560's and the 1570's, several authors outside of Spain recorded the text of an oath supposedly uttered by the Aragonese people when they received their ...

in Spanish: ofrecer la púrpura real

Púrpura. Del mercado al poder
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8436261763
Pilar FERNÁNDEZ URIEL - 2010 - ‎History
Así el senador Pompeyo acusó al enviado de Pérgamo, Eudemo, de ofrecer a Tiberio Graco «la púrpura real» (Una acusación muy similar se haría contra Julio ...
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

2 hrs
Reference:

“thrice-royal” cry: REAL, REAL, REAL

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1400875447 -
Ralph E. Giesey - 2015 - ‎History
... the famous mediaeval Navarrese alzar el rey, the “Germanic” elevation of the king ... to the accompaniment of the “thrice-royal” cry: REAL, REAL, REAL.oo This is ... oo The alzar el rey ceremonial is given below, Appendix mI, at the bottom of ... at least) an Aragonese practice; see below, Appendix III, for Charles; above, ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-10-17 23:29:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1400875447 -
Ralph E. Giesey - 2015 - ‎History
The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of Sobrarbe Ralph E. Giesey ... In Appendix III, I have arranged the three texts ín question in parallel.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-10-17 23:34:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1400875447 -
Ralph E. Giesey - 2015 - ‎History
... the Fuero of Navarre itself (referred to hereafter as FN 1,1,1) which contains the fueros to be sworn and a description of the ceremonial elevating of a new king.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-10-17 23:45:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

If Not, Not: The Oathe of the Aragonese and the Legendary Laws of ...
press.princeton.edu/titles/1020.html
RE Giesey - ‎
In the 1560's and the 1570's, several authors outside of Spain recorded the text of an oath supposedly uttered by the Aragonese people when they received their ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-10-17 23:55:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

ofrecer la púrpura real:

Púrpura. Del mercado al poder
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8436261763
Pilar FERNÁNDEZ URIEL - 2010 - ‎History
Así el senador Pompeyo acusó al enviado de Pérgamo, Eudemo, de ofrecer a Tiberio Graco «la púrpura real» (Una acusación muy similar se haría contra Julio ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2016-10-18 00:02:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Delphi Complete Works of Plutarch (Illustrated)
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1909496626 -
Plutarch - 2013 - ‎Fiction
... speak there, said that he was a neighbour of Tiberius, and therefore knew that Eudemus of Pergamum had presented Tiberius with a royal diadem and purple robe, believing that he was going to be king in Rome.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2016-10-18 00:04:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=110147579X -
Simon Price, ‎Peter Thonemann - 2011 - ‎History
There was the same polarity of views concerning Tiberius Gracchus. His enemies alleged that he had received a royal purple robe and diadem from the Attalid ...
Something went wrong...
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