# stella maris



## jdellis13

Please, can anyone tell me the meaning or language of "stel lama ris"?


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## Anne345

stella maris = star-fish in latin.


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## Whodunit

jdellis13 said:
			
		

> Please, can anyone tell me the meaning or language of "stel lama ris"?


 
It would be more easy if you could give us some context or useful sentence around. Where did you hear or read it?


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## ampurdan

Anne345 said:
			
		

> stella maris = star-fish in latin.


 
Wouldn't be the translation of stella maris, "sea star"? "Star of the sea"?


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## Anne345

http://images.google.fr/images?hl=fr&lr=&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2003-39,GGLD:en&q=star-fish&sa=N&tab=wi


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## diegodbs

jdellis13 said:
			
		

> Please, can anyone tell me the meaning or language of "stel lama ris"?


 
I am not sure if you need the translation in Spanish, but "stella maris" is one of the lines of the Catholic prayer "Letanías Lauretanas" (Lauretana Litany), and it is Latin.
As used in this prayer it means "sea star" or "star of the sea" as Ampurdán said, Spanish "estrella del mar". The light that guided sailors back home, and it was a way of referring to the Virgin Mary.


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## TimeHP

In Italy we have Hotels, Schools and Churches called Stella Maris.
Stella Maris is the Holy Virgin.
Ciao.


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## Chaska Ñawi

I believe that it's also the name of the star on the Acadian flag.


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## Outsider

ampurdan said:
			
		

> Wouldn't be the translation of stella maris, "sea star"? "Star of the sea"?


The _literal_ translation, yes.


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## ampurdan

Outsider said:
			
		

> The _literal_ translation, yes.


 
Then why it should be Star-fish the non-literal translation? I've never hear of that. I agree that it is used as an advocation to the Virgin of the Roman Catholics...


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## Outsider

ampurdan said:
			
		

> Then why it should be Star-fish the non-literal translation?


I didn't say that. I don't have a Latin dictionary in hand. It's a shame the original poster didn't provide us with more context.


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## ampurdan

Outsider said:
			
		

> I didn't say that. I don't have a Latin dictionary in hand. It's a shame the original poster didn't prove more context.


 
I know you didn't, but Anne345, who was the one I was asking. 

Stella, -ae: f. star. Stella: nominative.

Mare, -is: n. Mar. Maris: genitive.

"Star of the sea".

Yes, it's a shame. Anyway, he or she did not say it was stella maris, but sth. like stel lama ris (yes, it's quite probable it is the latin advocation but...).


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## TimeHP

This is what WIKIPEDIA writes:
..._San Girolamo__  faceva risalire Maria alle parole ebraiche mar (goccia) e yam (mare), in latino stilla maris (goccia del mare) che, grazie ad una trascrizione errata divenne stella maris, cioé "stella del mare" che è rimasta una delle invocazioni della Madonna..._
_Ciao_


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## Jhorer Brishti

Sea star is the correct name for the echinoderm but it's quite normal to hear starfish even though technically the animal is not a fish. Translating it literally as star of the sea sounds unnecessarily poetic and does not clearly indicate that we're referring to the same animal. Unless in latin Stella maris does not refer to the "starfish" in the english sense of the word and only refers to the Virgin Mary...


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## ampurdan

I thought it might be a good idea to translate your quote, TimeHP, I hope you don't mind:

"Saint Jerome made derive Mary from the hebrew word "mar" (drop) and "yam" (sea), in Latin _stilla maris_ (drop of the sea) which, due to a mistake in the transcription, becomes _stella maris, _i.e. "star of the sea", which has remained as one of the invocations of the Virgin".


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## TimeHP

Nice. Thank you.


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## relativamente

In the litany the Virgin is called "stella matutina" not "stella maris".She is called really strange things like domus aurea, wich I heard is the palace build by Neron.But is true that I heard her called stella maris in some religious songs.No doubt this comes from some mistake.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

relativamente said:


> In the litany the Virgin is called "stella matutina" not "stella maris".She is called really strange things like domus aurea, wich I heard is the palace build by Neron.But is true that I heard her called stella maris in some religious songs.No doubt this comes from some mistake.


 
There is no "mistake" in calling the Blessed Vigin Mary _Stella maris_, for the reason already given above: as a star guides sailors on the sea to their harbor, so does Mary guide us to Christ. The reference to Mary as the "house of gold" has nothing to do with Nero's palace. It is instead a reference to the Temple of Solomon, in which the Holy of Holies, where God was present (as Christ was present within Mary's womb) was covered with gold.

The most well-known hymn containing the term "Maris Stella" is _Ave Maris Stella,_ which is considerably older than the Litany of Loreto:

_Ave, maris stella,_
_Dei Mater alma,_
_Atque semper Virgo_
_Felix caeli porta._

(MOD EDIT. Rule 17: Please, do not copy or translate more than 4 lines of lyrics)


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## jfrogwater

The Virgin Mary is also referred to as "Stella Maris" in the hymn _Alma Redemptoris Mater._

A discussion of how this obscure metaphore may have come to be is found in the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, online (sorry, but I haven't posted enough to just include the URL).


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