ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1135 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1135 ************************************ From: 12 Aug 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wrote to us for help forming a pre-13th century Welsh or Gaelic name with the meaning 'White Wolf', 'White Mage', or 'White Fire'. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using authentic names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. The SCA has fairly lenient rules for passing names, so it's possible to pass many names which aren't historically accurate. If having a particular name or meaning is more important to you than having a historical name, then you should consult another group (such as the heralds in your kingdom or the SCA heralds mailing list at http://listserv.aol.com/archives/scahrlds.html). Secondly, in most cultures within the scope of the Society, given names didn't have meanings. Nearly all names ultimately derived from normal words in some language, but it was very rare for people to continue to associate a given name with meaning of those ancient root words. Once these words came to be used as names, they were merely names and no longer had a deeper meaning. In modern English, we know that the word is related to the name , but in normal use, we don't expect the plant to have anything to do with a person who uses the name. If the connection is less obvious, the meaning is completely irrelevent. For example, derives from an Aramaic word that means "twin", but we hardly expect every Thomas today to be a twin. Similarly, while there are given names which derive from words that mean "raven" in one language or another, the connection was rarely recognized and almost never relevant. So what possibilities are there for you? Fortunately, there are names in both Gaelic and Welsh that ultimately come from words with meanings you were interested in, such as "white + hound", and so forth. We found the following given names in Irish [1]: Aedan derived from "fire", Aidan derived from "fire", Finn fair, white Finnaca/n a diminutive of Finna/n a diminutive of Finnbarr fair-haired Finnchad possibly "fair warrior" Finnchu/ fair hound, or fair warrior Finnechta derived from Finne/n derived from Fintan possibly "white ancient" or "white fire" Fa/ela/n wolf Since it was common in Gaelic culture to be known as the son of your father, you can form a solid Gaelic name by choosing two names from the list above -- one as your own given name, and the other as the given name of your father. One possibility is , meaning "Finnbar, son of Finnchad". Another example possibility is , meaning "Finn, male descendant of Faola/n". The spelling of the father's or ancestor's name is altered in both names because it is in the genitive (possessive form); this is standard in Gaelic grammar. For more about the construction of Gaelic names, you should read "Quick and Easy Gaelic Bynames": http://www.stanford.edu/~skrossa/medievalscotland/quick_gaelic_bynames.html As for possibilities from Welsh, we found the following examples of given names from early Welsh [2,3,4]: Gwyn fair, white Blethin, Blethyn, Bledyn diminutives of (wolf) Bledgur from (wolf + man) Bledri, Bledud from (wolf + lord) Bleidcu from (dear + wolf) Tangwn & Cybrdan may derive from (fire) We also found the following bynames (descriptive phrases used in a name) [2]: Wyn derived from ; extremely common Vleid wolf, occasionally found as a nickname Hudol magician, or perhaps "enchanting" Given the above, we recommend any of the following, though the first two are much more typical. All are in standard 13th century Welsh spellings: Gwyn Vleid Bledyn Wyn Gwyn Hudol Bledud Wyn For more information about the construction of Welsh names, we recommend "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th century Welsh Names": http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you. Please feel free to write again is you need additional help or would like pronounciations. Eafric neyn Kenneoch, Arval Benicoeur, Giles Leabrook, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, and Taceangl Bach contributed to this letter. In service, --Walraven van Nijmegen Academy of S. Gabriel [1] Donnchadh O/ Corra/in & Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990) [2] Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, _Names and Naming Practices in the Merioneth Lay Subsidy Roll, 1292-3_ (SCA: KWHS Proceedings, 1991) [3] Gwilym Peredur Jones, _A List of Epithets from Welsh Pedigress_ in BBCS vol.3 part I (1926) [4] J. Gwenogvryn Evans, _The Text of the Book of Llan Dav_ (Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, 1979) facs. of the 1893 Oxford edition [5] P.C. Bartrum, _Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1966)