ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1308 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1308 ************************************ 27 Oct 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about , which your friend wants to use as a 7th to 9th century Scottish Gaelic name. Here is what we have found. In your friend's period, the language spoken by Gaels in Scotland was Early Gaelic (also known as Old Irish). It was identical to the language of Ireland, but very different from either modern Irish or modern Scottish Gaelic. Not only was their language very different, their style of naming was, too. Modern styles of naming are vastly different from those used by Gaels in Scotland before 900. In modern usage, the English is considered equivalent to the Irish name (which derives from the same root as the Scottish Gaelic ), but the two names are not the same. Late in our period and in modern times it became common for Gaelic names to be "translated" to some similar-sounding English name; some of these so-called translations even supplanted the original Gaelic names. The biblical was adopted into Old Irish as , pronounced \TEE-@v-dheh\ [1, 2]. \@\ represents a schwa, the first vowel sound in . The \v\ here isn't the normal English \v\. To get approximately the right sound, blow out a candle while vibrating your vocal cords. is a late-period spelling of , which is pronounced \TIEG\ (like with a hard \G\ at the end). was relatively common among early Gaels, and would be a fine choice for your friend [2]. is an English form of the biblical name . It was adopted into Old Irish as , but it was used only by clerics as a vocational name. is a modern form, and is a diminutive form of [1, 2]. Your friend's father could have been called , pronounced \YO-seff\, but only if he were a priest. (On the other hand, priests married at this point in history, so that's not impossible.) Men in early Gaelic culture were known as their father's sons. Surnames, as we use them in modern English, simply didn't exist in period Gaelic culture. Locative surnames like "of Skye" were not used in Old Irish. Tadc, son of Io/seph, would have been called , pronounced \TIEG mahk YO-seff\. For your friend's information: was not common in any form in Ireland or Scotland in period. As far as we can tell, was not an Irish or Scottish surname at any time in period or, for that matter, in modern times [3, 4]. You said that your friend wants a druid persona. The Gaels were Christian in his period, and both and are biblical names, not particularly likely choices for a non-Christian naming his son. In fact, the druids disappeared from Gaelic culture long before the 7th century. For more information, your friend might consult Daibhi O Croinin _Early Medieval Ireland 400-1200_ (Longman: London, 1995), particularly Chapters 1 and 6, "The beginnings of Irish History" and "The Consolidation of the Church"; and Peter Berresford Ellis _The Druids_ (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids MI, 1994), particularly Chapter 4, "Druids Through Celtic Eyes." I hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Margaret Makafee, and Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Oct 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Morgan, Peadar, _Ainmean Chloinne: Scottish Gaelic Names for Children_ (Scotland: Taigh na Teud Music Publishers, 1989). [2] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [3] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3). [4] Black, George F., _The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History_, (New York: The New York Public Library, 1986).