ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1348 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1348 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* From: "S Friedemann" 22 Nov 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if , , , , , or were used as feminine names in Aquitaine, France, between 1150 and 1200, particularly . You also asked about the arms "Argent, a phoenix gules." Here is the information we have found. was recorded in Languedoc (southern France) in the 13th century. We expect that it was also used in the late 12th century, so we believe it is a fine choice for your persona. [1, 3] Unfortunately, we could not find any of your other choices as given names in French or any other language. We cannot find the name in our references. It appears to be a blending of the late-period English name with the modern French , but it is not a form that we would expect to exist in period. [4, 5] is a French spelling of the Welsh literary name . It may have been used in your period as , but is unlikely. [6, 7] is the Latin word for "moon," and the name of a minor Roman goddess. We have no evidence that it was used as a given name by real people in your period or at other time before 1600. We have never seen any name like or . is the name of a character in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series; we doubt it exists anywhere else: Jordan apparently made up the names of all his main characters. doesn't look like a name for any European language we know. In the formal records that we have from your period, most French women were recorded as "daughter of," "wife of," or "widow of" a man. Wealthy women were sometimes known by the places where they lived or the estates they owned, e.g. . The following articles in our library have given names that would be appropriate for your period and place, if you would like to browse them to choose a name for your husband or father. "French/Occitan Names From The XII And XIII Century" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/ramon/occitan/ "Names from Thirteenth Century Languedoc" http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/cateline/languedoc.html Names from two 13th Century Chronicles http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/arval/crusades/ We think it is very unlikely that the phoenix would have been used in French arms in your period. Heraldry was in its infancy in the late 12th century, and the set of objects used in heraldic designs was still very small. The phoenix was never a common charge, and we have not seen an example used before the late 15th century [2]. If you want arms that are historically appropriate for your persona, we recommend you choose another charge. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Zenobia Naphtali, Juliana de Luna, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum, Rouland Carre, Talan Gwynek, and Walraven van Nijmegen. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy merch Catmael November 22, 1998 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Cateline de la Mor, "Names from Thirteenth Century Languedoc" (SCA: Trimarian Known World Heraldic Symposium, AS XXIX; WWW: J. Mittleman, 1997) [2] The phoenix is rare in English and Continental heraldry. The first known English example of a phoenix is a badge of Henry VII. A grant to the Painters' Company of London, 1486, includes phoenix's heads in their arms and a full phoenix in their crest. Jane Seymour was granted a phoenix in a badge in 1536, and both Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots used phoenices as badges. Ralph Verney used one as a badge in the early 16th century. Rodney Dennys, _The Heraldic Imagination_ (New York: Clarkson and Potter Inc., 1975), p.181. James Parker, _A Glossary of Terms used in Heraldry_ (Charles E. Tuttle, 1982), s.v. Castle. J.P. Brooke-Little, _An Heraldic Alphabet_ (New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1973). [3] Brenon, Anne, _Le petit livre aventureux des pre/noms occitans au temps du Catharisme_ (Tolosa: Loubatie\res, 1992), s.n. Andrea. [4] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988), s.n. Averil. [5] Dauzat, Albert, _Dictionnaire Etymologique des Noms de Famille et Prenoms de France_ (Paris: Libraire Larousse, 1987), s.n. Avril. [6] Withycombe s.n. Linnet. [7] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983), s.nn. Eluned, Lynette. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Correction, Arval, 15 Feb 2005: Most of the notes for this report were omitted (or lost?); and the comment archive is missing. I have reconstructed the notes as best I can. I wasn't able to find our reference for being a spelling of ; instead I cited [5] which tells us that derives from .