ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1425 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1425 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 9 Jan 1999 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if the feminine name was used in any culture in period. Here is the information we have found. was the name of a female demon in Babylonian and Sumerian myth. In modern Hebrew legend, she is often said to be the first wife of Adam [1]. In the Middle Ages, was believed by some to be a witch who menaced little children, roaming in the night and attacking children and women in childbirth. [2,3] Because of the stigma attatched to the name, it is very unlikely that someone in any culture in the medieval period would name a child ; we suggest that you consider a different name. If you would like a similar name, you might be interested in the names and , both of which would be appropriate in a Scots or English name. [1,4] 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 Benicoeurm, Margaret Makafee, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum, and Zenobia Naphtali. For the Academy, --Aryanhwy merch Catmael January 9, 1999 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Guralnik, David B., ed., _Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language_ (Cleveland: W. Collins, 1974). [3] Barnhart, Clarence L., ed. _The New Century Cyclopedia of Names_ (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1954) [4] Dunkling, Leslie and William Gosling, _The New American Dictionary of First Names_ (New York: Signet Books, 1983).