Academy of Saint Gabriel Report 144

This report is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/144

Later research turned up additional information relevant to this report. See the end of the letter for details.

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on the name "Morganna."

There is no historic evidence for the use of the feminine name "Morgana" or any variant of it in pre-1600 Europe by actual people. "Morgen" is found as a man's name in Welsh, but not as a woman's name. All the known uses of the "Morgan" and similar names for women derive from to the fictional character "Morgain" from Arthurian romances. "Morgain" is a French rendering of a mistaken spelling-pronunciation of Morgen (properly pronounced "MORE-yen"), which appears in "History of the British Kings" by Geoffrey of Monmouth, a 12th-century book which was a major source for the Arthurian romances). Geoffrey drew on Welsh sources for his work, but he often used male names for female characters, and "Morgen" is a prime example.

Your instincts about changing "Morrigan" to "Morrigana" are good. Feminine names in most Western European languages were feminized into Latin by the addition of an "a." If we had any record of women named "Morrigan," we could extrapolate the name "Morrigana." However, we have no evidence that any medieval Irish woman used the name "Morrigan". We find it only as the name of the goddess.

We have found examples of the name "Idonea" used in the 13th century in England (1), and it would be a perfectly reasonable English given name.

We were unable to find any record of the name "Kyteler" or any pattern which it fit. Thus, you have the only evidence we know of for the name. Can you tell us more about what you found?

We hope we have been helpful. If we can offer any further assistance, please let us know.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel

Correction, 3 Jan 2003, Arval: Deleted the discussion of Gaelic Muirgein.