ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1463 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1463 ************************************ 22 Feb 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for an Irish woman living around the year 1000, and how she would identify herself as the daughter of a Viking named . (The comma in the name represents a backward comma hanging from the bottom of the .) Here is what we have found. We could not any evidence that was used as a first name in our period. We found two modern places called , one in Fife and one in Islay. It probably derives from the Gaelic place name "my Eithne's church". The Fife name appears in non-Gaelic records as in 1250, in 1518 [1, 2]. Place names were not re-used in given names in Gaelic or Norse in our period, so we recommend that you consider a different first name. You can find lists of Gaelic and of Norse women's names in articles on our medieval names website: http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/ It is entirely plausible for a woman living in Ireland in your period to have a Norse father. Since men and women in both these cultures were generally known as their father's children, it would make perfect sense to identify yourself that way. How you would do that would depend on which language you were using at the time. Languages weren't mixed together, but you might have used Norse, Gaelic, or Latin in different contexts. Quite a few names show up in records in all these languages in the Middle Ages, though of course the spelling changed to fit the spelling conventions of each language. For example, the Gaelic woman's name was adapted into Norse as and was recorded in Latin as . The Gaelic man's name was adapted into Norse as and was written in Latin as [3, 4, 5, 6]. (The symbol {dh} represents the Norse letter edh, pronounced like the in .) Muirgel the daughter of Cathal could have been identified as in Gaelic, as in Norse, and as in Latin. We don't know how (or if) was ever recorded in Latin or Gaelic, but if you like we could send you a list of Gaelic women's names that we know were adapted into Norse so that you can at least identify yourself correctly in one language. We 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 Evan da Collaureo and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 22 Feb 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Watson, William J., _The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland_ (London: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd., 1926), p.284. [2] Johnston, James R., _Place-Names of Scotland_ (London: John Murray, 1934), p.221. [3] Fleck, G. (aka Geirr Bassi Haraldsson), _The Old Norse Name_, Studia Marklandica (series) (Olney, Maryland: Yggsalr Press, 1977). [4] Arval Benicoeur, "Some Scottish Gaelic Feminine Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/arval/scotgaelfem/ [5] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100 [6] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation).