ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1920 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1920 ************************************ 16 Feb 2000 From: Jodi McMaster Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You asked about the masculine Old English name used in Anglo-Saxon England before 1066. Old English names consist of two parts: a prototheme, the first half, and a deuterotheme, the second half. The usual form of the prototheme in the name is and the usual form of the deuterotheme is <-r{ae}d>. The {ae} represents an ash, usually pronounced in Old English like the "a" in hat, although pronunciation varies depending on time and dialect. Although the parts of the name appear in many other Old English names, such as , , , or <{AE}(th}elred>, the combination of the two is rare and even when found, there are doubts about the evidence supporting the form. [1, 2] However, we were able to find one who was a 7th c. prince of Mercia. [2] An alternative prototheme to consider is , frequently used in masculine names, though not as often as . [3] We found a c.700 who was the father of Ini, king of Wessex. [2] Therefore, it appears was a rare name for an Anglo-Saxon man, although there is some evidence it did exist in the 7th century. We hope this letter has been helpful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. Talan Gwynek and Arval Benicouer contributed comments and/or research for this letter. For the Academy, AElfwyn aet Gyrwum 16 February 2000 __________________ References: [1] For example, the name appears in the Domesday book as ; this is either for the Old English with prothetic or for or with for by scribal error. Thus, we can't be sure what name is intended. Feilitzen, O. von, _The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book_ (Uppsala: 1937). [2] Searle, William George, _Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum_ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1897), s.nn. Cynered, Coenred. [3] Selte/n, Bo, _The Anglo-Saxon Heritage in Middle English Personal Names_, Volumes 1 & 2. (Lund, Sweden: Royal Society of Letters at Lund, 1979).