ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2127 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2127 ************************************ 10 Oct 2000 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a 12th century Welshwoman. Here is what we have found. Unfortunately, we can't recommend this name as it stands. Some elements are fine, others are unlikely. We'll discuss each one in detail. is the usual modern spelling of a Welsh feminine name that may or may not have been used by any real medieval person. It appears once in a genealogy of 6th century Welsh royalty; but this document was written in the 13th century and some of the people mentioned are clearly legendary [1]. Very few of the names in these early genealogies were used in medieval Wales. We have no clear evidence that was ever used by a real person or that it was used after the 6th century outside of literature. We can't recommend it as good re-creation. is the name of the attributed author of the medieval Welsh poem "Y Gododdin", which describes 6th century events. Although the poem is only known from later versions, it is generally accepted that there was a historic person in the 6th century named some version of [2]. We have never seen a clear example of the name used by any other real person. There is a man named mentioned in a 13th century tax roll [3], but it is not clear that this is a variant of . It may be, but there is reason to be skeptical [4]. is the most common medieval Welsh form of the Latin ; this spelling can be found regularly from at least the later 13th century on [5]. It is difficult to determine the earlier form of the name, since earlier records give names in Latin forms and represent this name as . was pronounced roughly \YEH-vahn\. The use of 'u' for a \v\ sound was not unusual in medieval records. is a contracted form (possibly partly anglicized) of the place name which is in modern Welsh. It means "valley of the Dyfrdwy river", and lies about 50 km west of Llangollen in northeastern Wales. The name is strongly associated with Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-15th century Welsh prince who was known in the English fashion for his landholdings in this area. The name is not unique to this prince, but the association is strong enough that if you use it, many people will assume you're claiming some kind of connection. However, place names were extremely rare in early medieval Welsh names. Such a surname is not at all typical of names of your period. If you drop this element, then the structure of the remainder of your name -- verch ap -- is quite consistent with examples from early medieval Welsh records [5]. In summary, and are known only from 6th century traditions (though may have been revived in the 13th century). Some form of is an excellent choice for your period, and may well be the appropriate Welsh form. The locative is known only from later-period records and would be a very unusual element in a 12th century Welsh name; it also carries a strong association with a historical figure who lived several centuries after your period. Our best advice, if you want an authentic 12th century name, is to consider names that appear in medieval Welsh records. The most accessible source we can suggest is the one we've cited as reference [5], which is based on 13th century records. Some of the names listed there were adopted into Welsh from English, and those are less likely to have been used a century earlier. If you avoid names like and , you will end up with a very appropriate name. Feel free to check back with us to verify that your name fits the 12th century. 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 Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Talan Gwynek, Dietmar von Straubing, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, and Teceangl Bach. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 10 Oct 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] The semi-historical example is (in modern spelling), the mother of the 6th century Saint Gwrwst. Her father, , appears several times in heroic and semi-historical literature; we suspect he is purely legendary. Euronwy is also mentioned in the Mabinogion as , one of the women of Arthur's court. P.C. Bartrum, _Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1966), p.57. [2] Bartrum, Peter C., _A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in history and legend up to about A.D. 1000_ (Aberystwyth: The National Library of Wales, 1993), s.n. Aneirin. [3] Jones, Francis "The Subsidy of 1292 [covering Abergavenny and Cilgerran]" in the Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 13 (1950): 210-230). [4] The last syllable <-ain> is highly unlikely to have derived from <-in>, which is regularly rendered <-in> or <-yn> in the same source. [5] Jones, Heather Rose (aka Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn), "A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1996). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/welsh13.html