ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2192 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2192 ************************************ From: (Josh Mittleman) 20 Dec 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether any form of was used in Old Norse before 1200. Here is what we have found. The name is recorded in at least four different runic invocations of the archangel [1]. The earliest instance we found of a person using this name in Scandinavia is recorded in Denmark 1196 in a Latin document, in the ablative case, as . Another example appears as in 1203-4 [3]. We found record of a cleric in Norway named or in 1289-93 [4]. In Sweden, the earliest examples we found are 1386, 1394 and 1401, and 1443. [2]. The symbol {ae} represents an a-e ligature, i.e. the two letters pushed together so that they share a single stroke for the right side of the 'a' and the left side of the 'e'. 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 Lindorm Eriksson, Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Antonio Miguel Santos de Borja, and Adelaide de Beaumont. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 20 Dec 2000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Uppsala University Department for Scandinavian Languages, "Samnordisk tuntextdatabas" (WWW: Uppsala universitet, 29 Oct 1997). http://www.nordiska.uu.se/forskn/samnord.htm [2] _Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn_, bd. 2, h. 6 (Bloms Boktryckeri AB: Lund 1983, isbn: 91-7402-104-4), s.n. Gabriel. [3] Knudsen Gunnar, Marius Kristiansen, & Rikard Hornby, _Danmarks Gamle Personnavne_, Vol. I: Fornavne (Copenhagen: 1936-48), s.n. Gabriel. [4] Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn fra*n Medeltiden_ (Uppsala & Leipzig: 1905-1915, sup. Oslo, Uppsala and Kobenhavn: 1931), s.n. Gabriel. This may be a name taken upon entering holy orders.