ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2428 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2428 ************************************ 10 Dec 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked our help finding a feminine name similar to that is appropriate for Denmark between 1157 and 1241. In particular, you asked about , , , , and . This letter is a brief answer to your question. You told us that you found these five names in Gunnar Knudsen's Danmarks Gamle Personnavne. We know no better source for information about Danish medieval names, though we can learn more by comparing data from adjacent countries. , , and are medieval Danish forms of . The name was introduced into Denmark in the mid-13th century, so early forms may be appropriate for the very end of your period. However, if you are thinking of a persona who lived 1157-1241, then this name would not be a good choice. The earliest certain example of the name in Denmark is , whose son "Erik Margaret's son" is mentioned between 1259 and 1286. Other early examples are 1275 and 1302 [1]. The symbol {ae} represents the letter ash, which is written as an a-e ligature (i.e. two letters squashed together so that the righthand stroke of the 'a' is also the left-hand stroke of the 'e'). The letters in square brackets are abbreviations that we've expanded for clarity. A spelling like , pronounced \MEH-r@-t@\, or , pronounced \MEH-r@-dh@\, is certainly appropriate for the second half of the 13th century in Denmark. Because spelling probably lagged behind pronunciation, it's reasonable to push these forms back to the end of your period. In the pronunciation guides, \@\ represents the sound of the in or , and \dh\ stands for the sound of the in . appears to be a variant of , but it's not one that we've found in Scandinavian records. We found (from which modern Danish derives) in Danish records in 1329 and in 1390; but both are well beyond your period [2]. A similar name, , was introduced earlier: We found references to a 13th century Danish nun of this name, to a man in 1285, and to a 13th century [3]. or is a plausible name for the latter part of your period; it was pronounced \mar-ee-AH-n@\ or \mar-ee-EN-n@\. is recorded in 1306; it is a Danish form of the Low German name . This is the only example of this name we found recorded in medieval Denmark and it is a half-century too late for your period; so we can't recommend it as a good choice [4]. It was pronounced \MAIN-set\. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Gunnvor Silfraharr, Talan Gwynek, and Adelaide de Beaumont. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 10 Dec 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Knudsen Gunnar, Marius Kristiansen, & Rikard Hornby, _Danmarks Gamle Personnavne_, Vol. I: Fornavne (Copenhagen: 1936-48), s.n. Margareta. There may have been a Portuguese princess of this name, grandmother of Valdemar the Young, who died in Denmark in 1231; her name is given in one source as , but in most sources she is called . [2] Knudsen s.n. Marina. [3] Knudsen s.n. Marianna. [4] Knudsen s.n. Meinseth.