ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2985 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2985 ************************************ 11 Feb 2005 From: Gunnvor Silfraharr Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for our opinion of or as a German name between 1100 and 1400. You also asked about the arms 'Azure, a wolf head couped argent; a chief argent charged with three eagles displayed sable'. Here is what we found. The name did not come into very common use until the Reformation, when the Biblical story of Tobias became quite popular [1]. The earliest examples we have identified of as a German given name date from 1554 and 1559-61 and come from Bohemia [2]. These examples are important because they show as a given name. We also found a number of surnames that originated as patronymics (naming the original bearers' fathers) derived from and its pet forms; these surnames by their nature must have originated in the Middle Ages, and in some cases we were able to find relatively early examples. These surnames are from a wide enough variety of dialects to show that the name must have been used over most of Germany, if not necessarily very often. , for instance, is from the Alemannic dialects of southwestern Germany and Switzerland, and are Austrian, is Bavarian, and and are from Silesia and show some Slavic influence; all are pet forms of , and the list is by no means exhaustive [3]. The double quotes are used here to indicate an umlaut over the preceding letter. We have quite early examples of the first two types: 1308 and 1366 [3]. These are early enough that the bynames may be true patronymics: either of these men may have been the son of a man named . From 1496 we have , , and in a Low German dialect of northern Germany; is a Low German diminutive of the pet form [5]. , recorded in Switzerland in 1508, shows another Alemannic pet form, and 1632 is another Low German form [4]. That brings us to . A man whose name is recorded as died in 1499 [4]. This is clearly a Latinized form: abbreviates , and is a Latin genitive (possessive) of , a Latinization of the pet form . At an earlier date this would probably be an abbreviated form of 'Johann son of Tobin', and that may be the case here as well. At this late date, however, it is not unlikely that a canon at Neustadt an der Hardt (also known as Neustadt an der Weinstrasse) in the Rhenish Palatinate -- for such he was -- would have had a hereditary surname. If so, may be an early instance of the practice, widespread among the Humanists, of Latinizing their names [6]. In any case, his name is evidence that the pet form was in use sometime before about 1450 at the latest, probably somewhat earlier. In short, is probably appropriate by the end of your period, but the only forms that we can actually demonstrate were in use before 1400 are and . They, and by inference itself, are probably appropriate for at least the last century or so of your period. The situation with is complicated, but the name probably isn't a good choice in exactly this form. The closest name that is almost completely unproblematic is , from one of the several Bavarian places named Wolfstein: an Austrian was recorded in 1405 [7]. There is good evidence, however, that , , and are also reasonable 14th century locative bynames; we'll discuss this evidence below. The main issues raised by are versus , and the appropriateness of the <-en-> in the middle of the name. The first has to do with dialect differences, while the second is a matter of German grammar; we'll discuss them in that order. There are two main groups of German dialects: Low German, native to approximately the northern third of Germany, and High German, native to the central and southern two-thirds or so. Both groups of dialects inherited words related to English , but in general the Low German dialects inherited it as , while the High German dialects inherited it as [8]. Thus, we expect to see a pattern of forms in the north and forms elsewhere. To a large extent this is what we do see, though the influence of the standard language, which is of High German type, has given rise to some names in the north, and there are a few and names in Bavaria [9]. Owing to local dialect variation and lack of standardized spelling, the geographical split was very likely a bit fuzzier in your period. To a first approximation, however, we can still say that is Low German and , High German; and since we haven't the detailed expert knowledge necessary to go very much further, we'll work on that basis. This means that whether the place-name is spelled or has implications both for the geographical situation of the place and for which pet forms of are likely to be consistent with the place-name. We'll return to these implications after we explain the grammatical issue. When a common noun like was used to form the first element of a compound German place-name, it was almost invariably used in the genitive case, either in the singular, corresponding to English , or in the plural, corresponding to English . In the usual scholarly standardized spelling the Middle High German genitive singular was , and the genitive plural was ; the corresponding Middle Low German forms had instead of . ('Middle High German' and 'Middle Low German' are the names given to the High and Low German languages of your period.) [10]. None of these forms can produce or by regular linguistic processes. In many German place-names, however, the first element is not from a common noun, but rather from a masculine name in the genitive case. One large class of Old High German masculine names, mostly ending in <-o>, formed their genitives in <-en> (or in some dialects <-in>); one such is , whose Middle High German genitive is [11, 12]. A Middle High German would therefore be 'Wolfo's ', analogous to 'Otto's ' and other similar place-names [13]. Although is literally 'stone', the element <-stein> in habitation names was used exclusively of castles, originally those erected on rocky eminences overlooking the neighboring landscape [14]. Thus, is actually to be understood as 'Wolfo's castle'. Names in <-stein> are much less common in the Low German dialect area than elsewhere and are especially concentrated in Bavaria and in Austria, where we actually found a modern [15]. Place-names do sometimes change in irregular and unpredictable ways, and we weren't able to find an early form of the name, so it's possible that in your period the name was quite different [15]. None the less, between the Austrian Wolfenstein and the medieval constructions fully analogous to 'Wolfo's castle', appears to be at worst a very plausible hypothetical 14th century High German place-name, especially in Austria or Bavaria [16]. There were three main ways in which bynames were formed from place-names. All three can be seen in late 14th century records from Frankfurt am Main, all referring to the same man, who was presumably from the nearby town of Butzbach: 1390 'of Butzbach', 1389, with the unmodified place-name, and 1388 'man of Butzbach'. The three types were largely interchangeable, but the third type was especially characteristic of the south, while the second was more common in the center and north [17]. Thus, we recommend the forms , , and as being most consistent with the likeliest geographical locations of the place-name. Similarly, of all the pet forms of for which we have any evidence of use in your period, the Austrian gives much the best fit geographically and, as we saw earlier, has the additional virtue of being attested in your period (in the name 1366). is a bit more problematic: our evidence for it is both more indirect and from a different region from what appears to be the likeliest setting for a Wolfenstein. Given the limitations of our data, it's entirely possible that is a fine 14th century name, but it's definitely a bit more speculative; itself is somewhat safer re-creation. To summarize, the name is attested, so <(der) Wolfsteiner> and are fairly safe choices for your period. These surnames would go well with , for which we have an example in 1308, or the inferred name . We think that there's a very strong case for <(der) Wolfensteiner> and as well, at least in an Austrian or Bavarian setting, and these would pair well with an attested name from that region such as . The arms you asked about may be blazoned 'Azure, a wolf's head couped and on a chief argent three eagles displayed sable'. Your proposed design has two uncommon features: three eagles on a chief and the wolf's head. The coat is certainly compatible with 14th century German heraldic style, but it is not particularly typical of the examples we have that style. The Zurich Roll of Arms (ca. 1340) is the oldest surviving German roll of arms, and it provides a good sampling of coats of arms in Germany from your period with which to compare your proposed design [18]. The Zurich roll is really just one small sample of the heraldry of medieval Germany, from one corner of the German world; more data from other German coats of arms might lead to different conclusions. The tinctures you have selected, azure with an argent charge, are a fine choice; the Zurich Roll contains 14 coats using this combination. The use of a chief is also quite reasonable, as the Zurich Roll has 14 coats of arms with chiefs, seven of which are charged. Most charged chiefs used a single charge, however, except for one example that had three roses on the chief. Eagles are likewise well-represented in the Zurich Roll. One of the chiefs in the Roll is charged with an eagle displayed fesswise [19]. The use of an animal's head couped as your primary charge is well-supported by 16 examples in the Zurich Roll. While wolves are fairly uncommon in this roll of arms, there are one or possibly two examples of a wolf's head couped. To summarize, the chief charged with three eagles and the wolf's head in your proposed coat of arms are not the best recreation of 14th century German heraldic style as represented by the Zurich Roll. However, we doubt they would have been considered surprisingly unusual. If you wish, write us again and we can help you modify your arms to make them more typical of your culture. I 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 Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Arval Benicoeur, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Jillian Saint Andre. For the Academy, Gunnvor Silfraharr 11 February 2005 ----------------------------------------------------- References [1] Drosdowski, Guenther, _Duden Lexikon der Vornamen_, 2nd ed. (Mannheim: Dudenverlag, 1974). S.n. . [2] Schwarz, Ernst. _Sudetendeutsche Familiennamen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts_ (Mu"nchen: Robert Lerche, 1973), s.nn. , . [3] Bahlow, Hans, _Deutsches Namenlexikon : Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklaert_ (Frankfurt am Main : Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Verlag, 1985, 1990). S.nn. , , . [4] Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, _Etymologisches Woerterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen_ (Limburg a. d. Lahn, C. A. Starke-Verlag, 1957-1960). S.nn. , , . [5] Engel, Franz, _Die Mecklenburgischen Kaiserbederegister von 1496_, Mitteldeutsche Forschungen 56 (Koeln: Boehlau Verlag, 1968). Pp. 157, 230, 275. [6] Schwarz, Ernst, _Deutsche Namenforschung. I: Ruf- und Familiennamen_ (Goettingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1949). p. 170f. [7] Brechenmacher, op. cit., S.n. . [8] The Proto-Germanic word for 'wolf' is reconstructed as . Old Saxon preserved the original vowel and inherited the word as , but in Old High German it became . Low Saxon subsequently developed into the Middle Low German dialects spoken in roughly the northern third of medieval Germany, while Old High German was the ancestor of the Middle High German dialects spoken in the central and southern German-speaking regions. [9] For example, one modern place-name database shows 56 German towns with names in or , of which the vast majority are in the north, and about 213 with names in or , of which the great majority are in the south and center. It shows another 47 and names in Austria and four more in Switzerland, both of which are very much in the High German dialect region. The database is doubtless incomplete, but it appears to be at least roughly representative. Peat, Chris. "Select Country: Town and Villages Location Database". (WWW: Heavens-Above) http://www.heavens-above.com/countries.asp [10] An actual (non-standardized) example of a compound with the Middle Low German genitive singular is the 1302 , representing modern . (This is to be understood as : the is merely a graphic variant of .) Die Burg im Mittelalter. (WWW: Wolfsburg). http://www.wolfsburg.de/stadtportrait/chronik/burg_mittelalter/ [11] Socin, Adolf, _Mittelhochdeutsches Namenbuch. Nach oberrheinischen Quellen des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts_ (Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1903; Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1966). P. 196. [12] Schmidt, Wilhelm et al. _Geschichte der Deutschen Sprache_ (Berlin: Volk und Wissen Volkseigener Verlag, 1969), Sections 2.3.2.2.1 and 3.3.2.2. [13] We looked for placenames ending in <-stein> which were combined with a first element consisting of a personal name using the same grammatical construction for the possessive form as that used for OHG : : First mention is in the name 1187 [13a], which appears to be from [13b]. : Quite likely from , [13c]. : From or [13d]. : Clearly from , though possibly with reference to the saga figure rather than to a living bearer of the name [13e]. : From [13f]. : From [13g]. : From [13h]. [13a] "Burg und Stadt Betzenstein". (WWW: Heimatmuseum Betzenstein im alten Rathaus). http://www.pottenstein.de/reifen-waechter/burg/Betzenstein.html [13b] Socin, op. cit., pp. 227, 228. [13c] Neck, Helmut and Ju"rgen Haase. "Ortsgeschichte von Eggenstein und Leopoldshafen". (WWW: SPD OV Eggenstein- Leopoldshafen: Ausstellung am Hafen, 1999). http://www.eggleo.de/spd/hafen/tafel.htm [13d] Greule, Albrecht. "Personennamen in Ortsnamen." In: Dieter Geuenich, Wolfgang Haubrichs, & Jo"rg Jarnut, _Nomen et gens_ (New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1997). P. 255. [13e] Socin, op. cit., pp. 571, 572. [13f] "Burg Greifenstein". (WWW: Burg Greifenstein, 2003). http://www.burggreifenstein.at/index2.htm [13g] "Ottensteiner Hochebene". (WWW: Flecken Ottenstein). http://www.ottensteiner-hochebene.de/burg.html [13h] "Burg Pottenstein". (WWW: Burgenreich.de, 2002). http://www.burgenreich.de/burg%20pottenstein%20geschichte.htm [14] Schwarz, Ernst, _Deutsche Namenforschung. II: Orts- und Flurnamen_ (Goettingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1950). p. 187f. [15] For example, the Castle Wolfenstein that gave its name to the Wolfensteiner Ohe, a stretch of river in Bavaria, was first recorded as in 1301 and probably got its name from Bishop Wolfker von Erla, who had had it built about a century earlier. See: "Freyung". (WWW: Sta"dte und Gemeinden im Landkreis Freyung-Grafenau). http://toonorama.com/encyclopedia/F/Freyung/ Similarly, the modern place-name derives from an earlier 'Wulfger's estate', recorded in 1130. See: Schwarz, Ernst. Deutsche Namenforschung. II: Orts- und Flurnamen (Go"ttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1950); p. 164. [16] In all likelihood such a surname actually existed, though we've not been able to find an unquestionable example earlier than the 19th century. One genealogical site mentions a 15th century whose son's name is given as ; it's entirely possible that both names are correct, since such simplifications did occur, but no source is given, and on-line genealogies are hardly authoritative. Richter, Otto-G. "Johann VON WOLFENSTEIN". (WWW: Die Bernbeck-Familie, 2002) http://bernbeck.gmxhome.de/d0001/g0000048.html Modern examples of the surname that we found include: * Jewish merchant (1838-1907), from the German province of Posen. "Decision for the Location". (WWW: The Foundation - Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung). http://www.cc-stiftung.de/en/profile/thefoundation/ * German poet (1883-1945) Behme, Henning. "Alfred Wolfenstein [lithist]". (WWW: Arslonga, 2004). http://www.arslonga.de/lit/authors/w/wolfenstein.html * A who is alive today. "Impressum". (WWW: Wolfenstein-Design). http://www.wolfenstein-design.com/43.0.html * An oddly-shaped rock formation near Hohenwald called . "Der Wolfenstein bei Hohenwald". (WWW: Freunde der Mineralogie und Geologie Weiden). http://www.vfmg-weiden.de/wolfen.htm [17] Schwarz, Ernst, _Deutsche Namenforschung. I: Ruf- und Familiennamen_ (Goettingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1949). pp. 101-5. [18] Bigalski, Gerrit. "The Zurich Roll of Arms: Die Wappenrolle von Zu"rich". (WWW: Privately published, 1996). http://ladyivanor.knownworldweb.com/zroaen0.htm Popoff, Michel, _Le Ro^le d'Armes de Zurich_, Documents d'He/raldique Me/die/vale 9 (Paris: E/ditions du Le/opard d'Or, 1986). Here the represents an o-circumflex, while represents an with an acute accent. Rietstap, J. B., _Armorial General_ (Amsterdam: G. Theod. Bom. 1875), from: Rietstap's Armorial Online. (WWW: Kuruvinda). http://www.kuruvinda.com/armorial.php [19] Another coat of arms in the Zurich Roll has an eagle, 'Or, a demi-eagle sable'. However, this is a special case, called a 'chief of the Empire': it is a standard reference to the arms of the Holy Roman Emperor, used in personal arms as a declaration of political affiliation, and is found throughout south-central Europe. It can't be taken as general evidence for the use of eagles on chiefs. See: Woodward, John and George Burnett, _A Treatise on Heraldry British and Foreign_ (Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle, 1969), p. 538.