ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3195 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3195 ************************************ 09 Mar 2007 From: Ursula Whitcher Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about constructing an Arabic name using the word 'little cat, kitten' and the byname 'daughter of Khalid'. We'll discuss first, and then the byname. We have not found any evidence that was used by itself as a given name in our period. However, we have found used in a slightly more complex construction: one of the companions of the Prophet Muh.ammad was known as , literally 'father of the kitten' because he played with a pet kitten while herding his tribe's goats. [1] Arabic names beginning 'father' or 'mother' are known as kunyas. A kunya could incorporate the name of someone's child, or it could be metaphorical. Many kunyas invoked a desirable trait; one example is the Andalusian woman known as 'mother of beauty'. (Here the period represents a dot below the previous letter.) [2] Other kunyas were based on less desirable personal characteristics: examples include 'father of farthings' (the Abbasid caliph al-Mans.uur, known for his stinginess), 'father of ignorance' (a companion of the Prophet Muh.ammad), and 'father of the skin blemish' (a thirteenth-century historian). We thought you might be interested to know that animals were also given kunyas: the lion was 'father of the general', the hyena was 'mother of the commander', and the rooster was 'father of Solomon'. [3] Kunyas for cats included 'father of the warrior', 'father of the eagle's chick', and . [4,6,7] We wouldn't be surprised to find an Arabic-speaking woman in our period who was known by her fondness for cats. Indeed, one eighth-century Arabic writer described women giving their cats collars and jewels and painting the cats' paws with henna. [4] Thus, we believe (literally, 'mother of the kitten') is a reasonable kunya for an Arabic woman. is a fine choice for your father's name: it was a popular Arabic name in our period. [5] A more accurate transliteration of this name (distinguishing long and short vowels) is . Kunyas could be used in place of given names, so 'Umm Hurayra daughter of Khaalid' is a plausible Arabic name. We hope this letter has been useful to you. If any part of it is unclear, or if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us again. Eleyne de Comnocke, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Maridonna Benvenuti, and Juliana de Luna assisted in researching and writing this letter. For the Academy, Ursula Georges 9 March 2007 References: [1] P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs, ed.s, The Encyclopaedia of Islam (WWW: Brill Online, 2007) http://www.brillonline.nl/ (subscription required) s.v. Abuu Hurayra al-Dawsii al-Yamaanii [2] Mari/n, Manuela, _Estudios Onoma/stico-biogra/ficos de al-Andalus_, 8 volumes (Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cienti/ficas, Instituto de Filologi/a, Departmento de Estudios Arabes, 1988-1997). [3] Encyclopaedia of Islam s.v. kunya [4] Encyclopaedia of Islam s.v. Sinnawr [5] Da'ud ibn Auda, "Period Arabic Names and Naming Practices," (WWW: SCA.org, 2003) http://www.sca.org/heraldry/laurel/names/arabic-naming2.htm [6] "English Urdu Dictionary," (WWW: Urduseek.com, 1997-2005.) http://urduseek.com/names?txtName=G&gender=all [7] Schimmel, Annemarie, _Islamic Names_ (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989).