ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 817 http://www.s-gabriel.org/817 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* From: 6 Apr 1998 Greetings, Here's the information we found about "Aelhearn" and "Mathowlch," which you wanted to use as Welsh names. The name you're looking for is normally spelled "Aelhaearn" in modern Welsh. We found several variant spellings, including "Elhayarn" and "Aylhayarn." (1) Since "Aelhaearn" is a historical 7th-century Welsh name, it is reasonable to think that it was used for at least some time past the 7th century. However, none of our sources include it, so we can't be sure how long it was used. Although "Aelhaearn" does derive from words that mean "iron" and "brow," it's not at all clear that it was understood to mean "iron-browed." Names in most European cultures (including Welsh) generally weren't given to infants because of their meaning. For a Welsh person, "Aelhaearn" most likely meant only "Aelhaearn." The Welsh did use descriptive bynames, but they tended to be simple and straightforward: "Owein the Big", "David Junior", "Hywel the Red". "Iron Brow" doesn't fit the patterns of medieval Welsh naming that we've found. As a tangent, we thought we would mention that sainthood was not "proclaimed" as it is today. Technically, each bishop was responsible for naming saints within their diocese, but it was common (especially in outlying areas such as Wales) for groups of people to call someone a saint without approval from any ecclesiastical authority. Also, the practice of naming children after saints did not become widespread until the 11th century. We can't say much regarding "Matholwch" (note the difference in spelling). It may have originally derived from an Irish name, but it has gone through several centuries of mangling, so that it is almost impossible to determine what its Irish equivalent might be. In any case, we have no reason to think that "Matholwch" would have been used as a name by any actual person. _The Mabinogion_ contains a great deal of mythology and pure fiction, and it cannot be trusted as a source for period names. Arval Benicoeur, Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn, and Talan Gwynek contributed to this letter. We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you. In service, Alan Fairfax Academy of S. Gabriel (1) Bartrum, P.C., _Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts_ (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1966).