ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 868 http://www.s-gabriel.org/868 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 30 Mar 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information on the Irish masculine name or other names beginning with . Here is what we have found. is the birth name of the Irish demi-god Cuchulainn in the epic _Tain Bo Cuailnge_, revealed to his mother in a dream by his father, the god Lug [1]. As far as anyone in the Society has been able to determine, the name was unique to that deity. The College of Arms has for many years refused to register it because it is a superhuman name [2]. Since the name was not used by real people in period, we strongly recommend against using it in the Society. Here are a few other names you might want to consider, listed with pronunciations. These spellings are appropriate for use before about 1200 [3]. If you want to set your persona later in history, let us know and we'll be happy to help. In the names, a slash represents an acute accent on the preceding vowel. In the pronunciations, \kh\ represents the harsh, rasping sound in Scottish or German . Scandla/n \SKAHN-lahn\ Si/tae \SHEE-da\ Scolaige \SKULL-ee\ Sle/bi/ne \SLAVE-een\ Selbach \SHAHL-vahkh\ Somhairle \SORE-lyeh\ Senach \SHAHN-ahkh\ Suibne \SWEEV-nyeh\ Sena/n \SHAHN-ahn\ To build a complete name for an early Irish persona, you'll want to add a patronymic byname, i.e. one that identifies your father. Most men in Gaelic culture were identified primarily as their father's sons. If you choose and your father were named , then you would be called . is the genitive or possessive form of , equivalent to a possessive like in English. 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 Charles O'Connor and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Kinsella, Thomas, tr., _The Tain_ (Dublin: The Dolmen Press and Oxford University Press, 1982). [2] Laurel Letter of Acceptances and Returns, 1 July 1989, Returns, Ansteorra, Setanta Derefold. [3] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -