ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 913 http://www.s-gabriel.org/913 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* From: "S Friedemann" 20 Apr 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked about the name as a feminine name between 900 and 1600. You indicated that was a Celtic goddess, and that was a Gaelic translation for "black raven." Here is the information we have found. Before I start, I'd like to clarify the service that the Academy offers. We try to help Societyfolk in choosing and using names that fit the historical cultures they are trying to re-create. Our research can sometimes be used to support submissions to the College of Arms, but that it not our goal and our results are often incompatible with the College's needs. If your main goal is to register a particular name, then we may not be able to help you. (with one 'l') is the name of Shakespeare's character in King Lear. It was also the name of a woman who died in 1636, so it could have been used in England by the end of our period. The likely origin of the name is Geoffrey of Monmouth's use of the name . [1] However, we have no evidence that this name was used by real people before the late 16th century, and we have no reason to believe that the name has any Celtic origin, or was the name of a goddess. is a Scottish Gaelic word, and when used without a modifier has the general meaning of "carrion bird" or corvid. , which is Irish, would be a crow or a raven specifically [2]. However, we could not find any evidence of this phrase as a period descriptive nickname. You've chosen a given name which is only possible in late-period England, and a descriptive byname which could have appeared only in a Gaelic-speaking region. Unfortunately, such a combination is impossible. Languages were very rarely combined in period names. While name elements were carried from one culture to another, when they were adopted into a new language, they were either translated or transliterated into that language. Some Gaelic names are found in period England, but they are invariably anglicized. Because you didn't tell us what historical culture you want your name to match, we can't offer any alternative suggestion. Please feel free to read articles in our library [3]; they may help you choose a historically accurate name. If you would like us to give suggestions for a name from a particular language or culture, please write us again. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, and Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn. For the Academy, Aryanhwy merch Catmael Caermyrdin ----------------------------------------------------- References: [1] Withycombe, E.G., _The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names_, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988). [2] Royal Irish Academy, _Dictionary of the Irish Language: based mainly on Old and Middle Irish materials_ (Dublin : Royal Irish Academy, 1983). [3] The Academy Library (WWW) http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/docs/