ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 917 http://www.s-gabriel.org/917 *********************************** ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Some of the Academy's early reports * * contain errors that we haven't yet * * corrected. Please use it with caution. * * * ************************************************* 20 May 1998 From: Diana Slivinska Greetings from the Academy of St Gabriel! You asked us about the Russian name "Ekaterina," and how it was used in the period between 950 and 1300. First of all, we compliment you on the research you have already done. The first name you have chosen is correct for your period.(1)(2) Also, you have read the best advice we can provide on Russian name construction, particularly about Russian women's names. "Ekaterina" is a baptismal name. You may be wondering whether you need a second first name (i.e. a non-baptismal, or non-Christian, also known as an Old-Russian, name); you do not. The basic name form for a woman of your period is "Ekaterina + a patronymic (based on any masculine name you may like);" no other names are necessary. The dates you gave cover quite a bit of ground, and naming practices did evolve in that period. However, although it is possible to complicate your name in many ways, it is not necessary. Also, locative bynames are quite a bit more difficult to construct than the simple, basic form given above. You also asked about appropriate arms for your persona. There was no indigenous Russian heraldry in the Society's period. The Russian nobility did not adopt arms until the early 18th century.(3) It is possible that some foreign families who moved to Russia brought their native arms with them, but we think this is extraordinarily unlikely to have happened as early as 1300. Heraldic arms were invented in northwestern Europe in the mid-to-late 12th century. They spread very quickly through Christian Europe, but not so quickly that your persona could have encountered them in Russia. If you were a Russian woman living in Germany, your husband might perhaps have used arms; however, you would probably have been called "Katerina." We suggest you have a look at our article on heraldry for personas who would not have used arms, at: http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html You might like to consult sources on German heraldry; however, they are often difficult to find. Although there is one German roll of arms on line on our web page (the "Zurich roll"), you should read it carefully, as many of the arms depicted are from a later-period than your persona. If you decide that you want to use arms and would like further help, if you can give us a clearer idea of what you would like, we'll be happy to offer specific suggestions. You also asked us for help in researching your persona, garb, and Russian cultural history. Although these are very interesting topics, they are outside the scope of what we do. We help people develop authentic period names and armory; we are unable to provide advice about other aspects of persona development. You might like to consult: http://vms.www.uwplatt.edu/~goldschmidt/slavic.html. We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you. Predslava Vydrina, Paul Wickenden of Thanet, Zenobia Naphtali, Talan Gwynek and Arval d'Espas Nord contributed to this letter. In service, Giulietta da Venezia Academy of S. Gabriel (1) Paul Wickenden of Thanet, A Dictionary of Period Russian Names (WWW: Self-published). http://www.sca.org/heraldry/paul/ (2) Predslava Vydrina, _Russian Personal Names: Name Frequency in the Novgorod Birch-Bark Letters, 1427_ (WWW: Self-published, 1997). http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/predslava/bbl/ (3) Friar, Stephen, A Dictionary of Heraldry, New York: Harmony Books, 1987.