ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1069 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1069 ************************************ 15 Jul 1998 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information about the Irish surname , and for help choosing a name appropriate for an Irish man living in the 13th or 14th century, with a given name beginning with "S". You also asked for suggestion on designs for your arms. Here is what we have found. Here is a short list of relatively common Gaelic given names beginning with "S" [1]. The pronunciation is given for each one. In the names, a slash represents an accent on the preceding letter. In the pronunciations, \kh\ represents the harsh, rasping sound in Scottish or German . \(y)\ represents a very softly pronounced consonantal , as in . Scannla/n \SKAHN-lahn\ Scolaige \SKULL-ee\ Se/amus \SHAY-mahs\ Sea/n \SHAWN\ Sealbhach \SHAHL-vahkh\ Sena/n \SHAHN-ahn\ Somhairle \SORE-l(y)eh\ Suibhne \SWEE-n(y)eh\ is an English form of the Gaelic name or , and we believe these Gaelic names were used in your period [2, 3]. These names were pronounced \mahk REED-a\ and \mahk KOHN-REED-a\. In period, a Gaelic name using was a true patronymic, i.e. it identified the bearer's father. If you were called , then it would have been that your father was called . If you were , then your father was called . (The change from to is a requirement of Gaelic grammar. It is equivalent to becoming .) Any of the given names we've listed above could be combined with either of the Gaelic precursors of to create a fine name for your period. We cannot find any arms that were used in period by anyone named ; it is possible that there was no such thing. The Anglo-Normans brought their armory to Ireland with them in the late 12th century, but the native Irish were slow to adopt heraldry. We think it is unlikely that a Gaelic speaker in Ireland in your period would have used arms. Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't use arms: Lots of Societyfolk use arms even though their personae would not have done so. This question arises often enough that we've written a short article on how some people have dealt with it. You can find it on-line: What Do I Use for Arms if my Persona Wouldn't Have Used Arms? http://www.itd.umich.edu/~ximenez/s.gabriel/faq/nonheraldic.html If you do decide to use arms, then a hawk would be a fine charge to use. In period armory, hawks were generally shown "close" (standing with their wings folded) or "rising" (standing with wings raised, about to take off). Some possibilities you might consider are: Azure, three hawks close Or. Three gold hawks on a blue background, placed two in the upper part of the field and one in the center bottom. Ermine, a chevron between three hawks close azure. Ermine is a white field with small black spots -- ermine tails -- on it. You can find an illustration in any book on heraldry. A chevron is a broad inverted V that reaches to the sides of the field, with the tip not quite touched the top edge. Azure, a hawk close and a chief indented Or. A single gold hawk standing on a blue field. The upper quarter or so of the field is covered by a horizontal gold stripe the lower edge of which is shaped like large triangular saw teeth. We believe that any of these designs is registerable with the SCA College of Arms. 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 Talan Gwynek, Zenobia Naphtali, Walraven van Nijmegen, Rouland Carre, and Daniel de Lincolia. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 15 Jul 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] O'Corrain, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, Irish Names (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [2] Woulfe, Patrick, _Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames_ (Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation). [3] MacLysaght, Edward, _The Surnames of Ireland_ (Dublin: Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1985, ISBN 0-7165-2366-3). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -