ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1738 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1738 ************************************ ************************************************* * * * NOTE: Later research turned up additional * * information relevant to this report. * * See the end of the letter for details. * * * ************************************************* 28 Jun 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked our help choosing a name for an Irish woman living between 100 and 1000. Here is what we have found. You had originally asked whether would be an appropriate name. We suggested that it wouldn't because the only instance of the name we were able to find is a supernatural character in Irish legend [1]. You asked us to suggest other names. We explained in earlier correspondence that the language spoken in Ireland changed enormously over the 900 years you've asked about. The earliest surviving written form of Irish dates from around the 4th century. It was written on stone in the alphabet called "Ogham". When this writing tradition developed, the Irish language was very different from the medieval form -- about as different as Latin is from French. This stage of the language is variously called "Primitive Irish", "Ogam Irish", or "Oghamic Irish". This writing system continued in active use into the 7th century, and while it was in active use, its users tended to write a conservative form of the language corresponding to what was spoken when the system was developed. The spoken language, however, was undergoing considerable change. When a new writing system using Roman letters was developed in the 6th century, its users broke with tradition and wrote a language much closer to what was actually being spoken. This stage of the language, as recorded from the late 7th century to the mid-10th century, is called Old Irish. The upshot is that it is essentially impossible to make any reasonable guess at Irish names around 100 AD. There is simply not enough evidence. Some evidence exists for names in the 4th to 7th centuries, the Ogham period, but the examples are almost all masculine names, not feminine. On the other hand, we can offer you a list of Old Irish (late 7th to 10th century) names, and if you pick a few that appeal you, we can attempt to re-construct their Ogham precursors. You can find a list of Old Irish feminine names on the web: Feminine Names from the Index to O'Brien's 'Corpus Genealogiarum Hiberniae' http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/obrien/ To that list, we can add a few names that sound a little like , and so might appeal to you [2]: Scandlach \SKAHN-lahkh\ Sciath \SKEE-@th\ Scoth \SKOHTH\ Scothnat \SKOHTH-n@tch\ \@\ represents a schwa, the sound of the 'a' in . If you want an Old Irish name, then you could build it by picking your given name and your father's, and connecting them with "daughter", which was pronounced \EEN-y@n\. Your father's name should be in the genitive (possessive) case. You can find a list of Old Irish masculine names with their genitive forms on the web: 100 Most Popular Men's Names in Early Medieval Ireland http://www.panix.com/~mittle/names/tangwystyl/irish100 Once you pick a name, feel free to write us to check the correct grammar and pronunciation, which are tricky in Old Irish. You can find some discussion of the grammar of women's names in the article "Feminine Names from the Index to O'Brien...", mentioned above. If you'd prefer an Ogham name, then we suggest you choose two or three names from the lists we've provided, and we'll try to re-construct the appropriate form. We probably won't be able to re-construct the Ogham form in all cases, so we recommend you choose more than one possibility. As with Old Irish, your full name would include a patronymic, i.e. a surname that identifies you as your father's daughter. Here's a list of some Ogham masculine names that you can consider for your father's name [3]. We've given the genitive form of each name, which is the one you'll need to include in your own name. (An asterisk before a name means that it is a postulated form that does not occur in our data.) [We have improved this list; see the note at the bottom of the letter.] Ogham Old Irish form genitive of the same masculine name *Ambicata Imchad Assicona Assiucc Baidagni Baetan Barrivendi Barrfind Battigni Baethine Biraci Berach Bivaidonas Beoaed Bodibeve Buaidbeo Branogeni Brangen Caliaci Cailech Crocagni Broccan Catomagli Cathmael Cattubuttas Cathbad Cliucoanas ? Coillabbotas Coelbad Coimagni Coeman Colomagni Colman Commaggagni Comgan Corbagni Corban Corbbi Corbb Coribiri Coirpre Covagni ? Culidovi Culdub Cunacenni Conchenn *Cunagussa Congus Cunalegi Conlang (?) Cunamagli Conmael Cunamaqqi Conmacc Cunanetas Conne *Cunorigos Conri Cunotami ? Cunovali Conall Curcagni Corcan Curcitti Cuircthe Dalagni Dallan Dobagni Duban Dovaidona Dubaed Dovalesci Duiblesc Dovaidona[s] Dubaed Dovvinias Duibne Dumeledonas ? Dunaidonas ? Ercagni Ercan Ercaidana ? Ercaviccas ? Gamicunas ? Gattagni Gaethan Glasiconas Glaschu Gossucttias Gosacht Icorigas ? *Irccito Ercaid *Ivocatta Eochad Ivageni Eogan Laddigni Laidine (?) Lugaddon Lugaed Lugudeccas Luguid Luguvvecca Lugech Mailagni Maelan Maglicunas ? Minnaccanni Minchan Moddagni Muadan Qasigni Caissine Qenilocagni Cennlachan Qenilocagni Cennlachan Qeniloci Cellach Rittavvecas Rethac Rodagni Ruadan Sagragni Saran Scilagni Scellan Sedani Setnae Sogini ? Talagni Talan Dovatuci Dubthach Totavali Tuathal Trenaccato ? Trenagusu Trengus Ulcagni Olcan Veqoanai Fiachnae (?) Vedacuna[s] Fiadchon Voenacunas ? Veddellemetto Fedelmid Vendubari Findbarr Vergoso Fergus Vibaidonas Beoaed Vlatiami Flaithem Ogham women's names were constructed pretty much the same way as Old Irish names. A woman names Auitoriga, daughter of Colomagnos, might have been called [4]. We 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 Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, Talan Gwynek, and Effrick neyn Kenneoch. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Jun 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Academy of Saint Gabriel report 1007 http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/showreport.cgi?1007 [2] O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 1990). [3] McManus, Damian, _A Guide to Ogam_ (Maynooth: An Sagart, 1991). [4] Tangywstyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, 1993, notes published to the SCA College of Arms based on Kenneth Jackson, __Language and history in early Britain; a chronological survey of the Brittonic languages, first to twelfth century A.D._ (Edinburgh, University Press, 1953). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Addendum: Arval, 7 Mar 2002: Further research resulted in some refinement of the list of Ogham masculine names given above. A better version is available at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/tangwystyl/ogham/. Correction, Arval, 7 Jun 2005: Corrected the reference to [2] (which was incorrectly [1]).