Copyright © 1995 - Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
The 2nd Tenure of Da'ud Ibn Auda (2nd year)
A mixture of ON and Gaelic isn't in itself out of the question, and both in ON and in Gaelic a two-generation patronymic is possible, but none of the commenters could find support for a mixed-language, two-generation patronymic. [The name was returned.] (Eirik Gunnolfsson Mac an Ghabhann, 9/94 15)
[returning the byname sverð-Freyr] Sverð-Freyr is not a straightforward word for �warrior'; rather it is a kenning taken from a form of court poetry. It is quite different from the more straightforward, earthy examples of bynames shown in Geirr Bassi and other sources. Without evidence for the use of such fanciful bynames by real people, we are reluctant to register it here. (Hrolfr sverð-Freyr, 9/94 p. 18)
No documentation has been fund for combined Norse-English/Arabic names. [The name was returned.] (Eric Ibrahim Mozarab, 2/95 p. 14)
[registering the epithet Greyslátr] The byname, a compound of grey `a greyhound, a bitch; a paltry fellow, a coward' and slátr `butcher's meat; meat that has been slaughtered', is clearly derogatory, but so were many Old Norse bynames. A weaker form of the same idea is found in the attested slagakollr `brisket; cut of meat'. (An attested Old Norse byname for a mercenary is hei menningr, from hei `stipend'.) (Eiríkr Greyslátr, 10/95 p. 1)
[registering the patronymic Haraldson] Haraldsson is the usual Old Norse form, but there are a few examples showing loss of the genitive marker -s. (Mikjal Haraldson, 10/95 p. 10)
No Room for Runes. The submission of Thyra Thorkilsdottir
(Middle) raised another interesting question. The submitter justified
some unusual spellings on the grounds that she was transliterating Scandinavian
runes. On the face of it this should be acceptable enough, since
we allow a variety of transliterations of Arabic, Hebrew, and Cyrillic
writing, among others. On further investigation, however, this proved
to be a rather different situation.
It's true that transliterations of runic inscriptions
are often quite different from the usual forms of the same words and names
when they are written in Roman letters. The most common Scandinavian
runic alphabets had fewer letters than the Roman alphabet, and as a result
several runes can represent more than one letter or combination of letters.
For example, a single rune was used for o and u. But when a word
was written in the Roman alphabet, the distinction between the two was
maintained; we do not find simple transliterations from the runic futhark
to the Roman alphabet. Thus, for example, the name Gormr, when written
in Roman letters, is written Gormr, even though the runic version is generally
transliterated kurmR.
We record a Roman alphabet version of registered
names; when necessary, we transliterate. In the case of Arabic names,
say, transliteration is necessary, though we may use either ours or some
mediæval version. But in the case of Old Norse names, transliteration
is unnecessary, because there was already a standard way to write these
names in the Roman alphabet. Therefore we will follow period usage
and write Old Norse names as they would have been written in the Roman
alphabet. Of course, just as Demetrios, Vasilii, and Haroun are welcome
to write their names in Greek, Cyrillic, and Arabic script, respectively,
Steinólfr and Ingrí r may surely write theirs in runes; but
for documentary purposes we will use only the Roman alphabet forms. (CL
12/95)
The byname, given as inn Hárlogi on her form, is
incorrectly constructed for the desired meaning of `the Flame-hair', which
in any case does not appear to be compatible with the literal nature of
Old Norse bynaming. (The only period language in which a byname with
this meaning has been found is Greek; synonymous constructions in other
languages have consistently been returned, most recently Fiona Flamehair
(5/93 LoAR, An Tir).) The actual meaning of the byname seems to be
no more suitable...
Hárlogi, from hár `hair' and logi
`[a] flame', isn't analogous to the attested hárfagri `fair-hair',
since fagri `fair' is an adjective. Such noun-noun compounds are
possible in Old Norse, but as in similar English compounds (e.g., sunrise)
the first noun modifies the second. The construction hárlogi
would therefore mean something like `hair-like flame, filamentous flame';
log(a)hár would be `hair of flame', but probably only in an unfortunately
literal sense. Similarly, hárbrandr would mean `hair-like
firebrand'. Two attested Old Norse words with meanings close to the
desired sense are hárbjartr `bright-haired' (which probably refers
to a very blond person) and rau hárr `red- haired'; as feminine
adjectival bynames with the definite article these would become in hárbjarta
and in rau hára, respectively. (Aesilief inn Harlogi, 12/95
p. 15)
[returning Grímr Blóðúlfr Berserkr] Blóðúlfr �blood-wolf' was justified in the LoI on the basis of the attested bynames blóðøx �blood-axe' and kveldúlfr �evening-wolf, werewolf'. We aren't sure that these are sufficient justification for the meaning �blood-wolf', but we agree with the Caidan CoH that it is likelier than �wolf-blood'; had there been no other question about the name, we'd have given it the benefit of the doubt. However, the double nickname is even more problematical. It's true that Geirr Bassi says that some Norseman had more than one nickname simultaneously; however, he does not say that more than one would actually have been used in a given instantiation of the name, and we have no examples to show what kinds of combinations were actually used. Two purely descriptive nicknames with roughly the same sense seems an unlikely combination. It seems especially unlikely for someone who is apparently a slave: Geirr says that in general only slaves had no patronymic or metronymic. Had one of the nicknames been preposed, we'd have given the construction the benefit of the doubt on the grounds that in some of the historical examples a preposed nickname seems almost to have become part of the given name; unfortunately, it is not clear that either of them can be. It is possible that with further research this name could be adequately justified; at present, however, it contains too many problematic elements for comfort. (Grímr Blóðúlfr Berserkr, 2/96 p. 18)
The combination of Old English and Old Norse can probably be justified for the Danelaw, though the available evidence suggests that such spellings as Ulfric and Wlfric (probably representing Old Swedish or Old Danish Ulfrik) were the norm. (Wulfric Gylðir, 3/96 p. 8)
The name was submitted as Blund-Úlfr Kleykir.
Though we have no evidence for Old Norse use of more than one nickname
at a time, there is some indication that at times a preposed nickname combined
with the given name to produce what was effectively a new given name.
We are therefore giving the name the benefit of the doubt, though we have
followed what seems to have been normal documentary practice in fusing
nickname and name. (Blundúlfr Kleykir, 5/96 p. 15)
[returning The Order of the Dreamer's Cup] The order name does not appear to follow any period exemplars that any of the commenters could find. (Caerthe, Barony of, 2/95 p. 14)
[returning the order name Plume of the Ange Rouge]
In addition to lacking a designator, the "Feather of the Red Angel" seems
to be a step too far from even the exemplars presented by Archive for knightly
orders: e.g., Order of the Golden Angel. See RfS III.2.b.ii.
(An Crosaire, Barony of, 4/95 p. 10)
Submitted as ...Mieleska, there already exists a feminine occupational surname meaning "miller"; as such, there is no need to construct such a name, especially without input from someone with a good knowledge of the language. We have therefore substituted the documented byname. (Agnieszka Mlynarska, 9/94 p. 10)
In the absence of any evidence for Polish/English names,
this combination seems a bit too improbable to register. (Ladislaus
de Brady, 9/95 p. 25)
[registering the patronym Jarlsson] There was some discussion whether the byname was a pretentious claim ("son of the Jarl" ("Earl" or "Count")). Given the citation of the name Nils Jarlsson (dated 1355), and our clear rules on titles documented as names or name elements so long as there is "no suggestion of territorial claim or explicit assertion of rank" (RfS VI.1.), the use here is undoubtedly registrable. (Thorfinn Jarlsson, 8/94 p. 9)
Irish usage doesn't seem to allow either double given names or unmarked patronymics. In some cases we have been able to get around the problem by interpreting the second element as a nickname, but it is not possible to do so here: as a nickname Rígán could only be �sub-king, chief', which would fall afoul of RfS VI.1. (Mór Rígán, 9/94 p. 16)
Several commenters stated some concern about the use of the name Cerridwen with a charge which could be perceived as a moon. However, even had the crescent been a moon, the standard in effect is excessive allusion, not just allusion. To paraphrase Baron Bruce when he instituted this more relaxed standard: One allusion to the name is not considered excessive, two allusions may be, three or more is probably right out. (Cerridwen Maelwedd, 1/95 p. 1)
[returning the byname of the Rose] The byname...implies membership in the Order of the Rose as much as �of the Laurel', �of the Chivalry', or �of the Pelican' imply membership in those orders. (Barbara of the Rose, 1/95 p. 13)
The format of the name (it means "Ieuan, son of someone called `the Red Dragon'") is not as peculiar in Welsh as it might seem. It is possible to find examples of patronyms using the father's nickname rather than given name (often using the definite article) (the best example for this name as a whole, in fact, is that of the 13th century poet Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch "Gruffudd son of the Red Judge"). In spite of the appearance at first blush to pretention (the Red Dragon is one of the two premier national symbols of Wales), it isn't really correct to say that the byname is "presumptuous" in a technical sense because there is no evidence for it being used historically as a personal byname, and thus there can be no assumed importance attached to it. (Ieuan ab y Draig goch, 6/95 p. 4)
[registering Kristof Fugger von Augsburg] It was suggested that this name violates RfS VI.3 (Names Claiming Specific Relationships), since the well-known Fugger family of bankers was based in Augsburg. However, the specific prohibition is against `[n]ames that unmistakably imply identity with or close relationship to a protected person or literary character'. Since no significant member of the banking family seems to have been named Kristof or any variant thereof, the name does not violate RfS VI.3. (Kristof Fugger von Augsburg, 8/95 p. 3)
[registering the byname Monomakh] The byname does not seem to be presumptuous. Deriving from Greek monomakhéô `to fight in single combat', monomákhos `fighting in single combat' appears to be a reasonable byname for a fighter. It was used by the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus and by his grandson, the Kievan prince Vladimir II Monomakh, but it does not seem to have been hereditary or even used by anyone else in either line. Vladimir says in his Testament that he was given the baptismal name Vasili by his grandfather Yaroslav `but was commonly known by [his] Russian name Vladimir, and surnamed Monomakh by [his] beloved father and mother'; we suspect that this was to honor his other grandfather, Constantine. (Hrothger Monomakh, 9/95 p. 18)
[registering the locative of Ragnars Rock] There should be no confusion with Ragnarök; it is not a place and therefore could not appear in a locative byname. (Ragnar of Ragnars Rock, 10/95 p. 4)
[registering the epithet the Serene] The byname... verges on the pretentious. The first citation in the OED in the sense `calm, untroubled' is from about 1635; in period citations the word is used as an honorific epithet for a reigning prince or other member of a royal house. Given �Grey Area' citations showing the modern usage, however, we must give it the benefit of the doubt. (Tamar the Serene, 12/95 p. 1)
This specifically overturns the old precedent (set during the tenure of Karina of the Far West) that one may not combine the name Corwin with a unicorn in the armory. "For those names that are well documented as period human names, that also happen to be the names of gods, one armorial allusion to the god will no longer be considered excessive." (Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme, LoAR October 1992, p. 27) By this registration, we add to that allowance the combination of Corwin and a unicorn. (Corwin Breakshield, 2/96 p. 4)
[returning Jaida Badr al-Din] We must return this name for violation of RfS VI.1 (Names Claiming Rank): laqabs of the form <noun> al-Din �<noun> of the Faith' were bestowed upon princes, statesmen, generals and high officers of state by the Caliph as titles and so constitute implicit claims to rank and station (Jaida Badr al-Din, 2/96 p. 18)
The other matter came up in the registration of the name Óengus mac Domnaill Glinne Chomair (Atlantia), a Gaelic name that could be translated �Angus son of Donald of Glencoe'. As it happens, there is a clan known in English as MacDonald of Glencoe, and it was suggested that the combination of patronymic and locative was for that reason a claim to chieftainship of the clan. However, Gaelic usage in such matters can be surprising: it turns out that the chief is in Gaelic simply MacIain (after the clan's progenitor). Thus, the submitted bynames are in Gaelic simply descriptive, meaning only what they seem to say. It appears that this example is not unique, so there may be a number of superficially disallowed combinations that in Gaelic are not at all presumptuous; the facts will have to be ascertained on a case-by-case basis. (CL 4/96)
Some commenters wondered whether the combination Senatori
da Firenze was presumptuous, taking it to be �senator of Florence'.
However, senatori is the plural of senatore �senator', and a reasonably
exact translation of the phrase senatori da Firenze appears to be �senators
from Florence', which is clearly not a byname claiming rank. The
name admits only one interpretation: Senatori is the hereditary surname
of a lady from Florence. (Claudia Lisabetta Senatori da Firenze,
5/96 p. 14)
Since Romany has been an unwritten language for most of
its 1000-year history, the choice is essentially between accepting such
documentation and assuming that Romany names have not changed too greatly
in the last 400 years, and not accepting Romany names at all; we have chosen
the more generous course. (Keja Tselebnika, 9/95 p. 14)
The submitted form mixes two different transliteration systems, which has the effect of changing the pronunciation of the names. The name in its entirety should adopt a single system of transliteration. (Katia Stesnaya, 9/94 p. 21)
[changing Dirk Ivanovich] No one produced evidence of sufficient interaction between the Low Countries and Russia in period to justify the combination. (Direk Ivanovich, 8/95 p. 5)
Such a Russian/English combination is extremely improbable in period. [The name was registered.] (Tatiana Mitford, 9/95 p. 9)
The French surname tacked onto an otherwise thoroughly Russian name is implausible. Justification would appear to depend on a persona story rather than on evidence from period naming practice. Nevertheless, the persona story in question - Russian girl marries French trader and adopts his surname - is probably within current limits of acceptability. [The name was registered.] (Dasha Miloslava Broussard, 1/96 p. 6)
[registering Makedonii Dmitrii Aleksievich Kolchin]
The name is extremely unlikely, owing to the fact that the given names
Makedonii and Dmitrii are both Christian given names. Double given
names are not especially remarkable in period Russian naming, but almost
invariably one was Slavic and the other Christian. There are apparently
isolated examples of double Christian names, but they are most uncharacteristic
of normal Russian practice. (Makedonii Dmitrii, Aleksievich Kolchin,
5/96 p. 16)
Submitted as ...De Córdoba, the [preposition] is not normally capitalized. [It was registered as de Córdoba] (Juana de Córdoba, 9/94 p. 3)
[returning the given name Xavier] ...no evidence has been found that Xavier was anything but a placename in period. The use of Xavier as a given name comes after the canonization of St. Francis Xavier, which occurred in 1622. (Xavier Tormod Macleod, 10/94 p. 15)
It is very unlikely that a Spanish name would consist solely of three given names, but Díez Melcón, Apellidos Castellanos-Leoneses, p. 299, has one and possibly two such names. [The name was registered.] (Juan Miguel Cezar, 8/95 p. 9)
[returning the byname de la Rama Caida] Most of those who commented on the byname, which means `of the fallen branch', found it implausible, and in fact it departs from available models of period Spanish bynames in both form and meaning. In the available period examples of the form de <article> <object>, the object of the preposition is an unmodified noun. Moreover, such bynames seem to correspond semantically to Middle English bynames with atte and with the: de la Puente and atte Brigge `at the bridge'; de los Mulos `of the mules' and Withehounds `with the hounds' (occupational, for a handler); de la Calza `of the hose' and Wythemantel `with the cloak'; and de illa Fornera `of the (female) baker' (for a son, servant, or husband) and atte Maydenes (for a servant of the maidens). Fallen branches are both ordinary and ephemeral; it is hard to see how anyone would have come to be known either for having a noteworthy fallen branch (`with the fallen branch') or for living near one (`at the fallen branch'). (Armando de la Rama Caida, 10/95 p. 16)
[returning the byname de la Rama Caida] Perhaps la Rama Caída can be justified as the name of an establishment; but at present we have no evidence for Spanish use of sign names, let alone their nature. (Armando de la Rama Caida, 10/95 p. 16)
This name, with two given names and three surnames, is significantly more complex than any available documented Spanish name. [The name was returned.] (Domingo Diego Diaz de la Vega y Martin, 10/95 p. 18)
[registering the byname da Montanha do Fogo] Magellan
coined the Spanish name Tierra del Fuego `Land of Fire' in 1520; a period
Portuguese analogue does not seem to be out of the question, though we
would expect it to be a specific toponym, not a generic expression for
`volcano'. We do not know what the normal Portuguese syntax would
have been; given the close relationship between Portuguese and Spanish,
we have frankly guessed that it should follow the Spanish model, in which
del Fuego is literally `of the fire', and have therefore changed de Fogo
to do Fogo `of the fire'. (Brigitta da Montanha do Fogo, 1/96 p.
1)
[considering the locative of St. Ninian's Isle] We do not register the scribal abbreviation (St.) But the full form (Saint), and the use of the apostrophe in possessives is not period. (Severian the Northumbrian of Saint Ninians Isle, 9/94 p. 7)
While cross-gender names have long been allowed in the SCA, mixed-gender names have not. This has a masculine given with a feminine given with a surname. [The name was returned.] (Cristall Madeleine Moore, 5/95 p. 15)
[registering Jan Kees Dudel] The...question is whether
its resemblance to Yankee Doodle is too intrusive. On this issue
commentary was almost evenly divided between those who found the name intrusively
modern and those who thought it a `funny-once' to which the so-called Toyota
principle should apply, with a slight edge to the latter group. Returns
for matters of taste, like armorial returns for visual conflict, should
be avoided whenever possible; in the absence of a clear consensus that
the name is intrusively modern, we cannot justify returning it. (Jan
Kees Dudel, 1/96 p. 14)
Welsh does not normally use the definite article for placenames in names. We have therefore dropped it. (Daffydd ap Owain ap Cadell Caer yn Arfon, 10/94 p. 3)
The format of the name (it means "Ieuan, son of someone called `the Red Dragon'") is not as peculiar in Welsh as it might seem. It is possible to find examples of patronyms using the father's nickname rather than given name (often using the definite article) (the best example for this name as a whole, in fact, is that of the 13th century poet Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch "Gruffudd son of the Red Judge"). In spite of the appearance at first blush to pretention (the Red Dragon is one of the two premier national symbols of Wales), it isn't really correct to say that the byname is "presumptuous" in a technical sense because there is no evidence for it being used historically as a personal byname, and thus there can be no assumed importance attached to it. (Ieuan ab y Draig goch, 6/95 p. 4)
[registering the household name Ty Gafrewig Wen] �House of the White Antelope' does not seem to follow period Welsh practice in naming families and buildings, but it is well within our rather loose standards for household names. (Bronwen o Gyeweli, 9/95 p. 7)
The name was submitted as Cáelán ap Llwyd, in which Cáelán is Irish, and the rest, Welsh. There is a reasonable amount of evidence for Welsh/Irish combinations in names, but they should still follow one spelling convention or the other, so we have removed the distinctively Irish accents to produce what Harpy calls a `plausible Welsh borrowing of an Irish given name'. (Caelan ap Llwyd, 10/95 p. 8)
Double descriptive Welsh bynames are rare but not unknown; Harpy provides the example Gwen Vaur Goch `Big Red Gwen' 1292-3. (Morwenn Ddu Wystl, 11/95 p. 7)
According to Harpy, y Gwibddyn Dyrys `the wild vagabond'
is a correctly constructed Welsh phrase that resembles period Welsh bynames
as little as the Melancholy Procrastinator resembles their English counterparts.
The latter was returned last month (Judith the Melancholy Procrastinator,
Middle) for failure to follow period models, and we do not think that the
inability of most SCA folk to understand Welsh is sufficient reason to
treat the present submission more leniently. (Eleri y Gwibddyn Dyrys,
12/95 p. 17)
Table of Contents of Precedents of Da'ud Ibn Auda, 2nd Tenure