Period or Not, Part 3 - The Answers

[lumineaux]

Arianwen -- Not Period.  It's a 20th century invention.  http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2007/04/07-04cl.html

Laurana - Period.  Yes, it is a made-up name from a book.  However, it happens to be a made-up name from a period book.  According to the November 2004 LoAR: 
"This name appears in a work by Emanuel Forde with the title Parismus, the Renovmed Prince of Bohemia. His most famous, delectable, and pleasant Historie. Conteining His Noble Battailes fought against the Persians. His loue to Laurana, the Kings Daughter of Thessaly. And his straunge Aduentures in the Desolate Iland. With the miseries and miserable imprisonment, Laurana endured in the Iland of Rockes. And a description of the Chiualrie of the Phrygian Knight, Pollipus: and his constant loue to Uioletta which was published at London in 1598. This dates Laurana before 1600, making it registerable as an English literary name."  (
http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2004/11/04-11lar.html)

Ayla -- Period.  It's a fairly common medieval German female name.  I could give multiple citations, but I'll use the one that's handy: "15th Century Geman Women's Names," by Brian Scott ( http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/germ15f.html )


Godiva - Period.  In many spellings, including this one and the original Old English Godgifu.  "Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames" by Brian Scott (
http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/reaneyAG.html)

Niniane - Period BUT as a masculine name.  While there was a literary Niniane, she was not necessarily human depending on the version of the Arthuriana in question.  Among other places, you can find documentation for Niniane here: http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/scots/dost/niniane.html

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for all of this great research. Very interesting and entertaining. Hope to see you sometime soon and sorry I couldn't make it this weekend.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

Arianwen -- Not Period. It's a 20th century invention. http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2007/04/07-04cl.html

Well, this particular spelling. The name itself is period, just not in this form.

[lumineaux.livejournal.com]

Can you shoot me a cite for that? All I've been able to find is the precedent from April 2007.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

That's the precedent, which notes that some form of the name was used in the 5th century; it's just not clear what the spelling is.