Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Loved, healthy.”
Pronunciation: (ah-mah-tah-SAH-nuh)
Nicknames: Ama, Amy, Matti, Taz, Sana
Detail: A given name in early 14th century Italy.
Amatasana
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Category Archives: Medieval
Audefleda
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic, Old English
Meaning: “Noble Beauty.”
Pronunciation: (od-FLEH-dah)
Nicknames: Aude, Fleda, Flee
Details: Composed of Germanic adal “noble” and Old English flæd “beauty”.
Famous bearer is Audefleda Princess of Franks.
Blanchefleur
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Germanic, French
Meaning: “White Flower.”
Pronunciation: (BLAHNSH-flur)
Nicknames: Blur, Fleur, Blannie, Bonnie, Bar
Details: From the Germanic blanc meaning ‘white, fair’ and the French fleur meaning ‘flower’.
Verlie
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Gaulish; Roman ; Latin
Meaning: “Alder; Man; True.”
Pronunciation: (VUR-lee)
Details: It is probable that this name could derive from a Norman surname, which was itself derived from a Gaulish word meaning “alder”.
It is also possible that the name originated from the Roman name Virilius “man”, but this is not confirmed.
It could also be connected to the medieval name Ver, derived from the Latin Verus “True”. Ver enjoyed some popularity with this usage in medieval England to honor a 4th century bishop. Thus, the exact lineage of the name is unknown, but could come from any one of these roots.
Female Variations:
- Verlea
- Verlia
- Verlie
Male Variations:
- Verle
- Verlo
Aldous
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Germanic
Meaning: “Old.”
Pronunciation: (AWL-duhs)
Nicknames: Aldo
Detail: Possibly derived from names beginning with the Germanic element ald “old”.
It has been in use as an English given name since the Middle Ages
Calas
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: “Solidity.”
Pronunciation: (CAH-lass)
Nicknames: Cal, Cala, Cali
Calas comes from the same root as caled, Welsh for “hard,” and means “solidity.”
As an element, calas is the source of form, differentiation, manifestation, and stability. Its image in nature is stone.
Druid Revival lore contains a set of three elements that first appears in Iolo Morganwg’s writings. Whether it’s an invention of Iolo’s or a surviving scrap of some older teaching is anyone’s guess, but the three elements have been part of Druid Revival teaching ever since his time. Their names are Nwyfre, Gwyar, and Calas.
Gwyar
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: “Blood; flow, fluidity.”
Pronunciation: (GOO-yar)
Nicknames: Yari, Gw
Gwyar literally means “blood” in old Welsh, but its more general meaning is “flow” or “fluidity.”
As an element, gwyar is the source of change, motion, growth, and decay. Its image in nature is running water.
Druid Revival lore contains a set of three elements that first appears in Iolo Morganwg’s writings. Whether it’s an invention of Iolo’s or a surviving scrap of some older teaching is anyone’s guess, but the three elements have been part of Druid Revival teaching ever since his time. Their names are Nwyfre, Gwyar, and Calas.
Nwyvre
swiftly runs the Sun in the sky
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: “Sky; energy.”
Pronunciation: (NOOiv-ruh)
Nicknames: Nw, Noo
Detail: Variation of Nwyfre. Nwyfre appears to be connected to the somewhat familiar Middle Welsh word nwyf meaning “energy” or “vigour”.
Nwyfre itself is demonstrated as a poetic word in various medieval Welsh manuscripts, where it means “sky” or “heaven” or “firmament”, and figuratively the “ether”.
As an element, nwyfre is the source of life and consciousness, and modern Druids often refer to it simply as the life force. Its image in nature is blue sky.
Druid Revival lore contains a set of three elements that first appears in Iolo Morganwg’s writings. Whether it’s an invention of Iolo’s or a surviving scrap of some older teaching is anyone’s guess, but the three elements have been part of Druid Revival teaching ever since his time. Their names are Nwyfre, Gwyar, and Calas.
In the Book of Taliesin:
Welsh: “atwyn heul yn ehwybyr yn nwyfre”
English: “swiftly runs the Sun in the sky”
Uther
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Celtic
Meaning: “the terrible.”
Pronunciation: (OO-thur)
Nicknames: Utho
Detail: Possibly of Celtic origin and means “the terrible”.
In Celtic mythology, Uther Pendragon is Arthur‘s father in the Arthurian ledgends.
Eustace
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Rich of corn, fruitful; steadfast.”
Pronunciation: (YOO-stus)
Nicknames: Euso, Eui, Eusie
Detail: Saint Eustace was a 2nd-century martyr, a Roman general who became a Christian after seeing a vision of a cross between the antlers of a stag he was hunting. He was burned to death for refusing to worship the Roman gods and is now regarded as the patron saint of hunters. Due to him, this name was common in England during the Middle Ages, though it is presently rare.
Feminine form is Eustacia (yoo-STAY-shah).
Fyvie
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Gaelic
Meaning: “From the wilderness by the river.”
Pronunciation: (FI-vee)
Nicknames: Fy, Fee
Detail: The name of Fyvie itself has changed since earliest days when it was known as Fywin.
According to one source, the name is derived from the Gaelic flodh abhuinn meaning “wilderness by the river”.
Name of a haunted Scottish castle in whose history goes back to the year 1211.
Arolilja
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “Lily of the steppes.”
Pronunciation: (ar-oh-LEEL-yah)
Nicknames: Aro, Ari, Lilja, Lila, Lily
Detail: From the combination of aro meaning “steppes” (steppes are large areas of flat grassy land where there are no trees), and lilja meaning “lily”.
In a medieval, Norwegian ballad, Bendik falls in love with princess Arolilja. A boy tells the king that Bendik is seeing his daughter. Bendik’s punishment is death. Arolilja prays for him to no avail, he is hanged. She dies of heartache, and the king grieves. The two are buried on either side of a church, and up from their graves lilies grow and entwine above the church roof.
Lodema
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: “Guide; compass.”
Pronunciation: (loh-DEM-ah)
Nicknames: Loda, Lodi, Lottie, Ludy, Luey, Demi
Detail: Literally, the word refers to a lodestone, a piece of the mineral magnetite that acts like a magnet.
Variations:
- Lodema
- Lodemia
- Loudema
- Ludelia
- Ludema
- Ludemia
- Ludemy
Lorenzo
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “Man from Laurentum.”
Pronunciation: (loh-REN-zoh)
Nicknames: Lozo, Enzo, Renzo, Lenzo
Detail: Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius, which meant “from Laurentum”, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus “laurel”.
Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome.
In the Middle Ages this name was common in England (in a variety of spellings), partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury.
Ethel
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: “Righteous; Noble.”
Pronunciation: (ETH-ul)
Nicknames: Eth, Ethy, Etta, Etty, Effy
Detail: Originally a short form of any of the various Old English compound names containing the element æthel (noble).
Gawain
Beheading of the Green Knight, Cotton Nero
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: “White hawk of battle.”
Pronunciation: (GOW-wihn)
Detail: Gawain is King Arthur‘s nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. He is one of a select few of the Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight. And he is quite a chivalrous knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Francesca
Paolo and Francesca by Charles Edward Halle
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “From France.”
Pronunciation: (frahn-CHES-kah)
Nicknames: Cesca, Cesi, Chess, Frankie
Detail: Francesca (and Paolo) were historical contemporaries of Dante Alighieri.
Francesca was blatantly tricked into marrying Gianciotto, who was disfigured and uncouth, when the handsome and elegant Paolo (Gianciotto’s brother) was sent in his brother’s place to settle the nuptial contract. Angered at finding herself wed the following day to Gianciotto, Francesca made no attempt to restrain her affections for Paolo and the two in fact soon became lovers. Informed of this liaison, Gianciotto one day caught them together in Francesca’s bedroom (unaware that Paolo got stuck in his attempt to escape down a ladder, she let Gianciotto in the room); when Gianciotto lunged at Paolo with a sword, Francesca stepped between the two men and was killed instead, much to the dismay of her husband, who then promptly finished off Paolo as well.
Ailith
photo by Julie Reeman
Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: “Noble battle; seasoned warrior.”
Pronunciation: (EY-lith)
Nicknames: Aili, Lith
Detail: Modern form of the Old English Æthelgyth, a compound of the elements Æthel meaning “noble” and gyth meaning “battle, strife.”
Erasmus
St Erasmus In Bishop Islips Chapel Westminster Abbey by Joseph Mallord William Turner
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “Lovely.”
Pronunciation: (eh-RAS-muss)
Nicknames: Ermo, Raz
Detail: A famous bearer of this name is Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch philosopher.
Saint Erasmus once fled to Mount Lebanon during the Christian persecution of Diocletian and lived a life of solitude there for some time, being fed by a raven. After the emperor discovered his whereabouts, he was tortured and thrown in prison. Legend records that when a blue light appeared at mastheads before and after a storm, the sailors took it as a sign of Erasmus’s protection. This was known as “St. Elmo’s fire” (the glow accompanying the brushlike discharges of atmospheric electricity that appears as a tip of light on the masks of ships during stormy weather).
Gunnora
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Norse
Meaning: “Wary in battle.”
Pronunciation: (goon-NOR-ah)
Nicknames: Gunn, Gunna, Gunni, Nora
Detail: Norman latinized variant of the Old Norse name Gunnvor. It is composed of the elements gunnr meaning “war” and vor “cautious, wary”. The name remained in use in England until the 14th century.
The Character of Names 