Let's have a little onomastics

[muckefuck]

It's a reflection of how diverse the Cardiff area has become that the names of the choristers in Pendyrus aren't as stereotypical as you'd imagine. That doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of Williamses, Evanses, and Joneses, just that they're not all Williamses, Evanses, and Joneses.

Most of the given names are pretty standard, but there are a few beauties, Rhydfen formost among them. Since this is pronounced /'r@dvEn/, Nuphy immediately hit upon the theory that it was the origin of the unusual British name Ruthven (pronounced /'ri:vn/). Sadly, the learned consensus (based on a personal survey of available reference works) does not support this.

Ruthven is one of those surnames-turned-given-names, which started out as a toponym in Perthshire. There are two prominent etymologies, one Norse and one Gaelic, but both referring to ruddiness and dampness. So either rauðr "red" + fen "swamp" or ruadh "red" + abhainn "river"--take your pick.

The only thing we can say for certain is that has nothing to do with a Welsh name that apparently means "white ford". That is, assuming that Rhydfen is simply a variant of the more common Rhydwen from rhyd "ford" and gwyn/gwen "white".

Comments

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

YUM.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Quick Welsh quiz: Why the alteration gwyn/gwen?

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Is "gwen" older? In Breton, it's generally "gwenn", but I know nothing of Welsh.

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, the internet kindly told me it was gwyn, gwen(f).

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

The proto-form is actually *vinnos (cf. Irish fionn). Breton and Cornish undergo a neutralisation whereby y merges with e. (Cf. W. yw, Br. eo "is", W. byw, Br. bev "(a)live")

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Oh! Hey, thanks!

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

And we can't mix etymologies and say red river?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

"red river" would be straight Gaelic. If you want to mix and match your Celtic, go with "red white" (a portal to the Underworld!) or "river ford" (yawn!).

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Red rover, red rover?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

No never no more!

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

But how much are ten sovereigns worth at today's exchange rate? I've lost track ever since Bretton Woods collapsed.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Well, E2 alone is worth an estimated half a billion. (That's an American billion or about 300 million pounds sterling.)

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

So ten Lillibets times $500 million...