"Morz est Rollanz, Deus en ad l'anme es ciels.
Li Emperere en Rencesvals parvient...
Carles escriet: 'U estes vus, bels nies?
U l'Arcevesques e li quens Oliviers?
U est Gerins e sis cumpainz Geriers?
Otes u est e Ii quens Berengiers?
Ives e Ivories que j'aveie tant chiers?
Qu'est devenuz li Guascuinz Engeliers,
Sansun li dux e Anseis li fiers?
U est Gerarz de Russillun li vielz,
Li duze per que j'aveie laissiet?'"
(Chanson de Roland, 1. 2397.)
[Footnote: "Dead is Roland, God has his soul in heaven. The Emperor
arrives at Roncevaux... Charles cries: 'Where are you, fair nephew?
Where the archbishop (Turpin) and Count Oliver? Where is Gerin and
his comrade Gerier? Where is Odo and count Berenger? Ivo and Ivory
whom I held so dear? What has become of the Gascon Engelier? Samson
the duke and Anseis the proud? Where is Gerard of Roussillon the old,
the twelve peers whom I had left?' "]
It is natural that many favourite names should be taken from those of
heroes of romance whose exploits were sung all over Europe by
wandering minstrels. Such names, including those taken from the Round
Table legends, usually came to us through French, though a few names
of the British heroes are Welsh, e.g. Cradock from Caradoc
(Caractacus) and Maddox from Madoc.
THE ROUND TABLE
But the Round Table stories were versified much later than the true
Old French Chansons de Geste, which had a basis in the national
history, and not many of Arthur's knights are immortalized as
surnames. We have Tristram, Lancelot, whence Lance, Percival, Gawain
in Gavin, and Kay. But the last named is, like Key, more usually from
the word we now spell "quay," though Key and Keys can also be
shop-signs, as of course Crosskeys is. Linnell is sometimes for
Lionel, as Neil, [Footnote: But the Scottish Neil is a Gaelic name
often exchanged for the unrelated Nigel.] Neal for Nigel. The ladies
have fared better. Vivian, which is sometimes from the masculine
Vivien, is found in Dorset as Vye, and Isolt and Guinevere, which long
survived as font-names in Cornwall, have given several names. From
Isolt come Isard, Isitt, Izzard, Izod, and many other forms, while
Guinever appears as Genever, Jennifer, Gaynor, Gilliver, Gulliver,
[Footnote: There is also an Old Fr. Gulafre which will account for
some of the Gullivers.] and perhaps also as Juniper. It is probably
also the source of Genn and Ginn, though these may come also from
Eugenia or from Jane. The later prose versions of the Arthurian
stories, such as those of Malory, are full of musical and picturesque
names like those used by Mr. Maurice Hewlett, but this artificial
nomenclature has left no traces in our surnames.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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