Previous weeks' Tuesday Trivias and the complete upcoming schedule.
Today’s trivia theme comes to us from /u/Nirocalden!
Please share a cool non-birth name from history and where it came from, it can be a name someone selected for themselves, or a name that was given to them by other people, or a name somewhere in between.
Next week on Tuesday Trivia: We’re all going to get up to some real vanity history next week, and share the life stories of ...historians!
Awwww yeah finally we got a Tuesday theme castrati can get in on.
Okay, so there are several ways you could get yourself a stage name if you’re a castrato. One, take your real name, first or last, and add -ino or -ini. (This one gives me fits, because it was the most common, and there’s only like 20 first names in circulation in 18th century Italy, so you get more doubles than 4chan.) Two, take the name of your teacher and also add -ino or -ini. (Also gets you doubles.) Three, take the name of someone who gave you a lot of money (patron) and add -elli, ello, or whatever you want. Four, just take something cute, be known only as “Little Dumpling.” Five, be known just as “that guy from Perugia.” Six, play a role once and typecast yourself by using that character's name as your own (much as how October’s Very Own is synonymous with “Jimmy” in my brain.) And then there’s option Seven: just throw history a curveball, have a completely inexplicable name.
A small sampling of nicknames:
#Examples of Type A: Real Name with a Diminutive Ending
#Examples of Type B: Teacher’s Pet
#Examples of Type C: Someone Paid Me to Wear Their Name
#Examples of Type D: Cute
#Examples of Type E: Shoutout to the Paesanos
All these guys were known at some point as “Senesino” (from Siena)
#Examples of Type F: Won Me an Oscar
#Examples of Type G: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have an alias story I like but it's not so much about where the alias comes from than what it "allowed" to happen.
Just a bit of context: In France we have the Goncourt prize which is the most famous and respected literary prize here. It is given once per year to a book, and its author can' t receive it twice. One author however did obtain it twice, but without anyone knowing.
Romain Kacew was a lithuanian jew who emigrated to France as a teen, fought in the WW2 with the free french airforce, became a diplomat and an author. Anyway during the war he changed his name to Romain Gary (Gary meaning burn! in russian - his mother tongue). He wrote several books which received critical acclaim and his book Les Racines du Ciel (The Roots of Heaven in english) obtained the Goncourt prize in 1956.
He always continued to write and his books were still popular, however critics were growing tired of him and calling his style old-fashioned and stale. In 1973 as he was working on several new books, he decided to release one of them under a new name: Emile Ajar (Jar means ember in russian). Very few people were in on this and when the Emile Ajar book came out, all the literary critics were going crazy trying to find out who had written this amazing book. It was so well written many reviews suggested it must be the work of one of France's greatest current authors or even the work of a collective...many names were cited, but never the one of Romain Gary. Meanwhile he released another book under his real name which didn't garner heavy attention and some critics even made fun of Gary suggesting the old man suffering of ED in the book was based off himself. Anyway speculation kept going until one year later he released a second book under his pseudonym Ajar, and this book received the Goncourt prize...Gary wanted to refuse it but could not and so decided to send his nephew who was a small time author go and pose as Emile Ajar. At this point people made the connection between the two, but Pavlowitch (his newphew) kept saying he was indeed Emile Ajar and so most people continued to believe this.
Romain Gary committed suicide in 1980, but had written a book the year before explaining he was indeed Emile Ajar, explaining he used this new name to get a chance at a new beginning, tired of the critics...His nephew wrote an autobiography shortly after in which he revealed the lie, and this book of Romain Gary was then published posthumously. Many then looked back on the Emile Ajar books and realized many clues could lead back to the real author (Gary himself was sure people would figure it out quickly).
Anyway this isn' t a story about a crucial historical figure, but Romain Gary is a great author and lived a crazy life. If anyone is interested I would suggest reading his books, many of which are translated in english and some were even made into movies (his book Promise at Dawn is probably the most touching ode to motherly love and is based on his life as kid up until the end of WW2). I think this story is interesting as it reveals how a pseudonym can allow a person to be free from the stigmas that "burden" them and allows them to re-invent themselves.
Reading medieval inquisition records brings up many, many questions. Some of them are deep, philosophical questions. Others are tantalizingly curious, if unanswered.
This one is about 2 brothers, both called heretics by the inquisition.
One of the biggest medieval inquisitions was also one of its earliest: the inquisition conducted by Bernard de Caux and Jacques St. Pierre, both of relatively new Order of Preachers (AKA the Dominicans). Over 5,000 people were interviewed at the Basilica Saint-Sernin in Toulouse during the years 1244-45, and we still have many of the registers of these depositions which contain story after story of their lives from almost 800 years ago.
The depositions are organized by village: you see, the Dominicans Bernard and Jacques were not taking depositions of Toulousains, but instead they summoned villagers from up to 100 kilometers away to come to Toulouse and give testimony. These villagers lived in a broad, fertile expanse south-west of Toulouse called the Lauragais. The villages of the Lauragais - like Mas-Saintes-Puelles situated between Toulouse and Carcassonne - seemed to have had a reputation at the time of being a 'hotbed' of heresy following the Albigensian Crusades. And Mas-Saintes-Puelles proved itself with several villagers probably having been connected to the assassination of the inquisitors Etienne de Saint-Thibery and Guillaume-Arnaud in 1242.
I am currently translating the depositions of the inhabitants of Mas-Saintes-Puelles, over 400 in all. In one of them, Raimund Alaman, deposed on July 1, 1245, is said to have overheard a conversation about the murders between wife Austorga and husband P. de Rosengues:
The witness [Raimund Alaman] said moreover that he was not present at the murder of inquisitors nor knew nothing about it, and the next day learned of it at Falgayrac and heard Austorga, wife of P. de Rosengues say: "All is free and clear," and her husband said, "All are dead." (MS609 Folio 5 verso^1 )
The Rosengues are referred to by other deponents as heretics, or perhaps it is the notaries who apply that label. As you can read above, the registers are all written in the third person, and it becomes impossible to know the difference between the voice of the witness and the judgement of the inquisitor.
Mas-Saintes-Puelles appears to have had several dominant families, the Lords and Knights of the del Mas family chief among them. Connected to them are the de Quiders who intermarried with the del Mas. And then there are the two brothers, Bernard and Peire of Saint Andrew (de Santo Andrea).
Bernard and Peire, and Peire's wife, Susanna, show up repeatedly at 'gatherings of heretics'. Both Bernard and Piere seemed to have been knights (miles), minor nobility.
Their houses hosted the gatherings:
The witness Ponç Rainard said that he saw Johan Cambiaire and his companions, heretics, in the house of P. de Sancto Andrea, and saw with them William Vitalis, Bernard del Mas (Senior), Arnald de Rosengue, B. de Causit and many others who he did not recall. And the witness and everyone adored [adoraverunt] the aforesaid heretics, and it was about 14 years ago. [MS609 Folio 1 Verso^2 ]
We even get a glimpse of Peire and Bernard's transition to being heretics:
The witness Wilhelma Maiestre (née Companh) said that she saw in her own house the heretics Rixen and Stephana, and she saw there with them Bernard de Sancto Andrea, Peire de Sancto Andrea, who became heretics thereafter, and Arnald Maiestre, husband of the witness, and the mother of the witness, Aymengarde Companh, who laid ill at that moment. The aforementioned heretics told the aforesaid Aymengarde, the witness' mother, that they were going to hereticate her, but she refused, and the aforementioned Bernard de Sancto Andrea and his brother Peire, and Arnald Maiestre adored the heretics there, but neither the witness nor her mother adored them. And this was about 14 years ago. [MS609 Folio 5 Recto^3 ]
The inquisition records can be frustrating in their refusal to comply with our modern name conventions. Often people are referred to with different name variations, or just by their first name. It makes it hard to track the villagers and their connections.
However, Peire and Bernard are unusual in that they carry two names. The are frequently referred to by the last name 'de Saint Andrea'. Presumably this is named after some lost village or other place named after a saint. But then we get testimony like this:
Item vidit predictos hereticos in domo Willelmi Vitalis et vidit ibi cum eis Ar. de Canast et Ar. Godalh et P. de Sant Andrea vel de Cap de Porc , Bertrandum de Quiders et plures alios de quibus non recolit, et ipse testis adoravit ibi dictos hereticos sed non vidit alios adoraverunt. Et sunt XVI anni vel circa. [Raimund Amelh, MS609 Folio 6 Verso]
The witness saw the aforementioned heretics in the house of William Vitalis and saw there with them Arnald Canast and Arnald Godalh, and Peire Saint-Andrew (aka Cap-de-Porc), Bertrand de Quiders, and many others he did not recall, and the witness adored the aforementioned heretics there but did not see the others adore. And this was about 16 years ago.
In other records, Peire and Bernard are referred to only by their AKA Cap-de-Porc. The cap is old French and Occitan, related to Latin caput: 'head'. It all amounts to 'head of the pig'.
Why Cap-de-Porc? The records are silent on the meaning, and why they have this alias. Perhaps it's geographic reference: cap is often the top of a mountain, and may suggest a certain long-lost geographic reference.
Or maybe it's some joke. Or some code.
Where many deponents can barely pull together one name, these brothers had aliases. But whatever that meant was lost 800 years ago. Neither Bernard, nor his brother Peire or Peire's wife Susanna, left a deposition to tell us what it meant.
The witness William de Rosengue said that on the instructions of Arnald Godalh the witness himself and Bernard Garnier lead William Vitalis and his companion, heretics, to the door of Mal Cosseil near Puybusque, and delivered said heretics to Peire Cap-de-Porc. But the witness did not adore said heretics nor did he see others adore, and this was about 6 years ago. [MS609 Folio 1 Recto^4 ]
It seems the Cap-de-Porcs had moved on from Mas-Saintes-Puelles.
^1 Dixit etiam quod ipse testis non interfuit morti inquisitorum nec scivit, sed in crastinum scivit apud Falgairag et audivit Austorgam uxorem P. de Resengas dicentem Totum est liberatum et estor, et vir ipsius dixit Totum est mort.
^2. Poncius Rainardi testis ipse dixit quod vidit in domo P. de Sancto Andrea Iohanem Cambitorem et socium eius hereticos et vidit ibi cum eis W. Vitalis, Bernardum del Mas, Ar. de Rozengue, Be. de Causit et plures alios de quibus non recolit. Et omnes et ipse testis adoraverunt ibi dictos hereticos , et sunt XIIII anni vel circa.
^3 Willelma Companha testis ipsa dixit quod vidit in domo sua Rixen et Stephanam hereticas et vidit ibi cum eis B. de Sancto Andrea, P. de Sancto Andrea qui postea fuerunt heretici et Ar. Maiestre concubinarium ipsa testis qui duxerunt ibi dictas hereticas, et Aymengardam Companha matrem ipsias testis que iacebat infirma tunc. Dictae hereticas monuerunt dictam Aymengardam matrem ipsa testis quod faceret se hereticam, quod ipsa facere noluit, et dictus B. de Sancto Andrea et P frater et Ar. Maiestre adoraverunt ibi dictos hereticos sed ipsa testis neque mater sua non adoraverunt eas. Et sunt XIIII anni vel circa.
^4 W. de Rezengue testis ipse dixit quod ad instructionem Arnaldi Godalh ipse testis et Bernardus Guarner duxerunt W. Vitalis et socium eius hereticos de porta de Mal Cosseil usque ad Puybusque et tradiderunt dictos hereticos Petro Cap de Porc. Sed ipse testis non adoravit dictos hereticos nec vidit alios adoraverunt et sunt VI anni vel circa.
Well nicknames have long been a popular thing for hockey players, dating back to the earliest days of the sport. While literally whole books (more aimed at a younger audience, but still books) have been written detailing them, I'm just going to go over a few of the more notable nicknames in hockey.
One of the first players to have a prominent nickname was Fred "Cyclone" Taylor., whose career lasted from 1905 to 1923, and across the entirety of Canada, from Ottawa to Vancouver (and briefly in Northern Michigan). Taylor was well known as a fast skater, and it was during one of his matches in Ottawa that the Earl Grey, Governor-General at the time, casually remarked to a few folks that he looked like a cyclone out there. This story was relayed to Malcom Brice, a reporter for the Ottawa Free Press, who published a cartoon with the caption "In Portage La Prairie they called him a tornado, in Houghton, Michigan, he was known as a whirlwind. From now on he'll be known as Cyclone Taylor." The name stuck and Taylor has forever been known by the name Cyclone.
One of the most famous nicknames in hockey has to be that of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, legendary player of the Montreal Canadiens from 1944-1960 and cultural icon for the Quebecois (his suspension in 1955 and the subsequent riot has been partially credited with helping launch Quebec's Quiet Revolution). Again this nickname was based on Richard's speed, and the ferocity in with which he would go towards the opponents net. Interestingly enough this nickname would spawn successors, as his younger brother (and later teammate) Henri would be called the "Pocket Rocket" while 30 years later Pavel Bure would be known as the "Russian Rocket," again a testament to speed on ice.
Gordie Howe is one of the all-time legends in hockey, playing 26 years in the NHL and 32 years total in professional hockey (the final 7 years, including his last in the NHL, he was a teammate with his two sons; no one else in the NHL has ever done that), from 1946-80. But Howe was not just known for playing a long time, he was also one of the greatest player ever. For 20 straight years, from 1950 to 1970, he finished top 5 in league scoring each year; for reference a 20 year career, even today, is not all that common and something notable. There's so many things Howe did in his career he's got his own Wikipedia article to list them all. It was because of all this that he was known simply as "Mr. Hockey," a name he later had trademarked (along with his own).
I'll finish with Wayne Gretzky who is most consider the greatest player in hockey history. He was simply known as "the Great One" during his career, a nickname that has its origins back when he was still a teenager dominating local leagues in the Toronto region (though he was just the "Great Gretzky" then). For those who aren't aware, Gretzky at his retirement in 1999 held or shared 61 NHL records (I think he's lost a couple since then), which in itself is far and away the most records by one player. He's the only player to score at least 200 points in a season (he did in 4 times in 5 years; the next best is 199); the only one to score 90 or more goals (92), and he has more assists in his career than any other player has points (by nearly 100: 1963 assists while second in points is at 1887; Gretzky's point total is 2857 for reference), and had he never scored a goal in his career, he still would have won or shared 4 league scoring titles, while finishing top 10 a total of 11 times (in a 20 year career). Like Howe, Gretzky has his own Wikipedia article just for his career achievements, and some of the ways he dominated the sport are beyond comprehension at times. Its quite fitting he's known simply as "the Great One."
Most Medieval Rabbis are known by acronyms. Hebrew has long used acronyms, but I'm not sure why names in particular got acronymed. The other weird thing is that you can use "the" with these acronyms.. Anyway, the most common format is Rabbi [Name] Ben (Hebrew for "son [of]") [father's name]. Moses Maimonides, for example, is often called the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon). Some of these sound cool, like the Ralbag or the Rashbam. Sometimes the "son of whoever" bit gets replaced by a surname, as in Rashi (Rabbi Sholomo Yitzchaki) or the Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi).
