A Brief Thought about Names

Back in Regency times, that was at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, when the Prince Regent took over from his father George the third. (You may have seen the film ‘The Madness of King George’) A ladies maid was known as an Abigail. However the cant (slang) terminology of the times, called a female brothel keeper an Abbess and obviously the ladies of the night were known as ‘nuns’. I was struck by how similar the two names are and also how close Abbess and Abyss are whilst being widely divergent in meaning. The Abyss in the bible being the pit from which the demons issued forth under the command of Satan or Lucifer, and also where souls were cast into who had forfeited the right to heaven. I believe that this is also where the word abysmal comes from. I do have a dictionary of word derivation (real fun subject to read folks!), however this is not reposing on my shelves but buried under the workstation piles that the aforementioned cats have managed to create chaos amongst.

There was a film called the Abyss, if I remember correctly, but it was more linked to man’s need to grow spiritually and emotionally, which is in its way a surging out of the depths to reach the light. It was based around a deep-sea vessel that encountered a space ship and the beings within who ultimately saved them from certain death.

Retreating to the point of cant terminology it did occur also that slang terms come into usage through historic reference or their equivalent in modern patois and the usage of the term Abbess could be derived from the ‘Hell Fire Club’, which was organized by Sir Francis Dashwood and flourished just prior to the regency firstly in London but also at his country home in West Wycombe, where you can visit the tunnels and caves that he had built to accommodate his friends and the ladies of pleasure that served them. It was largely a club for drinking and general debauchery and it also has a television reference in the modern day (or not so far back that it is unmemorable), where the Avengers team (second series) with the fabulous actress Diane Rigg playing ‘The Queen of the Night’ in a modern day revival of the club. I mention this largely because in my far distant skinny youth I looked remarkably like her. (Down Ego! Down!) Its link to Abbess is that the members changed into monk’s habits on arrival and the damsels into nun’s outfits.

Apart from the odd historical reference I also collect myths and legends on a worldwide scale. Many of you must be thinking, “Why does she not get a life?” and yes I do need one as I have worn this one out. So………Another interesting thought that occurred to me was concerning the Sun god (or rather one of many names give to the Sun) According to one history of witchcraft the Sun, Apollo, was seduced by his sister, the Moon goddess who crept into his bed disguised as his favourite cat. I make no assumptions regarding his normal behaviour with his pets but only state the nature of the myth. From this union was born a daughter who came to Earth to teach the daughter’s of men witchcraft. Her name was Tanith.