Eleanor Rigby

In 1966 Paul McCartney wrote the song Eleanor Rigby; the sad story of a woman who lives and dies alone. The name Eleanor Rigby was a completely fictional name made up by Paul McCartney inspired by the Actress Eleanor Bron and the Bristol, Rigby & Evens Ltd tobacco company shop. However, later the name was discovered on a gravestone, in Liverpool, next to where the Paul McCartney and John Lennon first met.... The story is often reported as one of music's biggest coincidences.

It would be an even bigger coincidence then, if the same event happened, over a thousand years earlier, in Anglo-Saxon England...

The Wooing of Étaín

As a teenager I enjoyed reading mythology. My favourite was Irish. I read pretty much all of it: from the Book of Iinvasions to Cú Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill. One of the best stories in the whole mythos is, The Wooing of Étaín. The story of a beautiful fairy called Etain... to cut a long story short, it ends unhappily ever after.

The story is written in two books, partially in a book from the 12th century and fully in a book from 14th century. The story is set, either in 8th or 9th century Ireland, and seems to be a re-telling of Orpheus. Re-tellings of Orpheus being common not just in Irish folk tales but in English, Finnish and Slavic folklore as well.

The name Étaín, only has one usage in mythology, and none in history, it's a fictional name only used once, which in mythology is very common: Herne, Beowulf, Wayland and so on.

Sometimes mythological characters are given pre-existing names, Robin Hood, Rowlande for example.

and sometimes people in the real world are named after fictional characters, such as Arthur and Gandalf.

Eleanor Rigby is a fictional name but both parts were real pre existing real names. Étaín is a genuine fantasy a name invented for a non-human creature. Just as Tolkien invented Galadriel.

So what would be the chances of Étaín turning up on a gravestone centuries earlier and in another country?

Now to my Anglo-Saxon Eleanor Rigby Find

Thornhill Stone II

The Thornehill Stones are the names given to the remnants of several crosses that were erected in a thriving Northumbrian settlement during the 8th century.

The crosses when carved, were engraved with many runic inscriptions.

Stone 2, has a three line inscription, that is a memorial, from a man to a dead women, the relationship between the couple is not mentioned.

It is the woman's name that is of interest.

The Runes Read

+ ᛠ ᛞ ᚱ ᛖ ᛞ
Ea d r e d

ᛋ ᛖ ᛏ ᛖ ᚫ ᚠ ᛏ ᛖ
s e t e æ f t e

ᛠ ᛏ ᛖ ᛇ ᚾ ᚾ ᛖ
Ea t e ay n n e

Translation

Eadred = a man's name

sete = set (up)... as in erected
aefte = after... in memory of

Eateaynne = a woman's name

So just as with Eleanor Rigby ... There is a grave stone containing the name of the fictional character, from before the myth was written.

It is like finding a Beowulf or Mab on the gravestone of a real person who lived before the myths were written.

However there are some questions.

Is it possible, Irish Etain is older?

The oldest source for the Irish myth is from the 12th century, the Anglo-Saxon grave is from the 8th century, 400 years earlier, quite a long time.

Most likely the Irish myth is much older than its writing date. Beowulf is believed to be 300 year older than when it was written down.

However the same could be said for names. Many of our names today date back centuries, quite a lot are even thousands of years old.

So while folklore tends to be much older than when it was written down, names can be even older, and since the English find has a 4 century headstart, it is more likely the English use predates the Irish.

Are the names related or coincidental?

It may seem likely there is a connection between the two names, after all names fly around the world today.

However with old Irish and old English names it was completely different, there was no sharing.

The best example of this is I can think of, is the traditional Anglo-Saxon and Irish name Finn.

How could both countries have developed the same name?

The answer is pure coincidence. If two countries, in isolation make up thousands of names, eventually by pure chance they will come up with a name that sounds identical.

There is no etymological connection between the English and Irish Finn. In Ireland the name comes from an old Irish word meaning, pale skinned or fair, while in English the name comes from and old English word meaning, wanderer or traveller. They are not cognate.

So remember next time someone mentions Beatles trivia

It may have happened to the Beatles with Eleanor Rigby, but it happened in dark age England and Ireland first...