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ArchivesRe: the name molly -origins
in reply to a message by mikheala
I have no idea whether or not Molly can be connected with Mael. Someone who is an expert on medieval Irish names would have to comment.
But I think you are confused about the "wished for child" interpretation. I do not think that Mary or Molly ever were used in Ireland as part of a phrase with that meaning. "Wished for child" is one of the theories on what Miriam, the Old Testament name Mary is derived from, might have meant in ancient Hebrew. And it is one of the more recent ideas put forth by scholars of ancient Hebrew. The "sea of bitterness" idea mentioned on this site is probably the oldest interpretation, though the "sea" part of that may come from confusing it with the Latin word for sea, mare. I don't think Christians would have interpreted Mary or Miriam as "wished for child" in the 17th century or before.
In any event, the interpretation of "wished for child" certainly has nothing to do with any association of Mary with "devotion" in Ireland.
But I think you are confused about the "wished for child" interpretation. I do not think that Mary or Molly ever were used in Ireland as part of a phrase with that meaning. "Wished for child" is one of the theories on what Miriam, the Old Testament name Mary is derived from, might have meant in ancient Hebrew. And it is one of the more recent ideas put forth by scholars of ancient Hebrew. The "sea of bitterness" idea mentioned on this site is probably the oldest interpretation, though the "sea" part of that may come from confusing it with the Latin word for sea, mare. I don't think Christians would have interpreted Mary or Miriam as "wished for child" in the 17th century or before.
In any event, the interpretation of "wished for child" certainly has nothing to do with any association of Mary with "devotion" in Ireland.
This message was edited 9/14/2009, 5:31 AM
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Replies
that is very interesting that you say that Molly or Maeili has nothing to do with "wished for child"! Because in all of the irish language resources i was unable to find this meaning either! I was beginning to wonder myself if this was true, feeling that it was being confused with a phrase associated with the name Mary. Thank you for confirming this.
There happens to be alot of websites posting the name Molly's correlation with the name Maeli and the "wished for child" phrase. Saying that in Gaelic this is what Maeili means.
These are all unscholarly sites, however, and I do not believe any are websites from the country of Ireland, where one would truly understand Gaelic.
i am still curious about the name molly and it's relationship with the name maeili/mael, if any?
thank you again.
There happens to be alot of websites posting the name Molly's correlation with the name Maeli and the "wished for child" phrase. Saying that in Gaelic this is what Maeili means.
These are all unscholarly sites, however, and I do not believe any are websites from the country of Ireland, where one would truly understand Gaelic.
i am still curious about the name molly and it's relationship with the name maeili/mael, if any?
thank you again.
1