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Help[Facts] Re: Mathonwy
in reply to a message by Getb
Several sources list the meaning of Math as Bear http://www.namenerds.com/welsh/trad2.html While the word Onwy seems unknown or up for conjecture, there is a river in Shropshire called Onwy and a river called Conwy. It seems in all the links to words woth onwy in them, they are related to water or possibly holy. It seems Celtic in origin rather than Gaelic which is also a matter of debate. So, one possible meaning would be "water bear" or "holy bear" and it could mean something like "Bear River"
There does seem a lot of debate about the meaning based on where you look. Then there is this possibility as the Conwy was originally known as the Cynwy meaning Chief Water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conwy which is bourne out by several sources other than Wikipedia. Now, if we go by what is said about Conwy that the "wy" was originally "gwy" we can add the "o" and the word ogwy is created https://books.google.com/books?id=IuEGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA285&lpg=PA285&dq=ogwy+means&source=bl&ots=lbK_5KCF2W&sig=C4pudenuzjUkclBzTmr_KSKIPL4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8OmXr9PeAhWIVN8KHfjJDVMQ6AEwAXoECFkQAQ#v=onepage&q=ogwy%20means&f=false which is translated as "the moving or stirring water" which fits perfectly for a river and names with a water meaning.
I'm no expert by any means. I was looking for the meaning of onwy myself after finding the meaning of Math to be bear. So, the translation could be "Bear of the Stirring Waters"
it's as good as any other guess but it does seem to make sense.
There does seem a lot of debate about the meaning based on where you look. Then there is this possibility as the Conwy was originally known as the Cynwy meaning Chief Water https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conwy which is bourne out by several sources other than Wikipedia. Now, if we go by what is said about Conwy that the "wy" was originally "gwy" we can add the "o" and the word ogwy is created https://books.google.com/books?id=IuEGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA285&lpg=PA285&dq=ogwy+means&source=bl&ots=lbK_5KCF2W&sig=C4pudenuzjUkclBzTmr_KSKIPL4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL8OmXr9PeAhWIVN8KHfjJDVMQ6AEwAXoECFkQAQ#v=onepage&q=ogwy%20means&f=false which is translated as "the moving or stirring water" which fits perfectly for a river and names with a water meaning.
I'm no expert by any means. I was looking for the meaning of onwy myself after finding the meaning of Math to be bear. So, the translation could be "Bear of the Stirring Waters"
it's as good as any other guess but it does seem to make sense.
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