Skip to main content
Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project

Interchangeable Spellings of Ethiopic Terms

The peoples of the northern and central Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands have their own unique script, a syllabary with characters representing a consonant and vowel. Called fidäl, they created it in the 200s CE and use it for their Afro-Asiatic language of Geʿez (classical Ethiopic) and other local languages. Geʿez has around forty basic consonant characters and seven vowels, which, in combination with their preceding consonants, are represented through a basic fidäl symbol and six modifications of it. This means that the that complete fidäl set it comprises more than three hundred symbols or glyphs. The vowels of fidäl are [remaining to come here]. The categories would be historical person (a person who appears in the stories as well as the Ethiopian royal chronicles of the period, usually members of royalty or military leaders), local person (maybe would not appear in the Glossary?), biblical figure (someone who appears in the Bible, like King David), religious figure (a famous religious leader, including saints), folkloric figure (legendary person or creature); local place (a place in Ethiopia), biblical place (a place mentioned in the Bible, like Sodom); ethnic term (names of ethnic groups), religious term, temporal term (names of months and times of prayer), medical term (diseases); religious occasion, cultural practice; food, plant, text, title (honorifics), unit of measurement, and object (like boats or buildings).

Category Title Simplified Spelling Geʿez Transcription Original Language  English Translation Alternate Spellings
Person Abbâ, Abba Samuel, of Kalman ሳሙኤል Samuˀel      
Monastery   Kalman ቀልሞን Qäləman; Däbrä Qaləmon     Qalemon
    Shalura         Shâlurâ
Person   Dexius ደቅስዮስ Däqəsəyos     Hildephonsus
Place   Teltelya ጥልጥልያ Ṭələṭələya   Toledo Ṭelṭelyâ
Place   Rif          
Person   Isaac ይስሐቅ Yǝsḥaq   Issac Yeshaq
Place   Dafra         Dǝfrā
Place   Afrurgi አረጎን   Aragón Aragon  
Place   Qusquam ቍስቋም Däbrä Qʷəsqʷam    
Ḳuěsḳuâm; Mount Kueskuam; Keuskuam; Däbrä Qwésqwam,
    Qusya   Qusəya   al-Qusia, Egypt  
    Maharraka         Maḥarraḳâ
Person   Yohannes Bakansi ዮሐንስ፡ በከንሲ Yoḥanəs Bäkänəsi     John Bakansî
Preson   Markoryos መርቆርዎስ Marəqorəwas   Mercurius Marḳôryôs
Person King Heshbon          
Place, monastery
  Akona         ‘Aḳônâ
Person   Mati         Mâtî
Person   Iyariko ኢያሪኮ ˀIyariso   Jericho ‘Îyârîkô
place   Napul ናፑል NaP̣ul     Nâpûl
place   Ketalan         Ḳêṭâlân
Place, Island   Kualasyas ቆላሲስ Qolasis     Ḳualâsyas
monastery   Nagadyan ነጋድያን Nägadəyan     Nagâdyân
place, desert   Scene          
person Holy Father, Abba, Saint, Aba Macarius መቃርስ Mäqarəs     Maqarius
person Holy Father, Abba John          
person Holy Father, Abba Muse         Mûsê
person Holy Father, Abba John Kama         Yohannes Kama; Kamâ
church   Tayada         Ṭâyadâ
place   Sen'a     صَنْعَاء Sana'a Ṣen’â
name   Tewog         Těwôg
name   Yawahita የዋሂት Yäwähit     Yawâhîta
place   Mekmas         Meḳmas
name   Badraman         Badramân
name   Gera Anes         Gêrâ Anest
place   Dalga ደልጋ Däləga دلجا   Delga
place   Maggedo     מגידו/ مجیدو   Maggêdô
person   Giyorgis Haddis ጊዮርጊስ ሐዲስ Giyorəgis ḥadis     George the Younger
Person, wife of Giyorgis Haddis
  Sawla ሰውላ Säwəla      
    Katir ከጢር Kätir     Qäṭir; Käṭîr
place   Elksus እልክሱስ Elkəsus     Al Kelsus; Ǝlkəsus
person, son of Hermanos
  Victor          
    Tag ታግ Tag     Tâg
    Nazib         Nazîb
    Akyatar         Akyâtâr
Term   Kadi     قاضي Judge Ḳâḍî
Person Mar (Saint) George ጊዮርጊስ Giyorgis Γεώργιος / مار جرجس   Giyorgis; Mâr George
    Ludd     اللد/ לוד   Lod; Lud; Lydda;
    Ramleh     الرملة / רַמְלָה   Ramla
    Diospolis          
    Basil          
    Yoset         Yôsêṭ
person   Zacharias ዘካርያስ Zäkarəyos      
Person   Zosimus          
    Gabra Lokos   Gäbrâ Lôkôs      
Place?   Harlom ሐርተልሮም ḥärətäləroma     Harat ar-Rum
place   Gath     גַּת‎    
place   Nobama   Nôbâmâ      
place   Sichem ሴኬም Sekema שְׁכֶם    
    Rama   Râmâ      
Person King Safron ሶፎሮን Soforon     Safrôn
Place   Sidon ሲዶና Sidona صيدا   Sayda
Person   Sabela   Sâbêlâ     Sybilla
Place   Daset ደሴት Däset      
Person   Nicodemus ኒቆዲሞስ Neqodimos Νικόδημος    
Person   Barok ባሮክ Barok      
Place   Fenke ፊንቄ Finəqe   Phoenecia  
Person   Philotheus          
Place, Upper Egypt
  Sa'id ጽዒድ ṣaˁid     Sayeed
Person   Anastasius አንስጦስዮስ ˀAnəsəṭosəyos      
    Gerdan          
Person Abba Jacob ያዕቆብ Yaˁəqob      
Person the Apostle Peter ጴጥሮስ P̣eṭəros      
Place, Lebanon
  Tiros ጢሮስ Ṭîros صور/ Τύρος Tyre Ṭîrôs
    ​​Abraskirospas   Abrâskîrôspas      
    Euphemia አፎምያ ˀAfomaya      
    Philemon          
Place   Samer ሳምር Samar     Sâmêr
Person Abba; Abbâ Benyami   Benyâmî      
Place   Rome ሮሜ Rome     Rômê
Person   Zechariah          
Person   Juliana          
Person   Barbara          
Person   Judas     Ἰούδας    
Place   Rosmaduk   Rôsmâdûk      
Place Mount Carmel ቀርሜሎስ Qärəmelos      
Person   Sophia ሶፍያ Sofəya      
Person Abba Severus          
Person   Pilkes       Felix  
Place   Akhmim አክሚም ˀAkəmima     Akhmîm
Person   Damianus ድምያኖስ Dəmayanos      
Place   Philippi ፊልጵስዩስ FiləP̣isəyos      
Person   Abbas አባስ ˀAbas عباس   Abbâs
Person Abba Leo          
Place   Kuestentenya ቍስጥንጥንያ Qʷəsəṭənəṭənəya   Constantinople Ḳuěsṭěnṭěnyâ
Place   Acco     عكّا / עַכּוֹ Acre Akko; Akka
Person   Peter ጴጥሮስ P̣eṭəros      
Person   Stephen እስጢፋኖስ ˀəsəṭifanos     Ǝsṭifanos
Person Saint Sirloreyos   Sîrlôrěyôs      
Place   Jahannam of fire   Jahânnam جهنم Hell  
    Afara   ’Afârâ      
Place   Sarabyon ሰራብዮን Särabəyon Σαράπιον Serapion Sarâbyôn
Person   Natan ናታን Natan   Nathan Nâtân
    Tanshe' Krestos   Tanshě’ Krestôs      
Book   Book of Hawi   Book of Ḥâwî      
    Garanin   Garânîn      
Person   Golyad ጎልያድ Goləyad   Goliath Gôlyâd
Place   Athribis አትሪብ ˀAtərib      
    Rashid   Rashîd رشيد    
    Hanna   Ḥannâ   Anne  
place   Cairo ቃሕራ Qaḥəra القاهرة    
Person Abba Mardari ማርዳሪ Marədari      
Person, disciple of 'Ammoni Abba Behor ብሖር Bǝḥor      
Person   Elias ኤልያስ ˀElǝyas      
Person   Tekta ቴክታ Tekǝta      
Person   Deganna ዴጋና Degana      
Place   Sandafa ሰንደፋ Sänǝdǝfa     Sändafa
Person   Barnabas በርናባስ Bärǝnabas      
Person Emperor Constantine ቍስጠንጢኖስ        
Angel   Gabriel ገብርኤል Gäbǝrǝˀel      
Angel   Michael ሚካኤል Mikaˀel      
Place, Gaza?   Meneta Diyaqon ምኔተ፡ ዲያቆን Mǝneta Diyaqon   Monastery of the Deacon Mǝneta Diyāqon; Mǝneta Diyāqonāt
Place   Scete ስቄጥስ Sǝqeṭǝs Σκήτις    
Person King Bastasios          
Place, Monastery
  Dabra Adaweya ደብረ፡ አደውያ Däb     Däbrä Ádäwəya
  King Lebna Dengel ልብነ ድንግል Ləbnä Dəngəl      
    Manfalut መንፈሉጥ Mänfäluṭ      
Person King Theodosius          
Person Patriarch, Abba Theodore          
Person, King of Antioch King Diocletian ድዮቅልጥያኖስ Dəyoqələṭəyanos      
Person, Mother of Saint Victor
  Martha ማርታ Marəta      
    Fasiladas ፋሲለዳስ Fasilädas      
    Antioch አንጾኪያ ˀÄnəṣokiya      
Person Great Judge Hermanos ህርማኖስ Hərəmanos     Hermânôs
Place, river   Takkaze ተከዜ Täkkäze      
Person, Father of Mary
  Joachim          
Place, Region of Egypt
  Meneta Sard ምኔት ስርድ Mənetä Sərd   Särd  
Person Priest Rizqallah ርዝቅላ Rəzqəla      
Place   Romeya ሮምያ Romaya      
Person Abba Garima (Yeshaq)          
Person, Wife of Masfeyanos, mother of Issac
  Sefengeya ስፍንግያ Səfənəgəya      
Person King Masfeyanos መስፍያኖስ Mäsəfəyanos      
Person     አንስጦስያ ˀÄnəsṭosəya      
Place, spring or church
  Matarye መጠርያ Mäṭärəya; Maṭaryê      
Person   Eulogius አውሎጊስ ˀÄwəlogis     Elogius
Person, monk aba Daniel ዳንኤል Danəˀel      
Person   Ubayd ዑበይድ ˁUbäyəd      
Person   Qomos ቆሞስ Qomos      
Person   Abraham አብርሃም ˀÄbərəham     Ibrahim
Person King Herod ሄሮድስ Herodəs      
Place   Bethlehem ቤተ፡ ልሔም Betə Ləḥem      
Place   Alexandria እስክንድርያ ˀəsəkənədərəya      
Place   Jerusalem ኢየሩሳሌም ˀIyärusalem      
pricenton ethiopian eritrean & egyptian miracles of marry project

The Princeton Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Miracles of Mary (PEMM) project is a comprehensive resource for the 1,000+ miracle stories written about and the 2,500+ images painted of the Virgin Mary in these African countries, and preserved in Geʿez between 1300 and the present.

Princeton Department of Comparative Literature 133 East Pyne, Princeton, NJ 08540

Princeton Department of African American Studies Morrison Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540

pemm@princeton.edu

© 2024 The Trustees of Princeton University