Chapter CXXIV: Section XVII: Wolves and Bears

The Roman _lupus_ had truly a right to stand high in Roman estimation, considering the good offices of the she-wolf to the founder, and the wolf and the twins will continue an emblem as long as Rome stands, in spite of the explanation that declared that the nurse was either named Lupa, or so called, because the Roman word applied to a woman of bad character, and in spite of the later relegation of the entire tale to the realms of mythology. Lupus was accordingly a surname in the Rutilian gens, and was borne by many other Romans, thus descending to the three Romanized countries. St. Lupus, or Loup of Troyes, curiously enough succeeded St. Ursus, or Ours, and was notable both for his confutation of the Pelagian heresy, and for having saved his diocese by his intercession with Attila. Another sainted Lupus, or Loup, was Bishop of Lyons. Italy has the Christian name of Lupo; Portugal, Lobo; Spain, Lope. The great poet, Lope de Vega, might be translated, the wolf of the meadow.

The bear was not in any remarkable favour at Rome; but the semi-Romans adopted Ursus as rather a favourite among their names. Ursus and Ursinus were early Gallic bishops; whence the Italian Orso and Orsino, the latter becoming the surname of the celebrated Roman family of Orsini. Ours is very common in Switzerland, in compliment to the bears of Berne.

An old myth of the little bear and the stars seems to have been turned into the legend of Cologne, of Ursula, the Breton maiden who, on her way to her betrothed British husband, was shipwrecked on the German coast, and slain by Attila, King of the Huns, with 11,000 virgin companions. Some say that the whole 11,000 rose out of the V. M. for virgin martyr; others give her one companion, named Undecimilla, and suppose that this was translated into the 11,000. Skulls and bones, apparently from an old cemetery, are shown at Cologne, and their princess’s name has been followed by various ladies.

┌───────────────────────┬─────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐ │ French. │ Swiss. │ Italian. │ │Ours │Ours │Orso │ │ │Orsvch │Ursilo │ │ │ │Ursello │ ├───────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴───────────────────────┤ │ FEMININE │ ├────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┬────────────────┤ │ English. │ French. │ Spanish. │ Portuguese. │ │Ursula │Ursule │Ursola │Ursula │ │Ursel │ —————————— │ │ │ │Ursley │ Dutch. │ │ │ │Nullie │Orseline │ │ │ ├────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┼────────────────┤ │ Italian. │ German. │ Swiss. │ Russian. │ │Orsola │Ursel │Orscheli │Urssula │ │ │Urschel │Urschel │ │ │ │ │Urschla │ │ ├────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┼────────────────┤ │ Polish. │ Slavonic. │ Lusatian. │ Hungarian. │ │Urszula │Ursa │Wursla │Orsolya │ │ —————————— │ │Hoscha │ │ │ Bohemian. │ │Oscha │ │ │Worsula │ │ │ │ ├────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┴────────────────┤ │ DIMINUTIVE. │ ├───────────────────────┬─────────────────────┬───────────────────────┤ │ Roman. │ French. │ Polish. │ │Ursino │Ursin │Ursyn │ └───────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘