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 │
└───────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘