A horse name is a secondary noble title or a popular name for members of Ethiopian royalty; in some cases the "horse names" are the only name known for a ruler. They take the form of "father of X", where "X" is the name of the person's warhorse. According to Mahtama Sellase "They were given to a man for “his good administration, judgment and council in times of peace and his bravery and strategy in times of war”Mahtama-Sellase Walda-Masqal. “A Study of the Ethiopian Culture of Horse-Names.” Journal of Ethiopian. Studies vo. 7, no. 2. July 1969, p. 195 The first named horse in the region's history was that of Amda Seyon I in his royal chronicle "The Glorious Victories." This would set the groundwork for the Horse name in Pre-Modern EthiopiaPankhrust, R. (1989). The Early History of Ethiopian Horse-Names. Paideuma Bd, 35, 197–206. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40733033
Some known horse names of Ethiopian nobility include: + List of Horse names Name Title Horse Name Literal/Synonymous meaning Note Sources Alula Engida Ras Abba Nega Father of dawn Alula Aba Nega Airport is named after him and his horsename. Balcha Safo Dejazmach Abba Nefso Father of the Soul Bashah Aboye Dejazmach Abba Däffar Father of audacity Belay Zeleke Dejazmach Abba Koster Father of Sharpshooter Getie Gelaye. 2005. Amharic Praise Poems of Däğğazmač Bälay Zälläqä and the Patriots of Goğğam during the Italian Occupation of Ethiopia, 1936–1941. In Sigmund Uhlig, (ed.). Proceedings of the 15th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Hamburg, p. 587-597. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. Darge Sahle Selassie Ras Abba Gersa Father of Recurring Impediment (i.e. impeding the enemy). Garmame Dejazmach Abba Mala Habte Giyorgis Dinagde Fitawrari Abba Mechal Father of Tolerance Haile Maryam Gebre Dejazmach Abba Dammana Father of the Cloud Lul Seged Ras Abba Balay Menelik II Emperor of Ethiopia Abba Dagnew Father of Justice Sabagadis Woldu Dejazmach Abba Garay Tekle Haymanot Negus of Gojjam Abba Tanna Tessema Nadew Ras Bitwoded Abba Qamaw Tewodros II Emperor of Ethiopia Abba Tatek Father of readiness (of arms) Welde Giyorgis Aboye Negus of Gondar Abba Saggad Father of Commandeering Yohannes IV Emperor of Ethiopia Abba BezibizFather of Plunder
Bibliography Girma, Hewan. "Amharic Names, Naming Ceremonies and Memory." In Naming Africans: On the Epistemic Value of Names, pp. 37-59. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2023. Mehari, Krista. 2007. Throne names, pen names, horse names, and field names: A look at the significance of name change in the Ethiopian political sphere. Pankhurst, Richard. 1989. The Early History of Ethiopian Horse-Names. Paideuma 35, pp. 197–206. Mahatama-Sellasie Walda-Masqal. 1969. A Study of the Ethiopian Culture of Horse Names. Journal of Ethiopian Studies Vol. 7, No. 2, pp
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