Her mother, the queen of Ireland, is also named Iseult. The etymology is uncertain, with most sources linking it to the Old High German words īs ("ice") and hiltja ("battle"). It is possible that the name is ultimately Germanic, perhaps from a hypothetic name like Ishild, composed of the elements is "ice, iron" and hild "battle". } Later, Tristan returns to Ireland to gain Iseult's hand in marriage for his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall. var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','https://static.typepad.com/.shared//js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e); Lancelot gives them refuge in his estate Joyous Garde, and they engage in many further adventures. They never consummate the marriage because of Tristan's love for Iseult of Ireland. While scholars have puzzled over the name for centuries, its origin has been attributed to many different languages such as Irish, Welsh, French and German. The existing lines have been interpreted as DRVSTANVS HIC IACIT CVNOWORI FILIVS "Drustan lies here, son on Cunomorus." K.M.Sheard proposes that the name could be from the Welsh is "under" (*f–ssu in Proto-Celtic) and allt "hill" (*alto in Proto-Celtic), though she prefers the idea that the 'e' in Esyllt represents *weso "excellent". Meaning & History. } Another intriguing link to the syllu theory is the Tristan Stone, a 6th century inscribed pillar in Cornwall. During one adventure in Brittany, Tristan suffers a poisoned wound that only Iseult of Ireland, the world's most skilled physician, can cure. In the 20th century, Isolde and Isolda became the more common forms of the name, while Isott, Izet etc fell out of use. |. Some scholars have even reconstructed it  in a older Brythonic form *Adsiltia with an approximate meaning of "one who is gazed upon.". Her name is variously given as Iseult, Isolde, Yseult, Ysolt, Isode, Isoude, Iseut, Isaut (Old French), Iosóid (Irish), Esyllt (Welsh), Isolda (Spanish), Isotta (Italian). However, Tristan is too weak to look out his window to see the signal, so he asks his wife to check for him. It was made famous through various (and differing) 12th century medieval French romances, but was based on earlier Welsh legends of Drystan son of Tallwch, who was linked with Eseld and Mark of Cornwall, in a romance very similar to the famous Irish saga, the Elopement of Diarmaid and Grainne. These variants continued to be the most common form of the name in Britain into the 19th century. * Tristan und Isolde (1857–59), an opera by Richard Wagner. Furthermore, the earliest example we have of the name in use is in Wales. | UK Birth Announcements 12/8/13 - 18/8/13 ». The form Is' appears in several records but is is difficult to determine whether Isolde or Isabel was meant. When the Irish Iseult arrives to find her lover dead, grief overcomes her, and she passes away at his side. On the journey back to Cornwall, Iseult and Tristan accidentally drink a love potion prepared for her and Mark by Iseult and guarded by Brangaine, Iseult's lady-in-waiting. There, Tristan is placed in the care of Hoel of Brittany after receiving a wound. The tragic story is of the adulterous love between the Cornish knight Tristan (Tristram) and the Irish princess Iseult (Isolde, Yseult, etc.). The name Isolde is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "ice ruler". After King Mark learns of the secret love affair between Tristan and Iseult, he banishes Tristan to Brittany, never to return to Cornwall. The major problem with this theory is that the saga of Tristan and Iseult is Celtic in origin, not Germanic, and was most likely spread through Europe by Cornish and Breton travellers. Sitting between tragic lover Juliet and Arthurian, The legend of Tristan and Iseult (Isolde) is one of the most popular Arthurian legends. Other scholars favour Ishild (is "ice" + hild "battle, war") and demonstrate how Ishild could have transmuted to Is(h)elt > Is(h)alt, Is(h)aut > Is(h)olt.*. Iseult agrees to go, and the ship races home, white sails high. Iseult is first seen as a young princess who heals Tristan from wounds he received fighting her uncle, Morholt. The name flourished in the 12th century; Redmonds even ranks it as the 27th most popular name in England from 1377-81, which he classifies in the "quite popular" range. Isolde as a girls' name is of Welsh origin, and the meaning of Isolde is " fair lady". Mark is much less sympathetic in these versions, and the lovers eventually flee from his wrath. * He also points out that during this period there are a multitude of records in which names were abbreviated. Baptism records for the name between 1500-1700 are mostly confined to Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, and a few other counties in southern England. Famous real-life people named Isolde Isolde in song, story & screen. Isolde, Esyllt, Eseld, Iseult and all other variants of the name are now rare in use. var url = document.URL; In the verse tradition, the lovers do not meet again until Tristan is on his death bed (see below), but in the later Prose Tristan and works based upon it, Tristan returns from Brittany and they resume their affair. He meets and marries Hoel's daughter, Iseult Blanchmains (Iseult "of the White Hands"), because she shares the name of his former lover. Origin: Much like Arthur, Isolde is one of the most baffling and widely debated names from Celtic mythology. The cruel king stabs his nephew in the back, and Tristan, at Iseult's request, fatally crushes his beloved in a tight embrace as his final act. « Name of the Week | In the prose versions, the lovers' end comes when Mark finds them as Tristan plays the harp for Iseult beneath a tree. Posted at 07:02 PM in Celtic Names, Etymology and Meanings, Name of the Week, Namesakes, Nicknames and Diminutives | Permalink, | It is difficult to see how a Germanic name ended up as a principle character in Celtic legend. Please enable JavaScript if you would like to comment on this blog. Alternatively, it could be that Esyllt/Eseld was molded into Isolde to fit Germanic naming patterns. The oldest source, Béroul's 12th-century romance, spells her name as Yseut or Iseut. The most prominent is Iseult of Ireland, the wife of Mark of Cornwall and the lover, later, the wife of Tristan. * Isolde Kurtz (1853–1944), German poet. The etymology is uncertain, with most sources linking it to the Old High German words īs ("ice") and hiltja ("battle"). Several spellings are in record including Isolde, Iseuda, Isott, Isowde, Iseuda, Ysolt, Ysoude and Ysout. } else { At this time the name was usually recorded as Isett, Izet, Isitt, Isatt, Izatt, Izott, Isott and Isota. One Isolde (written as Iseldis) can be found in the Domesday Book as the 'lord' of Petersham in Dorset in 1086. In legend, Isolde is a beautiful Irish princess made famous by Wagner's opera "Tristan and Isolde". var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','https://static.typepad.com/.shared//js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e); In fact, while Iseult of the White Hands figures into some of the new episodes, she is never mentioned again after Tristan returns to Cornwall, although her brother Kahedin remains a prominent character. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iseult&oldid=987429126, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Iseult of Ireland (as Isolde) was played by, This page was last edited on 7 November 2020, at 00:09. * In the 2006 film Tristan & Isolde, Isolde was portrayed by British actress Sophia Myles. One popular theory is that Isolde derives from the Old Germanic elements is "ice" and vald "rule." Thanks to Victoria for requesting Isolde. He sends a ship for her, asking that its crew fly white sails on the return if Iseult is aboard, and black if she is not. url = url.replace( /#/, "" ); Since 1996, Isolde has ranked 12 times in seventeen years in England and Wales with between 3 and 9 births — it peaked at #2589 in 2010. The Irish princess, Iseult of Ireland (also Iseult La Belle or Iseult la Blonde, "Iseult the Fair"), is the daughter of King Anguish of Ireland and Queen Iseult the Elder. UK Birth Announcements 12/8/13 - 18/8/13 », Name Help: Twin Siblings for Emily and William. The name Isolde means She Who Is Gazed Upon and is of German origin. The main reason that this theory has flourished for centuries is that it fits so well with popular Germanic name elements. There were 105 in 1851, 66 in 1861, 116 in 1871, 110 in 1881, 81 in 1891 and 119 in 1901. Similarly, Esyllt has ranked 6 times over the same period with between 3 and 6 births (it was #5876 with 3 births in 2012) and Iseult has only ranked once, in 2010, with 3 births.