Horse name

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.

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		^[1]
Bashah Aboye	Dejazmach	Abba Däffar	Father of audacity		^[2]
Belay Zeleke	Dejazmach	Abba Koster	Father of Sharpshooter		^[3]
Darge Sahle Selassie	Ras	Abba Gersa^{[note 1]}	Father of Recurring Impediment (i.e. impeding the enemy).		^[4]^[1]
Garmame	Dejazmach	Abba Mala			^[5]
Habte Giyorgis Dinagde	Fitawrari	Abba Mechal	Father of Tolerance		^[1]
Haile Maryam Gebre	Dejazmach	Abba Dammana	Father of the Cloud		^[6]
Lul Seged	Ras	Abba Balay
Menelik II	Emperor of Ethiopia	Abba Dagnew	Father of Justice		^[1]
Sabagadis Woldu	Dejazmach	Abba Garay			^[7]
Tekle Haymanot	Negus of Gojjam	Abba Tanna			^[8]
Tessema Nadew	Ras Bitwoded	Abba Qamaw			^[9]
Tewodros II	Emperor of Ethiopia	Abba Tatek	Father of readiness (of arms)
Welde Giyorgis Aboye	Negus of Gondar	Abba Saggad^{[note 2]}	Father of Commandeering		^[10]^[1]
Yohannes IV	Emperor of Ethiopia	Abba Bezibiz	Father of Plunder		^[1]

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. [1]
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

Notes

^ also spelled as Abba Girsha
^ also spelled as Abba Segud

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Berhane-Selassie, Tsehai (2018). "6 - Military Training in Sports, Horsemanship and Hunting". Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land and Society 1800-1941 (PDF). Boydell & Brewer. p. 154-160. ISBN 9781787443419.
^ Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye; Crummey, Donald; Goldenberg, Gideon, eds. (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 492–493. ISBN 9783447047463. OCLC 722894586.
^ Getie Gelaye. 2005. Amharic Praise Poems of Däğğazmaó 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.
^ Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye, eds. (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 102–103. ISBN 9783447052382.
^ TAFLA, BAIRU (1969). "Four Ethiopian Biographies: Däjjazmač Gärmamé, Däjjazmač Gäbrä-Egzi'abehér Moroda, Däjjazmač Balča and Käntiba Gäbru Dästa". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 7 (2). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 1–10. JSTOR 41965786.
^ Pearce, Nathaniel (2014). "XVII". The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce: Written by Himself, during a Residence in Abyssinia from the Years 1810–1819; Together with Mr Coffin's Account of his First Visit to Gondar. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9781107450585.
^ Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. 2010. pp. 430–431. ISBN 978-3-447-06246-6.
^ TAFLA, BAIRU (1973). "Two of the Last Provincial Kings of Ethiopia". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 11 (1). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 29–49. JSTOR 41988566.
^ Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Henry Louis (2012). Dictionary of African biography vol 1-6. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 3-4. ISBN 9780195382075.
^ TAFLA, BAIRU (1973). "Two of the Last Provincial Kings of Ethiopia". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 11 (1). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 50–55. JSTOR 41988566.

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[4] so spelled as Abba Girsha

[11] so spelled as Abba Segud

[Tsehai154-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Berhane-Selassie, Tsehai (2018). "6 - Military Training in Sports, Horsemanship and Hunting". Ethiopian Warriorhood: Defence, Land and Society 1800-1941 (PDF). Boydell & Brewer. p. 154-160. ISBN 9781787443419.

[0-2] Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye; Crummey, Donald; Goldenberg, Gideon, eds. (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 492–493. ISBN 9783447047463. OCLC 722894586.

[3] Getie Gelaye. 2005. Amharic Praise Poems of Däğğazmaó 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.

[5] Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye, eds. (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp. 102–103. ISBN 9783447052382.

[6] TAFLA, BAIRU (1969). "Four Ethiopian Biographies: Däjjazmač Gärmamé, Däjjazmač Gäbrä-Egzi'abehér Moroda, Däjjazmač Balča and Käntiba Gäbru Dästa". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 7 (2). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 1–10. JSTOR 41965786.

[7] Pearce, Nathaniel (2014). "XVII". The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce: Written by Himself, during a Residence in Abyssinia from the Years 1810–1819; Together with Mr Coffin's Account of his First Visit to Gondar. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9781107450585.

[8] Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. 2010. pp. 430–431. ISBN 978-3-447-06246-6.

[9] TAFLA, BAIRU (1973). "Two of the Last Provincial Kings of Ethiopia". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 11 (1). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 29–49. JSTOR 41988566.

[10] Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Henry Louis (2012). Dictionary of African biography vol 1-6. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 3-4. ISBN 9780195382075.

[12] TAFLA, BAIRU (1973). "Two of the Last Provincial Kings of Ethiopia". Journal of Ethiopian Studies. 11 (1). Institute of Ethiopian Studies: 50–55. JSTOR 41988566.

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