Additional info: |
Old Cornish personal name.
Miniver might be a regional form of Guinevere, from 'gwen' (fair) and 'hwyfar' (smooth), thus meaning "very beautiful".
It may also be derived from Minerva, the old Roman goddess of wisdom, in which case, implying "wise one".
Cornish people tell an interesting story about St Miniver that links her to the Irish banshee.
Miniver was sitting at her well, combing her hair, when the devil tried to tempt her. She threw her comb at him and he had to turn into a rock to avoid being hit.
In some Irish traditions, the banshee combs her hair as she wails, and if she throws her comb at someone and it strikes, then that person will die within the space of a three - whether three days, weeks or months.
Miniver is also an English vocabulary word. It designates a white or light gray fur used as a trim on medieval robes and on ceremonial robes of state.
The etymology of this word is different of that of the name - from the Middle English meniver, from Old French "minuet vair, menu vair", small vair; vair being a fur, probably squirrel, much used in medieval times to line and trim robes.
"Mrs. Miniver" is the name of a fictional character created by Jan Struther in 1937 |
