Unsolved Mysteries

What happened to Hava? (solved)

In the 18^th century the children of the German settlers of Hollendry Witoszyn, later called Łęg Witoszyński, were baptized in the Roman Catholic church of Szpetal Górny near Włocławek.

Between 1755 and 1760 the Church Book shows a significant number of entries where "Hava" or "Havam" is used as a female given name.

The baptismal record displayed here clearly shows Hava as given name for the child and as given name of the godmother: Hava Schafrik.

No similar name can be found in German or Polish name lists.

Szpetal Górny 1760 Baptismal Record Nr. 357

However in the year 1761 the handwriting of the priest changes and from then on all Havas seem to have disappeared.

What happened to them?

Significant seems to be the fact that the disappearing of all the Havas goes along with the sudden appearance of Eve!

There was no Eve (Eva) before.

So was it just the mood of the older priest to use Hava instead of Eva? Or was it his successor who did not accept the name Hava and simply replaced it with the biblical Eve?

Solution:

A visitor to this site pointed out that in the above Church Record it does not read Hava but Hæva.

Havah/Hevah/Haveh/Hoveh are forms of the Hebrew Name for the first mother Eve. Since Hebrew texts did not use symbols for vowels in earlier times the interpretations of the original spelling "HVH" varied.

So the older priest preferred the Hebrew form, whereas his successor preferred the Latin form Eva.

I must say that I'm deeply impressed how many people took interest in Hava's fate and wrote us to help solve the mystery. Among others: university professors, a minister of the Lutheran Church and a member of the association "Moslems help Moslems" contributed to this solution.

So I wont put this item "offline" only because it is solved. [Jutta Dennerlein]