About origin of our last name - prof. Edward Breza

The 'Glossary of Modern Polish Names' (GMPN) states (...) 127 people with last name Rohraff, 126 of them in Gdansk voivodship, 1 of them in Szczecin voivodship; 18 people with last name Roraf, 8 of them in Gdansk voivodship, 10 of them in Slupsk voivodship; 2 people with last name Roraff in Gdansk voivodship; 9 people with last name Rohraf, 8 of them in Gdansk voivodship, 1 of them in Katowice voivodship. The phone book from 1998 states (...) Ro(h)raf(f) surname in north of Kashubian region namely in Puck, Reda, Wejherowo.

(...) The Roraf(f)s were historically recorded from 1787 in Gora Parish near Wejherowo from the village of Gora and Zelewo, for instance in 1807 Josephus et Elisabeth Roraff from Gora and Godfather Michael Roraff, in 1810 died 15-month old baby Marianna Rorafin. In 1811 Helena Roraff became a godmother. Today on the tomb in Gora cementary one may read Anna Marcinska whose maiden name was Roraff (1909-1960).

(...) Finally name Ro(h)raf(f) can have two explanations. Firstly it can be a family, that moved from Silesia to Pomerania (there were several such families, like Nostitz (Nostyc) coming from village Nosocice in Glogowski district); in Silesia family name originated from village Rorow, in German Rohrau. Today name of that village is Grodziszow. Glossary of old polish words (volume IV, page 488) document this family since 1416, it is mentioned 7 times - Roraw (6), Rohraw (1) and 2 times - Rorowski in 1465. Silesian onomasts claim that the name of the village originates from German noun Rohr which means 'cane, bulrush'. However nowadays in the surname Roraf and its derivatives one may see their origin from surname Rora, which was documented for example in 1793 in the book of birth certificates in Stara Kiszewa Parish in Kocierskie voivodship: Adam Rora. GMPN states surnames Rohra, Rohr, Rora, Rur, Ror and their derivatives. Rora comes from the word rura (pipe), in old days known as rora and in slang rula. In GMPN we encounter 233 people with last name rula and many of its derivatives. In old Polish language was also known the noun 'rurmus' (pipeline), rurmistrz and rormistrz (water pipe caretaker). The word rura comes from German language from 15th century and it meant 'pipe for water, vapour, gas', 'barrel of a gun', 'bone especially shin-bone' and also 'a fool'; in German language Rohr, Rohre meant firstly 'opening in cane, bulrush', later also used for 'pipe for water, vapour, gas'. According to priest Sychta (Kashubian dictionary volume IV, page 340) in Pomerania the word was rora, in old Polish language rura, rurka. Two ways of this word explain surnames Rora and Rura.

German people slavonic surnames with ending -slaw changed to surnames with ending -laff or -loff (Mudlaff from Modlisław, Budlaff from Budzisław, Cyrklaff from Sierosław, Derloff from Dzierżysław, Radioff from Radosław). Therefore surname Rorow or Rora were written as Rohraf, Roraff or similarly. Only such explanations of this surname can be deduced from historical documents.

Strasbourgian legend: Le Rohraff (short version)

At the leg organ in the Cathedral of Strasburg there was a figure holding a trumpet. Its name was Rohraff. Behind the figure there was a hinding-place. In the Middle Ages during Whitsun when people from neigbouhood came to Strasburg to go to church Rohraff ”made his speech”. It means that a certain person went into the hidin-place and gave the floor to the figure. It looked as if Rohraff were speaking. His stories were even more interesting than priest’s sermons. He told jokes about clergy’s blunders and timid peasants who with zeal were going to church forgetting everyday chores of a Christian. Sometimes he carried his jokes further and sang. People believed that devil was speaking through him. After some time people started paying more attention to cock above astronomical clock than to the figure. That was the reason why a bitter quarrel broke out between Rohraff and the cock. Because nobody wanted to patch up a quarrel between them, after some time they became silent. The cock was only fluttering the wings and crowing. Rohraff stopped telling his jokes. It seemed as if the cock won in their argument. Thus sometimes is better to crow like a cock than to tell secrets and truth like Rohraff.

Strasbourgian legend: Le Rohraff

Insane hours of the cathedral at the time of Rohraff

by Francoise Levy-Coblentz

«... I am here in service
With the mass of Pentecost, for the whole world,
The city and the countryside, without any remuneration.
And that, I achieved it a long time Without in enters prevented by anybody
Except by you...»⁽¹⁾

Thus Rohraff, perched under the organ of the cathedral orated while being addressed to the cock of the astronomical clock. From which comes that an Alsatian poet of XVI century, Conrad Dasypodius, imagined to oppose Rohraff and the cock in a composition of kind entitled "Der Kampf of Roraffen put dem Hanen", the fight between Rohraff and the cock? Should it be supposed that in 1578, date of the first edition of this opens, the fame of Rohraff faded already near that of the cock, its neighbor? Always it is that Dasypodius paints it to us like his dangerous rival, able to subjugate crowd when, on the blow of midday, leaf of the wings, it imitated to perfection the song of the Master of the low-courses. Up there, under the organ, the Rohraff unlucky person counts his merits in vain:

« You do not know that I am in sizeable employee,
I have the regard of the town of Strasbourg,
Many times I made the insane one,
For the middle-class men and the peasants...»⁽²⁾

force is to him to note human ingratitude, the lapse of memory of the rendered services. The favours of its fellow-citizens go from now on to a stupid cock and its complaints remain without echo. King Solomon himself, motionless with the gate where it assembles the guard, perhaps deadened in his capacity as judge, when one presses it to deliver his opinion on this business, keeps an absolute dumbness. And Rohraff to conclude sadly:

« If I know that you must remain in the cathedral,
I want to resign
Of my service near the city
Who maintained me so a long time
Rather than to continue to suffer you close to me...»⁽³⁾

This threat was with execution. Rohraff took leave of its city. Like king Solomon of the gate, it was locked up in a final silence, piece of wood inert which neglect the visitors in a hurry to admire the wonders it; 'clock. Admittedly, Dasypodius would be well astonished with the spectacle by the crowd by today, massed in front of lord the cock: crushed, crushing, sweating or grelottantes in waiting of the cry of a stupid animal - crowd that had not been able to envisage the imagination of the poet. Unforeseeable also, disgrace in which fell unhappy Rohraff. How much among its current fellow-citizens know only where to locate it without hesitation in their cathedral?

On both sides of the organ case, they are two, although generally named in the singular, two automats of polychrome wood, framing Samson who overlaps a lion.

On the left, the herald (fig. 1) presents itself in an advantageous installation, a hand on the hip, while of 'other, it carries to its mouth a trumpet which one actuated by a system of lever from large pedalling of the organ. Its setting is elegant: rich person pourpoint buttoned, fit sticking to the colors of the town of Strasbourg, girdles low of knight, long chain to which passed the scraping-knife, bulky scraping-knife which contributes to lengthen its silhouette.

The character who makes him during (fig. 2) strike by its caricatural pace: bearded, hirsute, corpulent under the tunic, it is the churl with the heavy laced boots in which are tight braies slightly puffing out. Its pointed bonnet in the form of comma accentuates the character buffoon of its aspect. With the origin, it held up with the right hand a bretstell ⁽⁴⁾ that the play of mechanics made it possible to raise and to lower in same time that opened and closed its jaw lower. While gesticulant kind, it haranguait the crowd of faithful by the means of an actor in flesh and bone dissimulated inside the base of the organ.

It is the “Bretstellmann” which Dasypodius puts in scene in its poem. It is him which, with its way, officiated during the mass of Pentecost “... for the whole world, the city and the countryside”. It is with him more particularly than applies the denomination of Rohraff, although it seems to have included by extension the grotesque ones decorating the supports of the two automats ⁽⁵⁾.

Here Rohraff located in space without too many difficulties. The business becomes more difficult when it is a question of finding an explanation to its odd name. the specialists break up it into two elements: “Rohr” and “Aff” (monkey). The discussions relate to the first term. Two etymologies are proposed. One made derive “Rohr” from “röhren”, howl; the other of “Rohr” which means pipe or reed: “monkey hurlor”? “Monkey of the pipes” (allusion to the organ which is used to him as perch)? or “Monkey of the reeds”? In favour of this last translation, Seyboth ⁽⁶⁾ call upon the house “Zum Roraffen” with N⁰ 20 of the street of the Corner-Flaring of which the frontage “... is decorated still today with a curious sculpture embedded in the wall, representing a monkey squatted in the reeds and crunching a spherical fruit, apple or orange. A title of 1313 fact mention of a certain Jean Rorahe...». Seyboth thinks that the name of this character would be at the origin of name “Zum Roraffen”, while specifying that it is especially “... thanks to one or more scandalous figures... cathedral which the name of Rohraff arrived to us”.

If philological interpretations remain often confused and disappointing, an interesting fact however emerges some: the popularity of the name and the character. Witnesses these two pieces of artillery of the old arsenal of Strasbourg baptized “Rohraff” and “Jeunne Rohraff”.

Paradoxically, it is through Geiler de Kaysersberg that it is possible for us to seize with wrong way the immense prestige of Rohraff near crowd of XVe century. The famous preacher attacks the scandalous buffoon with differently powerful weapons that those whose object of its fury, then on the decline, will lay out one century later in its combat with the cock. And yet, irony of the fate, the cock was victorious.

Geiler was overcome: on several occasions, it asked for the deposition of this unpleasant catch out of wooden; as many time one refused it to him. In the Chapter as with the Council, each one made the deaf person ear. One to him generally pled that it was a very old tradition in front of which it was preferable to be inclined, also Geiler, carried by passion and forgetting the preoccupation with a truth which characterizes it, went it until denying the outdatedness of the statues which it presents as the recent work of some malevolent cadger and wood dauber. However, the history is registered into false against this assertion of Geiler and certain vestimentary details of the “trumpet” provide elements of precise dating ⁽⁷⁾ allowing to place the birth of or Rohraff in 1385, year of the rebuilding of the burnt organ on March 17, 1384. It is very possible that an ancestor of Rohraff then perished in the flames, at all events, that which occupies us was quasi centenary at the time where Geiler brought proceedings against him.

Which was thus the nature of its crimes? Rohraff is praised some in the poem of Dasypodius: “I am here in service with the mass of Pentecost... Many times I made the insane one for the middle-class men and the peasants... ».

Indeed, more than very other, the festival of Pentecost attracted downtown the inhabitants of the campaigns. The accounts of Geiler and its contemporaries bear witness from there: in this saint day, the crowd of faithful went in procession to the cathedral, middle-class man at the head, all deployed banners, bearing cross and relics, grouped according to strict obligations' of precedence and the specific immutable payments to each corporation. Behind it the picturesque and disordered procession of the villagers curved provided with candles and clubs. During this solemn procession, the laughter and the brawls burst for one anything. It seems in particular that certain corporative dances carried out on this occasion caused to carry the excitation to its roof so much so that in 1466, the Magistrate will end up forbidding the corporation Fishermen to devote itself to its capers at the time when people of the countryside flowed. But all that anything was not compared with the disorders which occurred when this crowd engulfed itself in the nave.

At this point in time the scandal burst: Rohraff watched for the arrival of the peasants to break out. It was put at once to howl of the songs obscenes and poured on them any kind of gibes. The charmed or furious churls answered sharply this brother miraculeusement suspended between sky and ground which wore clothing similar to their and was expressed in the same colourful language. Rohraff could draw all the comic party from these verbal tournaments with Lord Jacques Bonhomme. All the city laughed with throat deployed at the expense of the countryside and in little time, din was so large that it covered the hymns, the music of organ and the voice of the officiant.

It became obviously difficult to make its safety in similar company. Admittedly, without the many assistance of the peasants this day, Rohraff could not have discounted to transform the mass of Pentecost into a gigantic sound spectacle of which it was the “demon ex machina” and faithful the actors impromptu. Rather than to reject part of the fault on these naive countrymen subjugated by the statue which speaks and which moves, it is appropriate to explain their massive presence in Strasbourg at the time of this festival.

The registers of opens Notre-Dame provide on this subject of invaluable information: in accordance with an old habit, to leaving the large-mass of Pentecost, the pilgrims went in procession until the “Frauenhaus” (Notre-Dame opens) to receive hands of the administrator there the “Pfingstpfennig”, small amount of money distributed to the inhabitants of various localities in remembering the sacrifices authorized to build the cathedral. Thus people of Châtenois were gratifiés of 5 Schillings, item those of Scherwiller, Boersch, Geispolsheim, Molsheim, Obernai, etc⁽⁸⁾. Malignant Rohraff knew consequently that at Pentecost it was ensured to have a public many its suitability, attracted downtown by the soft food of some under gained without effort. This is why, it had chosen to make this crowned festival its own festival and that of all its fellow-citizens.

Rohraff howled, Rohraff sang ashamed songs, Rohraff made fun of the decent people and turned in derision all the company: one collapsed of laughing with his feet. It uttered terrible but irresistible words: one forgot God, his Saints and his vicar. Geiler publicly notes it in pulpit, it affirms it in 1496 front the Council: « ... This abuse is against the honor of God, with that of episcopal dignity, the holy place, Blessed Sacrament present at the church; finally, it is an insult with the sacrament of the Confirmation which is conferred during these kid-laugh sacrileges... » ⁽⁹⁾.

“Abuse”, “momeries sacrileges”, surprising fact, Geiler, usually not very miserly of picturesque details, always proceeds by vague allusions when it is a question of Rohraff. Its admirors and its pupils with whom we partly owe the faithful relation of the thoughts and the sermons of the Master are quite as discrete on this business. Should it be deduced from it that the misconduct of Rohraff was such as it could not be comparable with the practice of blasphémer established well in manners since seven ordinances, between 1480 and 1510, prohibit it in vain. Geiler itself, ton top of its pulpit: “You blasphémez God of the feet to the head... what thus did you the head, the heart, the blood of Christ? ” (Allusions to the swearwords horn-god or horn-blue, head-blue, palsambleu, etc)

With regard to Rohraff, any precision of this kind. The documents relating to the office of Pentecost are not likely to provide some more, because the mass was celebrated by the bishop in person. Thus probably, nothing to wait on this point of the reading of “open of Geiler or its disciples.

As for the alive buffoons who lent their voice to Rohraff, dissimulated some share in the belly of the organ, it is not very probable that they knew to write. They were “Knecht”, i.e. servants remunerated by the city and named by the Magistrate, or belonged to the church, the texts are not very clear and in contradiction with regard to their social condition.

Here is how Geiler, overcome of alive sound by Rohraff, gains today a victory which was not calculated and which consists in having delivered his enemy to us inert and dumb, deprived of spokesmen written, impotent from now on to make us share the delirious joy that tested so many generations of Of Strasbourg to see it and to hear it.

Will we never know why one laughed so extremely in Strasbourg at the time of Rohraff?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

⁽¹⁾ Conrad DASYPODIUS, Der Kampf des Roraffen under der Orgeln, im Münster zu Strassburg mit dem Hanen daselbst auf dem Uhrwerk (1^re édit. en 1578, 2^e édit. en 1580), publié par E. Wendling, dans Alsatia, 1873-1874, p. 117. [go back]

⁽²⁾ Op. cit., p. 118. [go back]

⁽³⁾ Op. cit., p. 120. [go back]

⁽⁴⁾ Cf. gravures de Jacob van Heyden et d'Isaac Brunn (Thieme-Becker, XVII, p. 18; sur J. van Heyden). [go back]

⁽⁵⁾ SEYBOTH, Strasbourg historique et pittoresque, 1894, p. 384-385. [go back]

⁽⁶⁾ Op. cit., p. 384-385. [go back]

⁽⁷⁾ Victor BEYER, La sculpture strasbourgeoise au quatorzième siècle. Compagnie des Arts photomécaniques, 1955, p. 45 et note 6 de la même page. [go back]

⁽⁸⁾ L. DACHEUX, Jean Geiler de Kayserberg, étude sur sa vie et son temps, 1876, p. 60, note 2. [go back]

⁽⁹⁾ Op. cit., p. 92. [go back]

Found on the internet during genealogical research