Alfred Richard Orage, one of the premier pupils of Gurdjieff, who was the original editor of all Gurdjieff's written works, and a foremost English literary talent in his own right. See Wikipedia Entry for biographical details.

Yelov

In Serbian, иелов means man. Clearly Yelov represents the thinking center which is characteristic of man alone in Nature. The Old Testament mentions Elah, the father of Shimei, one of King Solomon's guardians over Israel in the land of Benjamin. The personal name Ela means "oak", in figurative sense "strong, strong." And the Hebrew word "el", "el", which is part of several geographical names (Iftah-El, Migdal-El), can be translated as "God's—so Yelov (Elov) may also imply "belonging to God."

Abram

In Hebrew, the name Abram means "exalted father" and Abraham (with the added h) means "father of a multitude." Both names represent what was possible for Abraham to become because of the covenant.

In respect of the triad thinking center—moving center—emotional center (father, son and holy ghost) the thinking center is the exalted father.

Abrashka: the addition of ashka or ashke (yiddish) was a way of creating an affectionate nickname in Russia. It coudl be added to many names.

This is the name Gurdjieff's father used as an Ashokh. Note that this "word" also appears twice in The Tales firstly within the word "Adashsikra" the Atlantean name for Monday (p464), and secondly in the names of the notes on the Lav-Merz-Nokh, the first (highest) whole note being called "Adashtanas" (p850).

The Aga Khan (of that time) was an acquaintance of Prince Yuri Lubovedsky, according to the text. Aga Khan is a title held by the Imam of the Nizari Ismä'ili Shias. The "aga" means "elder man" or "master" or "lord." "Khan" means king or ruler. Every Aga Khan is purported to be a descendant of Mohammed (I.e. a Siaid.)

Wikipedia

The first person the young Gurdjieff consults to try to find an explanation of the phenomenon of Yezidis being unable to get out of a circle drawn around them.

The surname Ananyev goes back to the canonical male name Ananiy, which in Hebrew means "marked by the grace of God." Alternatively, Anan (from the Hebrew 'merciful') and Ananias (in the same language means 'God Yahweh is merciful').

In the old days, this name was widespread among the peasantry. However, there is also a dialect word "ananya" meaning "affectionate, flattering person"—a kind of fox-pretend. In this case, the surname Ananyev was formed from a nickname that indicated the characteristics of a person's character.

Also...

Hieromartyr Ananias, who was recognized as one of the Seventy Apostles, Bishop of Damascus, was considered the patron saint of the name Ananias. According to legend, Ananias went from Damascus to Eleutheropol and there, showing the people the way to salvation and healing the sick, he converted many to faith in Christ. There, the ruler Lucian, worshiping idols, ordered the people to take Ananias, take him out of the city and stone him, which is why he died a martyr's death.

Anu king of the gods and Lord of the firmament in the ancient Mesopotamian religion. The stars were his soldiers. He is mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh.

It is also likely that his name forms part of the name "Anulios," which Gurdjieff gives to higher centers in The Tales.

Wikipedia

Artemin is an artillery officer and one of the people among a group of others whom Gurdjieff consults about the phenomenon of Yezidis and circles.

The name Artemin probably means dedicated to Artemis, the  goddess of the hunt, wild animals and nature.

Wikipedia Page

The Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I of the Bagratuni dynasty in the early 880s following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule.

Beelzebub, traditionally regarded as a name for the devil, is the hero and primary character of Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson.

Wikipedia

The name Bogachevsky implies "of the family of God," where "Bog" is Russian for God, "chev" indicates a family line and "sky" simply means "of."  

The practice of assigning beautiful, artificially invented surnames to pupils of theological schools was quite common in Russia in the 18th-19th centuries, since it was believed that the name of a clergyman should support his authority.

The other name used for Bogachevsky, Father Evlissi, means 'married' in Turkish.

Captain Terentiev is one of the group of people with whom Gurdjieff discusses the phenomenon of the Yezidis trapped within circles.

The name Terentiev means persistent and also tiresome (from the Latin terence meaning importunate, tiresome).

The Moushtaïd Garden in Tiflis has been called the "Bois de Boulogne" of Tiflis. It was established between the 1830s and 1840s, by Mir-Fatah-Agha, a high-ranked Shia Muslim religious leader of the Persian Shiites. He was a Mujtahid and the garden was named for that. In the Shia tradition, a Mujtahid is a person who is accepted as an original authority in Islamic law.

In 1858, the garden became a public recreation centre.

The story of Cupid and Psyche comes from Metamorphoses written in the 2nd century AD by Platonicus (Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis). The myth relates to the obstacles to the love between Psyche (Soul—depicted as female) and  Cupid (Desire or love—depicted as male) and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.

Gurdjieff's first tutor. The word Borsh implies "Borscht" the name of a famous soup/stew made from beet root and other vegetables and usually eaten with sour cream. It is widely regarded as a healthy dish and is also the national dish of Ukraine. This is a reasonable symbol for a a healthy education as it is a down-to-earth rather than sophisticated dish.

Dr. Ivanov is the doctor who Gurdjieff asks about the Yezidi phenomenon, who responds by labeling it hysteria. The name "Ivanov" means son of Ivan. Here it may imply that this docter represents a Pavlovian view of the Yezidi phenomenon.

The name Resnik means "butcher." Contrast this with the other doctor Keeltchevsky whose name means "to germinate" (and hence thrive). There are two kinds of doctors.

Ea, mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh was the Sumerian god of water. He was also known as Enki. The name was rendered Aos in Greek sources.

Wikipedia

The individual whose speech about the limitations of Western literature and the failings of Western journalism spans many pages of the introduction.

Enlil, mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh, was the ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms.

Wikipedia

Enua is mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh. There is no god Enua listed in Wikipedia. If we consult the translated text from archaeological sources, it seems that Ennugi is the corresponding god in that verse.

See textual comparison

Wikipedia

"Arem" is Armenian for "do." This implies that Father Arem is thus "someone who can do."

Evlissi is a Turkish word meaning 'married" — perhaps implying that Bogachevsky was "married" to the church.

The name Bogachevsky implies "of the family of God," where "Bog" is Russian for God, "chev" indicates a family line and "sky" simply means "of."  

Father Maxim was the Deacon of the fortress church in Alexandropol and one of the group who Gurdjieff consults in respect of the Yezidi phenomenon.

The n ame Maxim is from maxim, which is an axiom, a statement of a self-evident truth.

The name Surenian is Armenian and means "strong" or "powerful."

The name Telvant breaks down into tel Armenian for "hate" and vant Aremenian for "prison." Father Telvant hates prison.

'Fatin' is an Arabic word meaning 'tempting' or 'seductive'—the active particle of فَتَنَ‎ (fatana).

Young Gurdjieff was tempted / seduced by Fatinov (son of a seducer) to go hunting and use the weapon even though he had been warned not to..

p63

The protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem that dates back to Sumerian times. Gilgamesh was a hero and possibly a king of Uruk.

Wikipedia

The name Keeltchevsky means to germinate (and hence grow, thrive). Contrast this with the other doctor, Resnik whose name means butcher. There are two kinds of doctors.

The Virgin Mary who appeared in a dream to the mother-in-law of a sick woman, and gave advice on healing. The name Mariam Ana (as the Tartars call the Virgin) means Mother Mary.

Etymology of Ana

While it is difficult to know for sure why Gurdjieff chooses to refer to Pogossian as "Mr X.", the fact that he is also referred to as "Captain" suggests that the captain of the transspace ship Karnak and Pogossian are one and the same.

Mullah Nassr Eddin, a legendary figure in numerous countries of the Near East, is an embodiment of popular wisdom. In his writings Gurdjieff uses quotes from Mullah Nassr Eddin as impartial opinions—after the fashion of a Shakespearean fool.  Many of these quotes were clearly invented by Gurdjieff.

Numuru is a god mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh. This name is not found in the text of the epic poem translated from archaeological sources. In its place we find the name Ninurta (the Chamberlain to the Gods).

See textual comparison

Wikipedia

Pavlov is the person to whose house Gurdjieff goes to discuss the Yezidi phenomenon and where he meets with a group of vodka drinkers.

Pavlov, a common Russian name, means "son of Paul." It is likely here that Gurdjieff choose this name in  reference to Ivan Pavlov, the Nobel Prize-winning Russian physiologist noted for his conditioning experiments with dogs (Wikipedia Page).

The name Philip means "lover of horses." Horses can be taken to represent the emotional center.

Sarkis is an Amenian boy's name meaning "protector" or "shepherd."

Pogossian means "son of Paul." The name Paul itself means "humble."

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (on the road to Damascus) to become Paul and then St. Paul is accompanied by the change of the name from Saul ("meaning "prayed for") to Paul (humble).

The titles of Russian nobility were formalized by  Emperor (Tsar)  Alexander Ill. The title Grand Duke belonged to sons and paternal grandsons of Tsars. Grand Duchess correspondingly to daughters and paternal granddaughters, as well as legitimate wives of Grand Dukes.

Russian aristocracy more distant from the Tsars Emperors were titled Princes of Russia. Lubovedky was thus related in some way to one of the Tsars. However, more likely we should take the reference allegorically, and think in terms of him representing a high component of the psyche.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Princes_of_Russia

The Russian word for "love" is lyubov', the Russian "ed" means "unit", or possibly Taken together, Lyuboved means "lover" (not in the sexual sense). "sky" as a surname ending indicates "where I originate" and is normally used after a village name to indicate coming from a particular village.

So taken together implies "coming from the place of the lover."

Yuri in Russian indicates farmer. But more likely this is Yuri from the Hebrew where the name means "light of God."

St. Nicholas (Nicholas of Bari or Nicholas of Myra) is the saint who eventually evolved (in popular culture) into Santa Claus. In many countries children receive gifts on December 6, St. Nicholas Day. He is one of the patron saints of children.

The teacher Stolmakh is one of the group of vodka drinkers whose opinion Gurdjieff seeks about the Yzeidi phenomenon. The name Stolmakh means "pillars." Teachers are, normally, pillars of society.  

Ubara-Tut is mentioned in the verse Gurdjieff quotes from The Epic of Gilgamesh. He is commanded by Ea to build a boat to escape the flood.

Wikipedia

Vasiliev was one of the two engineers who worked on the Georgian railway with Gurdjieff and Pogossian. The name means "Royal, kingly."

The name of the other, Yaroslev means "fierce and glorious."

Etymologically, the word "engineer" comes from Late Latin ingeniare having the general sense of "inventor, designer." In this context it probably means "engine driver."

It is curious that Gurdjieff does not give Vitvitskaia a christian name. The meaning of the name is probably as follows:

Vit is the third person singular of the French Vivre — to live and also the French Voir  to see. So vitvit may indicate she lives, she sees. The skaya is the female version of sky, meaning "from." So, she comes from living and seeing.

Yaroslev was one of the two engineers who worked on the Georgian railway with Gurdjieff and Pogossian. The name means "fierce and glorious."

The name of the other, Vasiliev means "Royal, kingly."

Etymologically, the word "engineer" comes from Late Latin ingeniare having the general sense of "inventor, designer." In this context it probably means "engine driver."