A "Long Shot Clue" that may have to do with the meaning of the word, apparently appearing on the Bell...Tafan!
Punjabi word named after King Tafan.
A connection may have to do with the 17th Century...Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland.
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Prince Rupert was credited for the invention of Tempered or Toughened Glass:
I believe his intent was to use these Tafan Glass Balls for ballistics.
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“Prince Rupert's drops (also known as Dutch or Batavian tears) are toughened glass beads created by dripping molten glass into cold water, which causes it to solidify into a tadpole-shaped droplet with a long, thin tail. These droplets are characterized internally by very high residual stresses, which give rise to counter-intuitive properties, such as the ability to withstand a blow from a hammer or a bullet on the bulbous end without breaking, while exhibiting explosive disintegration if the tail end is even slightly damaged.
The drops are named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who brought them to England in 1660, although they were reportedly being produced in the Netherlands earlier in the 17th century and had probably been known to glass makers for much longer. They were studied as scientific curiosities by the Royal Society and the unravelling of the principles of their unusual properties probably led to the development of the process for the production of toughened glass.”
Out of the several ships he sailed and lost while "Pirating" in the Caribbean, one may have gone by the name...Tafan!
Rupert crossed back into the Atlantic and, during 1651, cut west to the Azores,capturing vessels as he went. He intended to continue on to the West Indies,where there would be many rich targets. Instead he encountered a late summer storm, leading to the sinking of the Constant Reformation with the loss of 333 lives—almost including Rupert's brother, Prince Maurice, who only just escaped and a great deal of captured treasure. Turning back to regroup, repair and re-equip in early 1652, Rupert's reduced force moored at Cape Blanc,an island near what is now Mauritania. Rupert took the opportunity to explore and acquired a Moorish servant boy,who remained in his service for many years. Rupert also explored 150 miles up the Gambia River, taking two Spanish vessels asprizes and contracting malaria in the process.
Rupert then finally made a successful crossing into the Caribbean, landing first at Saint Lucia,before continuing up the chain of the Antilles to the Virgin Islands. There the fleet was hit by a hurricane,which scattered the ships and sank the Defiance, this time with Prince Maurice on board. It was a while before Maurice's death became certain, which came as a terrible blow to Rupert. He was forced to return to Europe, arriving in France in March 1653 with a fleet of five ships.
It may be worth investigating?
