diff --git a/Doc/Manual/Octave.html b/Doc/Manual/Octave.html
index 8a01e7c76..3229299d5 100644
--- a/Doc/Manual/Octave.html
+++ b/Doc/Manual/Octave.html
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ Options specific to the Octave module are:
 Octave Options (available with -octave)
      -global       - Load all symbols into the global namespace [default]
      -globals <em>name</em> - Set <em>name</em> used to access C global variables [default: 'cvar']
+                         - Use '.' to load C global variables into module namespace
      -noglobal     - Do not load all symbols into the global namespace
      -opprefix <em>str</em> - Prefix <em>str</em> for global operator functions [default: 'op_']
 </pre></div>
@@ -119,6 +120,7 @@ Octave Options (available with -octave)
 <p>
 The <em>-global</em> and <em>-noglobal</em> options determine whether the Octave module will load all symbols into the global namespace in addition to the global namespace.
 The <em>-globals</em> option sets the name of the variable which is the namespace for C global variables exported by the module.
+The special name "." loads C global variables into the module namespace, i.e. alongside C functions and structs exported by the module.
 The <em>-opprefix</em> options sets the prefix of the names of global/friend <a href="#Octave_nn18">operator</a> functions.
 </p>
 
diff --git a/Examples/octave/module_load/runme_args.m b/Examples/octave/module_load/runme_args.m
index 271cdd289..716ee31f9 100644
--- a/Examples/octave/module_load/runme_args.m
+++ b/Examples/octave/module_load/runme_args.m
@@ -38,3 +38,11 @@ example -globals mycvar
 assert(!isglobal("cvar"))
 assert(mycvar.ivar == example.ifunc())
 ##### END TEST #####
+
+clear all;
+
+##### BEGIN TEST #####
+# load module with root-level cvar
+example -globals .
+assert(example.ivar == example.ifunc())
+##### END TEST #####
diff --git a/Lib/octave/octruntime.swg b/Lib/octave/octruntime.swg
index bb173eb22..1fde2e796 100644
--- a/Lib/octave/octruntime.swg
+++ b/Lib/octave/octruntime.swg
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ DEFUN_DLD (SWIG_name,args,nargout,SWIG_name_d) {
   if (!already_load) {
 
     // parse command line
-    const char* usage="usage: " SWIG_name_d " [-global|-noglobal] [-globals <name>]";
+    const char* usage="usage: " SWIG_name_d " [-global|-noglobal] [-globals {<name>|.}]";
     bool global_load=SWIG_global_load;
     std::string global_name=SWIG_global_name;
     for (int j=0;j<args.length();++j)
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ DEFUN_DLD (SWIG_name,args,nargout,SWIG_name_d) {
         return octave_value_list();
       }
   
-    if (!valid_identifier(global_name)) {
+    if (global_name != "." && !valid_identifier(global_name)) {
       std::cerr << "error: " SWIG_name_d ": '" << global_name << "' is not a valid Octave identifier." << std::endl;
       return octave_value_list();
     }
@@ -88,13 +88,23 @@ DEFUN_DLD (SWIG_name,args,nargout,SWIG_name_d) {
     install_builtin_function(swig_this,"swig_this",std::string());
     install_builtin_function(swig_subclass,"subclass",std::string());
   
-    octave_swig_type* cvar_ns=new octave_swig_type;
-    for (int j=0;swig_globals[j].name;++j)
-      if (swig_globals[j].get_method)
-        cvar_ns->assign(swig_globals[j].name,&swig_globals[j]);
+    octave_swig_type* cvar_ns=0;
+    if (global_name != ".") {
+      cvar_ns=new octave_swig_type;
+      for (int j=0;swig_globals[j].name;++j)
+        if (swig_globals[j].get_method)
+          cvar_ns->assign(swig_globals[j].name,&swig_globals[j]);
+    }
   
     octave_swig_type* module_ns=new octave_swig_type(0, 0, 0, true);
-    module_ns->assign(global_name,Swig::swig_value_ref(cvar_ns));
+    if (global_name != ".") {
+      module_ns->assign(global_name,Swig::swig_value_ref(cvar_ns));
+    }
+    else {
+      for (int j=0;swig_globals[j].name;++j)
+        if (swig_globals[j].get_method)
+          module_ns->assign(swig_globals[j].name,&swig_globals[j]);
+    }
     for (int j=0;swig_globals[j].name;++j)
       if (swig_globals[j].method)
         module_ns->assign(swig_globals[j].name,&swig_globals[j]);
diff --git a/Source/Modules/octave.cxx b/Source/Modules/octave.cxx
index 7bf33169b..0186ca412 100644
--- a/Source/Modules/octave.cxx
+++ b/Source/Modules/octave.cxx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ static const char *usage = (char *) "\
 Octave Options (available with -octave)\n\
      -global         - Load all symbols into the global namespace [default]\n\
      -globals <name> - Set <name> used to access C global variables [default: 'cvar']\n\
+                         - Use '.' to load C global variables into module namespace\n\
      -noglobal       - Do not load all symbols into the global namespace\n\
      -opprefix <str> - Prefix <str> for global operator functions [default: 'op_']\n\
 \n";