ANST - Norse Names, Misconceptions

Sat Apr 25 23:03:09 PDT 1998

Sigiher barcaloo said:
>i have been looking for a norse name fo myself as well for quite some 
>time. i also had a hard time trying to figure out my persona. finally i 
>settled with a viking persona. as for myself, i am called Sigiher, which 
>means " victory sword". 

Gunnora replies:
First, the name as shown doesn't mean "victory sword" but rather "victory
army."  "Sig-" does mean victory, but "-her" means "war-host" or "army,"
not "sword."  Name elements with the meaning of "sword" include:

Brandr (full name, means "sword"), Brand- (prefix), -brandr (suffix)
Bröndr [Bro:ndr] (full name, alternate spelling for "Brandr") Brönd-
[Bro:nd-] (prefix). -brönd [-bro:nd] (suffix)
Hjalti (full name, means "hilt"), ____ (not used as a prefix), -hjalti
(suffix)
Hjörr [Hjo:rr] (full name, means "sword"), Hjör- [Hjo:r-] (prefix), ____
(not used as a suffix)
Tyrfingr (proper name, also the name of a famous flaming sword)

Furthermore, no matter what "Sigiher" might mean, this name won't pass -
although the name elements both exist in period, the College of Heralds is
not currently allowing us to "mix and match" legitimate name elements --
you have to show that the name was constructed that way in period.

If you want a name using the "sig" element meaning "victory", you will need
to choose from one of the documentable period names using this construction:

(names using accented or special characters are shown with ASCII
transliterations after in [square brackets] for those whose mailers won't
accept high order bits -- accented characters shown as the letter followed
by an apostrophe, a' or u' -- slashed o is shown as o/ -- thorn shown as TH
-- edth shown as DH)

Sigarr (victorious army)
Sigfastr (victory steady)
Sigfúss (victory willing) [Sigfu'ss]
Sighvatr, Sigvatr (victory bold)
Sigmundr (victory protection)
Sigrhaddr (victory hair)
Sigrlöð (victory invitation) [SigrloDH]
Sigtryggr (victory faithful)
Sigurðr, Sigrøðr (victory rider) [SigurDHr, Sigro/DHr]
Sigvaldi (victory power)
Sigvarðr (victory warder) [SigvarDHr]
Sigverkr (victory worker)

Next Sigiher said:
>the tricky thing with viking names is figuring 
>out what is a feminine name, and what is a masculine name. some are 
>unisex. 

To which Gunnora replies:
Old Norse words show their gender in how they are inflected.  The closest
to an identical name is still clearly discernable, thus:

Arnþórr [ArnTHo'rr] (masculine) -- Arnþóra [ArnTHo'ra] (feminine)
Bergþórr [BergTHo'rr] (masculine) -- Bergþóra [BergTHo'ra] (feminine)
Dalli (masculine) -- Dalla (feminine)
Finnr (masculine) -- Finna (feminine)
Grímr [Gri'mr] (masculine) -- Gríma [Gri'ma] (feminine)
Guðlaugr [GuDHlaugr] (masculine) -- Guðlaug [GuDHlaug] (feminine)
Guðleifr [GuDHleifr] (masculine) -- Guðleif [GuDHleif] (feminine)
Hafþórr [HafTHorr] (masculine) -- Hafþóra [HafTHora] (feminine)
Haldórr [Haldo'rr] (masculine) -- Haldóra [Haldo'ra] (feminine)
Helgi (masculine) -- Helga (feminine)
Ingi (masculine) -- Inga (feminine)
Kolgrímr [Kolgri'mr] (masculine) -- Kolgríma [Kolgri'ma] (feminine)
Ljótr [Ljo'tr] (masculine) -- Ljót [Ljo't] (feminine)
Ljufvini (masculine) -- Ljufvina (feminine)
Oddleifr (masculine) -- Oddleif (feminine)
Ondóttr (masculine) -- Ondótta (feminine)
Solvi (masculine) - Solva (feminine)
Tófi [To'fi] (masculine) -- Tófa [To'fa] (feminine)
Uni (masculine) -- Una (feminine)
Þórfinnr [THo'rfinnr] (masculine) -- Þórfinna [THo'rfinna] (feminine)
Þórgrímr [THo'rgri'mr] (masculine) -- Þórgríma [THo'rgri'ma] (feminine)
Þórleifr [THo'rleifr] (masculine) -- Þórleif [THo'rleif] (feminine)
Þórljótr [THo'rljo'tr] (masculine) -- Þórljót [THo'rljo't] (feminine)
Þórhalli [THo'rhalli] (masculine) -- Þórhalla [THo'rhalla] (feminine)
Þóroddr [THo'roddr] (masculine) -- Þórodda [THo'rodda] (feminine)

I was only able to find three instances of a unisex name, and I suspect
that in each of these the sex of the person named is just not recorded
properly in the source material:

Auðr [AuDHr] (usually feminine)
Eylaug (one occurrence each)
Nereiðr  [NereiDHr] (one occurrence each)

Sigiher then said:
>the main thing you'll want to look at is the prefix and the 
>suffix of the name and what you want it to say. as is in my name the 
>prefix "sigi" (which is very common), means "victory", and "her" meaning 
>"sword".

Gunnora answers:
No, you can't do this if you want your name to pass the College of Heralds.
 You have to find a name that was actually used in period.  It *is* a good
idea to find out what the name might mean before registering it so that you
don't get a name that you'd be embarrased to be stuck with the rest of your
SCA career: for instance,  Ljótr means "ugly".  I will be glad to help you
find out what a given name element means, if anyone has a question.

Fortunately, there are many excellent references that will help you
document Norse names.  Landnamabok is very good, being a chronicle of the
settlement of Iceland and recording the names of lots of those settlers.
The sagas are also a good source.  Or you can look at books discussing
Norse names, for instance:

Geirr Bassi Haraldsson. The Old Norse Name.
Available from CELTIC TRADITIONS, 3366 Laurel Grove South, Jacksonville FL
32223, (904) 886-0326; they currently list the book at $5.00.

Jensen, Gillian Fellows.  Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolshire and
Yorkshire.  Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag. 1968.  

Woolf, Henry Bosley.  The Old Germanic Principles of Name-Giving.Baltimore:
Johns  Hopkins Press. 1939.

Hale, Christopher J.  "Modern Icelandic Personal Bynames."
ScandinavianStudies 53 (1981): 397-404.

Sigiher went on to say:
> i dont have my books with me, but ill see if i can remember 
>some prefixes and suffixes. keep in mind that it can be placed either 
>way. for example: "Herwodis" (feminine) means sword goddess, as you see 

Gunnora says:
"Herwodis" would not mean "sword goddess" - in fact, there is no such name
construction.  The closest name is "Herdis" meaning "Army Goddess" or
"Hjördis" ["Hjo:rdis] (which does mean "sword goddess").  

And you most emphatically cannot place a name element in either the prefix
or suffix location at random.  There are many name elements that are only
found in one location or the other, but noth both.  For instance, the
feminine suffix "-dis" is never used as a prefix (although "Dis" by itself
was a period woman's name). The same is true of the women's name suffixes
"-bjorg" and "-gerðr [-gerDHr]", which both appear as a stand-alone name
but never as a name prefix, ever.

Sigiher said next:
>the suffix from my name is the prefix for this feminine name. heres what 
>i remember off the top of my head: sigi=victory, hag=thorn(i think), 
>wod=god, wodis=goddess, run=secret, gund=battle...

Gunnora corrects this info by saying:
Sig = "victory" -- this is the only one you have correct.

Hag = only occurs in Hagbarðr (meaning "with the fine beard")

Wod = a Germanic construction, equivalent to Old Norse Óðr [O'DHr] meaning
"frenzy, rage" - also appears in the name Wodan (German or Anglo-Saxon) or
Óðinn [O'DHinn] (Old Norse), the one-eyed god of wisdom and poetry.  This
is *not* used as a name element other than for the god.

Ás- [A's-] (also appears as Ós- [O's-]) = "Aesir, a god" used as a name
element (prefix only)

Guð- [GuDH-] = "god" used as a name element (prefix only)

Ragn- or Rögn- [Ro:gn] = "god" used as a name element (prefix only)

Wodis = does not exist.  

Dís {Di's] = literally "goddess" but can also mean simply "woman",
frequently used as a suffix in feminine Old Norse names, "-dís" [-di's],
for instance Aldís [Aldi's], Álfdís [A'lfdi's], Arndís [Arndi's], Ásdís
[A'sdi's], Bergdís [Bergdi's], Eydís [Eydi's], Geirdís [Geirdi's], Halldís
[Halldi's], Herdís [Herdi's], Hjördís [Hjo:rdi's], Jódís [Jo'di's], Saldís
[Saldi's], Valdís [Valdi's], Védís [Ve'di's], Vigdís [Vigdi's] and Þórdís
[THo'rdi's].

Rún [Ru'n] = this word by itself actually does mean "secret" or "hidden,"
but when found as a name element usually means "rune" as in "a magical
letter of the Norse alphabet".  Usually found as a suffix in womens' names,
for instance Dagrún [Dagru'n] or Úlfrún [U'lfru'n]. This element is found
only once as a prefix in the masculine name Rúnólfr

Gunn = "war" always found as a prefix  (not "gund" - that's a later
corruption or misspelling) masculine Gunarr, Gunnbjörn [Gunnbjo:rn],
Gunnfarðr [GunnfarDHr], Gunnhvatr, Gunni, Gunnlaugr, Gunnlöð [Gunnlo"DH],
Gunnólfr [Gunno'lfr], Gunnsteinn, Gunnvaldr, feminine Gunnora (documentable
in Old English only), Gunnhildr, Gunnfríðr [Gunnfri'DHr], Gunnlöð
[Gunnlo:DH], Gunnvör [Gunnvo:r]

Sigiher goes on to say:
>i have a very good 
>collection of the norse names and what they mean but as i say i dont 
>have them with me right now. if you write me and tell me exactly what 
>your friend whants his/her name to say i could try to make one for him. 
>i hope i have been of at least some assistance. if you are looking for a 
>norse name i recomend reading "Rhinegold"

Gunnora replies:
If you are using Stephan Grundy's *FICTION* book Rhinegold, which retells
the continental German tale of Sigfried the Dragon-Slayer from the
Niebelungelied (that would be Volsungasaga to name the OId Norse
equivalent) then I wouldn't count that as "a very good collection of Norse
names".  

If you want a great collection of Old Norse names, spend the $5 and get the
Geirr Bassi Haraldsson booklet "The Old Norse Name" (see above for more
info) or check the Glossary of Proper Names in any of the very affordable
Penguin editions of the sagas, or go to an academic library and look for
books in the nomenclature studies section on Old Norse names.

Or, of course, you can write The Viking Answer Lady (myself) and I'll be
glad to help you find a good, documentable Old Norse name that you will
like, and that the College of Heralds will also like.

Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)

::GUNNORA::

Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ek eigi visa þik hversu oðlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Aðal
(Ek eigi thik hversu odhlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Adhal)

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