[Heralds] Yet another name question

[Jodi McMaster]

Jodi McMaster wrote:

> It doesn't
> look like any of them fit the color+animal pattern, but there is
> <gylðir> 'howler, wolf'.  <Silverwolf> doesn't show up in R&W, either.
> Looking under the entries beginning with black, I don't see any support
> for the color+animal, but that doesn't mean there isn't an example
> somewhere.

Okay, I thought I had a vague recollection of the color+animal names.
Reaney & Wilson, s.n. Graygoose, has <Graigos> 1249 'gray goose' from
the wild goose and then includes <Graydere> 1373 'gray deer'; <Grehound>
1327 'greyhound'. S.N. Whitebuck, we have <Whitbok> 1313 'white buck';
<Whytebull> 1379; and, among others, <Whytegos> 1334 'white goose'.  So
you've got support for these colors and the goose, buck, and deer
examples are wildlife. S.N. Wolf is <Wulf> 1166, so that particular wild
animal shows up.

In order to argue that <Silver> could be exchanged for gray or white,
I'd point to the documented <Whytlok> 1285 [s.n. Whitelock], <Greyberd>
1279 [s.n. Graybeard], and <Silverloc> 1268 [s.n. Silverlock] as
examples that all of these colors were used for by names based on hair
color, so it would be logical to postulate a <Silverwulf>.

Is it Norse? No.  Does <Odin Silverwulf> look like a passable name?
Probably.  Does it make me twitch?  Like Clousseau's boss.

AElfwyn
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AElfwyn aet Gyrwum
mka Jodi McMaster

AElfwyn's Attic
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