[ANSTHRLD] Name question: Joe the <color>

[Christie Ward]

> My gut
> feeling is that names like Erik the Red (which the client cited as a
> precedent for the construction) are references to the person's
> complexion or hair color. And, woad not withstanding, blue isn't
> common for either.
> 
> What's my best starting point? This name is, I believe, Irish.
> 
> Yours in Service,
> 
> --Antoine D'Aubernoun

In Old Norse, we did have <blámaðr>, which you'd think means "blue man" but was used to refer to Ethopians or other Africans.  That's because <blár> is not really either black or blue, but rather the color of bruises, frostbite, and post-mortem lividity. You could be <bláeygr>, "blue-eyed", or have a <blákinn> suggesting some heavy five-o'clock shadow.  You could also say of someone that he was <blár> or <bláheimskr>, not meaning that they were blue, but rather that they were foolish or insipid.
 
However, given that we're talking about pairing this with an Irish name, none of the Norse choices is a good match anyway.
 
::GUNNVOR::