Kazimiera
07-27-2014, 09:03 PM
Viking Nicknames
Of all the various cultures of the Middle Ages, it was probably the Norse who had the best nicknames. Ranging from the Eirik the Red to Ivar the Boneless, the Viking Age has hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames.
http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/viking-nicknames-625x500.png
Why were nicknames so common during the Viking Age? Paul Peterson, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, has been researching Norse nicknames. He explains that “Norse people, like other medieval societies (with exceptions among some of the ruling Carolingians who used Roman-like titles), had no surnames, only patronyms like x’s son, x’s daughter. Thus, the stock of personal names was limited, and a nickname was a kind of unique identifier for individuals.”
There seemed no limit the Norse imagination when giving people nicknames – many would be based on physical appearance, including those that were sexually explicit (Kolbeinn Butter Penis) or as Peterson describes “potty humor nicknames” (Eystein Foul-Fart). These names may or may not have been accurate. For example, Thord the Low got his nickname despite being described in a saga as “the tallest of men, and furthermore he was sturdy and powerful in strength.”
Peterson has found that most nicknames were negative or insulting, although it is difficult to know if they were given out while the person was still alive. Njáll Ţorgeirsson earned his nickname – Burnt Njal – posthumously, after he and his family were killed when their enemies burned down their house.
One of the best sources for nicknames from the Viking Age is the Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements), which detailed the settlement of Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. It features descriptions of many of the Icelanders who lived during this period, including hundreds that had nicknames for men and women. Here are a few of the most interesting ones:
Male Norse Nicknames
Asbjorn Muscle of Orrastead
Audun Thin-Hair
Eirik Ale-Lover
Eystein Foul-Fart
Finni the Dream-Interpreter
Gunnstein Berserks’-Killer
Hermund the Bent
Ketil Flat-Nose
Kolbjorn the Slighter
Olaf the Witch-Breaker
Olvir the Child-Sparer
Sigtrygg the Fast Sailing
Thord the Left-Handed
Thorgeir the Clumsy
Thorir Leather-Neck
Thorir the Troll-Burster
Thorstein Ill-Luck
Thrand Slender-Leg
Ulf the Squint-Eyed
Vemund Word-Master
Female Norse Nicknames
Astrid Wisdom-Slope
Gro the Second-Sighted
Hallgerd Twist-Breeks
Hlif the Horse-Gelder
Thora Moss-Neck
Thorbjorg Ship-Breast
Thordis the Big
Thorunn Blue-Cheek
Thurid Sound-Filler
Yngvild All-Men’s-Sister
Source: http://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/01/viking-nicknames/
Of all the various cultures of the Middle Ages, it was probably the Norse who had the best nicknames. Ranging from the Eirik the Red to Ivar the Boneless, the Viking Age has hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames.
http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/viking-nicknames-625x500.png
Why were nicknames so common during the Viking Age? Paul Peterson, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, has been researching Norse nicknames. He explains that “Norse people, like other medieval societies (with exceptions among some of the ruling Carolingians who used Roman-like titles), had no surnames, only patronyms like x’s son, x’s daughter. Thus, the stock of personal names was limited, and a nickname was a kind of unique identifier for individuals.”
There seemed no limit the Norse imagination when giving people nicknames – many would be based on physical appearance, including those that were sexually explicit (Kolbeinn Butter Penis) or as Peterson describes “potty humor nicknames” (Eystein Foul-Fart). These names may or may not have been accurate. For example, Thord the Low got his nickname despite being described in a saga as “the tallest of men, and furthermore he was sturdy and powerful in strength.”
Peterson has found that most nicknames were negative or insulting, although it is difficult to know if they were given out while the person was still alive. Njáll Ţorgeirsson earned his nickname – Burnt Njal – posthumously, after he and his family were killed when their enemies burned down their house.
One of the best sources for nicknames from the Viking Age is the Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements), which detailed the settlement of Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. It features descriptions of many of the Icelanders who lived during this period, including hundreds that had nicknames for men and women. Here are a few of the most interesting ones:
Male Norse Nicknames
Asbjorn Muscle of Orrastead
Audun Thin-Hair
Eirik Ale-Lover
Eystein Foul-Fart
Finni the Dream-Interpreter
Gunnstein Berserks’-Killer
Hermund the Bent
Ketil Flat-Nose
Kolbjorn the Slighter
Olaf the Witch-Breaker
Olvir the Child-Sparer
Sigtrygg the Fast Sailing
Thord the Left-Handed
Thorgeir the Clumsy
Thorir Leather-Neck
Thorir the Troll-Burster
Thorstein Ill-Luck
Thrand Slender-Leg
Ulf the Squint-Eyed
Vemund Word-Master
Female Norse Nicknames
Astrid Wisdom-Slope
Gro the Second-Sighted
Hallgerd Twist-Breeks
Hlif the Horse-Gelder
Thora Moss-Neck
Thorbjorg Ship-Breast
Thordis the Big
Thorunn Blue-Cheek
Thurid Sound-Filler
Yngvild All-Men’s-Sister
Source: http://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/01/viking-nicknames/