By the 600s, several prominent Germanic groups, including the Angles and the Saxons, had already started to migrate onto the recently abandoned island that would become known as Angleland or England. The Western historical record reflects this, as there is scant physical evidence of an Old Norse language and society until the Viking Age.įar more is known about the Germanic tribes that occupied current Denmark, Germany, and France. The Roman Empire and Ancient Greeks took little interest in the Nordic tribes. Storytellers were traditionally elderly community members, and their role was to share and spread ancient tales, most notably Norse mythology.Ĭonsequently, the true origins of Old Norse mythology and religion are obscured. It was a society based on oral tradition. Like many other early cultures, the Old Norse shared their stories and language verbally. And while the Old Norse people left plenty of proof of their existence, they didn’t leave many books behind. Most of our information concerning historical events comes to us through texts, artifacts, and archaeological evidence. This type of anthropology is naturally fraught with complex variables and hard-to-find sources, but the origins of the Ancient Germanic and Scandanavian peoples are particularly mysterious. Tracing the Old Norse language and culture back to its earliest origins is complicated. They’re our current destination as we plummet backward across the clock. These are the cradles of the Old Norse language and mythology and the home of the many warring Germanic tribes. Specifically, we’ll be visiting the coastal areas of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. We’ll be traveling not only through time but across the planet for this journey. Let our arrival date be 600 CE, nearly two centuries before the first major Norse-led Viking attack. This time is the point at which the Old Norse language, religion, and mythology began to blossom into life. To truly understand it, you must take a gigantic leap backward in history, to a time immediately before the Viking Age. Old Norse was a language spoken in ancient and medieval Scandinavia. Librairie Larousse Paris.6 Conclusion The History Behind Old Norse Names (1969) Dictionnaire éthymologique des noms de familles et prénoms de France, Ed. Guide Heimdal Bayeux, France.īernage, Georges (1982) La Normandie et les Vikings, Ed. Sources:īernage, Georges (1981) Prénoms Normands et Vikings, Ed. NOTE: There are some other family names whose origin is ‘other’ Germanic (Saxon or Frankish) but which are very close to Scandinavian forms: Enouf (Eginwulf), Anfray (Ansfrid), Anfri (Ansfrid), Geffroy (Gerdfrid), Gonfroy (Gunfrid), Rainfroy (Raginfrid), Rioult (Ridwulf). Thorgard (the one who is under Thor’s protection)ĭerivative of Varange (nottom of a boat, nickname for ‘sailor’) or composition of Var- (vigilant) and -Asgaut. Thérou(l)de, Thouroude, Troude, Trudeau, Torde May be Frankish/Saxon also, from Odalbert (Albert)īrynjolf (Hardened wolf,warrior.Īrnulf (wolf eagle). Scandinavian origin and meaning (if known) The Normandy-Yorkshire Linguistic Connection.
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