Scandinavian double names. How to name a boy: ancient Viking male names and their meaning

Interest in the culture and life of the inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries of the early Middle Ages is constantly growing. This is due to the fascination with antiquities, paganism, sagas), as well as the stable release of films and computer games about Vikings. The names of the Vikings are no less interesting. They are euphonious, not without meaning and are perfect for pseudonyms and nicknames within a certain circle of people.

Who are the Vikings and where do they come from?

Scandinavian sailors (VIII - XI centuries) are usually called Vikings. They became famous for their sea voyages, which stretched all the way to North Africa. The Vikings were ordinary inhabitants of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, who sought to leave their native shores and go in search of a new better life. Swedish settlers in ancient Russian chronicles are mentioned as Varangians, and the Danish and Norwegian Vikings were nicknamed Normans, based on Latin sources. The most complete description of these sailors, however, is given by the Scandinavian sagas, from which, for the most part, we learned the names of the Vikings, their personalities and manners. In addition, researchers largely gleaned information about names from inscriptions on rune stones.

Noble stone, illustrious wolf, bear: Viking names

Male nicknames for the inhabitants of Scandinavia have been known to researchers for a long time. They are found in chronicles, annals, vaults. Thus, “The Tale of Bygone Years” introduces us to the first Varangian in Rus' - Rurik, who became the founder and can be translated as “glorious king”. Other male Viking names found in the chronicles are no less pretentious. Just remember the rulers Dir (“beast”) and Askold (“golden voice”).

However, as mentioned above, researchers gleaned the bulk of names from inscriptions on rune stones, as well as Scandinavian sagas and tales. Here is a list of some common nicknames at the time:

• Ragnar - warrior of the Gods;
• Athelstan is a noble stone;
• Bjorn is a bear;
• Arne - eagle;
• Thorstein - Thor's stone;
• Leif is the heir.

Names containing component named after the god Thor: Torquil, Thorstein. It was also considered a good sign to name a person after an animal. This is how the nicknames Bjorn, Arne, Ulf (“wolf”), Ulfbjorn, Vebjorn (“holy bear”) arose.

Beautiful, sowing confusion: Viking female names

The Viking Age also gave rise to special nicknames for women, which are often used to this day in the Scandinavian countries. Among these the following can be noted:

• Sigrid is a wonderful victory;
• Ingrid - beautiful;
• Ragnhild - advisor in battle;
• Gunnhild - battle of battles;
• Tove - thunder;
• Helga - blessed;
• Siggy - shield of victory.

If many male Viking names were associated with the name of the god Thor, then female ones gravitated towards the nicknames of Valkyries - mythological warrior maidens who accompanied the souls of dead warriors to Valhalla. The most famous of the Valkyrie names are as follows:

• Randgrid - breaking shields;
• Hild - warrior;
• Gel - calling;
• Mist - foggy;
• Company - sowing confusion.

The role of the Vikings - Scandinavian warriors and sailors - in the history of Russia is not entirely clear. Some historians believe that the Vikings were the direct ancestors of the Russians, others believe that Ancient Rus' there were close contacts with the Scandinavian peoples. One way or another, they had a certain influence on our culture, including giving us names whose true origin we sometimes have no idea about.

How did Scandinavian names appear in Rus'?

Residents of Ancient Rus' adopted the naming tradition from the Scandinavians, according to which one person could have several names or even nicknames. They could be associated with his family, some features of appearance, character, biography. After Russia adopted Christianity, they began to give names at baptism according to the calendar. Thus, the Russian prince Mstislav, who lived in the 13th century, in addition to his Slavic name, also had the Orthodox name Theodore, and he was also called Harald by his maternal family.

Of course, if a person had a Scandinavian name or nickname, this did not mean that he was necessarily a descendant of the Vikings. Such names came to Rus' from warriors and merchants traveling along the Greek route. In sagas about heroes, the names of their ancestors were necessarily mentioned. This is how the tradition of using patronymics arose in Rus'. True, at first this concerned only people of noble origin.

Varangian names of princes

The first Russian princes, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, were of Varangian origin and bore the names Rurik, Oleg, Igor, Olga. However, except for Rurik, the rest of the names mentioned are only the glorified version set out in the chronicles. In fact, these princes were called precisely in the Scandinavian manner, and they were Scandinavians by blood. For example, the real name of the same Prophetic Oleg, Prince of Novgorod, Kyiv and Smolensk, was Helgu, which translates as “Enlightened” or “Saint”. The Kyiv prince Igor Rurikovich was actually called Ingvar or Ingor - after the second name of the Scandinavian god Fairy - “Ingvi”. And his wife, Princess Olga, bore a name pronounced like Elga or Helgu (the name Helga is closer to Russian ears). The name of their son Svyatoslav Igorevich was Svendisleif, which means “a warrior born and raised among the Slavs.”

Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', was most likely the first of the Rurikovichs to bear the Slavic name, meaning “ruler of the world.” And then there is a hypothesis according to which the name Vladimir is just a variation of the Scandinavian name Valdemar. Perhaps it was Vladimir, the son of Prince Svyatoslav’s concubine, housekeeper Malusha, who became the first of the princes of the Rurik family who spoke Slavic, and the first in whose veins Slavic blood flowed.

Modern names

What names today indicate their origin from the Vikings, in addition to the already mentioned princely ones, which are quite common in Russia? Well, for example, the name Gleb, which comes from an Old Norse name meaning “heir of God.” After the canonization of Prince Gleb Vladimirovich, it entered the Orthodox name book.

The name Inga (“winter”, as well as one of the names of the goddess Freya) is quite common. Probably, the even more common name Inna came from him.

There are names of Scandinavian origin, which, in fact, are not Russian, but nevertheless, they can be found in Russia. For example, Erik or Erich (in the original - Eirik), which meant “very powerful and strong” in Scandinavian. Accordingly, the female version is Erica. Erna – “skillful”. Kara – “curly”. In Russia, a variant of the name is also common - Karina. Frida - “beautiful, beloved.” Nora came from Norn (that was the Scandinavian name for the goddess of fate). The Slavic name Rogneda (that was the name of one of the wives of Prince Vladimir, the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvolod) is actually a Slavic variation of the Scandinavian name Ragneid, meaning “honor of the gods.” True, nowadays girls are rarely called that.

We should also not forget that many Russian names have pan-European roots, and it is not always possible to say one hundred percent that this is the heritage of a particular nation.

Names of Scandinavian origin have a long and very interesting story, associated with the Vikings, also called the Normans - stern warriors who in the 9th-11th centuries AD. subjugated almost all of Northern Europe and even Iceland. The history and culture of Ancient Rus' turned out to be closely connected with the Vikings and their culture.

In particular, many of the Scandinavian names, albeit in slightly modified form, received widespread and even survived to this day.

What were the children of Scandinavia called?

The right to name a newborn in ancient Scandinavia belonged to the head of the family. And he decided: to accept this child into his family or not. Moreover, even the life or death of a baby who had just come into this world could sometimes depend on the choice of the head of the family.

If a child was accepted into the family, he was given a name associated with one of his distant ancestors. Often it was a common noun or some kind of nickname reflecting the individual characteristics of a person.

This is interesting! The names that the Normans gave to their children at their birth, like most nicknames, were not permanent. As the child matured and he developed other, brighter and more noticeable traits to others, overriding innate personal qualities or features of appearance, his name could change.

Origin

Scandinavian names are divided into one-part and two-part names. Names consisting of one word could indicate personal characteristics of the character, appearance or behavior of a particular person. For example, such as:

1. Character:
   • Dyarvi - mighty.
   • Magni is brave.
   • Tryggvi - devoted, faithful.
2. Appearance:
   • Bruni is hardy.
   • Raud is red-haired.
3. Names of animals with whom this person there are similarities:
   • Bjorn is a bear.
   • Ulf is a wolf.
4. Objects or phenomena associated with this person:
   • Brand - sword, blade.
   • Frost is cold.
   • Una is a wave.

Names with a double base often contain the names of Scandinavian gods, and they themselves can be a more expanded definition of an object or phenomenon. For example, Grinolf is a green wolf, Thorbrand is a blade of Thor, Asgeir is a spear of the Aesir.

Important! In modern Scandinavian names, there are still those that contain a part with the name of pagan gods or heroes.

For example, the name Ingvar means “warrior of the god Yngvi”, and Asveig means “divine path”.

Many of the names are connected in one way or another with Thor- the Scandinavian god of thunder, who is the Viking analogue of the Greek Zeus or the Slavic Perun. Such names include: Torbjorn, Torfred, Thorgisl.

After the ancient Normans adopted Christianity, they still continued to give their children ancient pagan names, but at the same time, they also had a tradition of naming newborns with names from the Christian calendar, in which the names of saints were collected. Thus, the list of Scandinavian names was replenished with names of ancient Greek, Latin or Jewish origin. True, the Vikings often changed them, making them more convenient for pronunciation and adapting them to the norms of their native language.

But the Scandinavians do not have surnames as such to this day, since their family nicknames are nothing more than a derivative of the father’s name. And such surnames as Larson, Nilsson, Carlsen actually mean nothing more than “son (daughter) of Lars”, “son (daughter) of Nils”, “son (daughter) of Karl”.

The most ancient and their meaning

The most ancient and often associated with mythology are the following Scandinavian names.

Men's

Women's

Extant to this day

Many of the Norman names did not take root in our country for one reason or another, or they are used only in the territory of modern Scandinavian countries.

But among them there are also those that have long since become familiar and almost native, Russian, and therefore it is not surprising that they are still widespread in the CIS. The names of Scandinavian origin that are currently popular in Russia include the following.

Men's:

• Gleb is a derivative of the phrase “divine heir”;
• Igor is the Russified form of the Scandinavian name Ingvar, translated meaning “warrior Yngvi”;
• Oleg is a Russified version of the Norman name Helge, which means “sacred”;
• Rurik is a name of Scandinavian origin, meaning “glorious sovereign.”

Women's:

• Inga is the only one;
• Ingeborga - under the protection of Yngvi;
• Ingrid - beautiful;
• Olga is the feminine form of the name Oleg, translated means “sacred”;
• Rogneda - this name translates as “adviser in battle.”

Scandinavian names have an ancient and very interesting history. They originate in the land of the harsh Viking conquerors, who tried to name their children with nicknames that would give them strength and courage in battle. Not surprisingly, most of these names are associated with battle, strength or power.

Most of them have now been forgotten or are used exclusively in the territory of modern Scandinavian countries. But some, sounding both courageous and, at the same time, melodic, have become widespread in our country and even entered the top of the most popular names.

Scandinavian male names consist of ancient names from the pagan and Viking eras, as well as borrowed names, mostly Christian. Today, these names form the basis of the onomasticon of the peoples of Scandinavia - Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, and are also used by Finns, Germans and Icelanders.

Ancient Scandinavian male names originate from North Germanic mythology with its deities - “Aesir”. The basis of many pagan names included components denoting the divine principle: -ass, -god (“god”), -alfr (alf or elf - the spirit of the earth) and the names of some deities - Thor, Ingvi/Ing (Asleif - “heir of the aesir” , Alfvalder - “lord of the Elves”, Gudbrand - “sword of God”, Tormod - “courage of Thor”, Ingimar - “glorious Yngvi”).

Pagan names often had the character of nicknames that tell about their owner. A “talking” name could be given to a child at birth (for example, Glum - “dark-eyed”, Snerrir - “difficult”, if the child was born difficult), or it appeared already in adulthood and replaced the main name. A nickname could be the name of a character trait characteristic of the owner, a feature of appearance, occupation or origin (Krum - “stooped”, Skarv - “greedy”, Pontus - “sailor”, Dan - “Dane”).

A huge number of Scandinavian names and their meanings came from the basic concepts of the Viking times: war, victory and the associated names of armor, weapons, qualities inherent in a male warrior: Gods - “bow”, Skjold - “shield”, Ragnar - “wise warrior” ", Sigfus - "ardent victory", Siggeir - "spear of victory." In this regard, amulets names derived from the names of sacred animals and birds were also used. It was believed that with due veneration of the chosen living creature, it will enter into a totemic connection with the bearer of the name and will protect him in battle: Bjorn - “bear”, Olv - “wolf”, Hrein - “reindeer”, Val - “falcon”, Rafnsvartr - “black raven”. Parting names could also have a general character of wishes for a happy and successful life: Ulrik - “prosperity and power”, Dury - “dear, beloved”.

With the advent of Christianity to the lands of Scandinavia, the list of Scandinavian male names is replenished a huge amount religious names. For a long time names from the calendar and biblical names were not perceived by the Scandinavians, but by the 16th century they had already firmly entered the national name books and began to be considered Scandinavian - this was facilitated by the adaptation of Greek, Hebrew and Latin names to local languages. Thus, the Greek Nicholas is modified into Niklas, Nikolaus, George - into Jordan, the Latin Christian - into Christer, etc.

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Popular male Scandinavian names

Today, residents of Scandinavia more often use names with different roots, popular in Europe (Alexander, Lucas, Oliver, Daniel, Philip) and Scandinavian forms of Christian names that have become firmly established in use (Anders, Per, Mikael, Lars). At the same time, for many centuries old male names of Scandinavian origin have not lost their relevance: Oscar, Hugo, Olav, Sven, Gunnar.

Modern traditions

Modern Scandinavian names for boys are European and Christian names, some of which have long been adapted to the Scandinavian languages. Many native national names have fallen out of use over the years, but a significant part of them have been preserved and are actively used by the inhabitants of Scandinavia at the present time.

In Viking names

In the Viking Age, the Scandinavians gave conscious names to their children, having a certain meaning that could influence the character and destiny of a person, so they approached the choice of a name for a child with the utmost seriousness, because it was an important and responsible matter.

Names of Viking warriors and warriors:

Hroðgeirr- Hrodgeir ("копьё славы"),!}
Eiríkr- Eirik (“very mighty and strong”),
Broddi- Broddy ("edge"),
Egill- Egil (“blade”),
Styrr- Styur ("battle"),
Ulf- Ulf or Wulf (“wolf”), also the name Ulvi (also meant “wolf”),
Uggi- Ugg boots ("scary"),
Beinir- Beinir ("helper"),
Skúli- Skuli (“protector”),
Leifr- Leiv ("heir"),
Tryggvi- Tryggvi (“faithful”, “reliable”),
Bruni - "Strong" ("armor")
Erna- Erna (“skillful”),
Hlif- Khliv ( female name, meant "shield"),
Björg- Björg (“salvation”, “protection”),
Una- Una (“friend”, “satisfied”).
Einarr- Einar (“a lonely warrior who always fights alone”).
Hildr- Hild (female name, means "battle"). Often Hild was integral part various female names.
Gunnar - "Battle Sword"
Ari- Ari or Örn- Ern ("eagle"),
Birnir And Björn- Birnir and Bjorn (“bear”),
Ormr- Orm ("serpent"),
Ulf- Ulf or Wulf ("wolf"),
Valr- Val ("falcon"),
Knútr- Whip (“knot”),
Bera or Birna- Bera or Birna ("bear"),
Hrefna- Hrevna ("crow").

Viking nicknames:

Atli- Atli ("rough"),
Floki- Floki ("curly", "curly"),
Froði- Frodi ("wise", "learned"),
Hodd- Hödd ("woman with very beautiful hair"),
Höskuldr- Hoskuld "gray-haired"),
Kara- Kara (“curly2”)
Barði- Bardi ("bearded"),
Narfi- Narvi (“thin” and even “skinny”),
Hrappr or Hvati- Hrapp or Hvati (“fast”, “ardent”),
Rauðr- Raud ("red"),
Erna- Erna (“skillful”),
Gestr- Gest ("guest"),
Glum- Glum ("dark-eyed"),
Sveinn- Svein (“youth”, “guy”, “boy”, “servant”).

Viking names after gods:

Inga- Inga,
Heimdallr- in honor of the god Heimdall
Freydis- Freydis (dis Freyr or Freyja),
Ingvor(Yngvor) - Ingver (in charge of Yngvi),
Torova - Torah (female name, in honor of Thor),
Þorleif- Thorleif (heiress of Thor, abandoned by Thor),
Þórunn- Thorunn (Thor's favorite),
Ragn(h)eiðr- Ragnade (female name, meaning: honor of the gods),
Véfríðr- Vefrid (female name: sacred protection).
Þorvör- Torver (knowing (power) of the Torah).
Ingi- Ingi,
Ingimundr- Ingimund (hand of Yngwie),
Freysteinn- Freystein (Freyr's stone),
Ingolfr- Ingolf (Yngvi the wolf),
Torov - Thorir (male name, in honor of Thor),
Þorbrandr- Thorbrand (Thor's sword),
Þorbjörn- Thorbjorn (Thor's bear),
Þorkell- Thorkel (Thor's helmet),
Þorleifr- Thorleif (heir of Thor, left by Thor),
Ragnarr- Ragnar (male name, meaning: army of the gods),
Þorsteinn- Thorstein (Thor's stone).

Viking surnames were in ancient times in honor of the father with the prefix -son- for the son and -dottir- for the daughter. For example, the surname was formed like this for the girl Una, Ragnar’s daughter: Una Ragnardottir. Thorleif the son of Ragnar received the surname Ragnarson: Thorleif Ragnarson. By the way, this tradition of assigning surnames in honor of the child’s father is preserved in Iceland.