ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1008
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1008
************************************

From: 
26 Jul 1998

Greetings,

Here's the information we found on "Malcolm the Warg," which you
wanted to use for a "Celtic/Norse" persona from an unspecified period.

First of all, we should explain that "Celtic" doesn't represent an
ethnic group or language in period.  Rather, "Celtic" is used to
identify a widespread group of languages and cultures that are 
distantly related.  In period, no one thought of themselves as a 
Celt or would have said that they spoke a "Celtic language;" the
common elements in Celtic cultures and languages are clearer now
than they were in the Middle Ages.

The Norse had contact with many different Celtic groups, but they came
into contact most often with speakers of Gaelic.  Gaelic originated in
Ireland and was introduced into Scotland by Irish immigrants in the
5th century; it was spoken in Ireland and in parts of Scotland into 
the modern era.  Today Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are considered
separate languages, but in period they were two dialects.

We concentrated on Gaelic because there was a significant amount of
contact between Gaelic-speaking and Norse-speaking people, and also
because <Malcolm> derives from a Gaelic name.  The spelling <Malcolm>
is an English form of the name.  The common Gaelic spelling of the name
from before 1200 is <Mael Coluim>. (1)

We assumed that you were looking for <Warg> because it is derived from
<vargr>, the Old Norse word for "wolf."  We found several spellings of
the name <Vargr> in Norse: (2)

* Vargr ca. 1100, 1240
* Vargh 1308
* Vargher (no date)
* Wargh 1489
* Varg 1509

So we didn't find the spelling <Warg>, but we found several similar names.

Gaelic and Norse are totally different languages with different
spelling and pronunciation conventions, so a name like <Mael Colum
Vargr>, which combines Gaelic and Norse names, would not be
historically accurate.  However, we did find a Norse form of <Mael
Colum>, namely <Melko/lmr>, in Iceland. (3) The <o/> represents an <o>
with an accent.  The Norse name <Melko/lmr Vargr> (pronounced
\MELL-KOALMr VAHRGr\) would be an appropriate name for a Norseman
roughly from the period between 900 and 1100.

If you want a early-period Gaelic name that means "Malcolm the Wolf",
you could use <Mael Coluim in fa/el>, which would be pronounced
something like \MELL KHOAL-um in FELL\.  This spelling and
pronunciation are appropriate until about 1200. (4)

Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, Lindorm Eriksson, Effric neyn Kenyeoch
vc Ralte, Charles O'Connor, Tangwystl verch Morgant Glasvryn, and
Margaret MacDuibhsidhe contributed to this letter.

We hope this has been helpful, and that we can continue to assist you.

In service,
Alan Fairfax
Academy of S. Gabriel

(1) O/ Corra/in, Donnchadh and Fidelma Maguire, _Irish Names_ (Dublin:
The Lilliput Press, 1990).

(2) Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn fra*n
Medeltiden_ (Uppsala & Leipzig: 1905-1915, sup. Oslo, Uppsala and
Kobenahavn: 1931), s.n. Vargr.

(3) Fleck, G. (aka Geirr Bassi Haraldsson), _The Old Norse Name_,
Studia Marklandica (series) (Olney, Maryland: Yggsalr Press, 1977).

(4) Royal Irish Academy, _Dictionary of the Irish Language: based
mainly on Old and Middle Irish materials_ (Dublin : Royal Irish
Academy, 1983).