ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1482 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1482 ************************************ 15 Jan 1999 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is a correct Old Norse name. This letter is a brief answer to your question. We did not find as medieval Norse name. The website where you found it, Kate Monk's Onamastikon, is not a reliable source for medieval names. It contains some period names, some modern names, and some modern spellings (and mis-spellings) of period names. Even the pages that purport to deal with medieval names include many entries that are incorrect. We did find similar names: , which is a variant spelling of the more common ; and the related and a variant spelling, [1]. The symbol {ae} represents an ae-ligature, i.e. an 'a' and an 'e' squashed together into a single character. The slash in a name represents an accent on the preceding letter. Both and ifr> are pronounced roughly \LAIFr\, where the \AI\ is pronounced as in . The final 'r' is nearly silent; it is only a soft trill attached to the \F\. and are pronounced \LAIF-ee\. was a fairly common name in Old Norse culture, as you found, and is a fine choice for your byname. We recommend that you use this spelling or , rather than , as you spelled it in your letter. The spelling is not found in Old Norse, though it is found in late 15th and 16th century forms of the name [1, 2]. would be a historically-accurate name for your period. However, it is simply a spelling variant of , the name of the famous Viking explorer. Society custom frowns on using the names of important historical figures, and the SCA College of Arms will not register such a close conflict. You may want to weigh these considering in choosing your name. We hope this brief letter has been useful. Please write us again if you have any questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 15 Jan 1999 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn fra*n Medeltiden_ (Uppsala & Leipzig: 1905-1915, sup. Oslo, Uppsala and Kobenhavn: 1931). [2] Fleck, G. (aka Geirr Bassi Haraldsson), _The Old Norse Name_, Studia Marklandica (series) (Olney, Maryland: Yggsalr Press, 1977).