ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1903 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1903 ************************************ From: "Sara L Friedemann" 6 Jan 2000 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You wanted to know if , meaning "Brian bow-swayer" or "archer," would have been used by an Icelandic man living in 1050. Here is a brief letter with the information we have found. was an Old Norse form of the Irish name . The earliest that we have seen it adopted into Norse culture is in Norway in the 15th century: 1461 and 1475, 1481. [3] (The slashes represent accents over the previous letters.) However, we have seen other Irish names adopted into Norse at an earlier date, so even though we have no record of used as early as the 11th century, it is possible that it was. If you would like to look at a list of names that were used in Iceland in your period, we recommend the following article: "Viking Names Found in the Landnamabok" http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/landnamabok.html appears to be a typo for , a nickname meaning "archer, bow-swayer." In a document from Iceland dealing with events in the 9th century, we find one example of a man with this nickname; it is a fine choice for you. [1] You indicated that you chose to have a nickname because, according to your research, most Icelanders in your period did not use last names unless they were of high rank. We're not quite sure what you meant by that; all of the records of people that we have found list them with both a given name and a surname, usually a patronymic surname. A patronymic surname is simply one that defines who the bearer's father was. For example, Bjo/rn the son of Helgi would have been known as , "Bjo/rn, Helgi's son." [2] The only people listed without surnames were slaves. This isn't to say that using a nickname like is not authentic; however, in formal circumstances you would have been known as your father's son, not by a nickname. If you would like to choose a name for your father, the article mentioned above has names appropriate for your period. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Arval Benicoeur, Barak Raz, Talan Gwynek, and Amant le Marinier. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael January 6, 2000 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Fleck, G. (aka Geirr Bassi Haraldsson), _The Old Norse Name_, Studia Marklandica (series) (Olney, Maryland: Yggsalr Press, 1977). [2] The change in spelling from to is a requirement of Norse grammar. For more information on how to change a name from its regular form to the possessive form needed for a patronym, see the article "A Simple Guide to Creating Old Norse Names." http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/sg-viking.html [3] Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn fra*n Medeltiden_ (Uppsala & Leipzig: 1905-1915, sup. Oslo, Uppsala and Kobenhavn: 1931). s.n. Bria/nn