ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2334 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2334 ************************************ 19 Jul 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a 9th or 10th century Dane living in Kent on the island of Thanet. You also asked whether was used as a given name or just as a byname. Here is what we have found. You've chosen a fine Old Norse name, but not one that is likely for a Dane. There were two major dialects of Old Norse in your period: Old West Norse, spoken in Iceland, Norway, Ireland, the Orkneys, and other northern British islands; and Old East Norse, spoken in Sweden, Denmark, and the areas of Britain settled by Danes. Some names were found only in one dialect or the other, and unfortunately the names you've chosen are recorded only in the western dialect in your period. The given name is recorded several times in early Icelandic and Norwegian sources; it was also used as a byname, e.g <{TH}orbiorn skagi>, derived from a word that means "a low cape, a ness" [1, 2]. The earliest Danish example we've found of the given name is in the early 12th century [3]; however, it was common there as a byname, and in that form was carried to Yorkshire by Danish or Swedish settlers [4]. The name was quite common in Iceland and Norway from the 10th century on [1], but we have found no evidence of the name in Danish or in any of the languages of Britain. (in its normalized spelling) would be a fine West Norse name, appropriate for Iceland, Norway, Ireland, the Orkneys, or the Western Isles of Scotland; but we can't recommend it as good re-creation in Denmark or southern England. In your period, of course, the name would have been written with runes. If you are interested in the runic spelling of this name, write us again and we'll be happy to help. was used in West Norse as both a given name and a byname. The byname meant "beard"; an early example is <{TH}ordr skeggi Hrapps son>, 10th century. A related byname appears in the name <{TH}o/rir skegg> and , also from the 10th century [1, 2]. The slash in these names represents an acute accent mark over the preceding letter. The symbol {TH} stands for the letter thorn, written like a lower-case 'b' but with the vertical stroke extended downward as far as it goes upward; in Norse, it was pronounced like the in . One last note: Although Danish raiders reached Thanet in the 9th century, it is unlikely that any settled there until several centuries later. In that period, the Danish presence in England was in the north and east, not the southeast [5]. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Talan Gwynek, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Adelaide de Beaumont, Lindorm Eriksson, and Alan Fairfax. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 19 Jul 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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), s.nn. Skagi, Skeggi, Torfi. [2] Lind, E.H., _Norsk-Isla:ndska Personbinamn fra*n Medeltiden_ (Uppsala: 1920-21), s.nn. skagi, skegg, skeggi. [3] Knudsen Gunnar, Marius Kristiansen, & Rikard Hornby, _Danmarks Gamle Personnavne_, Vol. I: Fornavne (Copenhagen: 1936-48), s.n. Skaghi. [4] Fellows Jensen, Gillian, _Scandinavian Personal Names in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire_ (Copenhagen: 1968), s.n. Skagi. She notes a Yorkshire place name . [5] "The period of the Scandinavian invasions", Britannica Online (Britannica, 2001). http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=120041&tocid=44757