Germanic Folklore (7): Old Norse Nicknames.

 

Old Norse Nicknames

 

Abstract

Nicknames, which occur in all cultures and time periods, play an important role in highlighting identity and provide a window into popular culture. The function of nicknames in the Middle Ages is peculiar, however, when men (as in medieval Iceland) would kill for a carelessly dropped word if it was considered to be detrimental to their honor, yet often tolerated the most demeaning nicknames. The quantity of nicknames in Old Norse literature is incomparably rich, and recurring nicknames provide a tool for understanding saga transmission, cultural history, slang, and etymology. The pool of first names was limited in Old Norse society; thus, many people were identified by not only their first names but also their nicknames. Narrative explanations of nicknames in the literature are numerous, and, although most come in the form of a brief anecdote, several examples expand on a character‟s biography and play a role in the shaping the plot. Such explanations of nickname origins are often also found in other sagas and medieval Scandinavian literature. Several categories of nicknames are found in Old Norse literature, such as those describing physical features, mental characteristics, and one‟s deeds or habits (good or bad). An alphabetic list of the nicknames from the compendium of settlers in Iceland called Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements) provides examples of the many types of nicknames and describes them in light of their linguistic origin.

See below for the complete dissertation by P. R. Peterson. 

 

List of Nicknames in Landnámabók

A

1. allrasystir „sister of all‟: Yngvildr allrasystir Hámundardóttir.

2. alskik meaning unknown (possibly Gaelic): Ásólfr alskik Konálsson.

3. Alviðrukappi „champion of Alviðra‟: Þorkell Alviðrukappi Þórðarson. Alviðra is the name of a farm in Dýrafjǫrðr (Westfjords).

4. ánauðgi „the enslaved‟: Ormr ánauðgi Bárðarson.

5. árbót „improvement of the season‟: Álǫf árbót Haraldsdóttir.

6. arnkatla  „eagle kettle‟: Þuríðr arnkatla Helgadóttir.

7. askasmiðr „ship builder‟: Oddbjǫrn askasmiðr.

8. en auðga „the wealthy‟: Arndís en auðga Steinólfsdóttir.

9. auðgi „(the) wealthy‟: Eilífr auðgi Ǫnundarson.

10. enn auðgi  „the wealthy‟: Ásbjǫrn enn auðgi Harðarson.

11. auðkúla „wealth hump, bump of wealth‟: Eyvindr auðkúla.

12. auga „eye‟: Þorgils auga Grímsson. A nickname like this is surely derived from a distinguishing feature of the individual, in particular a deformity or disability (an injured eye, blind in one or both eyes, missing an eye, etc.) that marks the individual out from others. Cf. other single body part nicknames brún „brow‟, háls „neck‟, hǫfði „head‟, kjálki „jaw‟, kné „knee‟, leggr „leg‟, and muðr „mouth‟.

13. aurriði „(brown) trout‟: Ketill aurriði.

14. austmannaskelfir „terror of the Eastmen (Norwegians)‟: Ásgeirr austmannaskelfir

B

15. Barna- „Children-‟: Barna-Þóroddr Ormsson. If the nickname is genuine, it likely implies that he had many children.

16. barnakarl „children‟s man, friend of children‟: „a farmer with many children‟).

17. bast „bast, inner tree fiber‟: Guðmundr bast. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it may refer to time spent on a ship or metaphorically to imply a “firm” character.

18. beigaldi „the fearsome; the weak, injured, sickly; the coward‟: Þórðr beigaldi á Beigalda.

19. beiskaldi „the harsh, bitter‟: Þorleifr beiskaldi Þorláksson. It is derived from beiskr „bitter, sour‟ and the negative suffix -aldi (cf. the nicknames beigaldi „coward‟, hím-aldi „laggard‟, and leggj-aldi „one with misshapen legs‟).

20. bekkjarbót „pride of the bench; bride‟: Þorbjǫrg bekkjarbót Ásgeirsdóttir.

21. bekkr „bench; brook‟: Óláfr bekkr Karlsson.

22. belgr „(animal) skin; skin bag‟: Óláfr belgr í.

23. berbeinn „barelegged, barefoot‟: Magnús berbeinn Óláfsson Noregskonungr. Cf. the nicknames hvítbeinn „white-legged‟, mjóbeinn „thin-legged‟, þjokkubeinn „thick-legged‟, and ørrabeinn „scar-legged‟.

24. berserkjabani „slayer of berserks‟: Gunnsteinn berserkjabani Bǫlverksson. Like nicknames ending in -kappi „champion‟, it was bestowed honorifically to commemorate a famous deed.

26. beytill „horsetail (plant); horse cock; show-off‟: Ívarr beytill.

27. birtingr „(bright colored) sea trout‟: Steinólfr birtingr.

28. bitra „bitterness‟: Þorbjǫrn bitra

29. bíldr  „bolt; bleeding instrument‟: Þorgrímr bíldr, it might be a type of arrow, originally bildǫr (a blunted, wedged arrow, a bolt).

30. bjarki „little bear‟: Bǫðvarr. In the context of Landnámabók, this legendary figure is only mentioned as one whose ghost attacked a grave robber in his shared grave mound with Hrólfr kraki and his companion Hjalti.

31. bjarnylr „warmth of a bear‟: Óláfr bjarnylr Hávarðsson. A folk belief was that a child born on the hide of a polar bear would receive an immunity from the cold. It is probable that it refers to the man having inherited the spirit or powers of a bear he had killed.

32. bjálfi „pelt‟: Þorkell bjálfi.

33. bjálki „beam, balk‟: Þórðr bjálki. It is akin to bálkr „beam, partition‟ and as a nickname it seems to refer to a lanky physique.

34. bjóðaskalli  „ baldy of Bjóðar; round table baldy; bowl baldy‟: Eiríkr bjóðaskalli Víkinga-Kárason. The connection with a bald, rounded head is not difficult to make.

35. bjóla „small mouth‟ (Gaelic): Helgi bjóla . Cf. the Norse nicknames of Gaelic origin: feilan „little wolf‟, gagarr „dog‟, hnokkan „hillock‟, kamban „little cripple‟, kváran „sandal, shoe‟, lunan „little blackbird‟, and meldún „Máel Dúin (proper name)‟.

36. bláfauskr „black firewood‟: Helgi bláfauskr Hrafnsson. Fauskr is a rotten, dried log used for firewood, and the adj. blár refers to a dark blue (midnight blue) or black color.

37. blákinn „blue cheek‟: Þórunn blákinn Nafar-Helgadóttir. Maybe because she wore some kind of makeup (blár also means „black‟, and could have come from coal or the like) or smashed berries on her face. Alternatively, she may have gotten the nickname from almost drowning or choking. An even more probable explanation is that she was struck on the face and it left her “black and blue.” Cf. the

nicknames hǫggvinkinni „man with a cut cheek‟, loðinkinni „man with hairy cheeks‟, rauðkinn „red cheek‟, and skeiðarkinn „longship cheek‟.

38. bláskeggr „blue beard‟: Bǫrkr bláskeggr Þorkelsson. The first component is the adj. blár „(dark) blue, black‟ and either refers to his complexion or his hair color. Cf. the nicknames breiðskeggr „broad beard‟, gullskeggr „gold beard‟, kolskeggr „coal beard‟, rauðskeggr „red beard‟, and þunnskeggr „thin beard‟.

39. blátǫnn „blue tooth‟: Bjǫrn blátǫnn.  He is probably named after the legendary Danish king Haraldr blátǫnn, but the possibility of him having his own rotten teeth cannot be ruled out.

40. blesi „blaze‟: Þorbjǫrn blesi á Blesastǫðum. A long white strip of hair on a horse‟s forehead, perhaps used to describe a man‟s white nose. Cf. the nickname skerjablesi „skerry blaze‟.

41. enn blindi „the blind‟: Þórarinn enn blindi.

42. blindingatrjóna „horse-fly snout; peg snout‟: Bǫlverkr blindingatrjóna. The nickname, most likely, refers to the physical appearance of the man‟s face, in particular his nose or nose and mouth area.

43. blígr „gazer, starer‟: Þórðr blígr Þorláksson. Cf. the nickname stikublígr „gazing stick‟.

44. Blót- „Sacrifice-, Offering-‟: Blót-Már at Móbergi. It signifies people who are ardent worshippers and sacrificers.

45. Blund- „Slumber-‟: Blund-Ketill Geirsson. One of Ketill blundr‟s three grandsons. It is also used to refer to the grandfather (the original Ketill), who is usually called Ketill blundr „slumber, snooze‟. See blundr.

46. blundr „slumber, snooze‟: Ketill blundr. The blinking. Þorgeirr inherited the nickname from his paternal grandfather Ketill blundr.

47. blǫðruskalli „blister baldy, bladder baldy‟: Bǫðvarr blǫðruskalli.

48. blǫnduhorn „sour whey horn‟: Bárðr blǫnduhorn. From blanda „mixed drink” and horn. Blanda can mean any mixed drink, but usually refers to a mixture of sour whey and water.

49. bogsveigir „bow bender‟: Án bogsveigir.

50. Brand- „Firebrand-; Sword Blade-‟: Brand-Ǫnundr. The nickname probably refers to the most common meaning of brandr, either „a firebrand‟ or „the blade of sword‟. It is also commonly found as a first name Brandr.

51. breiðr „(the) broad‟: Óleifr breiðr Einarsson.

52. breiðskeggr „broad beard‟: Ǫnundr breiðskeggr Úlfarsson. See the nickname bláskeggr „blue beard‟. 53. Brennu- „Burning-‟: Kári Sǫlmundarson, Sviðu-Kári „Singed-‟, Brennu-Kári. He was given the nickname because he was almost burned. It was probably given posthumously as the infamy of the burning grew, like Brennu-Njáll, even though he survived the burning and it could have just as easily been given while Kári lived.

54. brimill „(male) seal‟: Ketill brimill Ǫrnólfsson. Perhaps the nickname refers to Ketill resembling a seal or an incident involving the capture of one, but a metaphorical interpretation cannot be ruled out (as virile as a seal?).

55. Brodd- „Spike-‟: Brodd-Helgi Þorgilsson. The nickname is explained in Þorsteins saga hvíta where it is said to come from attaching a spike to a bull before having it fight another bull, a tricky move that ensures the bull with a spike wins.

56. Brunda- „Sperm-‟: Brunda-Bjálfi. it may be related to the man‟s real or supposed virility.

57. brúðr „bride‟: Einarr brúðr Bjarnason. It  is more likely to be brúðr „bride‟ than bruðr (= brunnr) „well, spring‟. The nickname is probably an insult on Einarr‟s masculinity, but if not, it could refer to an important event in his life (bride-exchange, marriage, etc.).

58. brún „brow‟: Þórunn brún Þorgilsdóttir. Perhaps it signifies a particular feature of one eyebrow or both. See the nickname auga „eye‟.

59. brækir „bleater; troublemaker; skin braker‟: Þorgrímr brækir.

60. buna „bone shaft; clumsy foot; the ungartered‟: Bjǫrn buna Veðrar-Grímsson.

61. bundinfóti „man with a bound foot‟: Þorkell bundinfóti. The nickname is explained in Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, where his femur was broken in a fight and then bound up. Cf. other nicknames referring to a foot such as burlufótr „clumsy foot‟, bægifótr „burden foot, lame foot‟, and tréfótr „tree foot, wooden leg‟.

62. bunhauss „toil skull‟: Helgi bunhauss Þórólfsson.

63. burlufótr „clumsy foot‟: Ófeigr burlufótr Ívarsson. „Walk noisily and clumsily Cf. other nicknames referring to a foot such as bundinfóti „man with a bound foot‟, bægifótr „burden foot, lame foot‟, and tréfótr „tree foot, wooden leg‟.

64. byrðusmjǫr „butter box, butter crate, butter trough‟: Bjǫrn byrðusmjǫr Hróaldsson. The reference of the nickname is lost to us.

65. bægifótr „burden foot, lame foot‟: Þórólfr bægifótr Bjarnarson. Cf. other nicknames referring to a foot such as bundinfóti „man with a bound foot‟, burlufótr „clumsy foot‟, and tréfótr „tree foot, wooden leg‟.

66. bøggvir „injurer, damager‟: Klaufi bøggvir. He who causes injury, does damage and connected  to the noun bǫggr „harm, injury‟, which has an uncertain origin.

67. bǫllr „ball, globe; glans penis (penis head)‟: Óttarr bǫllr. The word was rarely used in the medieval period to describe a ball used in games (the usual term is knǫttr „ball [used in sports]‟). The nickname is more likely connected to the body part, either a penis head or testicle, than to the generic meaning „ball‟.

D

68. dettiáss „fall beam‟: Ásbjǫrn dettiáss Eyvindarson. The nickname may refer to an incident where Ásbjǫrn heard a large beam about to fall or in the process of falling, not necessarily landing on him; more likely, however, is a connection to an event where he was injured.

69. Digr- „Stout-, Fat-‟: Digr-Ormr Þorgilsson

70. en digra „the stout‟: Þorbjǫrg en digra Óláfsdóttir.

71. enn digri „the stout‟: Bǫrkr enn digri Þorsteinsson.

72. en djúpauðga (-úgða) „the deep minded‟: Auðr en djúpauðga Ketilsdóttir.

73. enn dofni „the dead-legged, paralyzed (in the legs)‟: Þórðr enn dofni Atlason.

74. drápustúfr „piece of a drápa (poem)‟: Þóroddr drápustúfr Arnórsson. He may have gotten the nickname because he composed a poem (Ófeigsvísur) that was not a drápa (with refrains), but instead a flokkr (shorter, without refrains).

75. enn draumspaki „the wise of dreams, the dream interpreter‟: Finni enn draumspaki Þorgeirsson. This nickname refers to his ability to interpret dreams but also to have premonitory dreams.

76. drífa „snowdrift, falling snow, sleet‟: Þórir drífa Óláfsson.

77. Drumb- „Oaf-‟: Drumb-Oddr. The nickname, most likely, has to do with having a large body and slow mind (cf. the expression dumb as a brick). Drumbr is one of the names given to the slave‟s children in the Eddic poem Rígsþula. Cf. the nickname smiðjudrumbr „smithy drum; oaf of the smithy‟.

78. dúfunef „dove nose, pigeon nose‟: Þórir dúfunef. The circumstances behind the nickname are unknown, but one may assume that the name was given literally to insult its bearer‟s nose or is used synecdochically as a pars pro toto. However, the opposite might be the case and the name may have been given out of affection (dúfa is attested in medieval texts as a pet name with the meaning „my little dove‟). Cf. the nicknames flatnefr „flat nose‟, hauknefr „hawk nose‟, hýnefr „fuzz nose‟, kerlingarnef „hag‟s nose‟, krákunef „crow nose‟, nefja „nose‟, rauðnefr „red nose‟, skeiðarnef „longship nose‟, skógarnef „nose of the woods; nose of Skógar‟, and váganef „nose of the bay; nose from Vágar‟.

79. dylla „field sow thistle, sonchus arvensis‟: Þuríðr dylla Gunnlaugsdóttir. The flower on the plant is a bright, golden yellow, so it is not impossible that the nickname refers to Þuríðr‟s appearance. Another possibility is that the nickname is connected to the medicinal use of the plant to reduce inflammatory swelling.

80. dýr „animal; deer‟: Helgi dýr Skefilsson. It is uncertain whether the meaning is „animal‟, or more specifically „deer‟ (which is a common usage when describing animals for hunting).

E

81. eikikrókr „oak hook; oak ship hook; hook from Oakwood‟: Eyvindr eikikrókr. With the addition of krókr „hook‟ perhaps the connection is between a boat made from oak (cf. also f. eikja „small ferry boat‟) and a some sort of fishing hook.

82. enn einhendi „the one-handed‟: Ketill enn einhendi Auðunarson.

83. eldr „fire‟: Eyvindr eldr. The reference of the nickname is obscure, but it most likely refers to an event where he set a fire (or put one out).

84. Elliða- „Ship-‟: Elliða-Grímr Ásgrímsson. The nickname may have  derived the from word ein-liði „(ship) moving alone; fast sailer‟ and suggests that Grímr probably owned such a ship.

85. elliðaskjǫldr „ship‟s shield‟: Álǫf elliðaskjǫldr Ófeigsdóttir. The name means the shields which line the rails of a ship. Possibly, it means „shield of Elliði (proper name of a ship, a farm, or a man‟s name)‟.

86. erra „pugnacity‟: Þórðr erra.

87. eyrarleggr „leg from Eyrr; gravel bank leg‟: Grímr eyrarleggr Gunnsteinsson. It could be a description of stone, or that it might refer to an episode where Grímr found a bone on an eyrr „gravel bank (either on a river or a small tongue of land running into the sea)‟.

88. enn fagri (x3) „the fair, handsome‟: Freysteinn enn fagri á Barðsnesi.

89. farmaðr „traveler, merchant‟: Þórir farmaðr Skeggjason.

90. farserkr „travel shirt‟: Þorkell farserkr. The type of serkr (an animal skin, a cloth shirt, or a tunic?) meant remains uncertain.

91. fasthaldi „(the) tenacious; (the) steadfast‟: Þórólfr fasthaldi á Snæfjǫllum.

92. feilan „little wolf‟ (Gaelic): Óláfr feilan Þorsteinsson.

93. enn fíflski „the foolish, stupid‟: Ketill enn fíflski. The nickname was given to Ketill by heathens because he was Christian.

94. fiskreki „fish driver; fish driver (type of whale)‟.  It is uncertain whether the generic sense of „fisherman‟ is meant or the whale (the exact species is unknown). If it is the type of whale that is meant by the nickname, then, most likely, Ǫrnólfr gained the name from a (successful?) whale hunt.

95. Fitjumskeggi „beard on Fitjar‟: Úlfr Fitjumskeggi Þórisson. Cf. the nicknames Mostrarskeggi „beard of Mostr‟, skeggi „beard‟, and ǫrðigskeggi „man with a harsh beard‟.

96. Fjarska- „Far Distance-‟: Fjarska-Fiðr. The nickname may have come from his ability to communicate even when far away from his companions (such a scenario is imaginable). More likely, however, the nickname refers to the long distance between other people and where Fiðr ~ Finnr lived. From the noun fjarski „far distance, far away‟.

97. flatnefr „flat nose‟: Ketill flatnefr Bjarnarson. It is, most likely, a description of Ketill‟s nose, but it could be used as a pars pro toto and refer to his entire body shape. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

98. flosi „fop, dandy, womanizer; careless, loose mouthed person‟: Ásólfr flosi Vémundarson.

99. Flugu- „Fly- (insect); Bait-; Bandit-‟: Flugu-Grímr Snorrason. It is from the noun fluga „fly; lure, bait‟. It is probably related to his occupation working around animals, but it could be similar to the other sense of the word, which is negative and represented by its use in the compound flugumaðr „bandit, assassin, scoundrel‟.

100. flǫskubak „(leather) flask back‟: Þorgeirr flǫskubak Ǫnundarson . Explained in chapter 11 of Grettis saga where the leather flask (a type of bladder for holding liquids), worn or slung over on his back, saves his life from an axe-blow. Cf. the other nicknames whose second component is -bak, lǫngubak „ling back‟ and tǫskubak „pouch back‟.

101. flǫskuskegg „flask beard‟: Þorsteinn flǫskuskegg Ófeigsson. The second component -skegg may be used synecdochically as a pars pro toto (like skeggi „man [with a beard]‟), and flaska would describe the man‟s overall appearance as though he resembles a flask or some kind of drink container. Cf. the nicknames lafskegg „dangling beard‟ and refskegg „fox beard‟.

102. enn fróði (x7) „the learned, knowledgeable‟: Ari enn fróði Þorgilsson.

103. fullspakr „(the) fully wise‟: Þorkell fullspakr í Njarðvík.

104. fylsenni „forehead of a foal‟: Þórarinn fylsenni Þórðarson.

G

105. gagarr „dog‟ (Gaelic): Þorgrímr gagarr Ljótsson. Gagarr only occurs elsewhere as a word for „dog‟ in poetry. See the nickname bjóla „small mouth‟.

106. galti „boar‟: Snæbjǫrn galti Hólmsteinsson. A side form of gǫltr „boar, hog‟. Most likely, the nickname carries a positive connotation, since the boar was a symbol of nobility across the Germanic world (and cf. the god Freyr‟s boar, Gullinbursti).

107. en gamla „the old‟: Steinunn (-uðr) en gamla. The nickname is, most likely, used to differentiate an older relative from a younger one with the same name.

108. enn gamli „the old‟: Ármóðr enn gamli Þorgrímsson ; Bragi skáld enn gamli. In most cases the nickname is used to differentiate an older relative from a younger one with the same name (father and son, grandfather and son, etc.). It is one of the most common Old Norse nicknames.

109. gandr „wand, magic staff‟: Gunnbjǫrn gandr. Disputed etymology. Also occurs in poetry as a heiti for „wolf‟.

110. gasi „fool, one who gazes?‟: Guðmundr gasi Þorsteinsson. The word may be related to Engl. gaze (cf. dialectal Swedish and Norwegian gasa „to gape‟), but it is rare and its etymology uncertain.

111. geit „(female) goat; coward‟: Auðun geit.  Geit is still used in Iceland with the meaning „coward‟ and synonymous with rag-geit „coward‟ because of the incident described in Landnámabók (where Earl Auðun pays an expensive compensation at the point of a spear).

112. geitskǫr ~ geitskór „goat hair; willowherb, fireweed‟: Grímr geitskǫr (-skor, -skór) It seems more likely that the nickname refers to the color of his hair than to a plant (though the plant is rather common in Iceland, Scandinavia, and the British Isles).

113. gellir „bellower‟: Þórðr gellir Óleifsson. The nickname seems to refer to someone who shouted or screamed, perhaps metaphorically (as in a blabbermouth). Cf. the Engl verb yell.

114. gerpir „bold warrior; loud mouth, braggart‟: Bǫðmóðr gerpir Grímsson. It might be related to NNorw. garpa „to brag, be contentious in speech, be loud‟ and Swedish dialectal garpa „babble, brag; shriek (of ducks)‟.

115. gígja „fiddle‟: Mǫrðr gígja Sigmundarson. The nickname may have something to do with his eloquent pleading (as a lawyer) or clear voice.

116. gjallandi  „one who shouts, yeller, man with a resounding voice‟: Þorgils gjallandi. Present participle of the verb gjalla „to scream, shriek, bellow‟

117. glaði „(the) glad‟: Gizurr glaði Kjallaksson í Skoravík. Weak form of adj. glaðr „happy, glad, cheerful‟, but missing the definite article before it.

118. gleðill „cheerful man‟: Gríss gleðill. It is derived from the adj. glaðr „happy, glad, cheerful‟ and -ill „given, prone to something‟, thus „a man prone to being happy‟.

119. Glíru- „Blink-‟: Glíru-Halli Sigurðarson. It is a hyphenated form of a substantivized verb glira „to blink; blinking.

120. glóra „glimmer (of light)‟: Þorbjǫrn glóra. It is related to the verb glóra „gleam, glare (like a cat‟s eyes)‟.

121. glumra „rattler‟: Eysteinn glumra Ívarsson. It is substantivized form of the verb glumra „to rattle, resound, boom‟ and, most likely, refers to the effects of his large physical size. It is also used as a heiti for „(female) troll, ogress‟. Cf. other sound-related nicknames gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟, glǫmmuðr „(the) crasher‟, hlammandi „the clanging‟, hrungnir „the resounder‟, skálaglamm „scale tinkling‟, snæþrima „snow thunder; snow crashing, din‟, and þrymr „quiet; slow; loud noise, crashing‟.

122. glǫmmuðr „(the) crasher‟: Grímr glǫmmuðr Þorgilsson. It is an adjective derived from the noun glam ~ glamm „noise, din, clash, tinkle (sound of weapons crashing)‟. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟ and glumra „rattler‟.

123. gneisti „spark‟: Þorleifr gneisti. Perhaps the nickname is a metaphor for battle and the clashing of iron, otherwise it could refer to a radiant appearance.

124. gnúpa „drooper; mountain peak‟: Þórðr gnúpa Oddsson.

125. enn góði „the good‟: Arnórr enn góði Rauðæingr Steinólfsson.  It is a weak form of the adj. góðr „good‟. Arnórr‟s second byname Rauðæingr is a geographic byname meaning „dweller on Rauðá (Red River)‟.

126. goðlauss (x4) „godless‟: Bersi goðlauss Bálkason). The nickname implies that its bearer did not sacrifice to or worship the gods, in some cases probably to suggest that they were awaiting “the true God.” About Helgi and Hallr it says in Landnámabók: Þeir feðgar vildu ekki blóta ok trúðu á mátt sinn (The father and son did not want to make sacrifices and they believed in their own might).

127. gollnir „the ransomed‟: Þorgeirr gollnir Ófeigsson.

128. Graut- „Porridge-‟: Graut-Atli Þórisson.

129. gráfeldarmúli „snout in a gray cloak‟: Grímr gráfeldarmúli. The second component múli „snout, muzzle‟, which is the term usually used to describe the snout of an animal and in reference to a person is at least mildly insulting. Múli is likely used as a pars pro toto, thus, „the man wearing a gray cloak‟. Cf. the nicknames keilismúli „snout from Keilir‟, kornamúli „snout of grain; Korni‟s snout (his son)‟, and vámúli „snout of calamity‟.

130. gráfeldr „gray cloak‟: Haraldr gráfeldr Eiríksson, Noregskonungr. The king‟s nickname is explained in his own saga in Heimskringla, where he receives a gray cloak as a gift from some Icelandic merchants, and thereafter it becomes a symbol of high fashion. Cf. the nickname rauðfeldr „red cloak‟.

131. enn grái „the gray; the malicious‟: Eyjólfr enn grái Þórðarson. The adj. grár „gray‟ rarely is used to describe hair color or appearance, but instead to mark out an individual‟s mental qualities resembling those of a fierce wolf.

132. grettir „grimacer, frowner‟: Ófeigr grettir Einarson. „To frown, make a wry face, grin‟. Grettir is also used in poetry as a heiti for „snake, serpent‟.

133. gríss „pig‟: Guðmundr gríss Ámundason. While gríss is a rather common noun that means either „a young pig‟ or a more generic word for „pig‟, the uncertainty lies in whether the name is meant as a compliment or an insult. If it is a compliment, perhaps it is meant in the same way as adj. grís-efldr „strong as a pig, prodigiously strong‟. Cf. the nickname galti „boar‟.

134. groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan (bird); ptarmigan of Groening‟: Þórunn groeningarrjúpa. The meaning of groening is not certain. It is probably related to something newborn or foolish and the modern noun græningi „novice, fool‟(cf. American Engl. greenhorn „inexperienced person, newcomer to a job‟), but may also refer to a place name in Norway. Cf. other nicknames referring to birds: hegri „heron‟, Hrafna- „Ravens-‟, korpr „raven‟, kráka ~ krákr „crow‟, pái „peacock‟, skarfr „cormorant‟, spǫrr „sparrow‟, tittlingr „tit, sparrow‟, and ǫrn „eagle‟.

135. gufa „steam, vapor; laggard; imposing man‟: Ketill gufa Ørlygsson. It probably means „a sluggish person‟, and, although this meaning is modern, it may have existed long ago. The nickname is either from the plain meaning of the noun gufa „mist, steam‟ or from the metaphorical meaning „a slow person, one who moves like a mist‟, thus a „laggard‟.

136. Gull- „Gold-‟: Gull-Þórir Oddsson. The nickname signifies Þórir‟s wealth and means „the one with a lot of gold‟.

137. gullberi „gold bearer‟: Bjǫrn gullberi. It is composed of gull „gold‟ and the substantivized form beri „bearer‟ < bera „to bear, carry‟.

138. gullkárr „golden haired; gold curl‟: Þorkell gullkárr Þórisson.  It is composed of the nouns gull „gold‟ and kárr „curl, lock of hair; curly hair‟. Cf. the nickname þunnkárr „thin curl‟.

139. gullskeggr „gold beard, gold bearded‟: Haraldr gullskeggr. The first component gull „gold‟ may either refer to his appearance (particularly hair color), or, if skeggr is used as a pars pro toto it would refer to his wealth and mean „the beard (= man) with a lot of gold‟. See the nickname bláskeggr „blue beard‟.

140. gylðir „wolf‟: Úlfr gylðir hersir. The noun is used only in poetry as a heiti for „wolf‟. The etymology is uncertain, but it may be connected to the verb gaula „to low, bellow‟. The name is tautological: Úlfr „Wolf‟ and gylðir „wolf‟.

141. Gǫngu- „Walking-‟: Gǫngu-Hrólfr Rǫgnvaldsson. It is the substantivized form of ganga „walking‟ from ganga „to go, walk‟. The nickname is explained in Historia Norwegiae and Haralds saga ins hárfagra where it says that he was too large to ride on horses and therefore had to walk everywhere he went.

H

142. Há- „Tall-; Thole-; Shark-?‟: Há-Snorri Oddsson. It is probably the adj. hár „high, tall‟, but it may be from the nouns hár „thole (for rowing)‟ or hár „shark‟. Less probable but possible is that it is f. há „(horse) hide‟. The meaning of the nickname remains uncertain, but the adj. hár „tall‟ sticks out as a prime candidate (cf. the hyphenated adjectival nicknames Digr-Ormr „Stout-‟ Ormr and Spak-Bǫðvarr „Wise-‟ Bǫðvarr.

143. enn háðsami „the ridiculer, the mocking one‟: Tjǫrvi enn háðsami.

144. hafnarlykill „key of the harbor; key of Hǫfn‟: Hrafn hafnarlykill í Dynskógum. It is composed of the noun hǫfn „harbor; Hǫfn (place name)‟ and lykill „key‟. The meaning behind the nickname is unknown, but it may have to do with Hrafn‟s activities as a viking, perhaps for having blocked entrance into certain harbors or serving as a sort of sheriff of one.

145. Hafr- „Billy Goat-‟: Hafr-Bjǫrn Molda-Gnúpsson. Bjǫrn‟s nickname is explained in Landnámabók as coming about from an event where a billy goat of supernatural origin joins his livestock, and as a result his livestock multiply and he becomes wealthy. Cf. the nicknames Hross- „Horse-‟ and Sel- „Seal-‟.

146. hafrsþjó „billy goat‟s thigh‟: Þórir hafrsþjó Ingimundarson (218, 219, 223). The nickname resembles calling someone “Rump Roast,” and it is probably intended as a sexual insult, since þjó usually refers to the anal region of the animal.

147. haklangr „long chin‟: Þórir haklangr. The nickname is, most likely, synonymous with hǫkulangr „long chin‟, and could mean either „long chin‟ or „tall man with a peculiar chin‟. It also occurs as the first name of one of Hrólfr kraki‟s champions in his saga.

148. hákr „brazen, cheeky, violent man‟: Þorkell hákr Þorgeirsson. The nickname is explained indirectly in Njáls saga: He spared neither in words nor in deeds with whomever he had them. The etymology, however, is unknown and the meaning has been deduced by the explanation of the man‟s character.

149. hálftrǫll „half troll‟: Hallbjǫrn hálftrǫll ór Hrafnistu. Most likely, it refers to having Sami lineage on one side (paternal or maternal), a particularly common feature of those from northern Norway. Cf. Jǫtun-Bjǫrn „Giant-‟ Bjǫrn, whose ancestry is similar, and other nicknames referring to giants svartiþurs „black giant‟, þurs „giant‟, and þursasprengir „destroyer of giants‟.

150. hálmi (x3) „straw‟: Þórðr hálmi. Possibly carrying the meaning „man with straw‟.

151. háls „neck‟: Jǫrundr háls Þórisson. It is unclear which physical feature of the neck is referred to by the nickname, but it is likely that it has something to do with an injury. See the nicknames langháls „long neck‟, leðrháls „leather neck‟, and mosháls „moss neck‟.

152. enn halti (x4) „the lame‟: Eyjólfr enn halti Guðmundarson.

153. enn hamrammi „the shape-shifting; the very strong‟: Vékell enn hamrammi at Mælifelli. Evidently, the nickname refers to a man known for his abilities to shape-shift and become more powerful in battle (like a stereotypical berserkr in the sagas).

154. harðfari „hard traveler‟: Hallvarðr harðfari. The nickname refers to traveling fast and arduously. Both Hallvarðr and his brother, Sigtryggr snarfari „swift traveler‟, ran frequent errands for King Haraldr hárfagri. Cf. also Hlymreksfari „traveler to Limerick (Ireland)‟ and kjǫlfari „keel traveler‟.

155. enn hárfagri „fair hair‟: Haraldr enn hárfagri Hálfdanarson, Noregskonungr. The nickname is explained in his saga in Heimskringla.

156. haugabrjótr „breaker of (grave) mounds‟: Þorsteinn haugabrjótr. The nickname implies that he was a grave robber and probably commemorates a famous find or an encounter with a revenant in one. Cf. the nicknames hornabrjótr „breaker of horns‟ and vǫlubrjótr „vǫlva (prophetess) destroyer‟.

157. hauknefr „hawk nose‟: Þórir hauknefr hersir. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

158. hausakljúfr „splitter of skulls‟: Þorfinnr hausakljúfr Torf-Einarsson  The nickname must have referred to his prowess in battle.

159. haustmyrkr „autumn darkness‟: Þórir haustmyrkr Vígbjóðsson. It is unknown what the nickname refers to, but it may be connected to his temperament or moodiness.

160. enn hávi (x5) „the tall‟: Bjǫrn enn hávi. The nickname is also used as a heiti for the god Óðinn, where it is more likely to mean „the high (status)‟ as opposed to „the tall‟ (cf. Hávamál „Sayings of the High One‟).

161. hegri „heron (bird)‟: Hávarðr hegri. Herons are known for their long legs and long necks, so it is conceivable that the nickname refers to his lankiness in terms of height and stature. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

162. heiðarekkja „widow of the heath‟: Þorgerðr heiðarekkja Þorfinnsdóttir. Maybe she got this nickname because she lived on a farm under a heath (in Mýrasýsla, western Iceland). It is possible that ekkja is used in the poetic meaning „young woman, lass‟.

163. heiðmenningr „paid soldier; man on the heath?‟: Þorsteinn heiðmenningr Eysteinsson. A suitable meaning in this compound is unclear.

164. enn heimski „the stupid‟: Hrafn enn heimski. The original meaning of heimskr was „one who stays at home‟ and used to describe those who did not travel from home and, as a result, were unaware of things outside their home (therefore, stupid).

165. enn helgi  „the holy, saintly‟: Játmundr (Eadmundr) enn helgi Englakonungr. In the Christian context, as here, the byname suggests the status of a saint. Helgi also occurs as a first name, but the heathen sense of the word must be meant there.

166. heljarskinn „Hel‟s skin, dark black skin‟: Geirmundr heljarskinn Hjǫrsson; Hámundr heljarskinn Hjǫrsson. The two brothers‟ nickname is explained in Landnámabók and their þáttr as being given to them because their father said he had never seen people with such dark skin before. Hel, the goddess of the underworld in Norse mythology, is black on one side of her head, and one can only wonder whether a birthmark could have been meant.

167. helluflagi „stone slate; slab flake; stone slab cutter?‟: Ketill helluflagi.

168. enn heppni „the lucky‟: Leifr enn heppni Eiríksson. Leifr received his nickname from an event where he found a shipwreck and saved the men and goods.

169. herkja „scraper, one who scraps along noisily?‟: Skúli herkja Gunnólfsson.

170. Hesta- „Horses-‟: Hesta-Gellir prestr. Most likely, it refers to the man having owned many horses. Cf. the nickname Svína- „Pigs-‟.

171. hestageldir „castrator of horses‟: Hlíf hestageldir. It is unclear whether it was meant positively or negatively.

172. hesthǫfði „horse head‟: Þórðr hesthǫfði Snorrason. Like other compounds with -hǫfði, the nickname refers to the shape or appearance of the head and usually in an insulting way (cf. the nicknames loðinhǫfði „hairy head‟ and svínhǫfði „pig head‟). See the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟.

173. hestr „horse‟: Hallsteinn hestr í Súrnadal. The nickname may refer to his physical appearance or size, or perhaps his speed; one can only wonder what is meant by it, but it is not impossible that it could refer to his penis.

174. hilditǫnn „battle tooth‟: Haraldr hilditǫnn, Danakonungr. It is composed of hildir „battle‟ and tǫnn „tooth‟. His nickname is explained as a result of his prowess in battle in Sögubrot af nokkurum fornkonungum í Dana- ok Svíaveldi, but it is conceivable that the name refers to his protruding yellow teeth, then the first component would represent a generic epithet for „warrior‟.

175. híma „laggard, dawdler‟: Þórir híma.

176. hímaldi „laggard, loafer‟: Erlendr hímaldi Jónsson. It seems to mean the same as the nickname híma „laggard‟ with the addition of the negative suffix -aldi. Cf. the nicknames beigaldi „coward‟, beiskaldi „the bitter‟, and leggjaldi „one with misshapen legs, leggy‟.

177. Hítdoelakappi „champion of the people of Hítardalr‟: Bjǫrn Hítdoelakappi. Hítardalr is the name of the valley and a farm in the valley in Mýrar (western Iceland).

178. hjalti „man with a boss of a sword‟: Eyvindr hjalti Helgason.  It is from the neuter noun hjalt „boss or knob at the end of a sword‟ with the nickname suffix -i, producing the meaning „man with a sword boss‟. Hjalt(i) is a cognate of Engl. hilt, which refers to the entire handle of a sword.

179. hjálmr „helmet‟: Þóroddr hjálmr. The nickname is almost certain to involve martial activity, but the reference is lost.

180. Hjálmun- „Rudder-‟: Hjálmun-Gautr.Gautr supposedly received the nickname because he successfully used the hjálmunvǫlr „tiller of a helm (lever attached to the rudder)‟ as a weapon to ward off a viking attack.

181. hjǫrtr „hart, stag‟: Sigurðr hjǫrtr konungr. The nickname carries a positive connotation, since the hart was a symbol of virility and nobility across the Germanic world (cf. the great hall Heorot in Beowulf). It is also a common first name.

182. hlammandi „the clanging, one who makes heavy sounds‟: Þórir hlammandi. It is the present participle of the verb hlamma „give a dull heavy sound‟, a verb used to describe the sounds of massive, heavy objects and giants. See the nicknames gjallandi „one who shouts‟ and glumra „rattler‟.

183. Hlymreksfari „traveler to Limerick‟: Hrafn Hlymreksfari Oddsson. See the nickname harðfari „hard traveler‟.

184. hnappraz „button ass‟: Hergils hnappraz Þrándarson. The nickname may mean „the ass from Knob- (valley, heath, etc.)‟. Another possibility is that the first component is used metaphorically for the head and the second component as a pars pro toto to mean „ass head‟ (= „man with an unusual ass‟). Still possible, but less likely, is that „ass head‟ is meant literally (which would represent a clear insult, just like Engl. butthead).

185. hnokkan „hillock‟ (Gaelic): Áskell hnokkan.

186. hokinn „(the) bent‟: Hermundr hokinn.

187. holbarki (x2) „hollow throat‟: Þorvaldr holbarki Ásrøðarson. The nickname refers to a speech impediment or difficult speaking or breathing (an injury or a birth defect). Cf. the nickname holmuðr „hollow mouth‟.

188. holkinrazi „man with a crouched ass; ass from the stony field‟: Herjólfr holkinrazi Sigurðarson. Cf. the nickname hokinn „the bent‟.

189. holmuðr „hollow mouth‟: Þorsteinn holmuðr Skaptason. The nickname seems to have referred to a speech impediment.

190. holtaskalli „baldy from Holtar‟: Grímr holtaskalli Þorsteinsson . It is composed of the place name Holtar (unknown exactly where in Iceland) and skalli „bald head‟.

191. horn „horn‟: Hróarr horn Brúnason. It probably refers to an incident with a drinking horn, but the origin of the nickname is unknown.

192. hornabrjótr „breaker of horns‟: Herjólfr hornabrjótr.The reference of the nickname is uncertain. Cf. the nicknames haugabrjótr „breaker of mounds‟ and vǫlubrjótr „vǫlva (prophetess) destroyer‟.

193. hólmasól „sun of the islands‟: Þorbjǫrg hólmasól Helgadóttir. It is derived from her birth on the small island Þórunnarey in the river Eyjafjarðará (in northern Iceland), and the name refers to her beauty and radiant physical appearance (cf. Hildr stjarna „star‟).

194. Hólmgǫngu-  „Duel-‟: Hólmgǫngu-Bersi Véleifsson. The name literally means „holm-going‟ (hólm „islet‟ and the noun ganga „walking, going‟) and comes from the ancient custom of fighting a duel on small islets. The nickname signifies that its bearers fought many duels and won them.

195. Hrafna- „Ravens-‟: Hrafna-Flóki. This Flóki was one of the original discoverers of Iceland who took ravens with him on sea voyages. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

196. hringja „buckle, clasp‟: Þorkatla hringja. . Hringja is the feminine form of the masculine noun hringr „ring‟, and the nickname seems to suggest that Þorkatla would have possessed such a buckle of high value.

197. hringr „ring‟: Haraldr hringr á Hringsstǫðum (lnm 214, 215). FJ (241) claims that it denotes a costly ring, but that it can also mean „sword‟. Lind (157) proposes that it could mean „someone from Ringerike‟ (cf. Lind‟s evidently faulty explanation of hringja „buckle‟). The nickname probably refers to a specific ring of high value, but could also be used generally to denote Haraldr‟s wealth (though hringr is not quite identical with baugr „ring, armlet‟, which could be used as currency). 

198. hrísablundr „slumber from Hrísar‟: Þóroddr hrísablundr. Þóroddr is a grandson of the settler Ketill blundr „slumber, snooze‟, and he inherited his grandfather‟s nickname and lived at the farm Hrísar („Sticks, Brushwoods‟) in Flókadalr (western Iceland). Cf. the nickname blundr.

199. hrísi „brushwood; son begotten in the woods, bastard‟: Sigurðr hrísi Haraldsson.

200. hrogn „roe (fish eggs)‟: Helgi hrogn Ketilsson. The nickname probably refers to Helgi‟s predilection for eating roe (a favorite food?), but could also refer to his ability to catch fish containing them. Cf. other nicknames referring to fish lǫngubak „ling back‟, reyðr „rorqual (whale); Arctic char‟, and upsi „pollock, cod‟.

201. Hross- „Horse-‟: Hross-Bjǫrn Raumsson. The nickname probably means that

Bjǫrn owned many horses, but it could also mean that he had a favorite horse (like Hrafnkell and his horse Freyfaxi). Cf. the nicknames Hafr- „Billy Goat-‟ and Sel- „Seal-‟.

202. hrungnir „the resounder‟: Þorsteinn hrungnir Molda-Gnúpsson. The nickname may be connected to the name of the giant Hrungnir (who stole Þórr‟s hammer in Skáldskaparmál). Typical of giant names, it refers to someone who makes loud noises, and is related to the noun hrang „noise, din‟ and the verb hringja „to ring, chime‟; it is probably also related to an older verb which survives in Swed. runga ~ Dan. runge „to resound‟. See the nicknames gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟ and glumra „rattler‟.

203. hrúga „heap, pile‟: Eyjólfr hrúga Ingjaldsson. Hrúga is also a heiti for „giantess‟.

204. hryggr „back; backbone, spine‟: Hróaldr hryggr Bjarnarson. The nickname more likely refers to the back generally, in which case it would mean that he had a large back (a positive trait?). If it refers specifically to the spine, then it could signify an injury or deformity. It is unlikely that it has the meaning „bravery‟ (the reverse of Engl. have no spine [„be a coward‟]).

205. enn hugprúði „the stout-hearted, courageous‟: Hjalti enn hugprúði. In the context of Landnámabók, this legendary companion of Bǫðvarr bjarki is only mentioned as one whose ax was robbed out of a grave mound shared with Hrólfr kraki.

206. Hunda- „Dogs-‟: Hunda-Steinarr, jarl á Englandi. The nickname probably refers to Steinarr having possessed many dogs (cf. the nicknames Hafr- „Billy Goat-‟, Hesta- „Horses-‟, and Svína- „Pigs-‟).

207. húslangr „tall man with a house‟: Bjarni húslangr Skegg-Broddason. His nickname is explained in the Skarðsárbók version of Landnámabók only as coming from his building a very large house in Iceland. It could also mean „man who is as tall as a house‟ (an exaggeration?), especially when langr „tall‟ (m.) is taken grammatically.

208. hvalaskúfr „whale tassel‟: Þorleifr hvalaskúfr Ánsson. Perhaps he wore a piece of whale leather or decorated his home with pieces of a whale. Whatever it meant, the reference is lost.

209. hvalmagi „whale belly‟: Bjǫrn hvalmagi Kjallaksson. It could mean that he had a voracious appetite and could eat “as much as a whale.”

210. hvalró „whale rivet, whale clinch (piece used in a tool or a nail)‟: Óttarr hvalró Hróaldsson. It is unclear which meaning ró has in the nickname, but it is not ró „peace, calm‟. The second component, most likely, refers to ró „clinch of a nail‟, a technique used to fasten wood together where the pointed end of a nail is flattened down after being driven through. The tool referred to here for whaling is unknown.

211. enn hvassi „the sharp, keen‟: Arngeirr enn hvassi Þormóðarson. The nickname symbolizes either a strong ability in fighting or perhaps a high degree of intelligence.

212. hvítaský „white clouds‟: Herrøðr hvítaský. It may be used metaphorically to represent a person with white, wool-like hair. The connection to Herrøðr‟s hair is almost certain, but it cannot be ruled out that the name refers to some event on a cloudy day (or something else having to do with the sky or weather).

213. hvítbeinn „white-legged‟: Hálfdan hvítbeinn Óláfsson Upplendingakonungr. In this case the adj. hvítr „white‟ may refer to his skin color, thus, meaning something like „pasty leg‟. See the nickname berbeinn „barelegged, barefoot‟.

214. enn hvíti  „the white‟: Bǫðvarr enn hvíti Þorleifsson. It means light hair or skin color (or both) and it is among the most common nicknames.

215. hyrna „horned animal (ewe?)‟: Ǫrn hyrna konungr Þórisson. It may refer to some physical feature, either a decorative headpiece or a hairstyle. The origin of the nickname is unknown.

216. hýnefr „fuzz nose‟: Arnórr hýnefr. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

217. hærukollr „gray hair head‟: Þorgrímr hærukollr Ǫnundarson. Þorgrímr is the grandfather of the famous saga hero Grettir Ásmundarson, in whose saga the nickname is explained to have come about from starting to go gray by age 25. The genetic feature of going gray early was inherited by Þorgrímr‟s son, Ásmundr, who was similarly nicknamed both hærukollr „gray head‟ and hærulangr „tall man with gray hair‟. Cf. the nicknames jafnakollr „clubmoss head‟, skotakollr „Scots‟ head‟, slagakollr „strike head‟, and oeðikollr „hot-head‟.

218. hǫfði „head; headland‟: Þorsteinn hǫfði, hersir á Hǫrðalandi. The nickname, most likely, denotes a peculiar feature of Þorsteinn‟s head, probably size or shape („big head‟ or „round head‟?). The noun hǫfði can also mean „a carved head, ship‟s beak‟ and is therefore not identical with the more common term hǫfuð „head‟ (though the two are akin).

219. hǫggvandi „striker‟: Hrólfr hǫggvandi á Norðmoeri. It is the present participle of the verb hǫggva „to strike, hew‟. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

220. hǫggvinkinni  „man with a cut cheek‟: Þorbergr hǫggvinkinni. See the nickname blákinn „blue cheek‟.

221. hoengr „(male) salmon‟: Ketill hoengr (Hoengr) Þorkelsson. it could have originally meant something like „the hooked one‟ and may have become associated early with „salmon‟ because of the shape of its lower lip which hooks upward. Hoengr (> Hængur) is also found as a first name.

222. Hǫrðakappi „champion of the people of Hordaland (Norway)‟: Hallbjǫrn Hǫrðakappi. Hǫrðar is an ethnic term used to describe people from Hǫrðaland (Hordaland, Norway; cf. the first name Hǫrðr).

I

223. ilbreiðr „man who has a broad sole, flat footed‟: Ketill ilbreiðr Þorbjarnarson.

224. enn illi (x2) „the bad, wicked‟: Þórarinn enn illi.

225. illingr „bad man, scoundrel‟: Atli illingr.

226. illugi (x2) „evil minded‟: Þórðr illugi Eyvindarson.  Illugi also occurs as a personal name.

J

227. jafnakollr „clubmoss head; dye head‟: Óláfr jafnakollr. The nickname is composed of the nouns jafni „clubmoss‟ and kollr „crown of the head, head‟, and the first component is from the plant jafni, a clubmoss commonly used to make dye. As such, jafni could refer to the hair color if not to a resemblance of the hair to the plant. See the nickname hærukollr „gray hair head‟.

228. jarðlangr „tall man with a farm‟: Þorgeirr jarðlangr á Jarðlangsstǫðum.

229. jarlakappi „champion of earls‟: Þorbjǫrn jarlakappi. Þorbjǫrn came to Iceland from the Orkney Islands, so it is assumed that the nickname was earned while in services to the rulers there.

230. járnsíða „iron side‟: Bjǫrn járnsíða Ragnarsson loðbrókar. The legendary figure‟s nickname implies a resistance to damage in battle thanks to iron-like armor on his sides (can it be a supernatural defense?), and it also refers to battle prowess more generally. Cf. the Anglo-Saxon king Eadmund Irensid (Ironside) and the Norse nickname reyðarsíða „rorqual side‟.

231. Jǫtun- „Giant-‟: Jǫtun-Bjǫrn. The nickname is mythologically-based, it likely implies that Bjǫrn comes from a place outside the familiar Norse world, in particular where “Finns” live. See the nickname hálftrǫll „half troll‟.

K

232. kaldmunnr „cold mouth‟: Oddr kaldmunnr. Most likely, the nickname refers to a negative way of speaking, even evil speech.

233. kamban „little cripple‟ (Gaelic): Grímr kamban. Whether the name is Gaelic or Norse is questionable, as Grímr was the first settler of the Faroe Islands (and also a great-grandfather of an Icelandic settler), and the myth of Faroese national origin is on the line. The nickname is likely from OIr cammán, a diminutive of camm „bent, crooked‟. The nickname would then mean „the little bent one, little cripple‟ (cf. the Norse nickname of Gaelic origin, feilan „little wolf‟). The same camm is found in the family name Camp-bell, which originates in Gaelic camm-bél „crooked mouth‟. As a personal name, Cammán appears in the Annals of Ulster under the year 960 as the name of a Celtic-Norse Viking. See the nickname bjóla „small mouth‟.

234. Kampa- „Whiskers-‟: Kampa-Grímr. It may be the genitive singular of the weak form kampi „beard, whiskers, moustache‟, which existed alongside kampr „whiskers, beard, moustache‟, a word used to describe whiskers on not only humans but also seals, cats, and other animals.

235. kampi „man with whiskers, man with a moustache‟: Þorgrímr kampi Ǫzurarson. Kampi is, most likely, a nickname form of kampr „moustache‟, meaning „man with whiskers‟.

236. kappi  „champion‟: Ketill kappi Þorbjarnarson. Kappi is a generic byname, and it is connected to prowess in fighting.

237. karlhǫfði „carved man‟s head; man‟s head‟: Þórólfr karlhǫfði Nafar-Helgason. The nickname may refer to a wooden effigy of Þórólfr‟s head, or just as likely one made by him or used by him on his ship. Karlhǫfði is also the name of a ship with a man‟s head carved on the prow in Landnámabók. Alternatively, -hǫfði may be used as a pars pro toto here and would be tautological („man-man‟), thus, synonymous with the first component karl „man; old man‟. See the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟.

238. karlsefni „a real man, one made of the material of a (capable) man‟: Þorfinnr karlsefni Þórðarson. It is composed of the nouns karl „man‟ and efni „stuff, material‟ and surely meant in a metaphorical sense „the stuff out of which a (capable) man is made‟. Þorfinnr was one of those who led an expedition into North America for the purpose of settling there, trailing in the tracks of his brother-in-law Leifr Eiríksson. 239. karpi „braggart, boaster‟: Eyvindr karpi at Forsi.

240. katla „kettle, cauldron‟: Þorbjǫrg katla Helgadóttir. Katla is the female equivalent of the common noun ketill „kettle, cauldron‟ and the first name Ketill. It is also found as a personal name on its own, as the name of an Icelandic volcano, and in compound names like Þor-katla, Áskatla, and Hall-katla. One can only wonder whether a sexual meaning may have existed (hot pot = hot vagina?). Cf. the curious nickname arnkatla „female kettle‟, which is, most likely, a first name used erroneously.

241. keiliselgr „elk from Keilir‟: Ǫzurr keiliselgr Hrollaugsson. The most probable meaning is „elk from Keilir‟, but the difficulty lies in determining if the known mountain Keilir is meant (since it was likely never inhabitated), or if it refers to another place that once bore the same name.

242. keilismúli „wedge mouth; mouth from Keilir‟: Þórir keilismúli Bǫðólfsson. Múli could easily be used as a pars pro toto here, and the nickname would then mean „the snout (= man) from Keilir‟. Just as with the previous nickname keiliselgr „elk from Keilir?‟, the place name Keilir is obscure, unless it refers to the known mountain, which seems unlikely. See the nickname gráfeldarmúli „snout in a gray cloak‟.

243. kengr „metal hook, clamp‟: Þorgeirr kengr Geirrøðarson. Kengr is probably the same as NNorw. kjeng „staple, clamp (in a lock)‟ and related to Dutch kink „twist in a rope‟. It remains unclear whether the nickname refers to the man‟s physique (a more likely possibility) or to an incident involving a metal hook or clamp. Cf. the nickname smjǫrkengr „butter hook‟.

244. kerlingarnef „hag‟s nose‟: Arnórr kerlingarnef Bjarnarson. It could be meant as an insult to describe his nose looking like that of kerling „old woman, hag‟. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

245. kimbi, meaning unknown (either Norse or Gaelic): Þorleifr kimbi Þorbrandsson

246. kjálki „jaw, jaw bone‟: Geirsteinn kjálki (lnm 172,173 alternatively Eysteinn). The meaning of the nickname is obvious, but its original reference is lost. Most likely, it refers to an injury to the jaw, perhaps suffered during a fight or battle.

247. kjǫlfari „keel traveler, sailor‟: Ketill kjǫlfari. See the nickname harðfari „hard traveler‟.

248. klaka „chirper, chatterer‟: Þorkell klaka. Both the Hauksbók and Skarðsárbók manuscripts have the oblique form blǫku as well as Blǫkuætt „the family of Blaka‟. Whether it is klaka or blaka, although it seems more probable that klaka is the correct form, the meaning is more or less the same and suggests that he was overly talkative.

249. klakkhǫfði „saddle-peg head, pointed head; lumpy head?‟: Kolbeinn klakkhǫfði Atlason (lnm 99). FJ (193) suggests that the first component is, most likely, klakkr „peg on a saddle (on which packs are hung)‟, which also has the meaning „a pointed rock, cliff‟; another possibility he gives is that it is related to Norw. klakk „lump‟. It is possible, though unlikely, that the nickname refers to a carved head on his boat. See the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟.

250. klaufi „clumsy person, klutz‟: Þorgeirr klaufi. The noun and nickname was likely formed with the common suffix -i, and originally it would have meant „man with cloven feet‟ who would have resembled hobbling animals, and from there it came to mean „man prone to tripping about, exhibiting clumsy behavior‟. Klaufi is also found as a first name.

251. kleggi „horsefly‟: Þorsteinn kleggi í Húsavík. The noun kleggi is a loan word in northern Engl. cleg „horsefly, gadfly‟ (< ON kleggi). The reference of the nickname is unclear, but it may have the metaphorical meaning „the annoying‟, since the horsefly (or gadfly) is an insect prone to biting and annoying livestock.

252. kleykir „the pincher; man caught in a pinch?‟: Sigmundr kleykir Ǫnundarson.  While the etymology and meaning are uncertain, it is feasible that the nickname meant something along the lines of „one in trouble, in a pinch‟, as „someone being pressed tightly, squeezed, pinched‟ would be.

253. knappi „knob; button‟: Þorgils knappi. It is, most likely, a nickname form of knappr „knob; button‟ with the suffix -i meaning „man with a button‟.

254. knappr „knob; button‟: Þórðr knappr Bjarnarson. The adj. knappr „scanty‟ is a late borrowing from Dan. knap „scanty, scarce‟, and thus, it must be the noun knappr „knob, head (of a pole)‟. Thus, it could be used to describe his head in a jocular way or even be used a sexual pun and refer to his penis (or penis-like appearance?).

255. knarrarbringa „ship chest, big tits‟: Þorbjǫrg knarrarbringa Gilsdóttir. It is composed of the noun knǫrr „merchant ship‟ and bringa „chest‟. The nickname implies either a large build, or, more likely, large breasts. The ship metaphor was inherited from her father, Gils skeiðarnef „longship nose‟.

256. kneif „nippers, pincers, tongs‟: Ásgeirr kneif Óleifsson.

257. kné „knee‟: Eyvindr kné. While the background is lacking, the nickname, most likely, refers to a defective knee (injured or deformed). See the nickname auga „eye‟.

258. knýtir „one who ties knots; crippled; one who makes crippled‟: Erlingr knýtir. The nickname is, most likely, an agentive form of the weak verb knýta „to knot, bind together‟. It is possible, however, to connect it to the second meaning of the verb „become crooked‟ (only used impersonally) and the past participle knýttr „knotted, crippled‟, thus, „one who makes crooked, crippler‟.

259. kolbrún „coal brow‟: Þorbjǫrg kolbrún Glúmsdóttir. Her nickname is explained in Fóstbræðra saga as coming from her ugly appearance and her black hair and eyebrows. Cf. the nicknames brún „brow‟ and tvennumbrúni „double brows‟.

260. Kolbrúnarskáld „Kolbrún‟s poet‟: Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld Bersason. He was named after composing poetry about Þorbjǫrg kolbrún „coal brow‟.

261. kólka meaning unknown: Þorbjǫrn kólka. The name is probably related to OIr colg „short sword‟. The origin and meaning of the nickname remain uncertain.

262. kollr „crown of the head, head‟: Þorbjǫrn kollr Valþjófsson. It, most likely, refers to a physical feature that made his head stand out, perhaps from having a large head or a bald one (cf. the specific meaning of kollr „crown, pate‟). Kollr also occurs as a first name. See the similarly plain nickname hǫfði „head‟ as well as hærukollr „gray hair head‟.

263. kolskeggr „coal beard‟: Þorsteinn kolskeggr Herjólfsson. The first component kol „coal‟ is always neuter plural and refers to hair color. Kolskeggr is also a common first name. See the nickname bláskeggr „blue beard‟.

264. kornamúli „snout of grain; Korni‟s snout (son)‟: Þorbergr kornamúli Þorkelsson. Múli means „snout, muzzle‟ and refers to the mouth of a human in a negative way and could easily be used synecdochically as a pars pro toto here to mean „the snout (= man) of grain‟ or „Korni‟s snout (= son)‟.

265. korni „grain; man with grain‟: Þórarinn korni Grímkelsson. It is formed from the common noun n. korn „grain‟ with the nickname suffix -i, most likely giving it the meaning „man with grain‟. While it probably refers to farming, it could be used metaphorically to suggest small size and resembling a small piece of grain.

266. korpr „raven‟: Jón korpr Hrafnsson. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it could allude to a dark appearance, having a voice or call that resembled the bird, or even from the man having a warlike nature, as suggested by the association of carrion birds and battle in Old Germanic culture. It is also possible that the name was inherited from a connection to his father‟s name Hrafn. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

267. krafla „paw, scratch‟: Þorkell krafla Þorgrímsson. The explanation of the nickname is in Vatnsdoela saga, which explains that Þorkell was found as an infant with a cloth blocking his nose and causing him to suffocate, and that he pawed at his nose.

268. kraki „thin pole‟: Hrólfr kraki, konungr. The nickname is explained as being given to the king by a man named Vǫggr (Wiggo) in Snorri‟s Skáldskaparmál, the king‟s eponymous saga, and Saxo‟s Gesta Danorum. The use of the nickname to describe a lanky physical stature is easy to imagine. Cf. the nicknames stafr „staff, stick‟, stikublígr „stick who gazes, gazing lanky person‟, and stǫng „pole‟.

269. kráka  „crow‟: Úlfr kráka Hreiðarsson. The nickname may have a connection to the dark appearance of crows, but it may have also referred to the dark nature of crows as carrion birds (like ravens) associated with death and battle. Regarding Úlfr, it is possible that he inherited the nickname from his father Kráku-Hreiðarr „Crow-‟ Hreiðarr (an original settler of Iceland), if the variant in Sturlubók is not a mistake. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

270. krákr „crow‟: Þorleifr krákr Holta-Þórisson. Krákr is an uncommon masculine variant of f. kráka „crow‟. It also occurs as a first name.

271. Kráku- „Crow-‟: Kráku-Hreiðarr Ófeigsson.

272. krákunef „crow nose‟: Þórðr krákunef. Nef „beak, nose‟ is possibily used as a pars pro toto meaning „crow man‟, but just as likely it could be referring to a pointed nose resembling a crow‟s beak. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

273. en kristna „the Christian‟: Gróa en kristna Geirleifsdóttir. In most cases, the nickname was originally used to mock early Christian converts, but after Christianization it became a celebrated nickname for one‟s Christian ancestors.

274. enn kristni „the Christian‟: Jǫrundr enn kristni Ketilsson í Gǫrðum.  Cf. en kristna „the Christian‟, above. It is the weak form of the adj. kristinn „Christian‟.

275. kroppa „scratch, pick; bump?‟: Gunnólfr kroppa Þórisson í Fagravík. It is, most likely, connected to the verb kroppa „to pick, scratch‟.

276. krókr „hook‟: Þorvaldr krókr Þórisson á Grund; Þórarinn krókr. The nickname probably refers to a lost event involving a hook, in particular one used for fishing.

277. krumr „(the) curved, crooked‟: Þorbjǫrn krumr Gnúpa-Bárðarson. While the meaning is clear, the origin of the word is unknown. From the nickname comes the name of his descendants, Krymlingar.

278. Krǫmu- „Squeeze-‟: Krǫmu-Oddr. The Swedish verb krama „hug, embrace‟ goes back to its original meaning „to squeeze‟ (as in Old Swedish).  While the verb krama is unattested in Old Icelandic, there is a reflexive form kramask „to pine and waste‟, which is related to kremja „to squeeze, press, bruise‟ and the noun krǫm „a pining, wasting sickness‟.

279. kuggi „cog (type of ship)‟: Þorgrímr kuggi Hjálmólfsson.

280. kúla „bump, growth, hump‟: Guðbrandr kúla. It must refer to a physical deformity, but it is unclear whether it refers to a hump on his back in particular. Cf. the nickname auðkúla „wealth bump‟.

281. kváran „sandal, shoe‟ (Gaelic): Óláfr kváran, konungr á Írlandi. The name of the tenth century Norse king of Dublin and Northumbria is also found in Irish sources with a Norse calque of his Irish nickname as OIr Amlaib Inscoa „Ólafr insole‟ < ON inn-skóar „insoles‟. See the nickname bjóla „small mouth‟.

282. Kveld- „Evening-‟: Kveld-Úlfr Brunda-Bjálfason. The explanation of his nickname is in Egils saga, where it explains Úlfr becoming irritable when the evening approached because of his early bedtime and tendency to wake up very early. People talked about Úlfr and said he was mjǫk hamrammr „very strong (as a result of shape-shifting)‟. The origin of his nickname may recall his grumpy behavior in the evenings, but the connection to shape-shifting in his family cannot be ignored. It could then imply that his behavior in the evening was connected to shape-shifting in the manner of a werewolf, and such a connection would not be unfounded considering that his first name Úlfr means „wolf‟.

283. enn kvensami „the amorous‟: Hjǫrleifr enn kvensami Hjǫrsson Hǫrðakonungr. It must refer to his success with women, and it is tempting to translate it as „ladies‟ man‟, to do justice to the sense in which the word should be understood.

284. enn kyrri „the quiet‟: Þorbjǫrn enn kyrri Ófeigsson.

285. kǫgurr „bedspread, blanket‟: Grímr kǫgurr á Brekku.. If the nickname refers to a specific quilt or blanket, it likely means that Grímr had a very fine one.

286. kǫrtr „small; short horn‟: Steinbjǫrn kǫrtr Refsson. From an etymological point of view, the meaning „small horn‟ must have developed after the original one used to describe something small and still developing, but that makes it no easier to determine which meaning is implied here.

287. kǫttr „cat‟: Þórðr kǫttr Þórðarson. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it may refer to Þórðr having been fond of a pet cat, or perhaps he resembled a cat in appearance (small and slender?) or personality (strong hunting instinct, slyness?). Domesticated cats were brought with the early settlers to Iceland and were used, as they still are in rural areas and many other places in the world, for rodent and pest control.

L

288. lafskegg „dangling beard‟: Ófeigr lafskegg Øxna-Þórisson. The nickname probably implies a long, bushy beard, perhaps one that resembles moss hanging from trees as found in thick, damp woods and forests (Ófeigr lived in Norway, and such places there are not uncommon). Cf. the nicknames flǫskuskegg „flask beard‟ and refskegg „fox beard‟.

289. enn lági (x2) „the low, short‟: Steinólfr enn lági Hrólfsson.

290. lambi „lamb; man with a lamb‟: Eyvindr lambi Berðlu-Kárason. In this case it is probably identical in meaning with the common noun lamb, but it could also mean „man with a lamb‟. The meaning of it when applied to a human is not entirely clear, although the association of young sheep with gentleness may have existed in Old Norse society. Lambi is also found as a first name.

291. langháls „long neck‟: Óláfr langháls Bjarnarson. The meaning of it is probably literal, but the second part could be used as a pars pro toto („neck‟ = „man‟), in which case the meaning of langr would mean „tall‟ (thus, „tall man‟). See the nickname háls „neck‟.

292. langhǫfði „long head‟: Þorgeirr langhǫfði Þorfinnsson. It is possible, though unlikely, that the nickname refers to the head on his boat. It is also possible that it is used as a pars pro toto to mean „a head (= man) who is tall‟. See the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟.

293. laxakarl „man who fishes for salmon‟: Þorbjǫrn laxakarl. The nickname almost looks like a designator of his occupation and seems to mean „a man who fishes for salmon‟, but it could also refer to „a man who sells salmon‟.

294. leðrháls „leather neck‟: Þórir leðrháls Þorsteinsson. The nickname is explained in Landnámabók where it says he cut a hole in an oxhide to make a cheap piece of armor before a battle in Fitjar, Norway. It is, most likely, meant to ridicule his poverty, but it could denote his quick-wittedness and ability to make the best out of a bad situation. See the nickname háls „neck‟.

295.leggjaldi „the leggy, one with strange legs; builder?‟: Þórðr leggjaldi Molda-Gnúpsson. The difficulty in knowing its meaning is compounded by the fact that the noun leggr „leg‟ is a ja-stem. The suffix -aldi is negative and implies something wrong with the individual (cf. the nicknames beig-aldi „coward‟, beisk-aldi „the bitter‟, and hím-aldi „laggard‟). It also occurs in Rígsþula as the name of one of Þræl‟s sons (like another of his sons, Digr-aldi „the fatty‟), where Leggjaldi builds fences.

296. leggr „leg‟: Þorsteinn leggr Bjarnarson. Most likely, it refers to a flaw of some kind on his leg such as a wound, a scar, a deformity, or something similar. Later, it was adopted as a first name. See the nickname auga „eye‟.

297. leifr „heir, descendant‟: Þorkell leifr enn hávi Þorfinnsson. Most likely it refers to a son who was a “remnant” after his father‟s death. It is probably closely related to the noun f. leif „inheritance, patrimony‟ and could be synonymous with it. Also occurs as a first name Leifr (cf. Leifr inn heppni „the lucky‟) known in compounds across the Germanic world.

298. lína „line (cord or rope)‟: Þórir lína í Breiðvík. While its origin is obscure, it is not difficult to imagine a circumstance involving a rope giving rise to the nickname, like climbing, traveling by boat, leading an animal, etc.

299. enn litli „the small‟: Oddi enn litli á Rangárvöllum.

300. en ljósa „the bright, fair‟: Æsa en ljósa (150). It must have been a positive description of her appearance.

301. loðbrók „hairy breeches, fur pants‟: Ragnarr loðbrók Sigurðarson. The nickname of the legendary Danish king is composed of loð „shag, rough fur‟ and brók „breek, one leg of a pair of pants‟. It is explained in Ragnarr‟s eponymous saga as coming from his strange clothing made cleverly with tar and pitch to protect him in a battle against a serpent. Whether he wore such a pair of furry pants just once or often is unknown. Cf. the nickname snúinbrók „twisted breeches‟.

302. loðinhǫfði „hairy head‟: Ásbjǫrn loðinhǫfði.  See the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟.

303. loðinkinni „man with hairy cheeks‟: Grímr loðinkinni ór Hrafnistu.  See the nickname blákinn „blue cheek‟.

304. loki „lock; one who locks; the sluggish‟: Þorbjǫrn loki Bǫðmóðsson. It coud be that it is the god Loki‟s name here and is used to denote someone deceitful or crafty. It could be an agentive form of the verb loka „to lock, shut‟, thus, „one who locks or shuts‟, or masculine side-form of the related noun loka „lock, latch‟. It could also be a nickname form of the noun lok „cover, lid; end; weed‟, thus, „the man with a lid; the man at the end; the man with weeds‟.

305. lunan „little blackbird‟ (Gaelic): Þorsteinn lunan. It is probably from Lonán, the diminutive of OIr lon „blackbird‟. The manuscript variants “launan” and “luna” are not helpful. There is no information about Þorsteinn spending time in the British Isles, who is only described briefly in Landnámabók: There was a Norse man and great trader named Þorsteinn lunan. Lunan also appears in the Icelandic place name Lunansholt (named after the settler) and the compound female name Lunan-ey from a 15th century runic inscription found in Bergen (B238). See the nickname bjóla „small mouth‟.

306. lútandi „(the) stooping, bending down‟: Erpr lútandi. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

307. Lǫg- „Law-‟: Lǫg-Skapti Þóroddsson. Skapti was lawspeaker of Iceland and creator of the fifth court (an appeals court), and he was well-known in this role in many of the Íslendingasǫgur. The nickname here almost looks like an occupational description.

308. lǫngubak „ling (fish) back‟: Ljótr lǫngubak. Although the meaning of the compound is clear, the reference of the nickname is unknown. Cf. other nicknames whose second component is also -bak, flǫskubak „flask back‟ and tǫskubak „pouch back‟, and also other nicknames referring to fish hrogn „roe (fish eggs)‟, reyðr „rorqual (whale); Arctic char‟, and upsi „pollock, cod‟.

M

309. enn magri „the lean‟: Helgi enn magri Eyvindarson. Helgi‟s nickname is explained in Landnámabók to have been given to him because his parents found him nearly starved to death after leaving him with bad foster parents in the Hebrides.

310. máni  „moon‟: Þorfiðr máni Áskelsson. The background of the nickname is unknown, and one can only speculate on its meaning as a nickname. Perhaps it is a reference to mythology (where Máni [Moon] and his sister Sól [Sun] are chased around the heavens by wolves), to an appearance resembling the moon (bright or round?), or to an important event that happened at night. Máni also appears as a first name.

311. manvitsbrekka „slope of understanding; paragon of intelligence; breaker of people‟s wits‟: Ástríðr manvitsbrekka Móðólfsdóttir. The nickname could mean „woman of intelligence”.

312. meinfretr „harm-fart‟: Eysteinn meinfretr Álfsson. It is composed of the nouns mein „harm, hurt‟ and fretr „fart‟. Like the legendary Norse king Eysteinn fretr „fart‟ (Lat. Bumbus „fart‟), the nickname commemorates either a particularly embarrassing event involving passing gas or a general habit of it (in this case, it must have been especially noxious or loud).

313. meldún „Máel Dúin‟ (Gaelic personal name): Þorgeirr meldún í Tungufelli. Mæl Dúin is the name of a seventh century Scottish king (of Irish extraction), as well as the protagonist of the tenth century Old Irish tale The Voyage of Máel Dúin. See the nickname bjóla „small mouth‟.

314. miðlungr „middle child; (the) mediocre, average‟: Þorleifr miðlungr Bǫðvarsson. It is unknown whether Þorleifr was a middle child, and it is also uncertain whether it was meant as an insult or a description of his position in the family. It is also unclear whether the nickname was meant in the other way, that is, as an adjective used to insult his size, character, performance (in battle?), or something else.

315. mikill „(the) great (size/height)‟: Þórðr mikill Ævarsson á Mikilsstǫðum.

316. en mikla „the great (in size and height)‟: Þórdís en mikla.

317. enn mikli „the great (size and height)‟: Hrolleifr enn mikli Arnaldsson.

318. enn mildi „the generous‟: Heðinn enn mildi Þorbjarnarson‟.

319. mjóbeinn „thin-legged‟: Þrándr mjóbeinn. See the nickname berbeinn „barelegged, barefoot‟.

320. en mjóva „the slim, slender‟: Hildr en mjóva Hǫgnadóttir.

321. enn mjóvi „the slim, slender‟: Atli jarl enn mjóvi Hundólfsson.

322. mjǫksiglandi „one who sails much (or often)‟: Steinn mjǫksiglandi Vígbjóðsson. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

323. mosháls „moss neck‟: Þóra mosháls Auðunardóttir. The reference is unclear, but it is possible that the first part alludes to a specific place (cf. the place name Mosfell „moss mountain‟), since the noun mosi „moss‟ can also refer to a mossy area or moorland. See the nickname háls „neck‟.

324. Mostrarskeggi „man with a beard from Mostr (Norway)‟: Þórólfr Mostrarskeggi  Ǫrnólfsson. This is a clear case for a pars pro toto, where skeggi (< skegg „beard‟) means „man with a beard‟, or simply „man‟.  See the nickname Fitjumskeggi „beard on Fitjar‟.

325. muðr „mouth‟: Ǫlvir muðr Vilbaldsson. Muðr is an older variant of munnr „mouth‟. Most likely, a physical feature of the mouth is meant, something which distinguishes it from others (a big mouth, a small mouth, an injured mouth, etc.). It is also possible that a metaphorical intepretation is meant, where his mouth is likened to that of something negative, like Engl. loudmouth, blabbermouth, or the like. See the nickname auga „eye‟.

326. Músa- „Mice-‟: Músa-Bǫlverkr Þórarinsson.  Its original reference is lost, but it may have alluded to him having mice as pets or as unwanted houseguests, or perhaps he was known for hunting them.

N

327. Nafar- „Gimlet- (tool)‟: Nafar-Helgi á Grindli. One can only wonder what event gave rise to the name.

328. nefja „nose‟: Hrólfr nefja. The nickname must signify something peculiar about its bearer, probably a big nose. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

O

329. enn óði „the frantic‟: Þorgeirr enn óði Ljótólfsson. Cf. the name of the god Óðinn.

330. enn óargi „the fierce‟: Úlfr enn óargi ór Hrafnistu. The nickname means something like „the not unmanly (= the brave)‟ and seems to be connected with battle prowess.

331. en óborna „the unborn, illegitimate‟: Úlfrún en óborna Játmundardóttir. = „bastard‟ in law codes.

332. ofláti „gaudy person, show-off‟: Þorgeirr ofláti Arnórsson.

333. ógæfa „bad luck, misfortune‟: Þorsteinn ógæfa Helgason. The circumstances behind the nickname are described in Landnámabók, where it says that Þorsteinn killed a Norwegian earl‟s retainer, and the man who took him in, Vébjǫrn Sygnatrausti („champion of the people of Sogn‟), had to sell his possessions and flee to Iceland. It is interesting that the bad luck behind the man‟s nickname affected others more than himself.

334. enn ómálgi „the mute, untalkative‟: Askr enn ómálgi.

335. ór búlkarúmi „from the cargo hold‟: Bǫðmóðr ór búlkarúmi.The reference of the nickname is lost, but it is not inconceivable that it could allude to Bǫðmóðr concealing himself in the cargo in order to avoid capture (he was, after all, a great Viking and very unruly, according to the first chapter of Gull-Þóris saga).

336. ór skut „from the stern‟: Bǫðmóðr ór skut . Cf.  the previous nickname ór búlkarúmi („from the cargo hold‟).

337. orðlokarr „word plane (tool)‟: Vémundr orðlokarr Þórólfsson.Maybe it refers to speaking well, as though he “shaves” and “smooths” his words in a refined way as a craftsman does wood. Another possibility, however, is that it could refer to his speech being used to insult others (“cutting words”). The poetic compounds óðar-lokarr „mind‟s plane‟ and ömun-lokarr „voice‟s plane‟ are both used to refer to „the tongue‟, so that connecting both parts of the compound for use as a nickname was not a stretch for whoever coined it.

338. ormstunga „serpent tongue‟: Gunnlaugr ormstunga enn gamli Hrómundarson. The name denotes someone who speaks in a brash manner, spewing harsh words. In the younger Gunnlaugr‟s eponymous saga, he is introduced as a difficult and ruthless individual who was also a poet.

339. orraskáld „Orri‟s poet‟: Þorgils orraskáld Þorvarðsson. Eysteinn orri was the name of a Norwegian chieftain who died leading an unsuccessful charge at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. A connection to Eysteinn orri is implausible, however, since Landnámabók says that Þorgils orraskáld was with Óláfr kváran (possibly bearing the nickname orri), a mid-tenth century king of Dublin (945-947 and 952-980) and Northumbria (941-944 and 949-952).

340. óroekja „(the) neglectful, reckless‟: Mǫrðr óroekja,

341. óþveginn „unwashed‟: Ljótr óþveginn. Most likely, the nickname is meant as a literal description, but its reference is lost.

P

342. pái „peacock‟: Óláfr pái Hǫskuldsson. The nickname was probably given to him by his Irish mother. The nickname refers to a handsome, flashy man (as the colorful tail feathers of the bird suggest), but whether it carries a negative undertone is not clear (excessively ornate or flashy?). At the end of chapter 16 of Laxdæla saga, Óláfr receives the nickname from his admiring father Hǫskuldr. The narrative explanation does not rule out the possibility that the name was given to him as a tongue-in-cheek insult. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

343. parrak, meaning unknown: Hildir parrak.

344. enn prúði (x2) „the magnificent, splendid‟: Eilífr enn prúði Kjallaksson.

R

345. enn rakki „the straight, upright; slender‟: Oddr enn rakki Þorviðarson.

346. enn rammi (x7) „the strong, mighty‟: Án enn rammi.

347. ranglátr „(the) unrighteous, unjust‟: Þorsteinn ranglátr Einarsson.

348. Rauða- „Iron Ore-‟: Rauða-Bjǫrn. The brief explanation of the nickname in the Melabók version of Landnámabók: He was the first man to cast iron in Iceland and from this was called Rauða-Bjǫrn.

349. rauðfeldr „red cloak‟: Ánn rauðfeldr Grímsson. The nickname, most likely, refers to wearing such cloaks, but it could just as easily imply trading them. Cf. the nickname gráfeldr „gray cloak‟.

350. enn rauði „the red‟: Ármóðr enn rauði Þorbjarnarson. It refers to hair color, but it could also suggest a ruddy complexion.

351. rauði „(the) red‟: Eiríkr rauði Þorvaldsson.

352. rauðkinn „red cheek‟: Yngvildr rauðkinn Ásgeirsdóttir. It probably refers to her complexion in a positive way and may be connected to blushing. See the nickname blákinn „blue cheek‟.

353. rauðnefr „red nose‟: Þorsteinn rauðnefr Hrólfsson. It is composed of the adj. rauðr „red‟ and nef-r „nose, beak‟ with the nickname suffix -r, used to make the common noun agentive. It is, most likely, used as a pars pro toto with the meaning „nose (= man) with red hair‟, but could be taken literally to describe the appearance of a man with a ruddy nose. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

354. rauðr „(the) red‟: Þorgeirr rauðr Einarsson. It more likely refers to hair color, but it could also suggest a ruddy complexion.

355. rauðskeggr „red beard‟: Hrólfr rauðskeggr. See the nickname bláskeggr „blue beard‟.

356. raumr „big, ugly, clownish person; giant (mythological); a person from Romsdal (Norway)‟: Ketill raumr Ormsson,  but in general it is used to describe a big, difficult, and clumsy person. Raumr also occurs as a first name.

357. refr „fox‟: Þórólfr refr Eysteinsson. As a nickname it could refer to his physical appearance (red hair) or be meant metaphorically in reference to having the characteristic trickiness and slyness of a fox. Refr also occurs as a first name.

358. refskegg „fox beard‟: Þórir refskegg. Most likely, refers to the red color of his beard. Cf. the nicknames flǫskuskegg „flask beard‟ and lafskegg „dangling beard‟.

359. reyðarsíða „rorqual side‟: Bjǫrn reyðarsíða. It is composed of the nouns reyðr „rorqual‟ and síða „side‟. Like the nickname járnsíða „iron side‟, it may imply immunity to damage in battle, as though he has the thick, tough hide of a whale. The reference of the nickname, however, is unknown.

360. reyðr „rorqual (whale); Arctic char‟: Þorgeirr reyðr Rauða-Bjarnarson. Reyðr as „a kind of whale, from its reddish colour‟, but also „a kind of trout, salmo alpinus‟ („Arctic char‟). Arctic char are also found with red coloring, so the connection with red color explains the origin of its use for whales and the fish. It is found as the first part of a few place names in Iceland where it refers to the fish: Reyðarvatn „Char Lake‟ and Reyðarmúli „Char Peak‟, but Reyðarfjǫrðr could mean either „Rorqual Fjord‟ or „Char Fjord‟ (more likely the whale than the fish). Cf. other nicknames referring to fish hrogn „roe (fish eggs)‟, lǫngubak „ling back‟, and upsi „pollock, cod‟.

361. enn ríki  „the powerful‟: Elfráðr enn ríki (king of England; Alfred the Great). It is the weak form of the adj. ríkr „powerful, mighty‟.

362. rosti „violent, boisterous person; walrus; brawler; the noisy; rusty, reddish color‟: Þórarinn rosti Há-Snorrason.  If it is indeed a preserved form of rost „rusty thing, reddish color‟, it would then allude to reddish color and may mean something like „the rusty, the red‟.

363. rotinn „rotten‟: Auðun rotinn Þórólfsson. The nickname may have to do with an infected injury that had become putrid, but a metaphorical meaning is possible (rotten mind, rotten behavior?).

364. rugga „rocking cradle; the rocking‟: Rauðr rugga í Naumudal. There is no reason not to take the nickname to be synonymous with the common Old Norse verb rugga „to rock (a cradle)‟ or noun rugga „rocking cradle‟. If it is a substantivized form of the verb, it may well go back to a more general meaning „to rock‟, but if it is the noun, it may allude to an incident involving a cradle (perhaps an unfortunate incident involving bumping his child out of the cradle?).

365. rúmgylta „bed sow, sow sleeping in a bed; grunting sow‟: Þuríðr rúmgylta. Perhaps it refers to sleeping a long time.

S

366. saurr „mud, filth‟: Eyjólfr saurr. As a nickname it is clearly insulting and likely implies that this individual lived in squalor; it could also refer to an unfortunate event like a fall into the mud, but its reference is unknown.

367. Sel- „Seal-‟: Sel-Þórir Grímsson. According to Landnámabók, Þórir‟s nickname comes from an incident while a young child at sea where he was put inside a seal skin to stay warm and received the blessing of a merman (a supernatural encounter).

368. Sela- „Seals-‟: Sela-Kálfr Oddsson. It seems to allude to successful seal hunting, though it could refer to wearing seal pelts. A connection to selkies and seals of the folklore variety is possible, but an explanation of the nickname is lacking. Cf. other genitive plural nicknames referring to animals like Hesta- „Horses-‟ and Svína- „Pigs-‟.

369. sjóni „person with good sight‟: Ǫnundr sjóni Ánason. Sjóni appears to be a nickname form with the suffix -i added to the feminine noun sjón „sight, the ability to see‟. It is not connected to an ability to see the future like the adj. spakr „wise, with the gift of prophetic sight‟.

370. skagi „low headland‟: Þorbjǫrn skagi. The noun skagi refers to a low cape or headland (a ness), in apposition to hǫfði, which represents a high headland. It could just as easily allude to a specific place (cf. the Icelandic place names Skaga-fjǫrðr and Skaga-strǫnd), but where exactly remains a mystery. Cf. the nickname hǫfði „head; headland‟, where the same difficulty in interpretation is met.

371. Skalla- „Bald Head-, Baldy-‟: Skalla-Grímr Kveld-Úlfsson. It is the hyphenated form of skalli „bald head‟, a term which is synonymous with the nickname kollr „crown of the head‟. Grímr‟s went bald at a younger age than others, and it is easy to imagine that the nickname refers to this unusual feature.

372. skalli „bald head, baldy‟: Þormóðr skalli Hǫfða-Þórðarson. As a nickname, skalli is used to denote baldness, but the original reference of it is unknown (cf. Skalla-Grímr, whose premature baldness was strange enough for others to coin the nickname). See the similarly simple nicknames referring to the head like hǫfði „head‟ and kollr „crown of the head, head‟ and compounds with -skalli like bjóðaskalli „ baldy of Bjóðar‟, blǫðruskalli „blister baldy, bladder baldy‟, and holtaskalli „baldy from Holtar‟.

373. skammhǫndungr „short-handed, man with short arms‟: Skeggi skammhǫndungr Gamlason. It probably refers to a physical defect, perhaps a stunted arm, a deformed hand, or an injury. It could also be used metaphorically to describe the inability of its bearer to reach his intended target in battle.

374. skapti „man with a shaft‟: Þormóðr skapti Óleifsson. It is a nickname form of n. skapt „missile, shaft, handle‟ with the suffix -i, giving it a human meaning „man with a shaft‟. Skapti is also a common first name.

375. skarfr „cormorant (bird)‟: Helgi skarfr Geirleifsson. As a nickname, it alludes to the man resembling the bird either in appearance or voice. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

376. enn skarpi „the sharp, keen‟: Hrói enn skarpi.

377. skattkaupandi „tribute exchanger, tax collector‟: Þóroddr skattkaupandi. The nickname is probably sarcastic,see the explanation of the nickname in Eyrbyggja saga. It says there that Þóroddr sold his ship to shipwrecked tax collectors from the Orkney Islands, desperately stranded on an uninhabitated island north of Ireland after collecting tribute in Ireland, but in the sale of the boat he took an unfair share of their tax collections in exchange for the boat and a ride back to the Orkneys.

378. skál „bowl‟: Þórhaddr skál Hafljótsson. The nickname most likely, commemorates an incident at table (breaking a bowl, excessive drinking?).

379. skálaglamm „scale tinkling‟: Einarr skálaglamm Helgason. Einarr received the name because Earl Hákon once presented him with scale-weights, one side laden with gold and the other with silver, giving off a clanging, tinkling sound (the explanation occurs in Jómsvíkinga saga).

 380. Skáld- (x3) „Poet-‟: Skáld-Helgi Þórðarson.  It is unclear whether Skáld- is a nickname or an occupational byname.

381. skáldaspillir „poet spoiler, plagiarist‟: Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson. The name is from Eyvindr‟s lifting of poetic forms and expressions from older poets and that the name was given to him by his opponents.

382. skálpr „scabbard‟: Þórðr skálpr.

383. Skáneyjarskelmir „terror of Skåne‟: Víkingr Skáneyjarskelmir. The nickname refers to the man‟s having raided in Skåne. Cf. the nickname austmannaskelfir „terror of the Norwegians‟.

384. Skegg- „Beard-‟: Skegg-Broddi Víga-Bjarnarson. It is less likely to be used as a pars pro toto than other nicknames involving skegg ~ skeggi ~ skeggr, and therefore it must refer to his beard (which probably had something peculiar about it).

385. skeggi „beard; man with a beard‟: Þórðr skeggi Hrappsson. It is also found as a first name. See the nicknames kampi „whiskers, moustache; man with whiskers, man with a moustache‟ and Fitjumskeggi „beard on Fitjar‟.

386. skegglauss „beardless‟: Ásmundr skegglauss Ófeigsson. It is, most likely, an insult, just as karl inn skegglausi „old beardless man‟is leveled at Njáll in his saga.

387. skeiðarkinn „longship cheek‟: Þorgríma skeiðarkinn Hǫfða-Þórðardóttir. Nicknames with skeiðar- refer to the beaks of swift ships (cf. skeiðarnef „longship nose‟). See the nickname blákinn „blue cheek‟.

388. skeiðarnef „longship nose‟: Gils skeiðarnef. Nef „beak, nose‟ is most likely used as a pars pro toto, and the nickname would then mean „man as large as a longship‟. His daughter Þorbjǫrg knarrarbringa „ship chest‟ seems to have inherited the theme of the nickname (ship and a body part). See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

389. skeifr „askew, crooked‟: Þorkell skeifr Gufuson. As a nickname, it likely refers to his physical appearance, perhaps a crooked mouth, nose, or other body part. Skeifr also occurs as a first name.

390. skeljamoli „shard of a shell, broken shell, piece of a shell‟: Ormr skeljamoli Hross-Bjarnarson. He may have gotten the first part skelja (from n. skel „shell‟) added to the original nickname moli „piece, bit‟ from an occupation of catching clams.

391. skerjablesi „skerry blaze‟: Ásbjǫrn jarl skerjablesi. It may be that his nickname was blesi „blaze‟, while sker was added to refer to his Viking hangout. It is composed of the genitive singular of sker „skerry‟ and blesi „blaze, white spot on a horse‟s forehead‟, but it is unclear what the first part of the compound means in relation to the second. Cf. the nickname blesi „blaze‟.

392. Skinna- „Furs-, Hides-‟: Skinna-Bjǫrn Skútaðar-Skeggjason. According to Þórðs saga hreðu, Bjǫrn was a trader in the east and brought back animal hides.

393. Skjalda- „Shields-‟: Skjalda-Bjǫrn Herfinnsson. Landnámabók says that Bjǫrn first settled in Iceland in a warship with shields lining the rails. It is the genitive plural of skjǫldr „shield‟.

394. enn skjálgi „the squinting‟: Arnmóðr enn skjálgi Þorkelsson.

395. Skorar- „Gorge-‟: Skorar-Geirr Holta-Þórisson). He is called Þorgeirr skorargeirr „gorge-spear‟ in Njáls saga, which is most likely a play on words with his real name Þor-geirr (hence the name variant here, Skorar-Geirr). The episode behind his nickname is referred to late in the saga (ch. 146), where it says that Þorgeirr killed seven men after rapeling alone into a gorge (ON skor).

396. skotakollr „Scots‟ head‟: Þorkell skotakollr. Most likely, it is composed of the nouns skoti „Scot, Scottish person‟ and kollr „crown of the head, head‟. Þorkell was a third generation Icelander with no known connection to Scotland or Scottish people either in his ancestry or lifetime, so the reference is obscure; perhaps he visited Scotland or had the appearance of a typical Scot. It is unclear how a typical Scot looked, but the nickname may refer to some kind of Celtic hairstyle. See the nickname hærukollr „gray hair head‟.

397. skógarnef „nose of the woods; nose of Skógar‟: Ormr skógarnef. If nef „beak, nose‟ is used as a pars pro toto, the nickname would mean „nose (= man) from the woods, nose from Skógar‟. See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

398. skólm „gap, open mouth; cross-eyed; thick shell; one with long, hanging eyebrows; short sword‟: Þorgeirr skólm. The meaning of the nickname remains disputed.

399. skrauti „fine garment, ornament; the showy‟: Oddr skrauti. It is a nickname form of the common noun skraut meaning „man with fine clothes‟, metaphorically even to mean „the showy‟. Just like the nickname of Óláfr pái „peacock‟, whether it is used negatively is uncertain and a compliment is possible in both cases.

400. skrofi „chatterer, loudmouth‟: Þorsteinn skrofi Grímsson. Maybe connected to NNorw. skrove „loudmouth‟, skrova „to cough; to brag‟, skryvja ~ skrøyva „cough loudly, but the origin of the nickname remains uncertain.

401. skrǫfuðr „chatterer, loudmouth‟: Þorbjǫrn skrǫfuðr Kjallaksson. While it is possibly synonymous with the nickname skrofi in meaning, the etymon of this adjective seems to be the verb– skrafa „to chatter, talk foolishly‟.

402. skúma  „squint, cross-eyed; shifty-eyed, sneaky-eyed; the dark; one who behaves strangely at dusk‟: Þorbjǫrn skúma Bǫðvarsson. If the nickname is derived from the verb skúma „to get dark‟, then it may refer to a change of mood or behavior around dusk (like the nickname Kveld-Úlfr „Evening-‟ Úlfr). However, it may have nothing to do with darkness or dusk at all, and, if so, it implies that there is something defective about his eyes (cross-eyed, squinting) or at least his behavior with them (looking down, around, or looking around with shifting, sneaky eyes). Most likely, it is derived from a verb skúma, but such a verb is unattested in Old Norse. The meaning is uncertain.

403. Skútaðar- meaning unknown: Skútaðar-Skeggi. While difficult to prove, it may be a derivation of skúta „small ship, cutter, skiff‟ as f. skútað(r), which as a nickname would mean „Skiff-‟ Skeggi, implying that he had such a boat and captained it.

404. skǫkull „cart pole; horse penis‟: Auðun skǫkull Bjarnarson. The more common meaning of the noun „pole connecting a cart to a draft animal, towing bar‟ is probably correct, but the secondary meaning „horse penis‟ is possible. In case it is the latter, one can only wonder if it refers to an incident involving a horse or whether it is used metaphorically about the man‟s “pole.”

405. slagakollr „strike head‟: Ǫzurr slagakollr. The nickname is composed of slaga „to strike‟, which appears as a substantivized form of an old form of slá, functioning here like a present participle  (slag-andi „striking‟) and kollr „crown of the head, head‟. It is unclear if the nickname refers to Ǫzurr being a recipient or deliverer of blows to the head, if the meaning is in fact the same as slá. See the nickname hærukollr „gray hair head‟.

406. Sleitu- „Deceit-, Trick-; Freeloader-; Quarrel-‟: Sleitu-Bjǫrn. In the sense of trickery or deceit as the expressions vinna mál með sleitum „to win a case with trickery‟ and drekka við sleitur „to drink unfairly‟ suggest. In poetry, sleita means „conflict, quarrel‟ (Finnur Jónsson 1931, 518) and such a meaning works well as a nickname. While both names are probably not slétta (despite the manuscript variants), the noun is found as a place name and would make sense as a hyphenated geographical byname.

407. slítandi „tearer, one who tears‟: Þórðr slítandi í Hǫrgárdal. It is the present participle of the verb slíta „to tear, rend, rip‟. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it may refer to an event involving the tearing of cloth (a tent) or clothing, or possibly it is a reference to battle and abilities as a warrior. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

408. sloekidrengr „lanky lass; weak man‟: Ástríðr sloekidrengr Bragadóttir. It is unsure whether the meaning is „tall, lanky chap‟ or whether it refers to her being manly. But it is also possible that it is intended as a positive epithet („lanky lass‟).

409. sløngvandbaugi „ring slinger‟: Hroerekr sløngvandbaugi Haraldsson. Maybe he received the name to distinguish his generosity from another legendary Danish king (Hroerekr hnǫggvandbaugi „ring hoarder‟).

410. smiðjudrumbr „smithy drum; oaf of the smithy‟: Ketill smiðjudrumbr. The first part of the compound is clear (smiðja „smithy‟), but the difficulty with the second part is whether it means „plank of wood‟ or „fat and clumsy person, oaf‟ (the latter is derived from the original meaning). Cf. the nickname Drumb- „Oaf-‟.

411. smjǫr „butter‟: Þórólfr smjǫr Þorsteinsson. The nickname of this early explorer is explained in Landnámabók as coming from his overly-generous account of the island as a place where butter drips from each blade of grass. It seems to be used metaphorically to imply an exaggerated account, that is one which has been laden with an excessive amount of something tasty and abundant, not unlike the expression in Engl. butter up „charm or beguile with lavish praise‟.

412. smjǫrkengr „butter clamp‟: Þorgeirr smjǫrkengr. The reference of the nickname is lost, but it is feasible that it refers to an incident involving butter or grease on the tool to make it slippery (a trick?). A metaphorical interpretation is also possible if the name could refer to the man being “slippery” in the sense of a trickster evading punishment, or perhaps to the more obvious connection of butter with chubbiness („fat man with a clamp‟?). Cf. the nickname kengr „metal hook, clamp‟.

413. snara „snare, trap‟: Eiríkr snara í Trékyllisvík. Maybe the nickname has to dowith an incident involving a trap (hunting, or capturing a person?).

414. snarfari „quick traveler‟: Sigtryggr snarfari.  Sigtryggr‟s brother is Hallvarðr harðfari „hard traveler‟, and the two were known for running trips on behalf of Haraldr hárfagri. See the nickname harðfari „hard traveler‟.

415. en snarskyggna„the keen-eyed‟: Gróa en snarskyggna. It is the weak feminine form of the adj. snar-skyggn „keen-eyed, keen-seeing‟; skygn denotes second sight in folklore.

416. snepill „flap‟: Þórir snepill Ketilsson. If it refers to the earlobe, it most likely denotes an injury or deformity. Cf. the noun eyrasnepill „earlobe‟.

417. sneypir „snipper, castrator; one who brings dishonor‟: Kolbjǫrn sneypir. it may refer to the act related to at sneypa konu „to dishonor a woman‟.

418. enn snjalli „the valiant, brave‟: Steinn enn snjalli Baugsson í Snjallsteinshǫfða.

419. snúinbrók „twisted breeches‟: Hallgerðr snúinbrók Hǫskuldsdóttir. Perhaps it refers to her pants being worn incorrectly or wrapped in an unusual manner. A woman wearing such a pair of pants was taboo and it was considered cross-dressing in ch. 35 of Laxdoela saga (there about Bróka-Auðr

„Pants-‟ Auðr), a libel which fits Hallgerðr‟s negative treatment in Njáls saga well. The variant in Landnámabók and Njáls saga is langbrók „long pants‟, and in Njáls saga the nickname is explained to refer to her tall stature. Cf. the nickname loðbrók „hairy breeches‟.

420. snæþrima „snow thunder; snow crashing, din‟: Bǫðvarr snæþrima Þorleifsson. The first part may refer to light hair color and the second part is a side form of þruma „clangour, crashing.  See the nicknames glumra „rattler‟ and þrymr „loud noise, crashing; quiet, silent‟.

421. Spak- „Wise-‟: Spak-Bǫðvarr Ǫndóttsson. It is the hyphenated form of the adj. spakr „wise‟, which is connected to prophetic abilities. Usually such adjectival nicknames are found in apposition to the name (for example, Þorgeirr rauðr „the red‟).

422. en spaka „the wise‟: Þuríðr en spaka Snorradóttir. Cf. the nicknames Spak-, above, and enn spaki, below.

423. enn spaki „the wise‟: Bjarni enn spaki Þorsteinsson. (cf. the two previous nicknames).

424. spǫrr „sparrow‟: Þórólfr spǫrr. The reference of the nickname is lost to us, but perhaps it is a physical description of the man as small and rotund or a reference to his voice. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

425. Stafn- „Prow-‟: Grímr ~ Stafngrímr Hranason. He was probably a stafnbúi „forecastle guard on a ship‟. The noun stafn refers to the stem of either the front or the back of a ship (fram-stafn „prow‟ and aptr-stafn „stern‟), although in compounds like stafnbúi and stafnsveit „forecastle men‟, it is clearer that stafn more likely refers to the front of a vessel. The nickname refers to the maritime activities of the man, although it is not certain that it is related to martial activity at sea or escapades as a sailor (a merchant or otherwise).

426. stafr „staff, stick‟: Oddleifr stafr Flókason.  As a nickname it is likely to refer to the walking stick as a comparison to his physical stature (skinny or lanky, like a post). See the nickname kraki „thin pole‟.

427. enn sterki „the strong‟: Bjǫrn enn sterki Kjallaksson.

428. stikublígr „stick who gazes, gazing lanky person‟: Þormóðr stikublígr Steinbjarnarson. The first part is probably used to describe the man‟s stature, and would imply that he is tall and thin (lanky). The second part is a substantivized form of the verb blígja „to stare, gaze‟, meaning „one who stares, gazes‟; cf. the nickname blígr „gazer‟. See the nickname kraki „thin pole‟.

429. stjarna „star‟: Hildr stjarna Þorvaldsdóttir (86). Most likely, it is used to describe her beauty or “radiant” appearance. Cf. the nickname hólmasól „sun of the islands‟, which is also used to describe a female.

430. stórhǫggvi „(the) heavy blow dealer, great slasher‟: Steinbjǫrn enn sterki ok enn stórhǫggvi Ásgeirsson.

431. stoti „the stutterer; the stumbler‟: Auðun stoti Válason. The origin of the nickname is unknown and whether it refers to one who stumbles in speech or in step is uncertain.

432. enn strangi „the strong‟: Þorfinnr enn strangi.

433. strúgr „anger, scorn, animosity‟: Þorbjǫrn strúgr Ævarsson. It seems to be a noun, not an adjective, and it is probably related most closely to Old Swed. strugher „hatred, animosity, ill-will, grudge‟.

434. stǫng „pole‟: Þorbjǫrg stǫng í Stangarholti. See the nickname kraki „thin pole‟.

435. suða „the boiler‟: Þorgeirr suða. The modern form Icel. suða „boiling‟ is derived from the same root sjóð- ~ soð „boiling, seething‟, but it is unclear whether the modern word goes back to the nickname or the same common noun from which the nickname was derived.

436. sundafyllir „inlet filler‟: Þuríðr sundafyllir. The explanation of her nickname is in Landnámabók, where it says that she got the nickname from having filled all the sounds (inlets) with fish using sorcery during a famine.

437. surtr „the black‟: Þorsteinn surtr Hallsteinsson. . The nickname most likely refers to his hair and complexion, just as other color adjectives used as nicknames.

438. súgandi „one who sucks air‟: Hallvarðr súgandi. It is the present participle of the verb súga „to suck‟ and implies that the man was known for blowing out air or breathing it in heavily (perhaps making whistling sounds in his nostrils while breathing through the nose?). See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

439. súrr „sour whey‟: Þorbjǫrn súrr. It may refer to the incident described in Gísla saga, where Þorbjǫrn and Gísli successfully avoid being burned alive in their home in Norway by putting out a fire using cloth dipped in súrr „sour whey, sour drink‟. But  it could just as well come from his home area in Norway Súrnadalr (modern Surnadal in western Norway). Súrna is the name of a local river, the connection to the place name is less likely than a reference to the drink súrr.

440. enn svarti „the black‟: Bárðr enn svarti Atlason. It refers to a dark hair color or dark complexion.

441. svartiþurs „black giant‟: Þráinn svartiþurs. Perhaps the name refers to him having a frightening appearance, black hair, and a black beard . See the nickname hálftrǫll „half troll‟.

442. sviðbálki „scorched beam; firebrand, torch‟: Hallgrímr sviðbálki Bárðarson. Perhaps it refers to accidental or purposeful burning inside a house, or it could also mean „firebrand, torch‟ in light of such an event.

443. sviði „the scorcher; burn, pain from a burn‟: Þorgrímr sviði. It is related to the verb sviða „to scorch, burn‟ and can be understood actively „the scorcher‟ or passively „the scorched‟, but it may be identical with sviði „a burn, smarting‟.

444. sviðinhorni „man with a scorched horn‟: Bjǫrn sviðinhorni í Álptafirði. Maybe the first component could mean „disappointed, ashamed, embarrassed‟ as sviden does in NNorw., and that the second component may be synonymous with hornungr „outcast; bastard son‟ or hyrningr „horned man‟ or a masculine form of hyrna „horned animal‟.

445. Svína- „Pigs-‟: Svína-Bǫðvarr Kaunsson.  It most likely refers to his having owned many pigs. Cf. the nickname Hesta- „Horses-‟.

446. svínhǫfði „pig head‟: Sigurðr svínhǫfði. Cf. the nickname hesthǫfði „horse head‟ and see hǫfði „head; headland‟.

447. svǫrfuðr „troublemaker‟: Þorsteinn svǫrfuðr Rauðsson.

448. Sygnakappi „champion of the people of Sogn‟: Vébjǫrn Sygnakappi Végeirsson. The first part is the genitive of Sygnir „people of Sogn (Norway)‟.

449. sælingr „fortunate person‟: Þórarinn sælingr Þórisson.

450. sørkvir „black spear; dark warrior, dark man; quarrelling warrior‟: Eyvindr sørkvir í Blǫndudal . Its origin remains elusive.

T

451. tálkni „whalebone‟: Þorbjǫrn tálkni Bǫðvarsson. While it is uncertain whether it refers to fish gills (or a metaphorical meaning derived from them), it still seems more likely that the nickname refers to a whalebone, perhaps an event involving one (as a weapon?).

452. Tin- „Tin- (metal)‟: Tin-Forni, sonr Æsu í Svíney . It could refer to trading tin goods or a particular event involving a tin object, but the reference is unknown.

453. tinteinn „tin rod, tin spit‟: Þorvaldr tinteinn Eysteinsson.The second part of the compound teinn means „stake, rod, spit‟, and as a compound the meaning is obvious, but the reference of the nickname is unknown.

454. tittlingr „little sparrow‟: Þorsteinn tittlingr. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

455. tjaldstoeðingr „tent pitcher‟: Þorsteinn Ásgrímsson tjaldstoeðingr). The nickname is explained in Landnámabók and his eponymous þáttr as coming from his building tents and trying to help a group of sickly arrivals to Iceland; all of the arrivals died, but Þorsteinn was remembered fondly for taking care of them when no one else would.

456. Torf- „Turf-‟: Torf-Einarr Rǫgnvaldsson. The nickname is explained in Haralds saga ins hárfagra and Orkneyinga saga, and both sagas suggest that it comes from Einarr‟s adopting the custom of burning turf (peat) on the Orkney Islands because of the lack of firewood there.

457. torfi „turf‟: Áskell torfi. Torfi is also found as a first name.

458. trandill „split-stick; small wheel, ring; one who skips and hops along; one who splits things apart‟: Þorkell trandill Þorbjarnarson. If the meaning is „split, separate‟, then it may mean „one who splits things apart‟ (perhaps one who chops wood, or a reference to battle?). The meaning of the nickname remains unclear.

459. trausti „(the) trusty, strong‟: Helgi trausti Óláfsson. Trausti also occurs as a first name.

460. trefill „tatter, rag‟: Þorkell trefill Rauða-Bjarnarson. In Old Norse the word referred to a worn out piece of a cloth, „a tatter or rag‟ (thus, a highly derogatory nickname), but in the modern language it has lost the negative connotations and means „scarf‟.

461. tréfótr „tree foot, wooden leg, peg leg‟: Ǫnundr tréfótr Ófeigsson. Landnámabók explains that Ǫnundr lost his leg in the Battle of Hafrsfjord (Norway) and went on a wooden leg for the rest of his life. Cf. other nicknames referring to a foot such as bundinfóti „man with a bound foot‟, burlufótr „clumsy foot‟, and bægifótr „burden foot, lame foot‟.

462. trumbubein „pipe, tube leg; trumpet leg‟: Þorsteinn trumbubein. t may in some way refer to a crippled leg. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it seems to suggest that there is a peculiar feature the man‟s leg (resembling a pipe or tube in some manner).

463. enn tryggvi „the trusty, faithful‟: Ingjaldr enn tryggvi Kolbjarnarson í Hvíni. Tryggvi also occurs as a first name (cf. Ólafr Tryggvason‟s father, Tryggvi Ólafsson).

464. túnhani „field rooster‟: Eyvindr (tún)hani í Hanatúni. He lived at a farm called Hanatún and the nickname refers to that. Eyvindr is also called hani „rooster‟, and the farm name Hanatún („Hani‟s field‟) comes from the nickname, so túnhani is a sort of double nickname referring to the farm named after the man‟s original nickname.

465. tvennumbrúni „double brows; unibrow‟: Óláfr tvennumbrúni. It might refer to odd-looking eyebrows, either a strange hair style where his head hair was curled above the eyebrows or a unibrow. One other possibility is that a scar may have split one (or both) of his eyebrows, resulting in the appearance of a double eyebrow.

466. tǫskubak „pouch back‟: Ormr tǫskubak Þórisson. The reason for the nickname is unknown, but it may have referred to a habit of wearing such a pouch on his back, an event involving such a pouch, or from a particular piece of clothing with a pouch or pocket sewn on the back. Cf. the other nicknames whose second component is also -bak, flǫskubak „flask back‟ and lǫngubak „ling back‟.

U

467. enn ungi „the young‟: Eilífr enn ungi Eilífsson. It was likely used to distinguish between two people with the same first name (like Engl. junior).

468. ungi  „(the) young‟: Haraldr ungi Hálfdanarson ens svarta.

469. upsi „pollock, cod (fish)‟: Eiríkr upsi Gnúpsson. It is likely that the name refers to an incident involving such a fish or that he was in the habit of fishing for cod. Cf. other nicknames referring to fish hrogn „roe (fish eggs)‟, lǫngubak „ling back‟, and reyðr „rorqual (whale); Arctic char‟.

V

470. vaggagði „cradle from Agder; rocking person from Agder‟: Þórðr vaggagði.

471. vandræðaskáld „poet of troubles, troublesome poet‟: Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld Óttarsson. It is explained in his eponymous saga and in Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar, where King Ólafr Tryggvason baptizes Hallfreðr and gives him the nickname from Hallfreðr‟s reluctance to be his follower. In Oddr Snorrason‟s version of Ólafs saga Tryggvasonar it is Hallfreðr‟s reluctance to be baptized that earns him the nickname.

472. váganef „nose of the bay; nose from Vágar‟: Þórólfr váganef Hroereksson. The first component vágr means „bay, creek‟, and there are several place names with the plural form Vágar. The second component nef „beak, nose‟ is most likely used as a pars pro toto (thus, „man‟). See the nickname dúfunef „dove nose‟.

473. vámúli „snout of calamity, harm snout‟: Þorgils vámúli Grenjaðarson. Múli „snout (of an animal)‟. Múli is probably used as a pars pro toto, in which case the whole nickname would mean „snout (= man) of harm‟. Just as likely is that the nickname refers to a person whose “snout” (that is, his mouth and the words spoken from it) caused something bad to happen, perhaps from spilling too much information to an enemy or from insulting the wrong person; in either case, violence was likely the result. There is an obvious correlation of -múli here to -mouth as in Engl. loudmouth (one who speaks too much, too loudly, and reveals information one should not). See the nickname gráfeldarmúli „snout in a gray cloak‟.

474. vápni „weapon; man with a weapon‟: Eyvindr vápni Þorsteinsson.

475. Vé- „Temple-‟: Vé-Geirr í Sogni. His (heathen) religious devotion in Landnámabók (hann var blótmaðr mikill [he was a great heathen worshipper]) suggests that it is a hyphenated nickname like Skarp-Heðinn in Njáls saga and not a compound first name. ON vé means „temple, holy place‟ (cf. Go. weihs „holy‟), and it is found in Scandinavian place names like Viborg, Visby, Odense (< Óðins-vé) and first names like Végestr, Vébrandr, etc.

476. veðr „wether, ram‟: Ketill veð. As a nickname it may imply a physical likeness to the animal, perhaps in appearance or sound, but it could also refer to the resembling its behavior.

477. Veðrar- „Wether-, Ram-‟: Veðrar-Grímr. It is the genitive singular of the noun veðr „a castrated ram‟ and may refers to having owned many such animals, or perhaps having a favorite one. Cf. the nicknames Hafr- „Billy Goat-‟, Hesta- „Horses-‟, Hross- „Horse-‟, and Svína- „Pigs-‟.

478. veiðikonungr „hunting king‟: Guðrøðr veiðikonungr Hálfdanarson. The first part is from veiðr „hunting, catch (of animals and fish)‟ and the second part is the generic title of the legendary king.

479. viligísl „lust hostage, sex slave; hostage of good-will‟: Þórólfr viligísl. The most innocent meaning it could have is „a hostage of good-will, favor‟ (suggesting that he was a pleasant hostage to have), but it probably implies that the man was „a hostage of desire, hostage of lust‟, which would represent an insult.

480. vingnir „horse penis; one who swings; killer‟: Þorkell vingnir Skíðason.

481. víðfǫrli „widely traveled‟: Þorvaldr víðfǫrli Koðránsson. Þorvaldr received the name as a result of traveling as far away as southern Europe and the Middle East.

482. vífill „beetle‟: Þorsteinn vífill. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it may have referred to an event involving a beetle (squashing it?). It is unlikely but possible that it is used metaphorically to refer to his appearance.

483. Víga-  „Killings-‟: Víga-Barði Guðmundarson. It is the genitive plural of víg „fight, battle; homicide‟, and as a hyphenated nickname it could just as easily refer to fights in general and not specifically killings of an unlawful type.

484. Víkinga- „Vikings‟: Víkinga-Kári Sigurðarson. It to implies that he was with other Vikings on an expedition. It is the genitive plural of víkingr „Viking‟ and denotes the man‟s activities as a trader and raider.

485. víss „(the) wise‟: Ǫnundr víss í Eystradal í Skagafirði. It is the strong form of the adj. víss „certain; wise‟; the second sense of the word must be meant here, although the adj. vitr „wise‟ is more commonly used.

486. enn væni „the handsome‟: Hǫskuldr enn væni Þorgeirsson.

487. vǫðvi „muscle‟: Ásbjǫrn vǫðvi Kjallaksson.  „the man with powerful muscles‟.Another possibility is that the nickname refers to an injury (pulled muscle or tear?).

488. vǫlubrjótr „vǫlva destroyer‟: Óláfr vǫlubrjótr Ásgeirsson. The first component vǫlva means „prophetess, seeress‟, which is not the same as „witch‟. The second component is brjótr „breaker‟, an agentive noun derived from the verb brjóta „to break‟. Cf. the nicknames haugabrjótr „breaker of mounds‟ and hornabrjótr „breaker of horns‟.

Þ

489. þegjandi „(the) silent‟: Þórir jarl þegjandi Rǫgnvaldsson.  See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟.

490. þiðrandi „(male) partridge; the hoarse voiced; peering, gazing one?‟: Þórir þiðrandi. A reliable etymology is lacking and the origin and meaning remain unclear. See the nickname gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟. Þiðrandi is attested as a first name.

491. þistill „thistle‟: Ketill þistill í Þistilfirði. The reference of the nickname is unknown, but it may refer to an event involving the man getting pricked on the plant. A metaphorical interpretation is difficult to imagine, but it could refer to the man appearing in some way like the plant (pointed hair?).

492. þjokkubeinn „thick-legged‟: Þorsteinn þjokkubeinn. See the nickname berbeinn „barelegged, barefoot‟.

493. þjóti „the howling, the whistler‟: Þorbjǫrn þjóti ór Sogni. It is a substantivized form of the verb þjóta „to emit a whistling sound (as the wind, surf, waves); to howl‟.

494. þorskabítr „cod biter‟: Þorsteinn þorskabítr Þórólfsson.  Although the circumstances behind the name are unknown, it is not hard to imagine that it involved an episode involving the man biting into a fish (raw, still living?). Perhaps the nickname is related to fishing, as when a fish bites the line and gets caught on the hook.

495. þrymr „loud noise, crashing; quiet, silent‟: Ketill þrymr Þórisson. The nickname might find its  explanation in Fljótsdæla saga: he was silent and reserved early in the day and was called Þrum-Ketill [„Silent-‟ Ketill]). See the nicknames gjallandi „man with a resounding voice‟ and glumra „rattler‟.

496. þunnkárr „thin curl‟: Auðun þunnkárr. It may refer to a particular curl in the hair or more generally to the hair as a whole (thus, „the thin-haired‟ or „the thin man with curly hair‟). Cf. the nickname gullkárr „golden-haired; gold curl‟.

497. þunnskeggr „thin beard‟: Ófeigr þunnskeggr Kráku-Hreiðarsson. The first component is the adj. þunnr „thin‟, which makes it difficult to know whether the name refers to his beard or his physique. See the nickname bláskeggr „blue beard‟.

498. þurs  „giant‟: Þórir þurs á Þursstǫðum. FJ (299) suggests that the nickname probably refers to him having a frightening, swarthy appearance (black hair and a black beard). See the nickname hálftrǫll „half troll‟.

499. þursasprengir „destroyer of giants‟: Þórir þursasprengir í Øxnadal.

500. þvari „pole, rod, stick‟: Þórðr þvari Þórólfsson. It probably refers to weapon (or a violent act), but the reason behind the nickname is unknown.

501. þyna „ax; thinness; one who makes things thin; withers; abdomen; stretching‟: Þorbjǫrn þyna Hrómundarson. The meaning and origin of the nickname remain unknown.

502. þynning „thin person, scrawny person‟: Þorsteinn þynning Kjallaksson.

503. þǫngull „branch of seaweed, tangle‟: Þorgrímr þǫngull Kjallaksson. In the modern language þöngull and þöngulhöfuð is used to refer to stupid people.

OE

504. oeðikollr „hot-head, impetuous man‟: Ásgeirr oeðikollr Ǫnundarson. The nickname is composed of the nouns oeði „fury, rage‟ and kollr „crown of the head, head‟. The second part may be used as a pars pro toto to mean „the furious man‟. See the nickname hærukollr „gray hair head‟.

Ǫ/Ø

505. ǫlfúss „(the) eager for beer‟: Eiríkr ǫlfúss í Súrnadal.

506. ǫndurr „snow shoe, ski‟: Þorsteinn ǫndurr. The circumstances behind the nickname are obscure, but one can imagine that Þorsteinn may have frequently used his skis to travel or that he had an episode where he used skis to escape danger.

507. ǫngt í brjósti „narrow in the chest (= the asthmatic)‟: Ávaldr ǫngt í brjósti. Nicknames made up of phrases, as opposed to compounds, are rare (cf. Sigurðr ormr í auga „snake in the eye‟).

508. ǫngull „man from Ǫngley (modern Engeløy in Hålogaland, Norway)‟: Loðinn ǫngull.

509. ǫrðigskeggi „harsh beard; man with a harsh beard‟: Eiríkr ǫrðigskeggi.  „Man with a harsh beard‟ („a scratchy beard‟?) or „harsh man‟ (= „a difficult man to deal with‟). See the nickname Fitjumskeggi „beard on Fitjar‟.

510. ǫrn „eagle‟: Eilífr ǫrn Atlason. The circumstances behind the nickname are obscure, but nicknames referring to birds are not uncommon. See the nickname groeningarrjúpa „young ptarmigan‟.

511. ørrabeinn „scar-legged‟: Þorgrímr ørrabeinn Þormóðarson. His nickname is explained briefly in Flóamanna saga: Hafði hann verit víkingr ok víða af því ørróttr (He had been a viking [traveling] far and wide and for this reason he was covered in scars). See the nickname berbeinn „barelegged, barefoot‟.

512. ørrek „arrow driver; one who drives away‟: Þorbrandr ørrek á Þorbrandsstǫðum (otrekur „fear driver?‟). It may mean „bortdrivelse eller bortdriver‟ (driving away or one who drives away) The meaning and origin of the name remain unclear.

513. enn ǫrvi „the generous; the swift‟: Brandr enn ǫrvi Vermundarson; Gautrekr enn ǫrvi; Hafliði enn ǫrvi Hrólfsson.

515. ǫrvǫndr „left handed‟: Þórðr ǫrvǫndr Þorvaldsson. While the etymology is not firm, the literal meaning of the adjective is probably or „arrow‟ and [h]ǫndr „handed‟

516. Øxna- „Oxen-‟: Øxna-Þórir. The nickname is explained only in the Skarðsárbók version of Landnámabók as originating from a generous gift of an island with 70 oxen on it to King Haraldr hárfagri.

517. øxnabroddr „oxen goad‟: Þorsteinn øxnabroddr Oddgeirsson. It is composed of the genitive plural of oxi „ox‟ and broddr „spike‟, which was used primarily for ice shoes (crampons).

 

A Dissertation Submitted To The Faculty Of university Of Minnesota By Paul R. Peterson.  Full PDF: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/172669/Peterson_umn_0130E_15864.pdf