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> Viking girl names Aslaug, Gyritha, Hild, Sigrid, Tyre, Yigdis...
> Viking boy names Alsting, Eysteinn, Gunnar, Holger, Ragnar, Vidar... |
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Who were the Vikings and what were their names? The stereotypical viewpoint of Norsemen or Ostmen as they called themselves otherwise known as Vikings are bearded, barbaric, pagan and reprehensible men from Scandinavia that plundered and destroyed. Ruthless warriors or just another crowd in a tough and ruthless age living peacefully as farmers. But are they just all that?! No, the fascinating Scandinavians were also great explorers, merchants, fishermen and farmers. The Vikings skill as a seafaring nation was central to their culture and achievements. The Viking people could write and read and used a non-standardized alphabet, called runor, which was built upon sound values. Sports were also widely practised and encouraged by the Vikings as were dice and board games which were played at all levels of society. Music was considered as an art form.
What does the word 'Viking' actually mean? The origin of the word is debated. In the old Norse language 'víkingr' means a man from 'vik'. 'Vik' might be a bay or the specific bay called 'Víkin' in the south of Norway. The word 'víkingr' appears in both noun and verb forms on several rune stones found in Scandinavia. Old Norse fara í víking means 'to go on an expedition'. The Word 'víkingr' in a nuon form refers to a seaman or warrior traveling, taking part in an exploration. The verb form of 'víking' refers to travel or participation in one of these overseas expeditions.
What were Vikings called and how did they choose the names for their children? Vikings believed that in some way a child would inherit with the name the gifts or personality of their namesake. Parents would name their children after a deceased relative, hero or after the gods. Viking names related to their Gods: Goð-(God), Ás-(god), Þór ('Thórr'), Frey-(Freyr), Regin- (power, the gods) Viking animal names: Refr (Fox), Orm (Serpent), Bjørn (Bear), Úlfr (Wolf), Hrafb (Raven) or simply everyday nouns in the everyday language of the Vikings: Frida (Peace), Steinn (Rock), Hild (Battle), Ljótr (Ugly), Auðr (Treasure), Drífa (Snowdrift), Geirr (spear)... or word combinations: Gunn Hild = Gunnhild war battle, Vigdís = battle goddess, Þórólfr = Thor wolf or nicknames or bynames: These could, for example, indicate a kinship (son of or daughter of) or the place that a person came from: Keik (bent backwards) in Kexby, Sleng (idler) in Slingsby...
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