Identifying Migrants in Medieval England: The Possibilities and Limitations of Place-name Evidence

2020 ◽  
pp. 90-119
Author(s):  
Jayne Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Old Norse ◽  
Medieval England ◽  
Place Names

This chapter asks what enquiries might reasonably be made of the place-name record in order to further our understanding (1) of movements to England in the medieval millennium, and (2) of the process by which incoming communities negotiated the process of acculturation, retaining or giving up identity traits—including language—which marked these groups as distinctive or coherent. A response to these broad questions is attempted through detailed methodological discussion and a focus on the place-names of Old Norse origin which arose as a result of Scandinavian activities in England, from the late ninth to eleventh centuries.

Note: Old-Norse place names II

Peritia ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 187-187
Author(s):  
Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Keyword(s):  
Old Norse ◽  
Place Names

scholarly journals Valhall and Helgafell: syncretistic traits of the Old Norse religion

1969 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 66-99
Author(s):  
Odd Nordland
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Population ◽  
The Other ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Viking Age ◽  
Place Names ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
The World

The religion of the Viking age, the pre-Christian faith,  presents itself as a syncretism, It is quite peculiarly evident from the tradition surrounding the origin of the gods in Åsgard. The gods behind the palisade of this mythological dwelling place were of two kinds, the result of an exchange of hostages after war between the æsir and the vanir. From the flock of vanir came the two fertility-gods: Njgrbr and Freyr to dwell in Åsgard and be accepted there on equal terms with the other gods around the "allfather", Othin. This quite remarkable information, concerning the syncretism of the eddic religion, is generally interpreted as a historic reminiscence of a contrast between a fertility religion, and a more aristocratic and warlike religion attached to the cult of Othin. The fertility religion then is often conceived of as old traits belonging to the indigenous population of Scandinavia, while the Othin-cult as something which was introduced by the same innovations that brought the Indo-European boat-axe people to our part of the world. We know the result of the process that created the heathen religion which reigned in our countries at the time Christianity was introduced here, but we are highly bewildered when faced with the task of describing the syncretistic process itself, and the religions that were a part of it. This is true despite our abundant material of mythological poetry, legends and 13th century information. This too, despite our extremely favorable situation of being in possession of the exiting amount of theoforic place-names.

scholarly journals Einige Personennamen und Götternamen in schwedischen Ortsnamen

1990 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 441-457
Author(s):  
Sven Benson
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Investigation ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Place Names ◽  
First Millennium

This article aims at shedding light on the religious conditions of Sweden during the first millennium CE, especially the centuries during which Old Norse religious practices were gradually paralleled and replaced by Christian customs, by analyzing names of persons and gods that are included in places names deriving from this era. The statistical investigation shows that the names of the most common Nordic gods – Oden, Tor, Frö and Fröja – are significantly more common as parts of place names than the most common male names of that time: Anders, Karl, Erik, Bengt and Jon.

scholarly journals The Question of Ancient Scandinavian Cultic Buildings: with Particular Reference to Old Norse hof

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
OLOF SUNDQVIST
Keyword(s):  
General Concept ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Written Sources

The article focuses on the question of ancient Scandinavian cultic buildings, with particular reference to the concept Old Norse hof. I survey the semantics of this term in written sources, in poetic traditions, in the Sagas of the Icelanders and in place names. My hypothesis is that the term does not refer to a static phenomenon, but rather its meaning varies across different sources and contexts. It is therefore often difficult to apply it as a general concept, or to connect it with a specific type of archaeological find or structure, as has occasionally been the case in the archaeology of religion.

scholarly journals Old Norse and Old English Language Contact: Scandinavian Legal Terminology in Anglo-Saxon Laws

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viola Miglio
Keyword(s):  
Old English ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
English Language ◽  
Old Norse ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Anglo Saxon

The Scandinavian occupation of wide territories in the British Islands from about 900 CE onwards has left a number of vestiges both in place-names, in the pronunciation and lexicon of northern dialects, especially Scottish, as well as loanwords in standard English, some of which are remarkably common, ugly, to take and window to name but three.

Note: Old-Norse place names I

Peritia ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 52-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Keyword(s):  
Old Norse ◽  
Place Names

scholarly journals Leiðarvísir, an Old Norse itinerarium: a proposal for a new partial translation and some notes about the place-names

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luana Giampiccolo
Keyword(s):  
Old Norse ◽  
Place Names ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Partial Translation

This text, which has undergone a number of modifications, began with an in-depth analysis and a revision of an Old Norse itinerary – unique in the medieval period.

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