Names And Their Meanings

Norse Male

BERGÞÓRR: Old Norse composed of the elements bjarga "to rescue" and Þórr "Thor," hence "rescue-Thor."

BJARTR: Old Norse name derived from the word bjartr, meaning "bright."

BJORG: Old Norse name derived from the word bjorg, "to help, save," hence "rescuer, saver."

BJORN: Old Norse name derived from the word bjorn, meaning "bear."

BRANDR: Old Norse name derived from the word brand "blade, sword," a derivative of brinnan meaning "to flash."

BRÖKK: Old Norse myth name of a dwarf who, along with his brother Eitri, made magical objects for the gods, including the hammer of Thor, probably derived from the Nordic element bróka, meaning "breeches."

DAGFINNR: Old Norse name composed of the elements dagr "day" and Finnr "a Finn, a wanderer," hence "day-Finn" or "day-wanderer."

DAGR: Old Norse name derived from the word dagr, meaning "day."

DAVIÐ: Old Norse form of Hebrew David, meaning "beloved."

EGIL: Diminutive form of Old Norse Agni "edge (of a sword)," meaning "little edge."

EILEIFR: Old Norse name composed of the elements Ei- from *aiwa "always, ever" and leifr"descendant, heir," hence "ever-heir."

EINARR: Old Norse name composed of the elements Ein- from *aina "alone, one" and -arr from harjaR"army, warrior," hence "lone warrior."

EIRÍKR: Old Norse name composed of the elements ei "ever" and ríkr "ruler," hence "ever-ruler."

EITRI: Norse myth name of a dwarf who, along with his brother Brökk, made magical objects for the gods, including the hammer of Thor.

ERLINGR: Old Norse legend name of the mortal son of the god Ríg, meaning "earl, nobleman."

EYSTEINN: Old Norse name composed of the elements ey "island" and steinn "stone," hence "island stone."

EYVINDR: Old Norse name composed of the elements ey "island" and vindr "wind," hence "island wind."

FÁFNIR: Old Norse myth name of a dwarf who transformed into a dragon, the symbol of greed. Also called Fraener.

FENRIR: Usually said to be an Anglicized form of Old Norse Fenrisúlfr, but according to Sophus Bugge, author of The Home of The Eddic Poems, this name, as well as Fenris, probably originated with Norsemen under the influence of Christianity, and was a word for "hell" and only later took on the meaning "swamp."

FENRIS: Usually said to be an Anglicized form of Old Norse Fenrisúlfr, but according to Sophus Bugge, author of The Home of The Eddic Poems, this name, as well as Fenrir, probably originated with Norsemen under the influence of Christianity, and was a word for "hell" and only later took on the meaning "swamp."

FENRISÚLFR: In mythology, this is the name of a wolf, the son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða, popularly translated "swamp wolf," but probably originally meaning "wolf of hell." According to Sophus Bugge, author of The Home of The Eddic Poems, this name cannot possibly mean "swamp wolf," for there does not exist in Old Norse any derivative endings as -rir, or -ris. He believes Fenrir and Fenrisarose under the influence of Christian conceptions of the devil as lupus infernus, combined with tales of the Behemoth and the beast of the Apocalypse, and was altered in form in accordance with popular Old Norse etymology. He compares Old Norse fern from Latin infernus to Old Saxon fern which was derived from Latin infernum, and explains that Fenrir and Fenris must have been formed from *Fernirfrom fern using the endings -ir and gen. -is, both of which were very much used in mythical names, including names of giants. He goes on to explain that the later connection with fen ("fen, swamp, mire") was natural, for hell and lower regions, such as the abyss, are often connected by imagination just as they still are today.