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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1996-07 > 0836513887
From: <>
Subject: Re: Sven Estridssons ancestors
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 20:58:07 GMT
In <>, Jared Olar
<> writes:
>On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, Todd A. Farmerie wrote:
>
>> In a previous article, () says:
>>
>> >Svein, Harald, Tostig and Gyrth. Two two first are probably of
>> >political reasons named after Svein "forkbeard" and Harald "bluetooth"
>> >but what about the other two Tosti is a hopocorism for Thorstein and
>> >Gyrth is probably a short form of Guthfrith, but who were they?
>> >What about Godwins other children? Snorri has in "Heimskringla"
>> >a "Valtjof" ("Valtjuv" in a Swedish tranlation). Names ending
>> >with "-tjof" are most probably Icelandic or maybe Norweigan.
>>
>> In this case, this is Snorri's transcription of the Northumbrian name
>> Waltheof. This son is well known to historians, having been a hostage of
>> William I from as early as the 1050s until his death.
>
>The first "Waltheof" of whom I am aware is ruler of Northumberland, as
>you say, Todd. However, he is from a time after Danish settlememt was
>well underway, so the name could have been a borrowing from Scandinavia.
>Whatever, it was apparently established as a good Anglo-Saxon name by the
>latter half of the 1000's.
>
I think Todd is right, Snorri makes the name more familiar to
icelandic ears. He do a similar thing with "Godwin". Name starting with
"Wald-" are most likely A/S (or German). As Gytha was Ulf's sister
(sorces besides "Heimskringla"?), I had hoped that the names of her
children would give a hint of the names of Gythas parents!
Ul
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