Of all the various cultures of the Middle Ages, it was probably the Norse who had the best nicknames. Ranging from the Eirik the Red to Ivar the Boneless, the Viking Age has hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames.
Why were nicknames so common during the Viking Age? Paul Peterson, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, has been researching Norse nicknames. He explains that “Norse people, like other medieval societies (with exceptions among some of the ruling Carolingians who used Roman-like titles), had no surnames, only patronyms like x’s son, x’s daughter. Thus, the stock of personal names was limited, and a nickname was a kind of unique identifier for individuals.”
There seemed no limit the Norse imagination when giving people nicknames – many would be based on physical appearance, including those that were sexually explicit (Kolbeinn Butter Penis) or as Peterson describes “potty humor nicknames” (Eystein Foul-Fart). These names may or may not have been accurate. For example, Thord the Low got his nickname despite being described in a saga as “the tallest of men, and furthermore he was sturdy and powerful in strength.”
Peterson has found that most nicknames were negative or insulting, although it is difficult to know if they were given out while the person was still alive. Njáll Þorgeirsson earned his nickname – Burnt Njal – posthumously, after he and his family were killed when their enemies burned down their house.
One of the best sources for nicknames from the Viking Age is the Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements), which detailed the settlement of Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. It features descriptions of many of the Icelanders who lived during this period, including hundreds that had nicknames for men and women. Here are a few of the most interesting ones:
Of all the various cultures of the Middle Ages, it was probably the Norse who had the best nicknames. Ranging from the Eirik the Red to Ivar the Boneless, the Viking Age has hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames.
Why were nicknames so common during the Viking Age? Paul Peterson, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, has been researching Norse nicknames. He explains that “Norse people, like other medieval societies (with exceptions among some of the ruling Carolingians who used Roman-like titles), had no surnames, only patronyms like x’s son, x’s daughter. Thus, the stock of personal names was limited, and a nickname was a kind of unique identifier for individuals.”
There seemed no limit the Norse imagination when giving people nicknames – many would be based on physical appearance, including those that were sexually explicit (Kolbeinn Butter Penis) or as Peterson describes “potty humor nicknames” (Eystein Foul-Fart). These names may or may not have been accurate. For example, Thord the Low got his nickname despite being described in a saga as “the tallest of men, and furthermore he was sturdy and powerful in strength.”
Peterson has found that most nicknames were negative or insulting, although it is difficult to know if they were given out while the person was still alive. Njáll Þorgeirsson earned his nickname – Burnt Njal – posthumously, after he and his family were killed when their enemies burned down their house.
One of the best sources for nicknames from the Viking Age is the Landnámabók (The Book of Settlements), which detailed the settlement of Iceland during the 9th and 10th centuries. It features descriptions of many of the Icelanders who lived during this period, including hundreds that had nicknames for men and women. Here are a few of the most interesting ones:
Male Norse Nicknames
Female Norse Nicknames
To learn more please read Paul Peterson’s MA thesis on Old Norse Nicknames
Click here to visit Paul Peterson’s Academia.edu page
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