It’s awesome to hear the names people could have had in the past, Dr. Shell. This is a wonderful series! I really like Alfrîk. Elf-ruler? Hell yeah. Extremely powerful Dr. Shell is, extremely powerful.
Thank you for this series. I hope it will improve the situation of sometimes cringy and almost always Scandiphile (North Germanic bias due to the popular Viking theme in entertainment as well as the Eddas and such) names adopted by people with mostly continental or insular North Sea Germanic (Anglo-Saxon, Frisian, Saxon; Jutlandic) or even Wezer-Rhine or Elbe Germanic ancestry. I appreciate that you included both the attested and Heliand forms! I also think it's good that you show people how to use the Elder Futhark (largely phonetic). Thank you again so much for the work you do with this channel.
Awesome video and channel. I've only just found you via a fb group. I fell for the old saxon language roughly 20 years ago when I heard the wanderer in old saxon. I transliterated a line into anglo Frisian runes and tattooed it on my chest. Not sure how much a line from a Christian era poem belongs with the runes i chose but I think its pretty close and reasonable? It turns out to be an oft repeated line in Bernard Cornwells book series so I chose well if it has impacted an author as much as it did me.
Hi Dr. Scott. Thank you so much for this video. I'm currently writing a fantasy book series and really appreciate reliable content on the internet. I also have adhd so videos is the best way for me to get research info. I'm trying my very best to incorporate Old Icelandic and Anglo/Saxon dialects into my book series and draw upon myths and cultures of the Germanic peoples. Mainly because most of my ancestors are of British, Scottish and Germanic descent and I enjoy incorporating my heritage into my art.
Great question as usual. There's a lot of understanding of phonetics and phonology involved. Basically, what I am "normalizing" is what true OS was in the Heliand. That being said, if one is a trained linguist, it's easy to point out what is Old Frisian influence vs. what is Old High German influence, etc. If, for instance, the word for 'book' is spelled as bôk, this is a true OS spelling. If, however, it is spelled buok, then this is OHG influence. So, one could then standardize it to the true OS form: bôk. We know that the "uo" is an OHG feature because PGmc root "ō" consistently shifts to "uo" in Old High German. However, it remained "ô" in Old Saxon. Another example is frôdo vs. fruodo. The first is a true OS form, and the second is OHG influence. Conversely, if you see something like hîr ('here') instead of expected hêr ('here'), the raising of ē > ī is an Old Frisian feature. So, if I came across hîr, I could "normalize" it to OS hêr if I wanted to reconstruct it. There are a ton of other features I look at, as well, to identify dialectal interference. So, identifying these features requires an understanding of Old Frisian phonetics, Old Saxon phonetics, Old High German phonetics and Old English phonetics. There is a lot of "behind the scenes" research I have to do for many of the videos. I'm sure not every viewer wants to know my exact process which is why I don't discuss it much. Anyway, I sincerely hope this gives you a better idea of what I mean when I say that I have normalized these odd spellings to true OS (per Heliand true OS)
Since your channel is called "continental Germanic heathenry", would you consider also talking about Old Frisian and Old Low Franconian? I would also be very interested to see an (attempted) reconstruction of Proto-Ingvaeonic, the hypothetical common ancestor of Old English, Old Frisian and Old Saxon (which would have been spoken in Jutland prior to the migrations southward along the North Sea Germanic coastline into present-day northwest Germany, the Netherlands and over to Britain).
Everything in this series will be published in my upcoming book, "Honoring the Saxons: Bringing the Past to the Present." The book will contain everything in these videos and more. I even explain how one can create their own name through compounding, etc. My videos for this series are very abbreviated.
Why, Scott? I really DO like your videos. I guess renaming yourself means embracing something new? But doesn't it also mean rejecting your birth family? And why haven't you changed your name? And does my name suck?😆
@@Karina-Loves-Andreas Within the Heathen community, there is a tendency to adopt a name. Many of these people pick up Scandinavian names; I am just offering those people a chance to adopt a Saxon name rather than a Scandinavian one. Why they choose to do it is going to differ from person to person.
Having been learning Old English and Anglo-Saxon history, it's not too surprising that Old Saxon names were similar to Anglo-Saxon names, heavily leveraging Alf or Ās (Old English Ōs). Ælfræd, Ælfgifu, Ælfwynn, Oswald, Osmund.
My surname derives from an Anglo-Saxon personal name and translates to Wulfnoth meaning wolf bold or brave. It's classed as pre-7th old English/Germanic and is predominantly found in the East Anglia region of the UK. 🏴🇬🇧
Thank you for your video's. We Sorely need info on the continental saxons. I noticed your lapel pin. Where is it from. I'd love to pick one up. Thanks again
Do you know anything about my name, “Emery”? From what I’ve learned it’s a variation of Emmeric, earliest recorded in the domesday book of 1066. Perhaps derived from a Saxon Chieftain “Almericus”. I don’t know how accurate any of that is because there is few sources. But it seems like it would be down your alley of expertise.
This is true in some cases, but not all. Just one example is Sigurðr from Völsunga Saga; his father's name is Sigmund. It is also common to be given bynames, as well, though like in, e.g., Ragnar Loðbrók ('shaggy pants').
Grammar question: for the name Alfrik, is the meaning more like "elvish ruler" or "ruler of elves"? It may not make a difference but if this is a name given to a human, "ruler of elves" may take on a certain meaning if person being named is human and not an elf. But "elvish ruler" might imply that there is something elvish about the human. Just curious how this is understood in the context of the grammar of the language.
I always take academic history videos like this with a grain of salt given the ease to make a TH-cam video, but when i see a dude in a suit in the woods, i believe every word he says 😂
Hmmm makes me reconsider our choice "Erik Baldur" as it is the Scandinavian version of Erich (grandfather) and Balder (addition) which doesn't sound as nice i.m.o, but I think I like Alfrik and Arnulf so far and let's see what else, I really like this series and the yt algorithm presented it to me just at the right time now that I'm expecting and still not 100% sure about the name...
I've enjoyed many of Scott Shell's videos, but I'm scratching my head about this one. Why change your name? If I start studying Native American culture & religion, I'm not changing my name to Little Bear Hill Stream or whatever🤣. Or if I hit my head on a rock real hard and decide in my befuddled state to go to a Catholic Church, I'm not renaming myself Mary Nazareth or whatever.
Why would someone adopt a different name? I think that's weird. Unless your family traumatized you? Or you're in a witness protection program, and also happen to be Norse or Germanic Pagan???
Hey, Karina. Within the Heathen community, there is a tendency to adopt a name. Many of these people pick up Scandinavian names; I am just offering those people a chance to adopt a Saxon name rather than a Scandinavian one. Why they choose to do it is going to differ from person to person.
It’s awesome to hear the names people could have had in the past, Dr. Shell. This is a wonderful series! I really like Alfrîk. Elf-ruler? Hell yeah. Extremely powerful Dr. Shell is, extremely powerful.
Thank you for this series. I hope it will improve the situation of sometimes cringy and almost always Scandiphile (North Germanic bias due to the popular Viking theme in entertainment as well as the Eddas and such) names adopted by people with mostly continental or insular North Sea Germanic (Anglo-Saxon, Frisian, Saxon; Jutlandic) or even Wezer-Rhine or Elbe Germanic ancestry. I appreciate that you included both the attested and Heliand forms! I also think it's good that you show people how to use the Elder Futhark (largely phonetic). Thank you again so much for the work you do with this channel.
Really love this series! Thanks for your work :)
Was just thinking of how it would be nice it would be to have a list of OS names just two nights ago; Thānk thî Scott!
Those are really strong names. Thank you.
Ohh i like to see all these old names. I didn't know that many were recorded.
Lots more to come!
Awesome video and channel. I've only just found you via a fb group.
I fell for the old saxon language roughly 20 years ago when I heard the wanderer in old saxon. I transliterated a line into anglo Frisian runes and tattooed it on my chest. Not sure how much a line from a Christian era poem belongs with the runes i chose but I think its pretty close and reasonable? It turns out to be an oft repeated line in Bernard Cornwells book series so I chose well if it has impacted an author as much as it did me.
Wonderful video! Much appreciated
Hi Dr. Scott. Thank you so much for this video. I'm currently writing a fantasy book series and really appreciate reliable content on the internet. I also have adhd so videos is the best way for me to get research info. I'm trying my very best to incorporate Old Icelandic and Anglo/Saxon dialects into my book series and draw upon myths and cultures of the Germanic peoples. Mainly because most of my ancestors are of British, Scottish and Germanic descent and I enjoy incorporating my heritage into my art.
Can definitely see Alfrik being the inspiration for Ulfrik Stormcloak in the Skyrim series XD
That's great! I'm glad to hear!!
This is cool af. Also good for parents looking for traditional baby names
Finally, someone who really gets it 😉
I'd be interested in hearing about how you go about "normalizing" the names to the dialect in which the Heliand is written.
Great question as usual. There's a lot of understanding of phonetics and phonology involved. Basically, what I am "normalizing" is what true OS was in the Heliand. That being said, if one is a trained linguist, it's easy to point out what is Old Frisian influence vs. what is Old High German influence, etc. If, for instance, the word for 'book' is spelled as bôk, this is a true OS spelling. If, however, it is spelled buok, then this is OHG influence. So, one could then standardize it to the true OS form: bôk. We know that the "uo" is an OHG feature because PGmc root "ō" consistently shifts to "uo" in Old High German. However, it remained "ô" in Old Saxon. Another example is frôdo vs. fruodo. The first is a true OS form, and the second is OHG influence. Conversely, if you see something like hîr ('here') instead of expected hêr ('here'), the raising of ē > ī is an Old Frisian feature. So, if I came across hîr, I could "normalize" it to OS hêr if I wanted to reconstruct it. There are a ton of other features I look at, as well, to identify dialectal interference.
So, identifying these features requires an understanding of Old Frisian phonetics, Old Saxon phonetics, Old High German phonetics and Old English phonetics.
There is a lot of "behind the scenes" research I have to do for many of the videos. I'm sure not every viewer wants to know my exact process which is why I don't discuss it much.
Anyway, I sincerely hope this gives you a better idea of what I mean when I say that I have normalized these odd spellings to true OS (per Heliand true OS)
@@scottt.shellcontinentalger2464 yes, thank you; that all makes sense.
Since your channel is called "continental Germanic heathenry", would you consider also talking about Old Frisian and Old Low Franconian? I would also be very interested to see an (attempted) reconstruction of Proto-Ingvaeonic, the hypothetical common ancestor of Old English, Old Frisian and Old Saxon (which would have been spoken in Jutland prior to the migrations southward along the North Sea Germanic coastline into present-day northwest Germany, the Netherlands and over to Britain).
Eventually, yes!
When you finished this series, could you share the full list in a document?
Everything in this series will be published in my upcoming book, "Honoring the Saxons: Bringing the Past to the Present." The book will contain everything in these videos and more. I even explain how one can create their own name through compounding, etc. My videos for this series are very abbreviated.
Why, Scott? I really DO like your videos. I guess renaming yourself means embracing something new? But doesn't it also mean rejecting your birth family? And why haven't you changed your name? And does my name suck?😆
@@Karina-Loves-Andreas Within the Heathen community, there is a tendency to adopt a name. Many of these people pick up Scandinavian names; I am just offering those people a chance to adopt a Saxon name rather than a Scandinavian one. Why they choose to do it is going to differ from person to person.
And no, your name is perfect! :)
Having been learning Old English and Anglo-Saxon history, it's not too surprising that Old Saxon names were similar to Anglo-Saxon names, heavily leveraging Alf or Ās (Old English Ōs). Ælfræd, Ælfgifu, Ælfwynn, Oswald, Osmund.
My surname derives from an Anglo-Saxon personal name and translates to Wulfnoth meaning wolf bold or brave. It's classed as pre-7th old English/Germanic and is predominantly found in the East Anglia region of the UK. 🏴🇬🇧
Love this! Anywhere you would recommend for someone to look for historical Anglo-Saxon/Old English names?
I haven't looked into that too much yet.
@@scottt.shellcontinentalger2464 that's ok, thanks for the reply! 😁
Skimming through the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle might be a good place to start.
@@karencarlson1693 I already ordered it, along with about a dozen other books. 😁
Thank you for your video's. We Sorely need info on the continental saxons. I noticed your lapel pin. Where is it from. I'd love to pick one up. Thanks again
Glad you like the content! The pin was specially made for me by a friend. I doubt you'll find another floating around ;)
Your lucky to have such friends. Lol, I'll take that as a friendly challenge and have to find something similar. Keep the content coming.
Wonderful
Do you know anything about my name, “Emery”? From what I’ve learned it’s a variation of Emmeric, earliest recorded in the domesday book of 1066. Perhaps derived from a Saxon Chieftain “Almericus”. I don’t know how accurate any of that is because there is few sources. But it seems like it would be down your alley of expertise.
Isn't it more traditional to be named by your parents after an ancestor of yours?
This is true in some cases, but not all. Just one example is Sigurðr from Völsunga Saga; his father's name is Sigmund. It is also common to be given bynames, as well, though like in, e.g., Ragnar Loðbrók ('shaggy pants').
Grammar question: for the name Alfrik, is the meaning more like "elvish ruler" or "ruler of elves"? It may not make a difference but if this is a name given to a human, "ruler of elves" may take on a certain meaning if person being named is human and not an elf. But "elvish ruler" might imply that there is something elvish about the human. Just curious how this is understood in the context of the grammar of the language.
Elf-Ruler. I don't believe it's acting as an adjective, though some might argue (like Peter Ilkow) that it's a noun describing another noun.
Coms from Adal- Noble,Aristocrat.
I always take academic history videos like this with a grain of salt given the ease to make a TH-cam video, but when i see a dude in a suit in the woods, i believe every word he says 😂
lmao I love this comment
Are the names from this series only saxon? Or anglo, jutish, Frisian ?
Only Old Saxon
@@scottt.shellcontinentalger2464 😭
Hmmm makes me reconsider our choice "Erik Baldur" as it is the Scandinavian version of Erich (grandfather) and Balder (addition) which doesn't sound as nice i.m.o, but I think I like Alfrik and Arnulf so far and let's see what else, I really like this series and the yt algorithm presented it to me just at the right time now that I'm expecting and still not 100% sure about the name...
Danka
Âsgêr->Oscar
I've enjoyed many of Scott Shell's videos, but I'm scratching my head about this one. Why change your name? If I start studying Native American culture & religion, I'm not changing my name to Little Bear Hill Stream or whatever🤣. Or if I hit my head on a rock real hard and decide in my befuddled state to go to a Catholic Church, I'm not renaming myself Mary Nazareth or whatever.
No? Don’t the Catholics take on a Christian name upon baptism?
Actually quit a lot stil exist in Dutch like Alfred wich probably comes from Alfrik. And Arnold wich probably comes from arngôt
Why would someone adopt a different name? I think that's weird. Unless your family traumatized you? Or you're in a witness protection program, and also happen to be Norse or Germanic Pagan???
Hey, Karina. Within the Heathen community, there is a tendency to adopt a name. Many of these people pick up Scandinavian names; I am just offering those people a chance to adopt a Saxon name rather than a Scandinavian one. Why they choose to do it is going to differ from person to person.