Collected Precedents of the S.C.A.: Swedish


Name Precedents: Swedish

See also:

Laurel: Date: (year.month.date) Precedent:
Shauna of Carrick Point 2004.05 Submitted as Erika of Öland, this name has two problems. First, the Saint Gabriel report used to document the given name lists Erika as the standard modern form and dates the spelling Eericka to the mid 16th C. Barring evidence that Erika is a reasonable pre-1600 form, it cannot be registered. We have changed the given name to Eericka to match the documentation.

The byname combines the English preposition of with a Swedish locative. RfS III.1.a states "In the case of place names and other name elements frequently used in English in their original form, an English article or preposition may be used." However, as English does not use umlauts, Öland cannot be a form used in English. Therefore, we have changed the preposition to the Swedish av to make the byname phrase linguistically consistent. [Eericka av Öland, 05/04, A-East]

François la Flamme 2004.03 The submitter allowed minor changes.

Gustav was documented as an undated German given name and as a modern rendering of the given names of two Swedish kings. The name Gustav was recently discussed:

German sources make it clear that Gustav was borrowed from Swedish; the College was unable to find evidence that it was used as a German given name before 1600. The spellings Gustaf and G�staff are found in Swedish (in Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn, vol. 9 s.n. G�tstaf). [Gustaf Zizka, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Trimaris]

Lacking evidence of use of any form of Gustav in German in period, this element must be considered Swedish based on the documentation. While two given names are registerable in German, no similar pattern has been found in Swedish in period. As a result, a name using two given names in Swedish is not registerable.

Though there is evidence of unmarked patronymic bynames in German, no such evidence was provided for Swedish names during commentary for this submission. Lacking evidence for unmarked patronymic bynames in Swedish in period, a name combining two given names in Swedish could not be interpreted as a given name followed by a patronymic byname. Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn (vol. 9, column 568, s.n. Gotstaf) dates Swen G{o/}stafson to 1502. Therefore, this name would be registerable as Sven G{o/}stafson von Bremen. However, the change from the given name Gustav to the patronymic byname G{o/}stafson is a major change, which the submitter does not allow. [Sven Gustav von Bremen, 03/2004, R-Calontir]

François la Flamme 2004.03 The submitter documented the byname Udding from a book and provided scans of pages from that book. Unfortunately, the documentation was essentially unreadable due to poor scanning quality. The LoI asserts that the book is in Swedish, and no translation was provided. We remind the College of Arms that documentation must be translated into English. Either of these issues is sufficient for return.

In addition, the summary of the material presented in the LoI did not support the idea that Udding was a personal byname, but only that it was a variant spelling of the name of the place. Documentation would need to be presented that this is a reasonable byname for it to be registered. [Orm Udding, 03/2004, R-Drachenwald]

François la Flamme 2003.11 As submitted, Beorn was documented as Old English and Boghener as German, a mix that has previously been ruled unregisterable due to a lack of evidence of significant contact between speakers of these languages (for a recent discussion of this issue, see Leofric von der Ertheneburg, October 2003 LoAR, Drachenwald's returns).

However, Beorn is also a Swedish name dated to 1200 in Sveriges medeltida personnamn (s.n. Biorn). That form is registerable with a German byname, as there is a weirdness for the lingual combination of Swedish and German in a name, but none for temporal disparity. [Beorn Boghener, 11/2003, A-Meridies]

François la Flamme 2003.06 Submitted as Gustav Zizka, the submitter requested authenticity for 15th C Hussite (German/Czech). Gustav was documented from Withycombe. As previously stated:

Withycombe's strength lies in English. In most cases, when she is referring to names that are not in English, she is referring to modern forms. As such, any undated references in Withycombe to forms of names in other languages ought to have additional support. [Anton Cwith, 08/01, A-Ansteorra]

German sources make it clear that Gustav was borrowed from Swedish; the College was unable to find evidence that it was used as a German given name before 1600. The spellings Gustaf and G�staff are found in Swedish (in Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn, vol. 9 s.n. G�tstaf). We have changed the given name to a form documented to period in order to register this name.

Zizka is documented as a Czech byname. As there was extensive contact between Sweden and Czechoslovakia, including a large number of Swedes studying at the University of Prague, the combination of Swedish and Czech is registerable, though a weirdness. However, lacking evidence that any form of Gustav was used in German or Czech, we could not make this name authentic for Hussites (German/Czech) as requested by the submitter. [Gustaf Zizka, 06/2003 LoAR, A-Trimaris]

François la Flamme 2003.02 Eric was submitted under the Legal Name Allowance. However, no documentation (such as a photocopy of a driver's license) was provided to support Eric as the submitter's legal given name. Lacking such evidence, Eric is not registerable via the Legal Name Allowance.

Siren found that Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn (vol. 5, column 735, s.n. Erik) shows several examples of Eric as a Swedish masculine given name, including Eric Stook dated to 1460. Therefore, this submission is registerable as a Swedish given name with an English byname. [Eric Haukeseye, 02/2003 LoAR, A-Atenveldt]

François la Flamme 2003.02 Listed on the LoI as Viterhem, the submission form showed this name as Viterheim. We have made this correction. As the documented period examples of a placename with this protheme both have an e as the first vowel, we have changed this name from Viter- to Veter-. [Veterheim, Shire of, 02/2003 LoAR, A-Drachenwald]
François la Flamme 2003.02 Submitted as Osa Hrafnsdóttir, the submitted form of this name had two weirdnesses. Osa was documented as a Swedish given name dated to 1406. Hrafnsdóttir is an Old Norse patronymic byname. Combining Swedish and Old Norse in a name has previously been ruled a weirdness (Bjarki Einarson, April 2002). Since Old Norse dates to the 11th C and earlier, this name had a second weirdness for a temporal disparity of greater than 300 years. We have changed the given name to Asa, the Old Norse form of Osa, in order to register this name. [Asa Hrafnsdóttir, 02/2003 LoAR, A-West]
François la Flamme 2003.01 Submitted as Leofwine av Sumersaeton, the submitter requested authenticity for 1056 Anglo-Saxon England and allowed minor changes. As submitted, this byname combines the modern Swedish av with the Old English Sumersaeton and so violates RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a name element. We have changed the particle from the Swedish av to the Old English of to resolve this problem.

Old English grammar requires that, in personal names having the form [given name] of [placename], the placename be in the dative case. The documented Sumersæton (found in Ekwall, p. 430 s.n. Somerset) is a nominative form. The dative form of this placename is Sumersætum. We have made this correction in order to register this name and to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. [Leofwine of Sumersætum, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Ansteorra]

François la Flamme 2002.09 Listed on the LoI as Oláfr Eiriksson, this name was originally submitted as Olaf Ericson and changed at Kingdom to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. The submitter requested authenticity for an unspecified language/culture, which Kingdom interpreted as Old Norse because all of the documentation for this name came from Geirr Bassi. In an Old Norse name, accents should be used or omitted consistently. Therefore, a fully Old Norse form of this name would be Oláfr Eiríksson.

Argent Snail found that the originally submitted form of this name is authentic for 15th C Swedish:

Another language and culture the original submission, "Olaf Ericson", would fit is Medieval Scandinavia. Probably even anywhere in Scandinavia any time 1100-1500, but there aren't really good sources for all areas.

For example Swedish Medieval Names have under Erik "Olaff Erixsson" 1479, "Olaff Ersson" (from "Erik") 1484 and "Olef Erichzsson"1486. Furthermore, there's under "Anna" "Anna Olafz dotther" 1459 and "Anna Olafsdotter" 1491. The spelling "Ericson" is somewhat rarer, but appears under Erik at least 1464 ("Magnus Ericson") and 1478 ("Per Ericson"). Thus the submitted spelling would be a perfectly fitting 15th century Swedish name.

Since the originally submitted form is authentic for a culture (15th C Swedish) and the submitter did not specify a culture in his request for authenticity, we are registering this name in the originally submitted form. [Olaf Ericson, 09/2002 LoAR, A-Meridies]

François la Flamme 2002.08 Submitted as Axel Haroldsson, the submitter allowed any changes. He specified 8th to 11th C "Scandanavian[sic] Dansk Norge Svenska" in the authenticity section but noted that he did not wish changes to make his name authentic.

As submitted, the byname Haroldsson used the English name Harold in an Old Norse patronymic form. As such, it violated RfS III.1.a, which requires linguistic consistency in a single name element. Heralds attending the decision meeting at Pennsic found the byname Harolds�n dated to 1424 in Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn (vol. 11, column 118, s.n. Harald). This is the closest form found to the submitted byname. We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name. Argent Snail noted that "Lind dates Axel in this spelling to 1366, while Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn dates this spelling of Axel to 1397 and 1398." So, Axel Harolds�n is a fine name for late 14th C or early 15th C Swedish.

Regarding the time period and culture in which the submitter noted an interest, Geirr Bassi (p. 8) lists the given name Áskell, and (p. 11) Haraldr. From this information, an authentic Old Norse name appropriate for the submitter's desired time period would be Áskell Haraldsson. As the submitter noted he did not wish changes to make his name authentic for this time and culture, we have made the minimum changes necessary in order to register this name. [Axel Harolds�n, 08/2002, A-Calontir]

François la Flamme 2002.08 Submitted as Ságadís Duncansdaughter, documentation was provided supporting the construction of Norse feminine given names formed by combining the name of a Norse goddess with the deuterotheme -dis. The LoI provided documentation for Sága as the name of a Norse goddess:

Sága is the name of a Norse Goddess, and was probably used in a period farm name, spelled Saagho- or Saghones. While these are not given names, but rather household names, this shows the use of Sága in a period name. That Sága was a name of a Goddess is confirmed by Kvaran and J�nsson in N�fn Íslendinga where they say that Sága was the name of one of the Ás (Norse Gods).

Documentation was also provided demonstrating the survival of this type of name in Swedish and Danish in the 14th through 17th C. Therefore, Ságadís is plausible as an Old Norse feminine given name that was also used later in Swedish and Danish. Black (p. 412 s.n. Lambie) dates Mariora Lammeis dothyr to 1527, which supports a byname using a form of daughter in Scots. We have changed the byname to follow this example. Mixing Swedish or Danish with Scots in a name is registerable with a weirdness. [Ságadís Duncans dothyr, 08/2002, A-Drachenwald]

François la Flamme 2002.07 Submitted as Sigulf Bjornsson, the Old Norse form of a patronymic byname formed from the given name Bjorn is Bjarnarson. Mention was made in commentary of a precedent ruling Bjornsson to be a valid patronymic formed from Bjorn. The precedent in question is:

In October, 1988 ... Laurel stated "we would dearly like to see some clear period documentation for the genitive form of "Bjorns", but have not thus far been presented with any. [Some] have responded to this challenge ... in providing period examples from Sveriges Medeltida Personnama (col. 318-326, 343-346). This compilation of period personal names from Swedish sources contains dates for each documented form. This tome documents such period genitive forms as "Biornar", "Biorns", and "Byorns", showing the precise sort of alternations of form for which Laurel had asked ("Biorns" is shown as early as 1360). The feminine patronymic form is demonstrated from the fourteenth century as well ("Marghet Bjronsdotter" from 1368, "Cecilia Biornsdoter" from 1377, etc.). (LoAR 26 Feb 89, p. 9)

This information supports Bjornsson as a 14th C Swedish byname, not as an Old Norse byname. While mixing Old English and Old Norse in a name is registerable with a weirdness, mixing Old English and Swedish in a name is not registerable. We have changed the byname to the Old Norse form in order to register this name. [Sigulf Bjarnarson, 07/2002, A-Meridies]

François la Flamme 2002.07 Submitted as Brita Hughs, the LoI noted that she "wishes the name to be Swedish, with the caveat that she primarily wishes it to reflect her marriage to her husband, who carries the SCA name Hugh de Bardenay (recently submitted)." The College found examples of widows whose bynames indicated their husband's given name. This was done by putting the husband's name in the genitive case. It is less clear whether a woman whose husband was still living would have used this form. As we were unable to find a Swedish form of Hugh, we were unable to meet this request.

In English, the byname Hughes is a patronymic that became an inherited surname. No evidence was found that it would have indicated a husband's name. All forms of this byname that the College was able to find in period were spelled Hughes. We have changed the byname to this form in order to register this name.

A name mixing Swedish and English is registerable with a weirdness. [Brita Hughes, 07/2002, A-Atlantia]

François la Flamme 2002.05 This name combines the given name Kristin, which was documented as a Swedish feminine given name dating to 1318, with the Old Norse byname in hárfagra. Mixing Old Norse and Swedish is registerable, though it is a weirdness. [Kristin in hárfagra, 05/2002, A-Æthelmearc]
François la Flamme 2002.04 The submitter requested authenticity for 8th C "Vendel", and allowed no changes. All of the elements of this name were documented as Old Norse. Einarsson, not Einarson, is the correct patronymic form of the Old Norse name Einarr. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to correct the byname to be authentic for Old Norse. As Sveriges medeltida personnamn (vol. 5, s.n. Enar) dates Thorgyl Enarson to 1439 and Einar Suenson to 1435, Einarson is plausible for Swedish in the 1430s. The byname went through some evolution over the years. Examples in this entry show that that a double 's' form, such as Einarsson, would exist before that point, and En- forms, such as Enarson, would exist after that point. Given the linguistic relationship between Old Norse and Swedish, a name mixing these two languages is registerable, though it is a weirdness (similar to mixing Old English and Middle English in a name). Therefore, the submitted name has one weirdness for combining Old Norse and Swedish. As documentation for Bjarki was only found in Old Norse (c. 800-c. 1100), and Einarson is only plausible for the 1430s, this name has a temporal disparity of over 300 years, which is a second weirdness, and so is cause for return. [Bjarki Einarson, 04/2002, R-Calontir]
François la Flamme 2002.04 Listed on the LoI as Karen Ingridsdottir, the name was submitted as Karen Ingriddotir and the byname changed at kingdom to match constructions found in Sveriges Medeltida (vol. IV, column 543).

Karen is the submitter's legal given name.

The byname Ingridsdottir combines Ingrid (documented as Norwegian from E. H. Lind, Norsk-Isl�ndska Dopnamn fr�n Medeltiden, col. 639 s.n. Ingiri�r, which dates Ingridh to 1430 and Ingerid to 1461), and -dottir (documented as Swedish in Sveriges Medeltida Personamen (vol. IV, column 543), which lists Cecelia Ingadottir). By the 15th century, Norweigian and Swedish had diverged and were different, though related, languages. Therefore, the constructed Ingridsdottir violates RfS III.1.a by combining Norwegian and Swedish in a single name phrase. Lindorm Eriksson's article "Swedish Feminine Names from ca. 1300" (http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/lindorm/swedish1300female.html) lists the form Ingrid and includes the names Helena Ormsdotyr uxor Johannis Ingason and Ingeborg filia Tunædotir domina. Sveriges Medeltida Personamen (vol. III, column 636, s.n. Elena) dates Elena Anundadottir to 1312. From these examples, Ingridsdotir and Ingridadotir are plausible Swedish forms of this byname close to the originally submitted Ingriddotir. We have changed the byname to the first of these in order to register the name. [Karen Ingridsdotir, 04/2002, A-Middle]

François la Flamme 2002.04 The submitter requested authenticity for 8th C "Vendel", and allowed no changes. No documentation was provided for Ulf. The LoI documented Ulfr from Geirr Bassi (p. 15).

Einarsson, not Einarson, is the correct patronymic form of the Old Norse name Einarr. As the submitter allows no changes, we were unable to correct this name to Old Norse to match the submitted language. As Sveriges medeltida personnamn (vol. 5, s.n. Enar) dates Thorgyl Enarson to 1439 and Einar Suenson to 1435, Einarson is plausible for Swedish in the 1430s. Danmarks Gamle Personnavne: Fornavne (s.n. Ulf) dates Ulf to assorted dates including the 12th C, the 13th C, 1379, and 1498. Mixing Danish and Swedish in a name is registerable, though a weirdness. As the name elements date to within 300 years of each other, there is not a second weirdness for temporal disparity and this name is registerable. [Ulf Einarson, 04/2002, A-Calontir]

François la Flamme 2002.01 Submitted as Blanka från Disavi, the submitter requested authenticity for Swedish and allowed any changes. No documentation was provided and none was found that från was used in locative bynames in period. We have changed the name to a documented form. [Blanka af Disavi, 01/02, A-Drachenwald]
François la Flamme 2001.12 The name has a weirdness for mixing Swedish and Norse. [Iodis Ebbesdottir, 12/01, A-Drachenwald]
François la Flamme 2001.12 No documentation was presented and none was found that a byname meaning 'bent arrow' is reasonable for period Swedish. If support for the byname construction were to be found, an additional issue is the spelling of the byname. The byname was constructed from the elements sned and pil, and the "d" was dropped because, "In modern Swedish, this d is silent." This statement does not address whether the "d" would have been dropped in period Swedish. [Ale Snepil, 12/01, R-Drachenwald]
François la Flamme 2002.10 Listed on the LoI as Patrick Olesson, this name was submitted as Patrick Oleson. Lacking documentation for the spelling Oleson, the byname was changed at Kingdom to use the spelling Olesson based on the construction of the byname registered to "his mundane sister, Caryl Olesdatter (registered 07/92)." However, no documentation was provided for the relationship between the submitter and Caryl Olesdatter except for the statement in the LoI. Lacking supporting documentation for this relationship, this name is not eligible for the Grandfather Clause. Even had such documentation been provided, the Grandfather Clause would not have been applicable in this case since "[o]nly the actual name element from the originally registered submission is covered by this permission" (RfS II.5). That would mean that Olesdatter is covered by the Grandfather Clause. The submitted Olesson is not.

Sveriges Medeltida Personnamn (p. 49, column one, s.n. Alf) dates Alff Olsson to 1479. We have changed the byname to this spelling in order to register this name. [Patrick Olsson, 10/2002, A-Æthelmearc]

François la Flamme 2001.10 Submitted as Jorid Bielke, the submitter requested an authentic Swedish name. The spelling Jorid was documented as "a Norse (Icelandic) name, runic Swedish 'Jofridh'". No documentation was found that the spelling Jorid was in use in period Swedish. As Bielke was dated to the 16th C, it would not have been combined with the significantly earlier Jofridh. Therefore, we have changed the given name to the documented spelling Iyrid, which Lind's Norsk-isländska dopnamn ock fingerade namn från medeltiden (s.n. Ióríðr) dates to 1356. [Iyrid Bielke, 10/01, A-Drachenwald]
François la Flamme 2001.08 Submitted as Kaaren Håkonsdóttir. ... As the submitted form combined Old Norse and 15th C Swedish, it violated RfS III.1.a by mixing languages. To clear this problem, we have changed the patronymic to the 15th C Swedish form Håkonsdotter as that is closer to the submitted byname than the Old Norse form Hákonardóttir. [Kaaren Håkonsdotter, 08/01, A-West]
Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) 1994.06 [Returning Frostheim, Canton of.] There was some question as to whether "frost-home" is a reasonable period-style placename, even in Swedish. [6/94, p.13]
Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 1st year) 1993.12a [Returning Méadhbh Ysolde fra Skuyö.] Meadhbh (no accent) is a modern spelling of an ancient Irish name; Ysolde is an Anglo-French spelling of the Old French Iseaut, and the locative is modern Norwegian. Taken as a whole, the combination is too unlikely linguistically to be permissible. Additionally, there is some question about the locative being formed correctly. Unless the Swedish name of the island of Skye is Skuy, the submitted form is unlikely. [12a/93, p.20]
Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme 1993.10 Swedish-Italian interaction is documented in the Saga of Harald the Ruthless, the story of a Viking's expedition to Sicily: "Actually, King Harald the Ruthless didn't do so well in southern Italy because he met up with compatriots, tribal brothers. Normans from Normandy had moved down there ...even threatening Byzantine properties." ( The Norsemen by Count Eric Oxenstierna, p. 279). Swedes, of course, formed the original Verangian guard in Byzantium, and from there they sailed the Mediterranean. The Italian historian Liudprand (ca. 922-972) wrote in Byzantium, "There is a race living in the north whom the Greeks, because of a peculiarity [he is referring to their red-blond coloring] call Rusii, whereas we call them Normans, according to the location of their homeland. " (quotes in original text, ibid., p. 107). An Italian-Scandinavian name would therefore be acceptable. (Sylvia Stjarnstirrare, October, 1993, pg. 10)
Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd year, 1st tenure) 1991.11 "Lynnea is a post-period Swedish name from the surname Linnæus." [The name was returned for this reason] (LoAR 11/91 p.18).
Da'ud ibn Auda (1st year of 1st tenure) 1990.12 [Fran] "The submitter wished the correct Swedish for 'of', and so we have given him what appears to be the most likely form." (LoAR 12/90 p.7).