Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Beowulf: on names

In the preface to Beowulf (between the introduction and the beginning of the poem), there is a page entitled A Note on Names. Read this page carefully. Then, loosely using the rules of Anglo-Saxon compound names, create your own compound name that accurately describes you. For example, I could be Knowledge-bestower, Grade-inflicter, or Language-informer. Or, if I really wanted to get creative, I could make my name even sound Old English. 

The student with the most authentic and creative Anglo-Saxon name gets a blog pass! 
Post your name on this blog with a brief (1-3 sentence) explanation of why this name describes you.

YOU MAY NOT USE A BLOG PASS ON THIS BLOG.
This blog is due ABSOLUTELY NO LATER THAN 8am Friday, September 28.

15 comments:

  1. My old English name is fiscerelagu. Fiscere means fisherman and lags means lake. This explain me because I love to fish and be out on the lake. A

    ReplyDelete
  2. Merefeorh is my Old English Anglo-Saxon compound name. Mere means ocean and feorh means spirit/life. I chose this name because I love the ocean and all the stuff I'm able to do on it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anlienisse-Darelene. Anlienisse means the image and Darelene means tenderly loved. Therefore: I am the image of the tenderly loved. I am tenderly loved by my English teacher who thinks that my name is the most creative. So she is going to pick me to win. But seriously, I have been blessed to be loved by so many great people who truly know what love from God is like. So i feel like this name suits me, because i have the honor to be the image of the tenderly loved due to the people in my life. By the way, this is also an Anglo-saxon name. It is authentic and original because i put the combination together myself :) Also, they are both the female version of the names. WIN.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ælfwine Swīn would be my Anglo-Saxon name. The name Allan is old Irish Gaelic for "rock". So basically my parents named me after a mineral. Thanks mom and dad! Anyways, "rock" in Anglo-Saxon is Ælfwine. It means handsome (check), precious (yep), and noble (duh), so my parents redeemed themselves. The name Purcell is old Irish Gaelic for "boar". Stop laughing, show some respect! I couldn't come to terms with the fact that my last name meant boar, I mean if my future wife ever finds out, she'd make me take on her last name. So after long, extensive research I found the story on why my ancestors called themselves..... "boar". Story time: "Legend has it that a king lived in [a] Castle, and offered his daughters hand to whomsoever could rid the land of a boar(s) and sow of 'gigantic size' who uprooted crops and killed whoever they came into contact with. A youth named Purcell killed the boar with a bow and arrow and thus the area in which the Castle stands is known as 'the field of the reward'. The legend is alluded to in the Purcell family's coat of arms, which depicts the heads of four boars." (Good ol' Wikipedia) So my ancestor got a castle, a village, and a hot princess out of the deal! You're not laughing about the last name so much now are ya? Moving on, Although Purcell is originally Anglo-Norman by origin, the Anglo-Saxon word for "boar" is Swīn. So hence my Anglo-Saxon name would be Ælfwine Swīn. Technically if my Anglo-Saxon was being addressed in English I could be addressed by all of the following: Precious-Pork, Handsome-Ham, or Sedimentary-Swine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dol-Lipan. These are the Anglo-Saxon words meaning tall and traveler. I of course am tall and it gets pointed out all the time so that's relevant, and I love to travel and have been many places. Plus it just sounds very singsongy and musical to me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Irvina. It means "sea-friend" and is the female version of "Irvin", also meaning "sea-friend". I chose this word because I have grown up around the ocean my entire life, and cannot imagine living in an area far from the sea. I also continually am aware of God's vastness and power whenever I view the ocean, so it is a constant reminder to me of this in my life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wilda-Sunn. "Wilda" means wild and "Sunn" means cheerful. This is my compound name because I can be wild and i like to have fun. Also, I'm almost always cheerful and I enjoy cheering people up. Other than all these deeper reasons, the name "Wilda-Sunn" just sounds cool.

    ReplyDelete
  8. They call me Awierganine! AH! Eh not that scary...Oh and just so you know (whomever is reading this, bored student or Miss. Johnson) the name is pronounced:"Aware-ga-kneen". This ancient.. well "fabricated" name is a collaboration of the two Anglo Saxon words, "Awiergan" and "Ine". The first part of the name translates into the word cursed. I choose this word for this distinct rationale: I'm a thinker; I've always been one. Simple Enough? This is a curse because it is easier to be happily ignorant and a follower then to think and reason with the complexities of the abysmal and necromantic paradoxes we call God and the Universe. If you didn't understand that last sentence don't worry neither did I, nor will I ever. Get it? Interesting thought really, I think! Now. The name "Ine" belonged to a king. Go figure. The word translates to not merely mean leader but an initiator or, moreover, someone who creates. The word's symbolic usage in this context means a creative and aggressive person, who although lacks in patience makes up for, in personality and strength of character. OK! I'm almost done, this taking forever to write! To most the two words contradict in definition: "cursed" and "leader-blessed" but truly, if you really think about it, you'll get it. And if you do understand what I'm talking about you have the curse too, or you're just really tired like me. Right?

    ReplyDelete
  9. LÆCAMUND is my name. Sorry, the other post is not valid. LÆCA means, "warrior", and mund means, "hand, protection". I choose these because I like to fight, and God has given me protection when fighting.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Breckenile. Brecken meaning broken and ile meaning foot or sole of the foot. This name definitely suites me because I broke my foot exactly one year ago and it still has a small fracture in it. I don't know if it will ever heal.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So... I tried SUPER hard to find an Anglo-Saxon name meaning long hair and I couldn't. I'm pretty disappointed about it. But I have chosen... Frithuswith-Ann-Blythe. So beautiful... I know. It just rolls right off the tongue. It kinda sounds like you have a lisp when you try to pronounce it but that's okay. ;) Frithuswith means "peace and strength". Ann (is a boy name apparently but I don't care it still works) means "graceful" which I think I am... Except for that one time in "Call Me Maybe". And finally, Blithe, which basically means "happy". I'm in a happy mood most of the time so I feel like this fits me pretty well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Panacholme is my name. Panache is the Anglo-saxon word for Austin, meaning "great, magnificent." Also, Holm was the word that later evolved to Holmes. It means "Little Person on the Island in the River" Well.... I am pretty magnificent. That's what my mom tells me at least hahahaha. Also, I am a very small person..

    Also my first name (which some people may not know)is Robert, which is the form of "Hrodebert" It means "Bright, Fame"
    When JTS Football 2014 comes out, I will have achieved this as well :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. My old English name is giefanhleahtor. Giefan means giver and hleahtor means of laughter. I love to make people laugh and I love to laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have chosen the name Gamen Náem. This means joy receiving. I have chosen this name because I chacterize myself as receiving joy from God every day. I am so joyful and grateful for everything that God has given me and done for me and I have received much joy because of this.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My name is "ÆÐELFRIÐ", which means "noble peace". This is significant because my peace doesnt come from worldly and vein pursuites of pleasure. I have a noble Peace that comes from the King of Kings.

    ReplyDelete