DOCSLIB.ORG

Trójumanna Saga a Case of Translatio and Translation of the Latin Culture in Iceland

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trójumanna Saga a Case of Translatio and Translation of the Latin Culture in Iceland Ritgerð til M.A.-prófs í Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Trójumanna saga A case of translatio and translation of the Latin culture in Iceland Beatrice Bedogni Leiðbeinandi: Jan Alexander Van Nahl September 2019 Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Trójumanna saga A case of translatio and translation of the Latin culture in Iceland Ritgerð til M.A.-prófs í Viking and Medieval Norse Studies Beatrice Bedogni Kt.: 030994-3109 Leiðbeinandi: Jan Alexander Van Nahl September 2019 Útdráttur Í þessari verður Trójumanna saga greind með tilliti til menningarlegrar aðlögunar milli latneskar menningar og íslenskra bókmennta. Þessi saga var valin vegna þess að hún byggir á eldri verkum, þ.e. Daretis Phrygii De Exicidio Troiae Historia. Íslenski textinn er borinn saman við latneskar heimildir, sem eru textar Dares Phrygius, Virgil, Ovid og Ilias Latina. Skoðað verður hvernig latnesk menning hefur áhrif á þá íslensku og reynt að sýna fram á hvernig þessir tveir ólíku heimar mætast og mynda nýja menningu, sem er mögulegt að sjá í þýðingarferlinu og í þessum textum, sem setja fram Tróju stefið. Einblínt verður á þýdda textann, hlutverk hans, aðlögun og breytingar frá þeim upprunalega. Einnig mun saga Tróju stefsins og hugmyndin um translatio imperii et studii gegna lykilhlutverkum í greiningunni, því þær eru nátengdar og koma fyrir í mörgum miðalda menningarheimum, ekki einungis á Íslandi. Að auki verður ferli menningarlegrar aðlögunar og Kristnitöku skoðað í smáatriðum, þar sem kirkjan bar latneska menningu til landsins. 1 Abstract This work provides a precise analysis of the Trójumanna saga, which is explored concerning acculturation's phenomenon between the Latin culture and the Icelandic literature. This saga has been chosen because it derives from previous sources, that is the Daretis Phrygii De Excidio Troiae Historia. The Icelandic text is compared with the Latin sources, which are the texts of Dares Phrygius, Virgil, Ovid and the Ilias Latina. The essay analyses the influence of the Latin world on the Icelandic culture and it will try to demonstrate how these two different universes collaborate and create a new culture, and this is possible to notice in the process of translation and in these texts, which present the trojan theme. The discussion will focus on the phenomenon of the texts' translation: its role, the changes and the elaborations of the translated texts. Furthermore, the story of the trojan theme during the century and the theme of the idea of translatio imperii et studii hold an essential role in this discussion, because they are strictly linked and they are found in many other medieval cultures, not only in Iceland. Also, the process of acculturation and the Christianization of Iceland will be analysed in detail, because the Church was the vehicle which had transmitted the Latin culture on the island. 2 Formáli At first, I would like to say thanks to professor Lazzari, who have believed in this project and my capacity. To professor Salvaterra, who has permitted me to realize this project. I want to say thanks to professor Jan A. Van Nahl, who helps me in the redaction of this exciting project. I want to say thanks to the University of Bologna for the opportunity to come to Iceland, and to the University of Iceland for the hospitality and the support. I would like to dedicate this work to my parents who have supported and believed in me in these years. To my best friends Chiara, Monica, Francesca, Beatrice, Sara and Simo, who are always giving me good advice and unconditional love, no matter what. To my friend Camilla, my wings, whose friendship are incredibly precious. To Marianna, who is fundamental for my mental health in this adventure. To Victoria, my German-Icelandic sister, my first roommate and my kitty girls. Thanks to all my old friends. And last but not least to my puffin-friends, Lillo, Chiara and Enri. Thank you all for your inestimable support and love! 3 Efnisyfirlit Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 6 1 Translatio Imperii et Studii and the Trojan War ...................................................... 9 1.1. The evolution of the theory of the Translatio Imperii et Studii ....................... 9 1.2. The role of the Trojan theme and the Translatio imperii et studii ................. 14 1.3. The medieval construction of a mythical Trojan past during Middle Ages ... 18 1.4. Translation and translatio ............................................................................... 20 2 The Icelandic Troy: a construction of a prehistory................................................. 22 2.1 The process of Acculturation in Iceland ......................................................... 22 2.2 The construction of the origin: the myth of Troy ........................................... 29 2.2.1 Ari inn Froði Þorgilsson and the Íslendigabók ......................................... 31 2.2.2 Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) ................................................................... 33 2.2.3 The Third Grammatical Treatise .............................................................. 40 3. The Hauksbók’s Trójumanna saga ........................................................................ 43 3.1 Traditions ........................................................................................................ 44 3.2 The Latin Sources ........................................................................................... 46 3.2.1. De Excidio Troiae Historia of Dares Phrygius ........................................ 46 3.2.2. The Ilias Latina ........................................................................................ 49 3.2.3. Aeneid of Virgil ........................................................................................ 49 3.2.4. Metamorphoses and Heroides of Ovid ..................................................... 50 3.3. The Hauksbók and Haukr Erlendsson ............................................................ 51 3.4. The version of the Hauksbók's Trójumanna saga ........................................... 55 3.4.1. “Her hefr Troio manna sogu” ................................................................... 55 3.4.2. "Fra Edelon" ............................................................................................. 66 3.4.3. "Fra Erkules" ............................................................................................ 71 3.4.4. “Er Troo var eflð annan tima” .................................................................. 72 3.4.5. “Fra hefred til Troio” ................................................................................ 75 3.4.6. “Svikin Trója” .......................................................................................... 83 4 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 87 Heimildaskrá ................................................................................................................... 91 5 Introduction The Trojan War is a timeless event floating in a timeless world1 Between the 12th and 14th centuries, in Iceland, the production of many manuscripts of European translated text became very consistent. One of these cases is the Trójumanna Saga: that is the re-elaboration in Old Icelandic of the Latin text of the Dares Phrygius’ De Excidio Troiae Historia. This case is fascinating and curious because the two versions are not only geographically distant, but they are also far away in time. The Latin text was probably written in the 1st century A.D., while the Icelandic one in the 14th century. It is peculiar that a text of this genre, which talks about an ancient theme distant from the Norse culture of Iceland, was translated and used in this context. This attestation is crucial to demonstrate the vitality of the Trojan theme and the intensive contacts between the European kingdoms in time and space. This re-use of the Trojan theme during all the Middle Ages and later is not atypical. In many European kingdoms, it is possible to find the elaboration of a Trojan mythical past and the consequent diaspora of the citizens after the city’s fall. The question is, why did they do this? Also, how did they construct this image? The Icelandic case is more peculiar than the others because Iceland did not have any direct relationship with the Trojan world or with the Roman’s. It is essential to analyse this particular case. I have chosen the Trójumanna saga’s version of the Hauksbók manuscript, because the writer, Haukr, is known, so the context in which this version was written. Moreover, a comparison between this and its Latin sources is relevant to understand the Icelandic élite’s “world of view”2 and its acknowledgement. Because of the comparison, I have found out which sources are known in Iceland and Scandinavia at that time. I have underlined the changes and the similarity between them. The most interesting note is the capacity of Haukr to mix the text to make a peculiar version of the saga, as I describe in chapter 3. This single case could permit to understand how the Icelanders interpreted the continental literature and culture, and how they used these sources. Furthermore, the choice of the Trojan theme is linked to the theme of the idea of Translatio imperii et studii. This theme is prominent in the Middle Ages and 1 Finley, The World of Odysseus, 1978 2 Sverrir 2007 6 before: it is attested in
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hermann Ptilsson
    Hermann Ptilsson Aspects of Norse Place Nallles in the Western Isles I St. Gregory the Great (d. 604) has long been recognized as an outstanding literary interpreter, particularly by those who acknowledge the principle of polysemy or multiplicity of meaning. In a striking passage (quoted here from memory) he suggests that the words of Holy Writ could be compared to square stones; since it is impossible to observe all the sides of such a stone simultaneously, we must turn it over in order to see each of its facets. The same applies, he argues, to the words of the Bible: individual expressions have several meanings and functions, which we cannot properly grasp without observing them from different viewpoints. The learned pope is here, of course, concerned with the 'literal', 'allegorical', 'moral' and 'anagogic' meanings which were supposed to be a special quality of the Bible, but in recent decades the basic principles involved have become fashionable in certain critical circles dealing with secular literature as well (Frye 1957, 72 and elsewhere). Like the multi-faceted or polysemous words of the Bible, Norse place names in the Western Isles have several aspects to them, and it seems desirable that no facet should be omitted from consideration. It is proposed to use St. Gregory's exegetical principle as an intellectual framework for the purpose of organizing a systematic and comprehensive programme for the investigation of those names. When I allude to the three-dimensional Gregorian model in this context, I have in mind that each facet of our notional stone represents a particular area of research, and that once we have satisfactorily dealt with all six aspects of a particular name, the investigation of it has been completed.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer Der Amerikanische Literaturwissenschaftler Harold
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Heidelberger Dokumentenserver This is a draft of a chapter that has been accepted for publication by Les Arènes Paris in the book “Lieux de mémoire européens” edited by E. François and Th. Serrier published in 2017. The research for this chapter has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement no. 312321 (AncNar). Homer Der amerikanische Literaturwissenschaftler Harold Bloom war ein wortgewaltiger Verfechter eines festen Lektürekanons. Den homerischen Epen räumte er einen zentralen Platz in der westlichen Kultur ein: „Everyone who now reads and writes in the West, of whatever racial background, sex or ideological camp, is still a son or daughter of Homer.”i So markant diese Behauptung auch ist, sie erfaßt die Strahlkraft der homerischen Epen nicht ganz. Der Einfluß von Ilias und Odyssee ist keineswegs auf den Westen und die Literatur beschränkt; er zeigt sich auch in anderen Traditionen und in einer Vielzahl von Medien. Auch die Metapher, nach der heutige Leser und Autoren Homers Kinder seien, verkennt die Mannigfaltigkeit der Auseinandersetzungen mit dem homerischen Epos. Die nicht wenigen Werke etwa, welche Episoden aus der Ilias oder Odyssee umschreiben, würde man passender als homerische Geschwister bezeichnen. Der Präsenz Homers in der Moderne kann ein Essay natürlich nicht gerecht werden - dafür benötigte man mehrere Bände, wenn nicht eine ganze Bibliothek. Um dennoch einen Eindruck von Homer als europäischem Erinnerungsort zu geben, wollen wir zuerst einen eher willkürlichen als systematischen Überblick wagen.
    [Show full text]
  • Ing Items Have Been Registered
    ACCEPTANCES Page 1 of 34 February 2018 LoAR THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED: ÆTHELMEARC Áine inghean Uí Chaollaidhe. Name and device. Per bend sinister invected purpure and Or, an angel statant to dexter and drawing a bow and arrow argent and a wolf’s head cabossed sable. Amelot Noisete. Device. Per pale azure and vert, a hazelnut tree fructed and eradicated and in chief three escarbuncles Or. Submitted as a "noisetier," a cant on the submitter’s name, the blazon was changed for clarity. In the May 2007 registration of the device of Jeneuer le Geliner, it was ruled: The submitter requested that the hen be blazoned as a geline for the sake of the cant. This term is not a standard heraldic term, nor is it a common modern term. Given the difficulty one would have in determining what a geline is, we decline to use it in this blazon. We wish to inform the submitter that cants needn’t be blazoned. The arms of the Earls of Arundel, with their martlets, are canting arms: but you’d only know that if you knew that the French for "swallow" is hirondelle. The martlets aren’t blazoned that way; but that doesn’t stop them from canting. The same is true here. The above ruling is directly applicable here as well. The blazon will be difficult to understand if the term noisetier is used; and the cant will still be there, even if the term hazelnut tree is used. We are all in favor of cants, but not at the expense of blazon reproducibility.
    [Show full text]
  • Icelandic Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses
    Icelandic Herbs and Their Medicinal Uses Anna rósa róbertsdóttir Contents Foreword . ix Male Fern . 136. Acknowledgments . x. Mare’s-tail . 138 Introduction . .1 . Marsh Marigold . 140 Meadow Buttercup . .144 . Harvesting . .3 . Meadowsweet . 146. Uses of Herbs . 6 Mountain Avens . .150 . Alpine Bistort . 12. Nootka Lupine . 152. Angelica . .14 Northern Dock . 154. Arctic Poppy . 18. Pineappleweed . 158 Bearberry . 20. Polypody . 160 Bilberry . .24 Purging Flax . 162. Biting Stonecrop . 28. Purple Marshlocks. .164 . Bladderwrack . .30 Red Clover . 166. Bogbean . .32 . Ribwort Plantain . .170 . Butterwort . 36. Rose Bay Willow Herb . 174. Caraway . .38 . Roseroot . 176 Chickweed . 42. Rowan . .180 . Cold-weather Eyebright . .44 Scurvy Grass . 184. Coltsfoot . .48 . Sea Mayweed . 186. Common Sea-thrift . .50 Self-heal . .188 . Couch Grass . 52. Sheep’s Sorrel . 192 Cow Parsley . 54. Shepherd’s Purse . .194 . Creeping Thyme . 56. Silverweed . 198 Crowberry . .60 Sorrel . 202 Cuckooflower . .64 Speedwell . 204. Daisy . .66 Spotted Orchid . 206. Dandelion . .68 Stinging Nettle . 208. Devil’s Bit Scabious . .72 . Stone Bramble . 212. Downy Birch. 74. Sundew . 214 Dulse . .78 . Sweet Cicely . 216 Field Gentian . 82. Sweet Grass . 218 Fir Clubmoss . .84 Sweet Vernal Grass . 220 Grass of Parnassus . .86 Valerian . 222 Greater Burnet . 88. Water Avens . 226. Greater Plantain . .92 Water Forget-me-not . 228 Groundsel . 96. Water Speedwell . 230 Hawkweed . 98. White Dead-nettle . .232 . Heartsease . 100. Wild Strawberry . .234 . Heather . 102 Willow . .236 . Hemp-nettle . 104 Wood Cranesbill . 240 Horsetail . 106. Yarrow . .242 . Iceland Moss . 110. Yellow Rattle . 246. Irish Moss . 114. Juniper . 116 Glossary . 248 Kidney Vetch. 120. Bibliography . 252 Knotgrass . 122 Research Bibliography . 254 Lady’s Bedstraw . 126 Index .
    [Show full text]
  • History 101 the Iliad
    History 101 The Iliad The Iliad (sometimes referred to as the Song of Ilion or Song of Ilium) is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. Although the story covers only a few weeks in the final year of the war, the Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege; the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. Then the epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles' looming death and the sack of Troy, although the narrative ends before these events take place. However, as these events are prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly, when it reaches an end, the poem has told a more or less complete tale of the Trojan War. The Iliad is paired with something of a sequel, the Odyssey, also attributed to Homer. Along with the Odyssey, the Iliad is among the oldest extant works of Western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the 8th century BC. Recent statistical modeling based on language evolution gives a date of 760–710 BC. In the standard accepted version, the Iliad contains 15,693 lines; it is written in Homeric Greek, a literary amalgam of Ionic Greek and other dialects.
    [Show full text]
  • BIRDS of ICELAND the Acquisition O F As Many Egg - Shells of Rare Birds As
    MANU AL OF THE BIRDS OF ICELAN D r n N AB E i ur h P inte d T. a d A S d nb g : b y . CO T LE F OR A I D D O L A S D V U G . N N SI PKIN ARS A A I N LO DO M , M H LL , H M LTO , K N AN CO E T D . LTD . CA BRI G AC I AN AN B W S M D E M M LL D O E . G AS G W J A S M L EH OS E AN S NS L O ME AC D O . M A N U A L OF THE BI RD S OF I CELAND F Z . E RY . SLATER M A . S H N H , . , ’ MEMBER O F THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOG ISTS UNION AN R C R OF RN AUG N R AN S D E TO THO H H , O TH T E DI NBURGH V D G DA ID OU LAS, CASTLE STREET 1 90 1 C O N T E N T S T U TI IN ROD C ON , C OS AS T TH A T I L E SE ON AC OF E L H NG , I TS A I R U I ATI H N ON ICEL ND C P ON NC ON , I B IO P H B L GRA Y , BI RDS OF ICELAND " INDE , I L L U S T R A T I O N S ’ A COM PARISON OF THE HEADS OF BARROW S G OLDEN EYE AND COMM G E YE a fte r 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Halldór Laxness - Wikipedia
    People of Iceland on Iceland Postage Stamps Halldór Laxness - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halldór_Laxness Halldór Laxness Halldór Kiljan Laxness (Icelandic: [ˈhaltour ˈcʰɪljan ˈlaxsnɛs] Halldór Laxness ( listen); born Halldór Guðjónsson; 23 April 1902 – 8 February 1998) was an Icelandic writer. He won the 1955 Nobel Prize in Literature; he is the only Icelandic Nobel laureate.[2] He wrote novels, poetry, newspaper articles, essays, plays, travelogues and short stories. Major influences included August Strindberg, Sigmund Freud, Knut Hamsun, Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair, Bertolt Brecht and Ernest Hemingway.[3] Contents Early years 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s Born Halldór Guðjónsson Later years 23 April 1902 Family and legacy Reykjavík, Iceland Bibliography Died 8 February 1998 Novels (aged 95) Stories Reykjavík, Iceland Plays Poetry Nationality Icelandic Travelogues and essays Notable Nobel Prize in Memoirs awards Literature Translations 1955 Other Spouses Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir References (m. 1930–1940) External links [1] Auður Sveinsdóttir (m. 1945–1998) Early years Laxness was born in 1902 in Reykjavík. His parents moved to the Laxnes farm in nearby Mosfellssveit parish when he was three. He started to read books and write stories at an early age. He attended the technical school in Reykjavík from 1915 to 1916 and had an article published in the newspaper Morgunblaðið in 1916.[4] By the time his first novel was published (Barn náttúrunnar, 1919), Laxness had already begun his travels on the European continent.[5] 1 of 9 2019/05/19, 11:59 Halldór Laxness - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halldór_Laxness 1920s In 1922, Laxness joined the Abbaye Saint-Maurice-et-Saint-Maur in Clervaux, Luxembourg where the monks followed the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
    [Show full text]
  • Old Norse Nicknames
    Hugvísindasvið Old Norse Nicknames Ritgerð til MA-prófs í 2012 Paul Peterson september 2012 Háskóli Íslands Íslensku- og menningardeild Medieval Icelandic Studies Old Norse Nicknames Ritgerð til MA-prófs í Íslensku- og menningardeild Paul Peterson Kt.: 250284-3819 Leiðbeinandi: Haraldur Bernharðsson september 2012 1 Old Norse Nicknames Paul Peterson Table of Contents Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................2 Introduction.......................................................................................................................3 Chapter 1 ‒ Terminology, Collections, Prior Scholarship, and Future Research.............6 Terminology..........................................................................................................6 Dictionaries and Collections of Old Norse Nicknames.......................................13 Prior Scholarship.................................................................................................15 Future Research...................................................................................................18 Chapter 2 ‒ Origins, Meanings, and Features of Nicknames..........................................19 Skaldic Nicknames..............................................................................................19 Nicknames Turned Personal Names....................................................................23 Inheritable Family Nicknames.............................................................................26
    [Show full text]
  • Names in Multi-Lingual
    Katharina Leibring, Sweden 658 Zwartje, Flight of Delight and Chikai Borrowed Names for Animals in Sweden Katharina Leibring Sweden Abstract: This paper deals, from a Swedish point of view, with names for domestic animals that have been borrowed from other language areas and other cultures during the last two or three centuries. There are several different reasons for animals having or being given foreign names. These include imported animals being allowed to keep their original names; a desire to reflect an animal’s origin or descent; a wish to praise the animal (or enhance its status) by giving it a name from a high-status language; a taste for the exotic; and a concern to give an animal a unique name. Similarities and differences between the naming of different species of agricultural livestock and household pets are discussed, and an attempt is made to explain why certain of these naming practices have become common in today’s society. *** 1. Introduction One of the many pleasant things in life is, in my opinion, to be a name-giver, to feel that one can endow someone or something with a unique reference marker, i.e., a name. When naming one’s child, this naming procedure can be very complicated, as there are of course lots of traditions and cultural habits and also legislation that may restrict the parents’ choice. In the case of naming domestic animals, especially pets, the procedure can be simpler, although it can also give rise to many questions. And the decision as to which name actually to choose still has to be made.
    [Show full text]
  • JOSE ANGEL GARCIA LANDA: Homer In
    Homer in the Renaissance: The Troy Stories José Ángel García Landa Brown University, 1988 Web edition 2004 I. The medieval heritage During the Middle Ages, Homer is lost for the Western World. Instead of Homeric epic, we have Troy Stories. These stories are not just corruptions and derivations of the Homeric epic: they derive to a great extent from an alternative source, the Epic Cycle, which belonged to the traditional Greek literary canon just like the Homeric epics. The poems of the Epic Cycle, such as the Cypriad and the Little Iliad, are already defined by Aristotle in comparison to the Homeric epic: they do not concentrate on a particular event of the Troy story. They want to give the whole story, and they are a loose narration of facts without any principle of unity. All this they pack into a narrative much shorter than the Homeric poems, so it is not surprising that their style is much worse than Homer's. Nevertheless, they were enormously popular in the Antiquity, just as their offspring would be in the Middle Age and even the PDFmyURL.com Renaissance. They satisfied the curiosity of the reader of digests, who must be the average reader of all times. It is these stories, and not Homer, that were used by Shakespeare. Their popularity may account for the less than enthusiastic welcome which Homer received when he came back to the West in the Renaissance. It is in the narratives of the epic cycle that we find the preliminaries of the war and its outcome, the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse and the destruction of Troy.
    [Show full text]
  • Attitudes Towards Paganism in Medieval Irish and Old Norse Texts of the Trojan War
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Apollo Faculty of English (Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic) Attitudes towards Paganism in Medieval Irish and Old Norse Texts of the Trojan War Radu Razvan Stanciu St John’s College University of Cambridge This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 The thesis compares the depictions of paganism found in the Middle Irish Togail Troí (‘The Destruction of Troy’; first half of the twelfth century) and the Old Norse Trójumanna saga (‘The Story of the Trojans’; first half of the thirteenth century), which are both based on Dares Phrygius’s Late Antique De excidio Troiae historia. The two vernacular adaptations are presented in the wider context of the medieval popularity of Dares’s text. The in-depth analysis of the pagan references (most of which relate to mythology and ritual), reveals Togail Troí’s and Trójumanna saga’s general source-based approach and their shared reliance on Latin mythographic scholarship, but also a different approach concerning the literary presentation of paganism. The Irish text’s ‘Christian’ approach to the issue (as seen through authorial comments and historical contextualisation) is shown to be in contrast to the Norse text’s ‘classicising’ approach (i.e. paganism presented as in the classical sources themselves). The findings of this analysis are then compared with the literary attitudes towards paganism encountered in medieval Irish and Norse texts more widely (especially in those set in Ireland or Nordic countries). This comparison reveals a general sympathy for many pagan characters that finds some parallels in the Trojan texts as well, but also a different representation of pagan deities in the two traditions.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Surnames of the British Isles, by C
    A History of Surnames of the British Isles, by C. L'Estrange Ewen. (London, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd.) New York, The Macmillan Co., 1931, pp 352-365. [Transcribed by John D. McLaughlin (Lochlan at aol.com) and David N. Ewing (DavidEwing93 at gmail.com).] Chapter XIV THE ETYMON AND ITS SIGNIFICATION Etymological Considerations. Having traced out step by step the evolution of the surname from the personal description or address, examined the various processes of derivation, and gained an insight into the deceptive results of orthographic corruption, a possibly rash essay will now be made to reverse the operation, and taking a modern name, to attempt the exemplification of a method of working, whereby the geographical distribution, language, etymon, and original signification is discovered. By etymon is here meant the “true” or original form, that is, the primary word. At some more or less remote period all surnames have been words: of the four classes—characteristic and occupational were adopted words; local surnames were formerly words or place-names, themselves once either words or personal names + words; and genealogical surnames, with few exceptions, were personal names, also originally current words, sometimes of a bygone age. Comparative philologists are able in most cases to strip such words of their grammatical adjuncts, and to lay bare the radical portion or root as it is called. It is not proposed in this chapter to attempt to discover the ultimate element, or to do more than trace a surname back to the original word, and to determine its meaning, a sufficiently difficult problem and one in which certainty is often elusive.
    [Show full text]