MA ritgerð Norræn trú Theophoric Place Names A Comparative Study of Sacral Place Names in the German- Speaking World Tara-Kim Kritsch Leiðbeinandi: Terry Adrian Gunnell Október 2019 Theophoric Place Names A Comparative Study of Sacral Place Names in the German-Speaking World Tara-Kim Kritsch Lokaverkefni til MA–gráðu í Norrænni trú Leiðbeinandi: Terry Adrian Gunnell Félags- og mannvísindadeilid Félagsvísindasvið Háskóla Íslands Október 2019 Theophoric Place Names: A Comparative Study of Sacral Place Names in the German-Speaking World. Ritgerð þessi er lokaverkefni til MA-gráðu í Norrænni trú og er óheimilt að afrita ritgerðina á nokkurn hátt nema með leyfi rétthafa. © Tara-Kim Kritsch, 2019 Prentun: Háskólaprent Reykjavík, Ísland, 2019 Útdráttur Hugtakið örnefni hefur á sér ákveðinn óvissublæ. Í gegnum mannkynsöguna hefur ýmsum spurningum um merkingu þeirra og sögu verið velt fram. Í þessari ritgerð verða teóforísk örnefni, örnefni dregin af nöfnum guða, á þýskumælandi svæðum rannsökuð. Það viðfangsefni hefur fengið tiltölulega litla athygli á seinustu árum. Rætur örnefnanna eru frá tíma áður en bókmenntaskráningar hófust, og hefur upprunni þeirra því borist frá munnlegum heimildum. Örnefni hafa því sýnt sig að vera mikilvægar heimildir um forna menningalega uppbyggingu, sérlega þau nöfn sem eiga sögu að rekja í goðsagnir eða trúarbrögð, en þau eru birtingarmyndir trúarlegra hugtaka innan landsvæðisins. Eftir stutta yfirferð um þá aðferðafræði sem hefur verið notuð til að greina slík örnefni undanfarin ár byrjar ritgerðin á því að útlista hvernig þetta fræðisvið hefur þróast, bæði á Norðurlöndum og germönskum löndum, síðustu aldir. Fjallað er svo um menningarlegan og sögulegan bakgrunn Þýskalands á járnöld og snemma á miðöldum, og í framhaldi gerð gagnrýnin athugun á forsögulegum heimildum og etymologískum bakgrunni á meintum teóforísku örnefnum á Þyskalandi. Örnefnin eru þar á eftir borin saman við svipuð örnefni með líkan uppruna og menningarlegan bakgrunn í Skandinavíu, Englandi og Hollandi. Farið er einnig yfir staðbundnar fornleifarannsóknir til að veita heildarskilning á menningarlegu samhengi og félagslegum tengslum þeirra. Að lokum eru ályktanir dregnar um mögulega áreiðanleika þeirra. Þessi ritgerð er þannig að reyna að rannsaka, á gagnrýnin hátt, örnefnagögn í forkristnu germönsku landslagi með hliðsjón af landfræðilegu, staðfræðilegu og sögulegu samhengi og ekki síst, með hliðsjón af því, hvers vegna gögnin gætu verið takmarkaðri að eðlisfari en þau sem finnast í Skandinavíu. Abstract There is an air of mystery that surrounds the concept of place names. Questions revolving around their historical background and meaning have naturally been raised by mankind over time. This thesis contains a study of theophoric place names in the German-speaking area, a subject which has received comparatively little attention in recent years. Due to their high age and origin in a period of oral history before the onset of literary records, place names have been shown to serve as important contemporary sources for early cultural developments, and not least those that seem to have a background in myth and/or religion as manifestations of religious concepts within the landscape. Following a brief outline of the methodologies that have been established for analysing such place names in recent years, the thesis starts by outlining how this field of study has developed in the Nordic and Germanic countries over the last centuries. It goes on to consider the cultural and historical background of Germany during the Iron Age and early medieval period, before conducting a critical examination of the early written sources and etymological background of each of the alleged theophoric place names in Germany. These are then compared to similar place names that derive from a similar cultural background in Scandinavia, England and Holland. Local archaeological evidence is also considered in order to provide an overall understanding of their cultural context and their social relationships. In each case an attempt is made to draw conclusions about their potential authenticity. In short, this study will attempt to provide a critical examination of the place name evidence in the pre-Christian Germanic landscape considering the geographical, topographical and historical context of these names, and not least why the evidence might be more limited in nature than that found in Scandinavia. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I want to thank my advisor, Terry Gunnell, not least for throwing me in the deep end and expanding my horizons, but also for pushing me beyond what I thought possible in order to produce my best work. I am incredibly grateful for your constant support and patience throughout this process. Thank you for believing in me, even when I did not believe in myself. I want to also extend my thanks to Rudolf Simek for providing fantastic counsel and assistance when I needed it most. The academic and emotional support provided by Terry and Rudolf over the past few years cannot be overstated, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. To Stefan Brink, Jürgen Udolph, and Claudia Boshouwers, thank you for contributing your thoughts and ideas about this study as well as providing vital source material. Your continued support and interest in this project made all the difference. A special thank goes out to my fellow students, Caroline and Lauren. Spending time together in Iceland enriched my life and I will forever be grateful for your friendship and support. Many thanks to my friend Eleonora, who took the time to read over my thesis and give advice when I felt lost. There is also a special place in my heart for my dear friends in Austria who continue to have my back and always brighten up my life. To Bernhard, thank you for always being solid as a rock. You are the most important constant in my life, and I know that without your support, this thesis would not be finished. Thank you for believing in me every day, and know, that without you, my life would be much darker. To my Mother and Father, thank you for always supporting my wild dreams and unusual life choices. You are the best parents I could ever wish for and I am grateful to be your daughter. To both my family and my partner’s, I want to thank you for always being there for me. To my grandparents, thank you for sharing your wisdom, especially at the beginning of this project. Your advice and mental support proved to be invaluable. I will forever love you all. Finally, I want to thank my grandmother, Marín, whose Icelandic roots truly inspired this journey. You will forever be missed. – This project is dedicated to you. Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Importance and Role of the Name ..................................................................... 1 1.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 4 2 Sources Used in Pre-Christian Religious Studies ............................................................... 7 2.1 Non-Linguistic Sources on Pre-Christian Nordic and Germanic Religion ................... 7 2.2 The Study of Theophoric Place Names as Sources on Old Germanic Religion .......... 7 2.2.1 Place Names as a Historical Source ................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Source Criticism in the Field of Place-Name Studies ......................................... 9 2.2.3 Strengths and Weaknesses of Place Names Studies ....................................... 10 2.2.4 Dating Place Names ......................................................................................... 14 3 The Origins of Place-Name Studies in Europe ................................................................. 17 3.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 17 3.1 The History of Place-Name Studies in Scandinavia ................................................. 19 3.1.1 Norway ............................................................................................................ 20 3.1.2 Sweden ............................................................................................................ 22 3.1.3 Denmark .......................................................................................................... 24 3.1.4 Iceland ............................................................................................................. 26 3.2 Key Theories Relating to the Study of Theophoric Place Names in the North ........ 27 3.2.1 Magnus Olsen as Pioneer of Scandinavian Toponymy .................................... 27 3.2.2 Olaf Olsen’s Criticism of Magnus Olsen’s Work .............................................. 29 3.3 Theophoric Place Name Studies Today: Leading Nordic Scholars ........................... 30 3.3.0 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 30 3.3.1 Stefan Brink ..................................................................................................... 31 3.3.2 Per Vikstrand ................................................................................................... 33 3.4 The History of Theophoric Place-Name Studies in the German-Speaking Area ...... 35 3.5 Other Relevant Toponymic Studies in Europe ......................................................... 39 4 Historical