--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
> What precisely is the etymology of Ingvar and similar names,
anyway?
[snip]
>
> Question two: Is Ivar a variant of Ingvar or an independent name?
I've also seen Igvar (which looks like a compromise between the two)
used as a first name, and several English placenames suggest Anglo-
Danish *Inwar. Igvar, if attested during the Viking Age, would have
been a good prototype for Igor. Proper names often develop
irregularly, and in particular they may be shortened in strange ways.
However, Ivar/Iver is often explained as *i:wa-harja- (*i:waz = ON
ýr 'yew > shooting bow', *harjaz 'troop, army'), and if this
etymology is correct, it has nothing to do with Ingvar. I admit I'm a
little at a loss here. Does anyone out there know more about Ingvar
and Ivar?
>
> Piotr
>
>
What we need is a Gmc. alternation ng/nothing. The one that comes to
my mind is *hang-ist-(>Scand. hest- "horse")/*hanh-ist-(>German
Hengst "stallion"). A g/h (Verner?) alternation?
Torsten