----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 7:13
AM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] Olav vs
Onlaf
I attended a conference in Oslo Nov. 2005. 'Celtic
Norse relationships in
the Irish sea
in the Middle Ages'. One of the
known scholars John Hines presented in a
session on the topic of
'From
*AnlaifR to Havelok: Celtic, Norse and a New strand of Englishness'. I
am
not sure whether
he has published anything on this topic yet. If its to
your interest, you
can look for his work.
----- Original Message
-----
From: "Rob Livingston" <rlivingston1488@...>
To:
<norse_course@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 10:50
PM
Subject: [norse_course] Olav vs Onlaf
Hello,
I have some
question about the name Olaf - its historical use and
pronunciation.
My curiosity arises because my family's old surname
in Scotland was
"MacOnlea" (pronounced "mak-ohn-lay", possibly
derived from "son of
Onlaf".
First, does anybody know the earliest documented
Scandinavian
reference to the name? My understanding is that it is
from "Áleifr",
derived from Old Norse "anu + leifr" = "ancestor
descendant". The
earliest reference I can find is from the Irish
Annals of Ulster,
when in 853 AD, "Amlaíb, the son of the king of
Laithlinn" came to
Ireland to demand tribute. "Amlaíb" is the Irish
equivalent of
Olaf. Are there any earlier Scandinavian citations for
this name?
Later references to the name are found in the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicles
beginning in 911 AD with "Anlaf the Swarthy". There was a
stone
cross erected in memory of "Cuni Onlaf" (King Olaf) at the
Cathedral
of Leeds, England sometime about 937. Then there are coins
from the
early to late 10th century bearing the names "Onlaf Rex
Nor"
and "Anlaf Rex Tod", the first presumed to have been minted
in
Norway. Again, what is the earliest documented citation for the
name
Olaf in Scandinavia? Is it referenced in any of the Norse
Sagas?
My second question has to do with the pronunciation of
"Áleifr",
which I presume is the proper way of spelling it, even in
Modern
Norse? Or is it now spelled Olav or Olaf? If it did change,
when did
it change? Is the "leifr" part of it "layfr" or
"leefr"? And is
the "f" pronounced like the "f" in "leaf", or the "v"
in "leave"?
I very much appreciate anybody's input.
Rob
Livingston
Placerville, California
A Norse funny
farm, overrun by smart people.
Homepage: http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/
To
escape from this funny farm try rattling off an e-mail
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