Fylkir, Unir, Oepir, Reifnir, Raesir, Klyppir, Gripir(long-i),
Geitir, Gellir, Gloedir(dh), Hreppir, Hildir, Heimir, Nennir,
Snertir, Snerrir, Stefnir, Styrmir, Brestir, Birgir, Birnir, Beinir,
Maevir. Lokarr explains how his folk vary their masculines in this
way, and the some words thus varied are not otherwise names, but
become names by this way of varying the words. 'How interesting', we
answer. Lokarr, always amused by our fast interest in his folk's
names, proceeds to explain that both Gellir and Oepir meaning Yeller,
bu that no one is called Yell or Shout. Yeller makes a good man's
name, for man is a Yeller, and has many loud and noisy names in his
culture. Fylkir, like Folki and Folka, is from folk, meaning
something like of the folk, or steerer of the folk, Unir, enjoyer or
of enjoyment, contentment, of Unr, whose weak is Uni, fem. Una.
Reifnir something like Enjoyer, from the adj. reifr, glad, an
otherwise unattested man's name, which we compare to Katr(long-a) and
Teitr and asterick as *Reifr. Klyppir - Klyppr, Gripir - Gripr,
Geitir - Geiti, Gloedir - Glodi, Hreppir - Hrappr, Hildir - Hjaldr,
Heimir - Heimi, Nennir - Nannr, Nanni, Nanna, Snertir - Snortr(hooked-
o), Snerrir - Snorri, Birgir - Bergr, Birnir - Bjorn, Beinir - Beini
(name attested, but not cited yet), Maevir - Mor(long hooked-o). Some
of these, like Stefnir(Directer), Styrmir(Stormer), Brestir(Breaker),
etc. have no attested parallel forms, either because they would not
make much sense as names, or because they are simply not attested.
The PN suffix here was -ijaz(with Siever's), which left -ir in ON.
The feminine was -iju, which after loss of final -u in this hard to
pronounce position, left long -i(compare also long neut.pl.ja-stems
like *rikiju>rikii>riki). This -i was then re-analyzed in the nom.
fem. as -r (compare fem. names Fridr, Gerdr, Unnr, etc.), but the jo-
stem desclension otherwise retained, now looking something more like
an i-stem. Yri(long-y), a fem. name variant of Yr(same meaning, the
ourox-cow), is likely our only irregular, and archaic, survival here
in personal names. Essentially, it ends up not declining at all, or
taking analogical genitives (Yrisstadir, a stead-name, is, for
example, attested). Grammatically, a name like Hildr belongs here,
following Hildir out of Hjaldr. Some would conflict with masculines,
like **Gripr following Gripir out of Gripr, unless one was bold
enough to try the archaic -i. Others, like *Nennr, make more sense,
and do not conflict with masculines. **Maer presents semantic
problems, as this is another word with a wholy unrelated meaning, an
already a personal name. Here is a good topic for grammarians. Let us
get back to Lokarr. -Konrad