Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Sleepy, Sneezy, Doc and Gut-Bucket

The topic of the day is dwarfs. More specifically dwarf names. It is always interesting to see where authors get names from. Some clearly make them up and they are cringe-worthy, others find them in heroic sagas or myth. Alan Garner said he got names from The Mabinogion, particularly "Culhwch and Olwen". I knew Tolkien took Durin's name from Norse myth but I found this list of names in the 'Voluspa' and it made me chuckle.
nyi-New Moon, Nithi - Moon Wane, Northri-North, Suthri-South, Austri-East, Vestri-West, Althjofr-Thieve All, Dwalin - Dawdler, Bivurr - Shaky, Bavurr- Grumbler, Bomburr - Gut Bucket, Nori - Old Salt, Ann ok Annar - Friend and Friendly, Oinn - Grandpa, Mjothvitnir - Mead Wolf, Vegrr - Swig, Vindalfr - Wind Elf, Thorinn - Urge, Thrak ok Thrainn - Knowing and Daring, Thekkr - Spurt, Litr ok Vitr - Wise and Bright, Nyr ok Nyrathr - Corpse and Fresh Counsel. I could go on but it is a long list. Imagine Snow White with a dwarf called Corpse.
Other names from Lord of the Rings on this list: Fili - Filer, Kili - Wedger, Fundinn - New Found, Ori - Prankster, Eikinskjaldi - Oakenshield, and of course Gandalf, which means 'Wand-elf'.

6 comments:

Kristin said...

Did the Norse revere dwarfs like other cultures did?

Kristin said...

PS--Oakenshield is also an island in ASOIAF. Euron gives away it to someone.

Tracy said...

A fascinating list! Bombur was pretty portly, as I recall? Definitely a gut bucket.

Anachronist said...

Gandalf, an Wand Elf! Very fitting, as he never parted with his Staff.

I can imagine Snow White living with a dwarf called Corpse without any problem :).

The Red Witch said...

I am not surprised about the island, Martin has admitted to reading Tolkien. I am not far enough into mythology to say if they revered dwarfs or not. Stay tuned.

@A fascinating list!
Yes! Normally you don't see the names translated.

@I can imagine Snow White living with a dwarf called Corpse without any problem.

The original fairy stories were not just meant for children. Funny to think that Tolkien's dwarfs could just as easily been Sneezy, Grumpy and Doc but of course Tolkien knew what those names meant.

Anachronist said...

@ Funny to think that Tolkien's dwarfs could just as easily been Sneezy, Grumpy and Doc but of course Tolkien knew what those names meant.

He also knew that to most of his readers the names would sound just foreign and mysterious and that's how a fantasy character name should sound.