"Rodskarl", "Trynta" and "Spænneklo". Bynames in the Town Court Record Book of Arboga from a Name-Semantic Point of View

Abstract

The town court record book of Arboga is a valuable source relating to life in Sweden during the Middle Ages. It includes legal records and particulars of economic transactions such as transfers of real estate, donations and inheritances. Consequently, these records contain a large number of names which are of great interest to the onomastic researcher. In this paper I will discuss and give examples of bynames from the different name-semantic categories that are represented in the records: ‘descent and kinship’, ‘origin and place of residence’, ‘occupation and social status’, ‘external characteristics’, ‘internal characteristics’, ‘clothing and equipment’, and finally ‘habits and events’.