Pre-Christian Sacral Personal Names in Scandinavia during the Proto-Scandinavian Period

Abstract

This paper deals with personal names from the Proto-Scandinavian period that refer to religious concepts such as gods or holiness. Such names fall into four categories. The first one contains '*ansuz' (as; heathen god) and the second one '*albiz' (elf). The third is made up of names cognate to the adjective '*hailaga-' (holy), and the fourth of names cognate to another adjective, '*wīha-' (holy). Finally, it is argued that names of individual gods do not occur in Proto-Scandinavian personal names, although they do become very popular during the Viking Age.