The Norse Sagas are a veritable treasury of nicknames. While many characters possess patronymic second names such as ‘Ingiborg Finn’s Daughter, and Heinrik Haraldsson,’ many others have epithets in place of or in addition to, their filial names.

The anonymous Orrkneyinga Saga, written sometime round the 1200’s tells of the conquest of the Scottish Northern Isles by the kings of Norway during the ninth century and the subsequent history of the Orkney Isles. Within it’s pages we find such wonderful characters as…

Thorarin Bag Nose
Einar Belly Shaker
Svein Breast Rope
Sigurd the Fake Deacon
Havard the Fecund
Thorkel Slayer
Thorkel the Forester
Angus the Generous
Oddi the Little
Arni Pin Leg
Hugh the Stout
and, Olaf Tit Bit.

The Orrkneyinga Saga’s also tell the story of Harald the Smooth Talker, aka Harald Hairshirt, earl of Orkney (d.1131) and his half brother Paul the Silent, earl of Orkney (d.1138). These two men hated each other with a passion. One day Harald came across his mother Helga and Frakok, his aunt who sat together making a beautiful white shirt with gold thread. They told Harald it was a special Christmas gift for Paul. Furious that Paul the Silent was to be the recipient of such a fabulous gift and deaf to their warnings of protest, Harald angrily slipped the shirt over his head. It was only after Harald had calmed down that the two women were able to explain that this Yuletide gift had been dipped in poison. For his foolhardiness, Harald died an agonising death. Paul the Silent sent Helga and Frakok into exile.

Egil’s Saga, thought to be written by Snorri Sturluson around 1230, describes the Viking world from the middle ninth century to the end of the tenth. As well as Egil, the ruthless Viking hero, we find the thought provoking characters of…

Sigtrygg the Fast Sailor
Harald Grey Cloak
Thora Lace Cuff
Thorvald the Overbearing
Ljot the Pale
Einar the Scale Clatterer
Eyvind the Shabby
and, Atli the Short.

The romantic medieval Icelandic Laxdaela Saga, composed by an unknown author around 1245, mentions…

An the Black of the Brushwood Belly
Alf of the Dales
Thorbjorn the Feeble
Audun Fetter Hound
Ketil Flat Nose
Thorhalla the Gossip
Agseir the Hot Headed
Geirmund the Noisy
Olaf the Peacock
Gunnlaug Serpent Tongue
Thord the Short
Bork the Stout
Odin the Truculent
Hallfred the Troublesome Poet
and, Gizur the White.

Describing the Norse discovery of the continent of America, the two Vinland Sagas also recounts how Erik the Red started a colony in Greenland. The Sagas introduce the reader to Erik’s son , Lief the Lucky as well as Hrafn the Dueller, a warrior killed by Erik and a man by the name of Thord Horse Head.

The Saga of Njal is an Icelandic family saga written in the late thirteenth century and features a man called Iron Grim who wears nothing but a goat skin and includes a cast with names such as…

Orm Box Back
Thorstein Cod Biter
Eystein the Noisy
Ref the Poet
Bessi the Wise
Ragnar Shaggy Breeches
Askel the Silent
Hedin the Sorcerer
and, Ulf the Unwashed.

The battle of Bravalla, as recorded by the Medieval historian Saxo Grammaticus, took place at the beginning of the eighth century. The Danish king, Harald Wartooth fought against his nephew Ring, whom he had appointed sub-king of Sweden. Grammaticus records that the blind and aged Harald Wartooth was clubbed to death by his own charioteer Brun, who was suspected to be the god Odin in disguise. There were a number of notable warriors fighting on each side. They include…

On Harald’s side…

On Ring’s side…

Gerd the Glad
Hogni the Clever
Saxo the Splitter Hadd the Hard
Mar the red
Krok the Peasant
Berg the Seer
Vati the Doubter
Birvil the Pale
Erling the Snake
and, Rafn the White.

The warriors of Sweden, under Ring won the battle loosing some 12,000 men to Harald’s 30,000.

Lastly, Doomsday characters too have intriguing nicknames. The book mentions a multitude of minor personages of eleventh century England. Men are styled, ‘the Physician,’ ‘the Engineer ‘ and ‘the Crossbowman. Other are named for their profession and these include, ‘the Woodcutter,’ ‘the Interpreter,’ ‘the Fisherman’ and ‘the Cook.’ Here are some more Doomsday Book examples…

Roger God save the Ladies
William Hosed
Alwin Stickhare
Magnus the Swarthy
Walter the Vinedresser
Richard the Reckless
John the Doorkeeper
Eadric the Blind
Berdic the Jester
and, Godfrey the Scullion.