Om navne og nautr. En undersøgelse af betydning og ordklasse for en gruppe genstandsbetegnelser i norrøn litteratur

Abstract

The Old Norse word nautr (cf. Háreksnautr), when used in compounds as designation for artefacts, is generally translated gift. This seems to be based primarily on konungsnautr, found mainly in the íslendingasögur and konungasögur. However, when the fornaldarsögur are examined, a quite consistent pattern is found, where male original owners are killed and the artefact taken as booty while females give it as a gift. This makes it improbable that the meaning is specifically ‘gift’. Through an analysis of nautr and related words based on Lakoff (1987), it is concluded that the meaning is instead that of ‘object representing relationship’. The English word closest to this meaning is judged to be trophy. Based on Van Langendonck (2007), Anderson (2007) and contextual evidence, it is concluded that these designations are proper names and were probably also regarded as such in Old Norse culture. These names, through their combination of a word primarily associated with humans and a prefix that follows certain patterns, carry much culturally inherent meaning, individually and collectively.