Hi LC,
when I read the name Erkmute, I immediately thought of Erdmute, which is an Old
German first name meaning "earth" + "mind, courage". I haven't heard of the name Erkmute, but there are several female Old
German names beginning with Erk- or Erken- (like Erkamberta, Erkenhild etc.) The "erk"-part of the names means "real, firm", so Erkmute would mean "real, firm" + "mind, courage".
Marike is still a quite popular name in the north of Germany and in the Netherlands. It's a Dutch and Low
German form of
Marie. The "-ke" ending is a diminutive ending, so Marike means "little
Marie".
Regards,
Satu