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ArchivesRe: Amleth
in reply to a message by lac
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amleth#Name
There seems to be a consensus that Amleth and consequently Hamlet are from Amlóði, an Icelandic form.
There are some theories here about Amlóði's meaning on Wikipedia, I'll paraphrase the likeliest below.
-Possibly derived from a stock character in early Icelandic folk tales that was a "fool", "simpleton" or "trickster". It is hypothesised this might come from Ancient Scandinavian elements ama meaning "to vex" and óðr meaning "frenzy".
-Possibly from Old Irish Admlithi meaning "great-grinding", in reference to a mill. This theory is supported by that in the Prose Edda, a significant work of Icelandic literature, a kenning for the sea is used, "Amlóða kvren", meaning "Amlóði's mill". A kenning is essentially a metaphor used in old Norse literature that replaces the original noun, for example the sun might be referred to as a "sky candle", with the Sun and a candle sharing the property of light. This suggests that the name Amlóði and mills are connected in some way, which could possibly be filled in with it meaning "great-grinding".
There seems to be a consensus that Amleth and consequently Hamlet are from Amlóði, an Icelandic form.
There are some theories here about Amlóði's meaning on Wikipedia, I'll paraphrase the likeliest below.
-Possibly derived from a stock character in early Icelandic folk tales that was a "fool", "simpleton" or "trickster". It is hypothesised this might come from Ancient Scandinavian elements ama meaning "to vex" and óðr meaning "frenzy".
-Possibly from Old Irish Admlithi meaning "great-grinding", in reference to a mill. This theory is supported by that in the Prose Edda, a significant work of Icelandic literature, a kenning for the sea is used, "Amlóða kvren", meaning "Amlóði's mill". A kenning is essentially a metaphor used in old Norse literature that replaces the original noun, for example the sun might be referred to as a "sky candle", with the Sun and a candle sharing the property of light. This suggests that the name Amlóði and mills are connected in some way, which could possibly be filled in with it meaning "great-grinding".
This message was edited 6/13/2016, 6:38 AM
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