Gyðja, Gythja

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Period Forms:

<gyðja> is found in@http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/norse/vikbynames.html as an occupational byname meaning "priestess" [but also means goddess - see concerns in the precedent below]

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Sources:

Academy of St. Gabriel "Medieval Names Archive" - [[1]] Database of medieval names (from the Medieval Names Archive) - http://www.ellipsis.cx/~liana/names/database/ Archive of St. Gabriel reports - [[2]]

Laurel Name Articles - http:heraldry.sca.org/laurel/

IGI Searches, batches beginning with C, J, K, M (except M17 and M18), or P are acceptable - http://familysearch.org

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - [[3]] Morsulus Heralds Website - [[4]] (to search the LoARs and Precedents) Restatement Wiki - [[5]] (restatements of Precedents)

From the April 2009 LoAR: Kolskeggr goði kimbi. Name change from holding name Kolskeggr of Small Gray Bear. This was pended on the September LoAR to allow the commenters to discuss whether the byname goði// violates RfS VI.1 Names Claiming Rank or RfS VI.2. Names Claiming Powers. //Gyðja//, the feminine form of //goði//, was noted as being possibly presumptuous on the May 2003 LoAR, since it appears that the primary meaning of the word is 'goddess', and only the secondary meaning 'priestess'. Concerning the masculine form //goði//, Cleasby and Vigfusson, //An Icelandic-English Dictionary, s.v. goði have a long discussion of the meaning of this word, noting that it seems to have started out as 'priest', and latter was used to refer to small-scale chiefs, with varying numbers of vassals. There is no indication that this word was used to mean 'god'. Siren notes that: A review by Danny Yee (who has a massive online site with insightful reviews of anthropology books and others) of Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power says this about the goðar (plural of goði): >> Gothar had few special sources of wealth -- some very limited taxes and a chance at price-setting for imports; tithes and trade were open to all farmers. The power of the gothar rested on their status as legal advocates and a gothorth was not a territorial or hereditary chieftaincy but rather "a professional vocation with entrepreneurial overtones". As the title of goði// was neither territorial nor hereditary, its use does not violate RfS VI.1 Names Claiming Rank. Since we do not have any evidence that //goði was used to mean 'god', its use does not violate RfS VI.2 Names Claiming Powers. Thus, the name is registerable. [[6]]

From the May 2003 LoAR: Solveig Gyðja Christiansdottir. Name...Further, there was some question whether the byname gyðja was presumptuous. Geirr Bassi gives the meaning of this byname as 'priestess'. However, Metron Ariston noted that: > The doubts about the usage might be enhanced (and possibly raise an issue of presumption) since Zoega's Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic (p. 176) shows its primary meaning as "goddess" with "priestess" only secondary. At this time, we are declining to rule whether use of gyðja// is presumptuous. Any resubmission of this name that includes the element //gyðja should address this issue. [[7]]

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Other Information:

Cleasby Vigfusson *may* say 'goddess' first, then 'priestess', but it then says: Gyðja... in nicknames, Þuríðr gyðja, Th. the priestess, Landn.... @http://lexicon.ff.cuni.cz/html/oi_cleasbyvigfusson/b0221.html

Similarly, Finnur Jónsson's Tilnavne i den Islandske Oldlitteratur (Copenhagen: H. H. Thieles Bogtrykkeri. 1908 has:

• gyðja, Þorlaug Ldn. X; Þuríðr Ldn., Vd. X. Svarer som fem. til mask. goði, altså ‘tempelforstanderske’; sikkert bet. tn. ikke ‘gudinde’; jfr. følg. hofgyðja, Þuríðr Ldn. X. ‘Tempelforstanderske’; T. var søster til Þórðr freysgoði.
• Translation: gyðja, Þorlaug Landnámabók; Þuríðr Landnámabók; [Vd is Vatnsdœla saga?], Equivalent feminine to masculine goði, i.e. "temple-manager", sure not to be 'goddess', cf. the following: hofgyðja, Þuríðr Landnámabók. 'Temple-manager'; Þuríðr was the sister of Þórðr freysgoði.

In the Landnámabók here are two human, and non-goddess women, with typically human-sounding patronymics:

• "Þorlaugu gyðju dóttur sína Oddi Ýrarsyni" translated as "Þorlaug gyðja daughter of Oddi Ýrarson".
• "Þuríði gyðju, dóttur Sölmundar í Ásbjarnarnesi" or "Þuríðr gyðja, daughter of Sólmundr of Ásbjarnarnes"

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SENA PN.4.C. Claim of Powers:

Names may not contain an unmistakable claim of superhuman abilities, magical powers, or divine origin. In general, a name phrase used by normal human beings during our period is not considered to be a claim to superhuman abilities or divine origin.

For example, we will register Odinson//, because Odin was used as a human given name in Middle English and in Norwegian. Similarly, we will register an English byname //Devil//, because it is attested as a human descriptive byname in medieval England. On the other hand, we will not register a name like //Lokassson// as a patronymic constructed from the name //Loki//, because the only known use of //Loki is as the name of an Old Norse god. Such a name would be a claim to a divine origin.

There are examples of attested given names and bynames that are claims to magical abilities or other superhuman abilities. Such names will not be registered unless they can be demonstrated to have been used in contexts that are not claims to magical abilities. Use of them by multiple individuals is often sufficient to do so, unless they all were understood to have the same magical power. One example is the Norse byname sundafyllir, which is a reference to a story in which the owner filled a strait with fish through magic. Such a name would not be registerable. http:heraldry.sca.org/sena.html#PN4