Aud the Deep Minded

Aud the Deepminded

 in Iceland  tagged Aud the Deep Minded / Dublin / Hebrides / Iceland / Isle of Mann / nicknames / Norse history / Scotland / slavery / travel / Vikings by

The Norse had no last names so used nicknames to specify which Harald, Olaf, or Sven.  Some nicknames were graphic, referring to genitals or, say, skull splitting.  Others were funny: Furbreeches, the Amorous, or Lousebeard.  Many were simply descriptive, Forkbeard, Thinhair, Bluetooth.     Women’s nicknames included Horsegelder, Shipbreast, and one of my favorite ancestors, Aud the Deepminded.   Odd that Aud’s nickname is so exalting.  Cnut the Great and Aud are the only very positive ones I’ve come across. Aud’s father was Ketil Flatnose who made himself a king by conquering the Hebrides and Isle of Man.  Her husband was […]

Freya the Sharp Minded

 in Our Quest  tagged Aud the Deep Minded / Colorado / good question / Penrose Community Library / presentations / smart girls / travel / Vkings by

My revered ancestor, Aud the Deep-Minded, had nothing on the five-year-old girl who attended my Viking presentation at the Penrose Community Library.  Freya’s parents had their hands full keeping their busy one inbounds through 40 minutes of adult-level Viking history, but when I asked for questions, Freya popped up with one of the best questions I’ve ever gotten from an audience.  “Why aren’t they scary anymore?” Whoa!  All that fidgeting, didn’t keep her from listening…and thinking.  Fortunately, I knew the answer:  Vikings took the Atlantic by storm because they had better ships and weapons.  When they invaded other countries, took slaves, formed alliances, and fraternized, others picked […]