SCA name question

[eveglass]

I've got a question for the Viking / Norse enthusiasts among my friends' list. You know who you are.

There are names out there that shift depending on the region. "John," for example, becomes "Jean" in French, "Giovanni" in Italian, "Juan" in Spanish, and so on.

What would be the correct permutation of "Katherine" for 10th-12th century Denmark? Any ideas? (Super-wonderful bonus points if you can come up with something equivalent for the byname "Ashewode.")

Thanks!

Edited to add: A bit of Internet searching seems to indicate that "Katherine" in almost any form would not have existed in Western Europe before the Crusades, since it was brought back from the East by the Crusaders. In other words, trying to fit it into 10th-11th century Denmark -- in any form -- is a losing battle. Is that accurate?

Comments

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Um, I thought that was when the Varangians were in the East? :)

[eveglass.livejournal.com]

It's possible. I still know very little about the period. What would your point be if they were?

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

The Varangians were a group of Norse traders who raided though the mid east during that time period, and then eventually settled and worked as elite guards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varangians

The name would still remain very rare, however there was signifigant contact between the Norse and the easterners where your name would have originated from.

[eveglass.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Good to know, thanks.

[hoppibadge.livejournal.com]

Dates aside, the Danish spelling of Katherine is/was often Kathrine or Karen.

[eveglass.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[ulfhirtha.livejournal.com]

Mailed you some stuff on this, but for the Ashewode I found one site (on the Asquith surname) indicating "Old Norse "ask-vithe", translating as "ash- wood". Not Danish per se but hopefully helpful.