How to Sanskritze Norse Names
Sanskritize Old Norse Names
If we are going to translate Old Norse literature into Sanskrit, we have to figureout how to render the names, like Thor or Odin, into Sanskrit. The way I do this is by swapping out the Norse case endings with a Sanskrit one. Sometimes I might translate the names completely or in part. Often times I will look at the etymology.
When it comes to phonology, Old Norse has the "f" sound, which Sanskrit doesn't have. I could use the "ph" sound, but I have decided to be a bit unorthodox and improt the "f" sound into Sanskrit by writing a nuqta under the "फ", i.e. "फ़".
Names of Races
Names of races and will be translated, not loaned into Sanskrit.
Aesir
The Aesir are one class of gods, the other being the Vanir. It is in this group that gods like Odin and Thor belong to. Long ago the Aesir and Vanir gods were at war, but eveentually they made peace.
The word Aesir is the plural form of the word Old Norse word "áss", meaning "god". This word comes from Proto Germanic "ansuz". This is cognate to the Sanskrit "असु' (vital breath,life) and "असुर" (lord,prince; later: demon). The latter has a very negative connotation, so I will go with the former.
More specifically, I will render it as: असुदेव, or "god of life/vital breath".
Vanir
As mentioned before, the Vanir are a class of gods. They were once at war with the Aesir but made peace with them. Freya/Frigga is a Vanir goddess. They seem to be connected with fertility and nature.
One etymology promposed for Vanir (singilar Vanr) is Proto Germanic: wana, "to desire, strive for". This is cognate to Sanskrit वनस्. वनस् meeans "desire" or "loveliness". It is also homophonous to the word meaning "forest" or "tree". This is interesting as the Vanir are known for fertility and nature.
The Sanskrit rendition of a Vanir god is thus: वनोदेव.
Jotunn
The Jotunar or "frost giant", though they are nor giants, are a race of beings that dwell in the mountains and forests, who are antagonistic to the gods. This isn't to say that all Jotunn's are bad, for example Tyr in some versions is said to be a the son of a Jotunn.
Jotun are cognate with English "ettin", which refers to a supernatural being. They derive from the verb "to eat", therefore giving them a conotation of ebing "well fed".
I am going to use the Sanskrit word "भाक्ष", meaning "gluttonous" to refer to them.
Thus Jotunn in Sanskrit would be भाक्षासुर or भाक्षगुह्यक , the former means "gluttonous demon" and the latter means "gluttonous cave dwellers" as sometimes Jotunns are described as cave dwelling. The Guhyakas in Hindu lore are a race cave dwelling mountineers.
Another name for Jotunn is a Thurse. The word is cognate to Sanskrit तुर, meaning strong or speady. Thus a thurse is तुरासुर.
Elves
Elves are the craftsmen and handimen of the Norse gods. In Hinduism, the craftsmen of the gods are the Rbhus. In fact some suggest that Rbhu and Elf are cognate. The words either go back to Proto Indo European: *h₃órbʰos, meaning "servent" or from Proto Indo European *h₂elbʰós, meaning"white". The latter may be ebcause the Rbhus are luminous solar deities.
In anycase, Elf is Sanskrit is ऋभु or its diminutive form, ऋभुक.
Dwarf, a being similar to an elf, is just वामन.
Names of the Nine Relms
Names of realms and will be translated, not loaned into Sanskrit. Realm (Old Norse: Heim) in Sanskrit is लोक.
Asgard
The home of the Aseir gods. This could be variosuly translated as:
- असुलोक
- असुदेवलोक
- असुदेवालय
The word Asgard literally means "enclosure of the Aesir gods", so in Sanskrit that can be:
- असुदेववाटक
- असुवाटक
Vanaheim
The home of the Vanir gods. This could be variosuly translated as:
- वनोदेवलोक
- वनोलोक
or
- वनोदेवालय
- वनालय
Jotunheim
The home of the Jotunns. This can be rendered into Sanskrti as:
- भाक्षसुरलोक
- भाक्षलोक
- भाक्षसुरालय
- भाक्षलय
- भाक्षगुह्यकलोक
- भाक्षगुह्यकालय
Midgard
This is the realm of man and literally means "middle enclosure".
In Sanskrit we already have a word for the earthly realm: मध्यलोक.
We could literally translate Midgard as "मध्यवाटक".
Niflheim
It is a misty place. Nifl means "mist" or "fog". It is one of the first two realms to exist in the begining, the other being Musepellheim. It is cognate to Sanskrit नभस्. This would means we call Niflheim as नभोलोक or नभसालय.
Fog or mist in Sanskrit is: धूमिका, but also मिह् or मिहिका. So we can have:
- धूमिकालय
- धूमिकालोक
- मिहिकालय
- मिहिकालोक
Vahol
This is the place where chosen warriors slain in battle go, awaiting their fight for Ragnarok (name that will be borrowed directly intot Sanskrit "राग्नरोक").
The name means "hall of the slain", so in Sanskrti that would be, हतशाल or
हतवीरशाल.
Alternatively:
- हतवीरलोक
- हतवीरालय
- हतलोक
- हतालय
Nidavellir
This is where the dwarves live, forging the weapons of the gods. People conflate it with swartalfheim, but I don;t agree with this. Neither do I agree with the idea of this being a mineshaft.
I think that Nidevellir is a bog land, given that norsemen got a lot of their iron as bog iron. The peat lands are known for their dark coloured soil, and one of the means attatched to Nidevellir is "dark feild".
Thus I am going to render the realm in Sanskrit as: श्यामक्षेत्र or कृष्णक्षेत्र.
Muspellheim
This was the other realm, counterpart to Niflheim, that existed in the begining. While Niflheim was cold and icy, Muspellheim was hot and fire. Where these relams met, the heat melted the ice forming a water. From that water came Ymir.
Muspellheim is where Surtur lives awating to destroy the Yiggrasill tree.
The Old Norse word Muspell is of uncertain meaning or etymology. If pains me to say this, but I will have to borrow it directly into Sanskrit as "मूस्पेल", and thus Muspellheim being: मूस्पेललोक.
Svartalfheim
Home of the dark elves. This is straightforeward श्यामर्भुकलोक or श्यामर्भुकालय.
Names of Personalities
Names of gods like Thor and Odin will be borrowed into Sanskrit, with the case endings being swapped.
Masculine -r ending Nouns
In Old Norse, the nominative masculine ending is usually "r". So Heimdall is Heimdallr. Thor is Thorr. Baldr is Baldrr.
That "r" ending is cognate to the Latin "-us", Greek "-os", and Sanskrit "-aH".
Thus, we can simple swap out the "-r" for the masculine nominative a-stem "-aH".
In Latin, Odinn was rendered as "odinus", which is where got the idea of swapping out the cases. As for the name Odinn, it would be Odinr, but the "r" got merged into the first "n", so it becme "Odinn".
Thus:
- Thorr: तोरः
- Odin: ओदिनः
- Heimdall: हैम्डाल्लः
- Baldrr: बाल्ड्रः
The exception is such names where the "r" is preceded by an "i". For example "Fenrir". It gets treated like the Sanskrit i-ending masculine nouns.
- Fenrir: फे़न्रिः
Masculine "i" ending Nouns
Names like Sindri and Loki will be rendered into Sanskrit under the i-ending masculine declension system. Thus:
- Sindri: सिन्ड्रिः
- Loki: लोकिः
Feminine "a" ending Nouns
Names like Freya or Angrboða. Such names will be rendered into Sanskrit under the long-a-ending feminine declension system. Thus:
- Freya: फ्रे़या
- Angrboða: अङ्गृबोदा
Feminine "i" ending Nouns
Names like Laufi (forced redering from Laufey). Such names will be rendered into Sanskrit under the long-i-ending feminine declension system. Thus:
- Laufi लौफी़
Exceptions
Names like Hel and Sif are tricky. I could treat them as consonant stems, like वाच् or अनुष्ठुप्, but alternatively I can tack on a case ending, so हेला and सिवी, respectively. In the case of Hel, I can translate it as नरकी.
The next set is names like Tyr. it is from Proto Germanic "tiwaz", meaning "god". This is a odd one out. It reminds me of the Old Norse word for horse, jor from Proto Germanic "ehwaz".
In this case the god Tyr would be टिवः.
Valkyrie (5/8/2024)
They are choosers of the warriors who died heroic deaths. That is origin of their name: “choosers of the slain”. In Sanskrit:
हतचेत्री
हतवरा
Conclusion
I have essentially made a Glossary for my Old Norse to Sanskrit translations. This post was published on 5/4/2024, but will be updated in the future if needed. Leave suggestions in the comments below:
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