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second name, generally from some quality of mind or body possessed by 

 the owner, as, Ethelred Mucel (the term Muckle or Mickle, great, still 

 lingers among us colloquially) i.e. Ethelred the great — ^huge of bulk or 

 proportion ; Hewald Black and Hewald White, mentioned by Bede, who tells 

 us they were so called from the colour of the hair. Most of you, too, wiU be 

 familiar with the historical epithets of Unreachj, Harefoot, Harfagres, i.e. 

 Fair Locks, modern Fairfax, Ironsides &c. But I must ask you to bear 

 in mind that in no instance did these acquired names become hereditary. 

 They invariably died with their possessors, though some centuries later 

 when names did become hereditary, epithets of similar import were bestowed 

 which took root and still abide among us as our Blacks, Whites, Grays, 

 Sharps, Lightf oots, Heavisides, are at hand to testify. Since many of the 

 Saxon single names are in themselves very expressive, generally betoken- 

 ing some mental or physical characteristic of the individual, but more 

 especially because a large number of them have come down to us and form 

 part of our present stock of names, both prenominal and surnominaJ, I 

 think I cannot do better than turn aside for a moment and select a few 

 for special notice. Fortunately for our purpose, long before the Saxon 

 rule came to an end in England, the various spoken dialects of the early 

 invaders had become blended into one language and had passed from a 

 mere spoken speech into a written tongue, of which there is a compara- 

 tively large stock of its literature still extant, out of which Dictionaries 

 and Grammars have been formed. 



Instead of forming half-guesses, therefore, or of taking upon trust 

 the half-gueases of others, we can go to the fountain's source and satisfy 

 ourselves. The following may be set down as some of the leading Saxon 

 roots of most frequent use in the composition of Saxon names : — God, 

 signifying Deity, or Good, which was synonymous with Deity while 

 the Saxons were in a state of Heathenism ; Os a hero, also signifying 

 Deity ; Thor, the Teutonic Jupiter, or Father of Heaven ; Wulf and 

 Wylf — a Wolf ; Orni, a serpent or tvorm ; Win, Hilcl and GutJi, all 

 si^niifying, battle, war or strife ; Sig, a conquest or victory ; Helm, a 

 helmet: Bald, bold ; iVald, power or dominion ; Rice, mighty, (compare 

 our modern term rich); Ethel, noble; Ead or Eadig, blessed or prosperous; 



