King’s College 2004 v Mistress Gunnvör sílfrahárr
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Bynames of Relationship: Patronymic
Formation
Patronymics were overwhelmingly the most common type of byname in use in Old Norse
Patronymics (or matronymics) must follow the ordinary rules of Old Norse grammar. In modern English, when we want to indicate a possessive (sometimes also known as the genitive case
of the noun) we do so by
adding an ending (the possessive of
John is John's) or else we use a phrase that indicates the possessive (of John). So in modern English, when we want to indicate a son belonging to John, we say John's
son or the son of JohnIn Old Norse, the possessive is indicated by a change in the ending of the word.