Variations of famous Viking-era swordsmiths' names

Jim McDougall · 1st November 2019, 07:00 PM

While we have been focused on the ULFBERHT blade phenomenon, which appears of course to be the predecessor of the INGELRII blades, which is the subject of the original query here, this perspective has been indeed key to the answer.
Ibrahiim, thank you for that link which indeed adds to that perspective,

To continue on INGELRII, I found the following article in the spring 2005 Park Lane Arms Fair journal,
"INGELRII: A Continuing Tradition in Early Medieval Swordsmithing"
by Michael R. Gorman
On p.30, it notes;
"..with the advent of the Ulfberht blades, we perceive a moment of technological innovation in sword smithing , which the original smith(we presume his name was Ulfberht) chose to proclaim by an additionally novel way of inscribing his mark/tradename. It seems that this tradition continues with the rise of the INGEL group of inlays, which are morphologically very similar to the ULFBERHT inlays, and carry forward without perceptible interruption into the mid 11th c.".

It is suggested that the extended chronological range of these swords, surpassing the life span of one person, likely may have been a family firm or closely linked shops in a group.

Further, the much improved quality of these blades was superior to the older PATTERN WELDED blades, thus ULFBERHT became synonymous with high quality. Naturally copying of the inlaid inscriptions was inevitable.

At the end of the 'ULFBERHT' period (950AD +) emerged another group of morphologically inlaid blade inscriptions in form of the name Ingel, (usually INGELRII) but there appears to have been an overlap in transition. While the Ulfberht ceased, the INGELRII group carried into c. 1050AD.

One sword found in a river bed (River Nene, Ravens Willow, Cambridgeshire) actually had ULBERHT on one side and INGELRII on the other!!!

There seem to be variations in the INGEL group, such as INERIIGEMITT; INEERIIRIETI; INCELRII and others. With the original INGELRII, the grouping seems sometimes separate suggesting RII is a suffix, recalling the often separate 'T' in Ulfberht perhaps being of similar intent.

Whatever the case, these two 'names' became synonymous with quality for the apparently dramatic improvement in smithing techniques and production. The copying and spurious reproduction of the inlays of these groups of swords of course suggest that they are more a quality imbuement than makers name proper, and the origin of these names remain unclear.

With regard to the metallurgy of these early medieval blades, it is noted (p.35) that an INGELRII sword (presumed by the author to be last quarter 10th to early 11th c) when cleaned revealed the appearance of Damascus steel.
While this article predates the other works we have discussed, it is noted that the 'jury was still out' as far as whether authentically crucible steel or simply a makers effort to duplicate it. The author notes that Alan Williams was among those investigating this sword along with Peter Finer; the late Ian Peirce; the late Claude Blair and other notable figures.

Reventlov · 2nd November 2019, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

One sword found in a river bed (River Nene, Ravens Willow, Cambridgeshire) actually had ULBERHT on one side and INGELRII on the other!!!

I mentioned this up-thread...

vilhelmsson has eloquently (and gently) pointed out the weaknesses in that particular paper by Feuerbach; similar issues were previously raised here: https://myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?p=325878

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...&vt=0&eim=1,2,6 is an INGELRI weapon

BONHAMS HAD ONE WHICH THEY SOLD...SEE https://www2.bonhams.com/auctions/21639/lot/218/[/url]

This second example is I think very likely a fraud (Peter Johnsson has previously opined publicly on it as well.) The first is more interesting, its script is extremely similar to others that are inscribed INGERIHFECIT. I would be curious if anyone knows more about it; I gather it is/was on loan from a private collection.

Here is a somewhat dubious lead that perhaps someone else can follow further than I can at the moment. In a French article I found the conjecture that the Ingelrii workshop may have been located in Cologne, on the basis of a stained glass window claimed to show the name INGELRII on a sword-blade. With a little imagination, I can possibly see the letters RI in the image below, but it could just as well be the texture of the glass... I have not been able to find a high-resolution image to confirm one way or the other.

The window is of St. Cecilia, in St. Cunibert's basilica, in Cologne.

Victrix · 2nd November 2019, 04:59 PM

I searched the word Ingelrii. The Annals of the Coinage of Britain and its Dependencies by Rogers Ruding mentions an Ingelri in a list of moneyers to Aethelred, Rex Anglorum.

In ancient Norse, Ing is the name of a god presumed to be fertility god Frey (gender neutral). Names were combined with Ing to place the child under the protection of that god, e.g. Ingrid, Ingvar. Ingela is a Germanic name.

Ingel is the word for angel in Old Frisian and Estonian (from German Engel).

The Angles (Old English: Aengle, Latin: Anglii, German: Angeln) were a Germanic people who settled in Britain in the post-Roman period. They originated from the Schleswig-Holstein area. This is the origin of the word England.

Reventlov · 2nd November 2019, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victrix

I searched the word Ingelrii. The Annals of the Coinage of Britain and its Dependencies by Rogers Ruding mentions an Ingelri in a list of moneyers to Aethelred, Rex Anglorum.

Well done! Such a close match with the swords' name is new to me. Following up on this leads to an article on the topic of the many continental moneyers at work in England during the 10th century. INGELRI and other variants are attributed to one or more moneyers named Ingelric:

Quote:

Ingelric
ENGELRI [Edw I HT1], INGERI [Æthst HCT1]
INGELRIES genitive [Edg HR1]
Oxford INGELRI [Æthst CC]
Probably two different moneyers here, as the earlier moneyer is linked to Oxford by a mint-signature; probably the Edward moneyer is the same man, as he strikes late in the reign. He uses Winchester derived dies, which would be normal for Ox-ford. The Edgar moneyer on the other hand uses a Rosette die with M in the field,which indicates Derby die-cutting, and there is no evidence for such dies reaching Oxford. There are no examples for the intervening period.

This is apparently based on coins different than any known by Ruding as Athelred is not mentioned.

http://www.snsbi.org.uk/Nomina_artic...a_32_Smart.pdf

Victrix · 2nd November 2019, 06:49 PM

Yes here is the link to Ruding’s book: https://books.google.se/books?id=p1d...oinage&f=false. Looks like an interesting article!

Also in my previous post I mentioned Anglii to show the Latin version of this word. So Ingelrii presumably is the Latin version of Ingelri (a name with Germanic/Frisian origins) and maybe meaning by/of/belonging to, Ingelri or some similar.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 8th November 2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victrix

I searched the word Ingelrii. The Annals of the Coinage of Britain and its Dependencies by Rogers Ruding mentions an Ingelri in a list of moneyers to Aethelred, Rex Anglorum.

In ancient Norse, Ing is the name of a god presumed to be fertility god Frey (gender neutral). Names were combined with Ing to place the child under the protection of that god, e.g. Ingrid, Ingvar. Ingela is a Germanic name.

Ingel is the word for angel in Old Frisian and Estonian (from German Engel).

The Angles (Old English: Aengle, Latin: Anglii, German: Angeln) were a Germanic people who settled in Britain in the post-Roman period. They originated from the Schleswig-Holstein area. This is the origin of the word England.

Salaams Victrix, I regret I missed this post as it points quite firmly at the origin of this peculiar word INGELRII . Nicely placed and very well noted.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 8th November 2019, 03:14 PM

INGELRII

I LOOKED UP ING.

Please See ~ http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/inguz

My understanding of what was clearly a very powerful rune like inscription on Frankish / Viking and related Icelandic and other European linked sword blades is more or less set out in this excellent appraisal of what the word means. It is naturally drenched in Myth and Legend and seems to flow between the tribal moving plates of Viking influence in all its forms seemingly tied to linguistic influence in particular Norse, Old English, West Saxon and Frankish … to name a few.

The paragraph that struck me is from the reference above and set out

Quote''Thus, Inguz contains within its lore the true meaning of sacrifice. Such sacrifice occurs when one form is called upon to die so that a newly evolved form may begin to grow. This is one of the cornerstone concepts in what is known as the ‘male mysteries’. To die for something, such as a cause or an ideal such as freedom, a universal theme in warrior traditions, is thus connected to the energies of Inguz".Unquote

Thus an extremely powerful rune like inscription INGELRII often on one side of the blade balancing VLFBEHRT on the reverse...or a concoction of it\ them.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 10th November 2019, 09:17 AM

I think the following is well worth taking on board on the details of warfare in Frankish lands ~ Please see https://erenow.net/ww/medieval-warfare-a-history/2.php

PART I PHASES OF MEDIEVAL WARFARE.

PART 2 CAROLINGIAN AND OTTONIAN WARFARE.

Quote"WARFARE was perhaps the most dominant concern of the political elites of the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries. Other medieval social orders have been described as ‘a society organized for war’: Carolingian and Ottonian societies were largely organized by war. The political community, when it came together, was often called ‘the army’ even when it was not functioning as one. And usually it did come together in order to function as one. Massive coercive force was repeatedly deployed against subordinate peoples on the frontiers, with considerable success. It was also deployed, with less consistent success, against invading predators—Northmen (Vikings) along the Atlantic and North Sea coastlines from the early ninth century, Muslims along the Mediterranean coastline from the last years of the eighth century, Magyars from the Danube valley from the last years of the ninth century. And of course it was deployed against rivals within the Frankish world, by both rulers and magnates. Its deployment required substantial investment in organization (taxation and other forms of funding, transport, command structures), physical resources (food, water, equipment), and manpower (conscripted and ‘voluntary’). Increasingly also investment in defensive fortifications was required. Success in warfare brought prestige, authority, and power beyond the immediate results of the campaigning itself; failure similarly risked a crisis in the legitimacy and stability of political authority. "Unquote.

2nd November 2019, 06:49 PM	#5
Victrix Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Sweden Posts: 755	Yes here is the link to Ruding’s book: https://books.google.se/books?id=p1d...oinage&f=false. Looks like an interesting article! Also in my previous post I mentioned Anglii to show the Latin version of this word. So Ingelrii presumably is the Latin version of Ingelri (a name with Germanic/Frisian origins) and maybe meaning by/of/belonging to, Ingelri or some similar. Last edited by Victrix; 2nd November 2019 at 10:53 PM.

8th November 2019, 03:14 PM	#7
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	INGELRII I LOOKED UP ING. Please See ~ http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/inguz My understanding of what was clearly a very powerful rune like inscription on Frankish / Viking and related Icelandic and other European linked sword blades is more or less set out in this excellent appraisal of what the word means. It is naturally drenched in Myth and Legend and seems to flow between the tribal moving plates of Viking influence in all its forms seemingly tied to linguistic influence in particular Norse, Old English, West Saxon and Frankish … to name a few. The paragraph that struck me is from the reference above and set out Quote''Thus, Inguz contains within its lore the true meaning of sacrifice. Such sacrifice occurs when one form is called upon to die so that a newly evolved form may begin to grow. This is one of the cornerstone concepts in what is known as the ‘male mysteries’. To die for something, such as a cause or an ideal such as freedom, a universal theme in warrior traditions, is thus connected to the energies of Inguz".Unquote Thus an extremely powerful rune like inscription INGELRII often on one side of the blade balancing VLFBEHRT on the reverse...or a concoction of it\ them. Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 8th November 2019 at 03:55 PM.

1st November 2019, 07:00 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	While we have been focused on the ULFBERHT blade phenomenon, which appears of course to be the predecessor of the INGELRII blades, which is the subject of the original query here, this perspective has been indeed key to the answer. Ibrahiim, thank you for that link which indeed adds to that perspective, To continue on INGELRII, I found the following article in the spring 2005 Park Lane Arms Fair journal, "INGELRII: A Continuing Tradition in Early Medieval Swordsmithing" by Michael R. Gorman On p.30, it notes; "..with the advent of the Ulfberht blades, we perceive a moment of technological innovation in sword smithing , which the original smith(we presume his name was Ulfberht) chose to proclaim by an additionally novel way of inscribing his mark/tradename. It seems that this tradition continues with the rise of the INGEL group of inlays, which are morphologically very similar to the ULFBERHT inlays, and carry forward without perceptible interruption into the mid 11th c.". It is suggested that the extended chronological range of these swords, surpassing the life span of one person, likely may have been a family firm or closely linked shops in a group. Further, the much improved quality of these blades was superior to the older PATTERN WELDED blades, thus ULFBERHT became synonymous with high quality. Naturally copying of the inlaid inscriptions was inevitable. At the end of the 'ULFBERHT' period (950AD +) emerged another group of morphologically inlaid blade inscriptions in form of the name Ingel, (usually INGELRII) but there appears to have been an overlap in transition. While the Ulfberht ceased, the INGELRII group carried into c. 1050AD. One sword found in a river bed (River Nene, Ravens Willow, Cambridgeshire) actually had ULBERHT on one side and INGELRII on the other!!! There seem to be variations in the INGEL group, such as INERIIGEMITT; INEERIIRIETI; INCELRII and others. With the original INGELRII, the grouping seems sometimes separate suggesting RII is a suffix, recalling the often separate 'T' in Ulfberht perhaps being of similar intent. Whatever the case, these two 'names' became synonymous with quality for the apparently dramatic improvement in smithing techniques and production. The copying and spurious reproduction of the inlays of these groups of swords of course suggest that they are more a quality imbuement than makers name proper, and the origin of these names remain unclear. With regard to the metallurgy of these early medieval blades, it is noted (p.35) that an INGELRII sword (presumed by the author to be last quarter 10th to early 11th c) when cleaned revealed the appearance of Damascus steel. While this article predates the other works we have discussed, it is noted that the 'jury was still out' as far as whether authentically crucible steel or simply a makers effort to duplicate it. The author notes that Alan Williams was among those investigating this sword along with Peter Finer; the late Ian Peirce; the late Claude Blair and other notable figures.

2nd November 2019, 04:59 PM	#3
Victrix Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Sweden Posts: 755	I searched the word Ingelrii. The Annals of the Coinage of Britain and its Dependencies by Rogers Ruding mentions an Ingelri in a list of moneyers to Aethelred, Rex Anglorum. In ancient Norse, Ing is the name of a god presumed to be fertility god Frey (gender neutral). Names were combined with Ing to place the child under the protection of that god, e.g. Ingrid, Ingvar. Ingela is a Germanic name. Ingel is the word for angel in Old Frisian and Estonian (from German Engel). The Angles (Old English: Aengle, Latin: Anglii, German: Angeln) were a Germanic people who settled in Britain in the post-Roman period. They originated from the Schleswig-Holstein area. This is the origin of the word England.

10th November 2019, 09:17 AM	#8
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	I think the following is well worth taking on board on the details of warfare in Frankish lands ~ Please see https://erenow.net/ww/medieval-warfare-a-history/2.php PART I PHASES OF MEDIEVAL WARFARE. PART 2 CAROLINGIAN AND OTTONIAN WARFARE. Quote"WARFARE was perhaps the most dominant concern of the political elites of the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries. Other medieval social orders have been described as ‘a society organized for war’: Carolingian and Ottonian societies were largely organized by war. The political community, when it came together, was often called ‘the army’ even when it was not functioning as one. And usually it did come together in order to function as one. Massive coercive force was repeatedly deployed against subordinate peoples on the frontiers, with considerable success. It was also deployed, with less consistent success, against invading predators—Northmen (Vikings) along the Atlantic and North Sea coastlines from the early ninth century, Muslims along the Mediterranean coastline from the last years of the eighth century, Magyars from the Danube valley from the last years of the ninth century. And of course it was deployed against rivals within the Frankish world, by both rulers and magnates. Its deployment required substantial investment in organization (taxation and other forms of funding, transport, command structures), physical resources (food, water, equipment), and manpower (conscripted and ‘voluntary’). Increasingly also investment in defensive fortifications was required. Success in warfare brought prestige, authority, and power beyond the immediate results of the campaigning itself; failure similarly risked a crisis in the legitimacy and stability of political authority. "Unquote.