Re: Ramgren
in reply to a message by Jennifer
Björn means "bear" (a number of Germanic words have -n variants). It's a common element of dithematic names, but also occurs on it's own, as a nickname, and of course in place names. The Beo- in Beowulf is an Anglicized short form (in the poem Beowulf is a Geat, from Gottland), which creates a wordplay (it reads as bee-wolf, i.e. bear).
p b f and v followed by n frequently become mn>n if the intervening vowel becomes unvoiced, so Rafn becomes Ram, *sopnus becomes somnus (but without the -n stem remains sopor, sopio etc.)
p b f and v followed by n frequently become mn>n if the intervening vowel becomes unvoiced, so Rafn becomes Ram, *sopnus becomes somnus (but without the -n stem remains sopor, sopio etc.)