Haguna or Hagana is a historical
Germanic name
Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements, by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', for "noble", and ', for "counsel".
However, there are als ...
. It is attested in the form ''Hagano'' in
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...
(8th century) and as ''Haguna'' and ''Hagena'' in Old English. Old West Norse has ''Hǫgni'', presumably loaned from the character in German legend. Old Danish has ''Haghni'' and ''Hoghni''; Old Swedish ''Haghne'' and ''Høghne''.
The element ''Hagan-'' also occurs in dithematic names such as Chagnoald (7th century), Chagoulf (7th century), Haganrih (8th century). It is presumably an extension of the element ''Hag-'' which is attested in numerous variants from the 8th century. The etymology of this element cannot be recovered with certainty, especially as these names were conflated from an early time with names in Ag- and Agin-. A derivation from ''hag-'' "enclosure" is possible, but Förstemann also considered Old Norse ''hagr'' "favour, advantage".
Hagen
Hagen () is the 41st-largest city in Germany. The municipality is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme (me ...
is a character in the German
Nibelungenlied
The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germani ...
, who was adopted in Old Norse sources as ''Hǫgni''.
Högne
''For other people named Högne, see Haguna.''
Högne was a king of Östergötland who appears in sources of Norse mythology.
''Heimskringla''
Snorri Sturluson wrote that he was the king of Östergötland and that he had a son named Hildur and ...
in the legends surrounding
Helgi Hundingsbane
Helgi Hundingsbane is a hero in Norse sagas. Helgi appears in '' Volsunga saga'' and in two lays in the ''Poetic Edda'' named '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana I'' and '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana II''. The ''Poetic Edda'' relates that Helgi and his mist ...
in ''
Völsunga saga
The ''Völsunga saga'' (often referred to in English as the ''Volsunga Saga'' or ''Saga of the Völsungs'') is a legendary saga, a late 13th-century poetic rendition in Old Norse of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan (including the st ...
'' and the ''
Poetic Edda
The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems, which is distinct from the ''Prose Edda'' written by Snorri Sturluson. Several versions exist, all primarily of text from the Icelandic med ...
'' is believed to be the same person as the king of
Östergötland
Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English ...
who fought the Swedish king
Ingjald
Ingjald illråde or Ingjaldr hinn illráði (''Ingold Illruler'' or ''Illready'') was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, son and successor of King Anund, and the father and predecessor of King Olof Trätälja. As with many ...
in ''
Ynglinga saga
''Ynglinga saga'' ( ) is a Kings' saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It is the first section of his '' Heimskringla''. It was first translated into English and published in 1 ...
''. Hǫgni of the
Hjaðningavíg
Hjaðningavíg (the 'battle of the Heodenings'), the ''legend of Heðinn and Hǫgni'' or the ''Saga of Hild'' is a Germanic heroic legend about a never-ending battle which is documented in ''Sörla þáttr'', '' Ragnarsdrápa'', ''Gesta Danorum'', ...
may be the same as Hagena in ''
Widsith
"Widsith" ( ang, Wīdsīþ, "far-traveller", lit. "wide-journey"), also known as "The Traveller's Song", is an Old English poem of 143 lines. It survives only in the '' Exeter Book'', a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late-10th ...
'' (line 21) since ''Widsith'' also pairs ''Hagena'' with ''Heoden'' (''Heðinn'').
Sources and external links
*(Lexicon of Nordic personal names before the 8th century)
*Sveriges medeltida personnamn, Uppsala, 1967ff, 2.581.
*E. Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856
online facsimile3rd ed. 1900
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305094219/http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00003871&mediaType=application%2Fpdf , date=2016-03-05 ), 577-579.
Germanic given names