ESKILD - derivation and meaning
My sister is expecting a baby boy and would like to name him after our father who died recently. His name - ESKILD - is Danish. My grandfather was ESKILD ANTON born in Copenhagen late 19th century. We would like to know the meaning in an attempt to find an Hebrew version. Can anyone help?
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"Eskild" (other forms are "Eskil" and "Eskel") is a Danish and Swedish form of the name "Askjell". You can check out this Danish website for verification as to the connection among all these names:http://www.nordreisa.vgs.no/Larere/HI/2NO/Navn/Fornavn1.htmThe names are composed of the elements "es" or "as", meaning "God" and "ketill" ("kild", "kjell", etc.) meaning "sacrificial cauldron".I rather doubt there exists an exact Hebrew name equivalent somewhere for any name meaning "God's sacrificial cauldron", so you may want to consider simply finding a similar-sounding name in Hebrew, in order to honor your grandfather. May I suggest the following?Eshel - "tamarisk tree"
Eshkol - "cluster of grapes"Your grandfather's middle name of "Anton" is much easier to find a Hebrew name translation for: "Hillel" (meaning "praised, famous") or "Segel" (meaning "treasure").-- Nanaea
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Ooooo. A fundamentally PRE-CHRISTIAN name! After all, "sacrificial cauldrons" were not part of the Northern European Christian tradition, but they WERE a feature of Celtic religion.The most famous, the Gundestrup Cauldron, found in the Danish locale of the same name, depicts the sacrifical drowning of a victim in a cauldron, possibly to honor a god: Cernunnos and Teutates are the most likely candidates.Does the word "kjell" have any relation to the German "Quelle" (spring of water) or the English "well"? All hold water, even if this premise doesn't.
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Neat background info on the sacrificial cauldrons, Daividh. I dunno if the word "kjell" has any relation to the the German "Quelle" or the English "well", but those are certainly interesting parallels that you've drawn.There's mystery in words. No wonder etymology is such a fascinating study. :)-- Nanaea
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Thank you Daividh and Nanaea
The baby is due at the end of March - we'll not burden him for life with the sacrificial cauldron aspect but your suggestions will help
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