Etymology and Place Names
The etymology of the name of the goddess Nanna is debated. Some scholars have proposed that the name may derive from a babble word, nanna, meaning "mother". Scholar Jan de Vries connects the name Nanna to the root *nanþ-, leading to "the daring one". Scholar John Lindow theorizes that a common noun may have existed in Old Norse, nanna, that roughly meant "woman". Scholar John McKinnell notes that the "mother" and *nanþ- derivations may not be distinct, commenting that nanna may have once meant "she who empowers".
Read more about this topic: Nanna (Norse Deity)
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