Giselhilda, and Giselberge, were German, also Gisalhart, and Giselof; and Gisalrico is found among the Spanish Goths. Geltfried and Giltimir are also German forms, and the latter explains Gelimer, the Vandal king in Africa, conquered by Belisarius.
Gils is a common Norwegian name, and no doubt contributed to the English Giles, French Gilles, and Spanish Gil, though all these look to the Greek hermit in France, Aigidios, as their patron. In the North, Ægidius is rendered by Ilian, Yljan, Yrjan, Orjan, but not by Giles: and it would seem as if Julius had been confounded with the name, as well as, perhaps, Giolla, a servant.
Giolla Brigde, or Bridget’s disciple, is thought to have contributed the Scottish examples of Gilbert, which is incorrectly explained by some as Gelb-bert, or yellow bright; but is clearly traceable to the old Frank Giselbert. There were four saints so called, namely, an abbot of Fontenelle, a great friend of William the Conqueror, an Auvergnat knight in the second Crusade, the English founder of the order of Gilbertine monks, and a bishop of Caithness; and it has been a prevalent name in England, Scotland, and the Low Countries, with many contractions, especially in the latter.[[134]]
| English. | French. | Italian. | German. |
| Gilbert | Guilbert | Gilberto | Giselbert |
| Gilpin | Gisebert | Dutch. | Gilbert |
| Gil | Gileber | Gysbert | Gisbert |
| Gibbon | Gilbert | Gysbert | Gispert |
| Gipp | Ghiliber | Flemish. | Giseprecht |
| Gilli |
[134]. Munter; Munch; Michaelis; Grimm; Took.
Section VII.—Ghernot.
Ghernot was Gunther’s second brother, who was free from the guilt of the murder of Siegfried, and greatly displeased with Haghen for depriving Chriemhilt of the treasure; but he shared the fate of his brothers, being killed early in the encounter by the Markgraf Rudiger.[Rudiger.]
Perhaps, necessity of war, or spear compulsion, would be the best sounding translations of this remarkable name.
Ghere, the same as the northern Gejr and German Kero, is the messenger sent to invite Siegfried and Chriemhild to Wurms, when they paid the visit that had such fatal consequences; and gher or gjer is one of the most frequent of the component parts of names. Its right and original meaning is a spear, the same as that of the Latin quiris and Keltic coir. Thence the Anglo-Saxons called all other weapons waren, and the battle war, a word we still use, just as the French do guerre, and the Spaniards guerra.
Gar is quite in modern German, and gher has dropped out of the language, and thus most of the German names commencing with it have been misinterpreted to mean all, but it is impossible to compare them with their northern cousins without tracing the same spear in both.