| English. | French. | Italian. | German. | Frisian. |
| Gerald | Giraud | Giraldo | Gerold | Gerold |
| Guirauld | Gerelt | |||
| Girault | Gerel |
Gerhardine in German, and Giralda in Italian, are the feminines, besides our own Geraldine. Possibly Giralda may once have been the Valkyr name Geirhilda, which has survived in the North in the form of Jerilla, jer being the northern corruption of geir. Jerlau is thus Geirlaug, and Jeruf, or Jerul, Geirolf.
In like manner, though with different pronunciation, we make Jervis out of the old Norman Gervais, which was probably Geirfuss, or warlike eagerness. It used to be explained as gerfast, all firm, but this is, of course, wrong; though, as I have not found Geirfuss in the roll of northern names, and it would have been Gerfuns in Germany, where Gerwas is common, as is Gervais in France, and Gervaso in Italy, this must be doubtful.
The Gerberge of French history, the queen of Louis l'Outremer, was the same as the Geirbjorg of the North: Gerwin, or spear friend, made the Guarin of France, whence the Waryn of a few English families, and Guarino of Italy.
The old Spanish-Gothic feminine Garsendis was certainly Garswinth, or spear strength, and the equally ancient Garsias, or Garcia, so common in Galicia and Navarre, must have its commencement from the same source, though the last syllable has lost its individuality on the soft Spanish tongues. It was long a royal name, but was dropped about the thirteenth century, and makes its last public appearance in the person of the Peruvian prince and author Garcilasso de la Vega.
The spear raven, Gerramn, is the old English Jerram, that has become lost in Jerome; and the spear prince, Gerbold, has furnished the family name of Garibaldi. Gar is very rare in native Anglo-Saxon names, whether as a beginning or end, but most frequent in all the other branches of the Teuton stock; and its other form, gais, is the most reasonable explanation of the beginning of the name of Geisserich, the king of the Vandals, who has been made into Genserich, and then translated into the Gander king! The remaining forms are:—
| Ger. Gerbert; It. Gerberto—Bright spear | ||||
| Ger. Gerfrid—Spear peace | ||||
| Nor. | German. | Neth. | Frisian. | |
| Gierlac | Gerlach Gerlib | Garlef Garlaf | Garleff | Spear sport Spear relic |
| Nor. Geirmund, Garmund—Spear hand | ||||
| Nor. Geirny—Spear fresh; Gierrandur—Spear house | ||||
| Nor. Geirridur—Spear impulse; Gierstein—Spear stone | ||||
| Nor. Geirthiofr—Spear thief; Geirvör—Spear prudence | ||||
| Nor. Geirvart; Fris. Gerber—Spear guard | ||||
Section VIII.—Folker.
Of all the champions of Burgundy, none is more full of gallantry and bonhommie than Folker, the mighty fiddler of Alsace, a true knight, always equally ready for music or for fighting. If the Nibelungenlied be really another form of the Eddaic myth, Folker may answer to Bragi, the god of poetry, but he has his own individual character of blithe undaunted courage. Even when the terrible battle has begun, and the heroes find themselves hemmed in by Chriemhild’s warriors, Folker fiddles on, until he dies by the hand of Hildebram.
Folker’s name is from our own word folk, the near relation of the Latin vulgus, whose progeny are found all over Europe in vulgar, vulgo, foule, &c. Most likely Folkvard is really the right version, and would mean people’s guard, and Folker is rather its corruption than independently the people’s warrior, and the same with Folko; they are, therefore, all thrown together in the following table.