Rán

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Female Name

Usage

Old Norse
Icelandic

Origin and Meaning

Old Norse name of uncertain meaning, probably from Old Norse rán = 'robbery, theft' ^[1]

Related Names

Rán	♀

Grammar

- Icelandic
Nominative:	Rán
Accusative:	Rán
Dative:	Rán
Genitive:	Ránar

Further Information

Mythology

Rán is an Ásynja and the ruler over the realm of the dead at the bottom of the sea to which people who have drowned go. She embodies the sinister side of the sea: In sagas drowning is more or less idiomatically equated with 'falling into Rán's hands.

Rán and her husband Ægir had nine daughters ("billow maidens"), each name reflecting a different characteristic of ocean waves:

• Bára (or Drǫfn) - Foam Fleck, Comber
• Blóðughadda - Bloody Hair (a reference to red sea foam)
• Bylgja - Billow
• Dúfa - Pitching Wave
• Hefring - Rising Wave
• Himinglæva - Transparent Wave
• Hrǫnn - Welling Wave
• Kolga - Cool Wave
• Unnr (or Uðr) - Frothing Wave

^{[2] [1]}

Statistics

No recent statistics trend found in databases for Rán.

Sources: ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

References

1. ↑ Rudolf Simek: Dictionary of Northern Mythology (1993)
2. ↑ Hermann Pálsson: Nafnabókin (1991)
3. ↑ Statistiska Centralbyrån, National statistics office of Sweden, http://www.scb.se/
4. ↑ Danmarks Statistik, National statistics office of Denmark, http://www.dst.dk
5. ↑ Statistisk Sentralbyrå, National statistics office of Norway, http://www.ssb.no
6. ↑ Väestörekisterikeskus, National Population Register Centre of Finland, http://www.vrk.fi