Norn Name Generator

The Norns (Old Norse nornir) are the beings who shape fate in Norse mythology. The Völuspá names three who live at the Well of Urðr beneath the world tree Yggdrasil: Urðr ("what has become"), Verðandi ("what is becoming"), and Skuld ("what shall be" or "debt"). Snorri Sturluson adds that many other Norns exist, some descended from the gods, some from elves, some from dwarves, and that a Norn attends every birth to set the child's fortune.

Because only the three great Norns are named in the sources, a Norn character in fiction or a game usually needs an invented Old Norse name that sounds like it belongs beside Urðr and Skuld. The convincing options draw on real Old Norse women's names, especially those with elements that carry fate, secrecy, or the sacred: -dís (goddess, guardian spirit), as in Þórdís and Vigdís; -rún (secret, rune), as in Guðrún and Ölrún; -hildr (battle) and -veig (strength). Valkyrie names such as Göndul, Skögul, and Sigrdrífa, and völva seeress names such as Heiðr and Gróa, sit naturally in the same company.

The list also includes descriptive titles built from Old Norse roots, like Örlagavefja (weaver of fate) and Feigðarnorn (Norn of doom), for a Norn who is more force than person.