Ælfwine facts for kids

Ælfwine (also spelled Aelfwine or Elfwine) is an Old English personal name. It means "elf friend." The name comes from two old words: ælf, meaning "elf", and wine, meaning "friend."

This name has roots in a very old language called Common Germanic. Names similar to Ælfwine were also used in other old languages like Old High German and Lombardic. Examples include Albewin, Alpwin, Albuin, and Alboin. In Old Norse, the name appeared as Alfvin and Ǫlfun.

The modern name Alwin might come from Ælfwine. It could also be a shorter version of Adalwin, which is similar to the Anglo-Saxon name Æthelwine.

What the Name Means

The words ælf (elf) and wine (friend) were often used in old Germanic names. Even though the name is often thought to mean "elf-friend," these words were sometimes just combined without a special hidden meaning.

However, the famous author J. R. R. Tolkien used this meaning in his fantasy stories. He created a character named Ælfwine of England who was known for "befriending the elves."

The name Ælfwine comes from a very old Common Germanic name. Similar names like Albewin, Alpwin, Albuin, and Alboin were used in other ancient languages. Old Norse versions of the name were Alfvin and Ǫlfun. The modern name Alwin might be a shorter form of Ælfwine. It could also be related to Adalwin, which is similar to the Anglo-Saxon name Æthelwine.

History of the Name

The idea of elves is very old, going back to Common Germanic times. The name Ælfwine wasn't used in the very earliest periods. But it became common from the 6th century onwards. It slowly disappeared by the Late Middle Ages.

The name first appears with Alboin, who was a king of the Lombards from 560 to 572. In Anglo-Saxon England, the name was first seen with the young king Ælfwine of Deira (around 661–679).

In Old High German, the name was used in the 8th and 9th centuries. It appeared in forms like Alfwin, Alfwini, Albuwin, Albuvin, Albewin, Albuin, and Alpwin. By the 11th century, it was also seen as Elbewin.

Here are some famous people from the later Anglo-Saxon period who had this name:

• Ælfwine, the son of Æthelweard. He died in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.
• Ælfwine of Lichfield (died 937), who was a Bishop of Lichfield.
• Ælfwine of Wells (died 998), who was a Bishop of Wells.
• Ælfwine, a brave young warrior in the poem The Battle of Maldon.
• Ælfwine of Elmham (died 1023), a bishop of Elmham and Dunwich.
• Ælfwine of Winchester (died 1047), who was a Bishop of Winchester.
• Aelfwine, the Abbot of New Minster (died 1057). He was a scribe or writer of Aelfwine's Prayerbook.
• Ælfwine Haroldsson (11th century), the son of Harald Harefoot, who was a King of England.
• Ælfwine of Warwick, who was a Sheriff of Warwickshire under William the Conqueror.

People with the Old High German version of the name include:

• Albuin, a margrave (a type of ruler) of Carinthia in the 10th century.
• Albuin, the son of the above, who became a bishop of Brixen (died 1006).

The name first appeared in Scandinavia around the 11th century. The Old Norse form of the name might have come from Low German or Anglo-Saxon. The name is found on an 11th-century runestone spelled alfuin. It might also be on another runestone as aulfun. An Old Swedish spelling of the name was Alwin.

During the Norman period, both Ælfwine and Æthelwine were shortened to Alwin. This later became an English family name.

The Name Today

The name Ælfwine mostly disappeared by the Late Middle Ages. It might have lasted longest in Italy as Alboino. For example, Paolo Alboino della Scala (1343–1375) had this name.

Today, the name mostly survives as the English surname Alwin. Other versions of this surname include Alwen, Alwyn, Allwyn, Elvin, Elwin, and Elwyn. These surnames often came from a mix of similar-sounding old Anglo-Saxon names.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Use

In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world, called the legendarium:

• Ælfwine of England is an early character in Tolkien's fantasy writings.
• Elfwine is the son of Éomer. He became the King of Rohan after his father.

See Also

• Alboin (disambiguation)
• Æthelwine
• Elbegast
• Alberich, a dwarf. He features most prominently in the poems Nibelungenlied and Ortnit