Germanic names

[Ron Andrea]

Writing in the 1940s, J. R. R. Tolkien theorized, "It seems fairly plain that Arthur, once historical (but perhaps not of great importance) was also put into the Pot [the Caldroun of Story]. There he was boiled for a long time, together with many other older figures and devices, of mythology and Faerie, and even some stary bones of history (such as Alfred's defence against the Danes), until he emerged as a King of Faerie." (The Tolkien Reader, pp. 53-54)

In fact, Professor Tolkien wrote a great deal about this whole business of names and events in that essay, refering also to Beowulf, Nordic and Icelandic myths, and English fairy tales.