Help me name my lundehund puppy

July 8, 2004 12:36 PM

Name my puppy! [mi]

The names in this thread were great, but we're getting a male lundehund, which is a rare breed from Norway, bred to hunt puffins.

Most lundehund owners name their puppies with Norwegian names, so we've done our best to follow the trend with no luck. We'd like a name that's fairly pronounceable for an American tongue, preferably with two syllables.

Right now I like Oslo, but that's sort of cheating :)

posted by jragon to Pets & Animals (37 answers total)

I kind of like Puffin, actually. But if I had another dog, I would call it Porkchop. Not Norwegian, I know, but a fabulous dog name.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 12:51 PM on July 8, 2004

Have fun! I understand lundehunds can be quite a handful.

You might look in this English/Old-Norse dictionary (pdf) for things that strike you.

I'd recommend Grignr, but then I like "The Eye of Argon."

Or you could go the cutesy route and name him something like "Erik Puffinbane" or "Snorri Blood-cuddle"

or Farty McBumbum...
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:52 PM on July 8, 2004

Pufinstuff

or Mjollnir - Thor's hammer (rhymes with mule-deer, sort of)
posted by milovoo at 12:56 PM on July 8, 2004

Ooh, after Porkchop, I'm going to steal Farty McBumbum.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 12:57 PM on July 8, 2004

I had friends once who named their dog Kaboom. Kind of neat but if it ran away you had to run around after it shouting 'Kaboom!' which made you look like a dork. Sorry, not too helpful jragon!
posted by carter at 1:08 PM on July 8, 2004

How about Laslo?
posted by scarabic at 1:10 PM on July 8, 2004

Loki!!! It even sounds cool when you yell it in the park.

If your dog is beautiful, try Baldr or Freya.

Also, Odin had a wolf named Freki.
posted by clever sheep at 1:19 PM on July 8, 2004

Marit is a Norwiegian first name.
posted by goethean at 1:23 PM on July 8, 2004

Not quite right for a breed that's this small, but I've always thought that Burly is a marvelous name for a dog.

I'd take milovoo's advice and steal from Norse mythology. Thor, Balder, Odin, Loki, Tyr, Frey or Sigmund could be good. Then there's always Fenrir (or Fenris) Wolf.
posted by ssmith at 1:24 PM on July 8, 2004

Name it after robocop_is_bleeding's rabbit, Robocop. It's not Norwegian, but it is really badass.

On preview: How about Lazlo Hollyfeld?
posted by jennyb at 1:25 PM on July 8, 2004

My stock dog-name recommendation: Godzilla.
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:38 PM on July 8, 2004

poopsie
booboo
piper
stanley : >
posted by amberglow at 1:42 PM on July 8, 2004

Call it Clint Eastwood
posted by dodgygeezer at 1:53 PM on July 8, 2004

Husker.
posted by jeffmshaw at 2:09 PM on July 8, 2004

rosencrantz/guildenstern? my two fav names, besides "maximum overdrive". that name kicks too much ass
posted by bob sarabia at 2:26 PM on July 8, 2004

Call him "Bjørnstjerne" after Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the 19th-century poet who wrote the Norwegian national anthem. After all, "Bjørnstjerne" sounds really, really good when called from over the hills.
posted by lilboo at 2:27 PM on July 8, 2004

I second Loki! Also, in norse mythology, Loki is the sire of Fenrir Wolf, while his son Narvi (or Narfi) was turned into a wolf by the gods. Of course, then he killed his brother Vali, whose entrails where then used to bind their father under dripping serpent venom until the end of the world, sooo...

A note on Odin's wolves: I've been told that Freki means "gluttony" (his sibling Geri was "ravenous") so while I think it's a great name and source, be aware of that. It may be wonderfully apt!

If you want other mythological wolves, there's always Skoll, the wolf who will swallow the sun (or Hati, who will swallow the moon) at Ragnarok and cast the world into utter darkness! But there are plenty of great names in the Norse myths, even without wolves: go crazy.

Depending on the personality, I think "Berserker" would be a great dog's name :P
posted by nelleish at 2:49 PM on July 8, 2004

Carter, I once had a cat named Little Baby Jesus, specifically SO I could enjoy yelling for him to come inside.

But that doesn't help with the situation at hand.

I like Oslo. It's short, easy to spell, and will lead to plenty of questions about the breed. Or you could go with "Puffinstuffer" but that's a bit harder on the tongue.

Or would it be "PuffUNstuffer?"
posted by pomegranate at 2:52 PM on July 8, 2004

Husker.

I dunno about you, but I wouldn't want to go into the yard to pick up the Husker doo.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:08 PM on July 8, 2004

Blix.

He could hunt around for stuff.
posted by inksyndicate at 3:12 PM on July 8, 2004

( I know, Hans Blix is Swedish, but still. )
posted by inksyndicate at 3:13 PM on July 8, 2004

I think either "Ivar the Boneless" or "Pacman".
posted by jeb at 3:20 PM on July 8, 2004

Lunk.

Short for Lunkhead.
posted by sleslie at 3:21 PM on July 8, 2004

Having recently re-watched The Jerk, I suggest 'Shithead'. You could maybe just say it with a Norwegian accent or something, and tell everyone it means 'Dire Hound of the Tundra' in Norwegian or something, and how funny it is that that sounds similar to 'shithead' in English...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:19 PM on July 8, 2004

2. Point people to this thread much later.
3. Much laughter and camaraderie will ensue.
4. Profit!!!1!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:20 PM on July 8, 2004

I always liked "Dammit", but just for the "kaboom" factor mentioned earlier.

Sit, Dammit! Come here, Dammit! Roll over, Dammit!
posted by LionIndex at 4:46 PM on July 8, 2004

Do lundehunds like water? Because the Norse god of the Sea, Aegir, has a pretty cool name. I thought of naming the Lab I got last year Aegir, but ended up with a female...
posted by JollyWanker at 5:36 PM on July 8, 2004

(wipes away tear)

Thanks, everyone. My wife and I have had a great time reading through the thread so far. Loki seems to be the front-runner right now, although almost every post has made us laugh out loud.

Blix, searching for stuff. Heh.
posted by jragon at 7:31 PM on July 8, 2004

Skogkattring.
posted by the fire you left me at 9:26 PM on July 8, 2004

(by the way, I'm not sure if Lundehunds like water, although I know they are specifically designed to go puffin hunting on cliffs and not fall into the water :)
posted by jragon at 9:44 PM on July 8, 2004

ludenfrudendudentootin?
posted by lkc at 10:02 PM on July 8, 2004

Uff-da!

(very Norwegian)
posted by milovoo at 7:38 AM on July 9, 2004

jennyb, if they name the pup ED-209 or Cain, my rabbit can fight'em! He's been getting a lot of practise beating up on Grendel, after all.

But I'm sure you could make Robocop sound Norwegian by spelling it "Røbøcøp" which would make his dogtags looks like a euro hard metal band.

Though I'd just name'm "Wood" because he's Norwegian.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:03 AM on July 9, 2004

Gotterramerdung? Steve?

I should have quit while I was ahead.
posted by Capn at 9:20 AM on July 9, 2004

Well, I'm pretty sure it isn't Norwegian, but I always thought Kirby was a nice name for a dog.
Is it a boy dog or a girl dog?
Hmm, well, I guess it's more Swedish, but what about Bork Bork Bork?
posted by willpie at 10:34 AM on July 9, 2004

Man, I come late to all the good threads! Bona fide Norwegian too!

I do like the Norse mythology idea, particularly Loke (especially if he's mischievous), but please for the love of Thor spell it correctly... Fenris was a wolf, so that's very cool as well. And Ragnarok if he's particularly destructive.

I vote no on Oslo, mostly because it screams 'only Norwegian word I know'. Fjord is marginally cooler, and I'm rather fond of Jarlsberg myself. ; ) [pronounced yarlsberg]

If you want actual Norwegian names, there are lots of name sites - email me if you want pronounciation help. And if you're looking for more obscure mythological names, I'm sure dabitch would be willing to help...

willpie: bort, bort, bort actually means away, away, away - pretty cute, isn't it?
posted by widdershins at 10:47 AM on July 9, 2004

I just re-read your [MI], you haven't got the dog yet? Get to know the dog before you pick a name.
posted by Capn at 11:37 AM on July 9, 2004