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The History of the Erwin Name
Page 3
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Although I have been unable at present to link our Erwin name (via John
Spears) to one of those who came to this country from Europe during the 16th,
17th, and 18th centuries, I think it is interesting to examine what we know of
the origin of the name, since it is quite likely that we are in fact descended
from one of those early Erwins.
The Erwin name has gradually evolved over a period of many years from a
beginning during the middle stone age, which began around 8,000 years ago.
A group of Teutonic people living in the upper Rhine valley took the name
of their occupation, which was that of wine makers, and thus were called Wyne.
These people worshipped many gods, and it is obvious from their writings
that these gods played an important part in their lives.
The earliest form of Teutonic writing appeared about 3100 B.C., and was
called Runic. Runic inscriptions have been found in Denmark, Norway,
Jutland, and other Scandinavian areas.
Among these many gods, "Odin" and "Thor" were perhaps
the most important. Odin had the
distinction of being the father of Thor, but it was Thor, the god of thunder,
who got the most attention. Thor
usually carried a heavy hammer, and even when he did not, the hammer could
appear magically in his hand at any time. He
also wore a girdle that kept his strength renewed.
Thor was not only mighty in battle, but was the provider for the
necessities of life.
In those days, the leading families spelled their name with the sign **
before the family name, which was Runic for God, and so the name became
Thuir-Wyne, since the leading god of the people was Thor.
It should be mentioned here that some historians credit one Duncan
Erinvine, born about 950 A.D., as having been the progenitor of the line.
But since many similar names existed previously to this time, especially
those beginning with an I, it is difficult to draw conclusions now regarding the
absolute origin of the name. I
choose to believe that at the very least, there is room for doubt that Erwin, as
it is spelled today, did not evolve from a much earlier time.
On page 7 I include
more details about the many variations that have appeared over the centuries.
Early accounts have been found indicating that the Teutons migrated south
from Jutland, at that time comprising the mainland of Denmark, the northern
portion of the
German state of Schleswig-Holstein and parts of Norway and Sweden. The Teutons were related to the Cimbri people, with whom they
controlled an area lying roughly between the Rhine and Elbe rivers.
Later, in some places in Europe, including southern France, the
Thuir-Wynes were one of the leading families.
During the advent of Christianity, they accepted the new religion, and
ceased to worship their pagan god Thor. Thus
the name gradually became Urwyne or Irwyne.
According to tradition, when the Teutons had renounced their pagan god, a
military and religious order was formed, called the Teutonic Knights.
The organization
was set up primarily for the purpose of serving as protectors for the
unprotected. It seems, however,
that it turned into a religious war, with the objective of converting those who
were still pagan to Christianity, by force where necessary.
At one time, the Teutonic Knights controlled an area commanding the
Baltic coast from the Oder River to present-day Leningrad.
It is interesting to note that some of the names found in these Baltic
countries appear 2,000 years later in the western part of North Carolina, where
a group of Erwins established themselves.
During the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., the Vikings had invaded
Scotland. Evidently, territory was
taken over and communities established. Another
ancient race, the Picts, were living in northern and central Scotland when the
Vikings arrived. Little is known
about the Picts, but some historians say that they came from Thrace, in northern
Greece, during the Ice Age, crossing the English Channel on foot.
Others say that they were pre-Celtic and non-European.
When the Irwynes first settled in Scotland, they were either blond or
red-haired people, indicating their Scandinavian ancestry.
In time, they amalgamated with the Picts, and became a people of brown
hair. This is true today of the
population in large areas of Scotland.
In the seventh century A.D., Norway was the first nation to be taken over
by the Danish Vikings, after a brief war during which the Norwegian navy was
demolished. But, like many
other nations
and lands brought under
their control, no
effort was made
to subjugate the people and most Norwegians who were not already, became
Vikings. In the ninth century the
Norwegian Vikings settled in Ireland, converting to Christianity and built
Ireland's first towns, including Dublin, in 841 A.D.
Many Runic letters and inscriptions have been found in Dublin.
Except for Wessex, the Vikings controlled all of England by 855 A.D.
Soon after, they also took over the Isle of Mans, Norway, and a large
portion of France. But little
effort was made to consolidate the vast empire, and following the death of
Edward The Confessor, a struggle began between the Viking leaders to occupy the
Throne of England. King Harald of
Norway, King Harold of Essex, and the
Duke of
Normandy were
primary combatants.
When Harald and
