It was a little later that someone noticed the connection between my family name, Waidson (Wadeson in earlier spellings.), and that of the legendary smith.
In Žišreks saga, Wayland is described as the son of another legendary figure, the giant Wade (Old Norse; Vadi) which would have effectively made his full name Wayland Wadeson.
Once that detail became common knowledge, the name stuck to the degree that I am now known more widely as Wayland than by my given name of Gary. (Which I never much liked anyway.)
It is now the name I use on many of the online forums I use and it is widely used on my web sites too. Certainly most of my friends use it and it is also the name that thousands of school children recognise from my living history presentations.
Given the root translation of the Proto-Germanic word which literally means “Crafting One” I feel the name is a much more appropriate and comfortable fit for me.
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