Eric is not in the Bible, in any of its spellings. The name is Old Norse, and it means ever-ruler — eternal king — which is a very large thing to hang on a sleeping child. Where it comes from Eiríkr joins two old words: ei, ever or always, and ríkr, ruler or king. The usual rendering is “ever-ruler,” sometimes “eternal ruler.” Erick, Erik and Erich are the same name in different hands. It was carried by Eiríkr inn Rauða…

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