The patronymic system described as in use in Iceland in my earlier
missive has the potential for "collisions" of names, much like the
Jewish system, and such collisions are generally resolved the same way -
that is, Olafur Eriksson, son of Erik Einarsson, would be called Olafur
Eriksson Einarssonar to distinguish him from Olafur Eriksson, son of
Erik Hjalmarsson, who would be called Olafur Eriksson Hjalmarssonar.

Prior to Christianity becoming the predominant religion in Iceland,
bastardy was not considered shameful; it was merely a fact of (lack of)
knowledge of parentage. In cases where the father was not known, it was
not unusual for a matronymic to be used (e.g., Hjalmar Helguson), but
another option was also seen: The use of the patronymic/matronymic form
of a deity's name: Magnus Þorsson, Helga Freyasdottir. The deitic
patronymic/matronymic was also used for foundlings.

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