Gustav is a viking?

By Joe McAdory

Published: August 31, 2008

I keeping hearing what a bizarre name Hurricane Gustav is. I really wasn’t sure if the name was Russian, Cuban or some other Latin descent. So I decided to Google the name and find out.

According to the folks at Wikipedia, “Gustav or Gustaf is a male given name of Old Swedish origin, means “staff of the Goths,“ derived from the Old Norse elements Gautr (“Goth”) and stafr (“staff”). This name has been borne by seven Kings of Sweden, including the 16th-century Gustav Vasa and the current king, Carl XVI Gustaf. It is a common name for Swedish monarchs since the reign of Gustav Vasa.“

Swedish? So Gustav is a viking? Not very tropical. I don’t get it.