For this purpose Hincmar turned to the sharpest mind of the time, which belonged to John Scotus Eriugena. He hailed from Ireland, being one of numerous scholars who found their way from there to mainland Europe in the Carolingian period, presumably fleeing from Viking raids. In fact, both “Scotus” and “Eriugena” mean “someone from Ireland,” so his name rather redundantly means “John Irishman Irishman.”
