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Natural elements
Placenames deriving from Old
Norse are usually descriptive, based on the appearance or position
of the place. Within our placenames we can therefore find a number
of these old descriptive Norse words.
In the following list, the Norse
element is shown and beside it a rough translation.
The form in which the element can
now be seen appears as a name or part of a name beneath the translation.
| Land
features |
|
brattr |
meaning "steep"
Found today as "-brett" |
hamarr |
meaning "rock" or "crag" |
|
|
e.g. Brettobreck |
|
e.g. Dwarfie Hammars, Hoy |
|
brekka |
meaning "slope"
Found today as "-breck" |
haugr |
meaning "mound" Found today as "howe" |
|
|
e.g. Breck, a common farm name. |
|
e.g. Ingashowe, Maeshowe, Howe |
|
dalr |
Meaning "valley"
Found today as "-dale" or "-dall" |
hlið |
meaning "slope"
Found today as "-lee" |
|
|
e.g. Rendall, Heddle |
|
e.g. Lee, a farm name. |
|
fjall |
Meaning "hill"
Found today as "-fell", "-fea" or "fiold" |
knappr |
meaning "knob" |
|
|
e.g. Kringlafiold, Miffia |
|
e.g. Knap of Howar |
|
gíl |
Meaning "stream" or "valley"
Found today as "-gill" |
kuml |
Meaning "Burial Mound"
Found today as "-cumla" |
|
|
e.g. Rennegill |
|
e.g. Cumlaquoy |
|
mýrr |
Meaning "marsh" or "bog"
Found today as "-mire" |
varði |
Meaning "beacon" or "watch-tower"
Found today as "-wart" or "-ward" |
|
|
e.g. Mid Mire, Rossmire |
|
e.g. Ward Hill |
|
völlr |
Meaning "field"
Found today as "vel-" or "-wall" |
ass |
Meaning "Ridge"
Found today as "-house" |
|
|
e.g. Tingwall. |
|
|
|
berg |
Meaning "rock"
Found today as "-berry" or "-ber" |
grjot |
Meaning "gravel"
Found today as "grut-" |
|
|
e.g. Muckleber |
|
e.g. Grutness. |
|
kampr |
Meaning "ridge" or "crest"
Found today as "kame" |
skal |
Meaning "soft rock"
Found today as "skel-" |
|
|
e.g. Kame o Corrigal |
|
e.g. Skelbister |
|
þúfa |
Meaning "mound" or "knoll"
Found today as "-too" |
|
|
| Freshwater features |
| brun |
Meaning "Well"
Found today as "-burn" |
fors |
Meaning "waterfall"
Found today as "furs-" |
| |
|
|
e.g. Fursbreck |
| kelda |
Meaning "spring" or "well" |
óss |
Meaning "burn-mouth"
Found today as "oyce" |
| |
|
|
e.g. The Oyce |
| tjörn |
Meaning "a pool"
Found today as "-shun" |
vatn |
Meaning "lake"
Found today as "watten" |
| |
e.g. Trollashun |
|
e.g. Trollawatten |
| Shoreline features |
| bakki |
Meaning "bank of stream"
Found today as "-back" |
bringa |
Meaning "breast/chest"
Found today as "bring" |
| fles |
Meaning "flat skerry"
Found today as "flashes" |
stakk |
Meaning "pillar rock"
Found today as "stack" |
| berg |
Meaning "a rock"
Found today as
"-ber" or "-berry" |
eið |
Meaning "isthmus"
Found today as
"aith" or "-ay"
or "-a" |
| |
e.g. Stromberry |
|
e.g. Eday |
| ey |
Meaning "Island"
Found today as
"-ay" or "-a". |
eyrr |
Meaning "sand spit"
Found today as "Ayre" |
| |
e.g. Sanday, Fara, Ronaldsay |
|
e.g. Ayre Mill, Ireland |
| gnüp |
Meaning "peak"
Found today as "noup" |
hella |
Meaning "flat rock"
Found today as "-hellya" |
| |
|
|
|
| hellir |
Meaning "cave"
Also found today as "-hellya" |
hólmr |
Meaning "small island"
Found today as "holm", |
| |
|
|
e.g. Lambholm, Holm
of Grimbister |
| klettr |
Meaning "a rock"
Found today as "-clett" |
muli |
Meaning "animal snouth"
Found today as "moul" |
| |
e.g. Faraclett, Linklet, Hunclett |
|
|
| nes |
Meaning
"point of land".
Found today as "-ness" |
oddr |
Meaning "sharp point"
Found today as "-od" |
| |
e.g. Stromness, Lyness |
|
e.g. Odiness |
| sker |
Meaning "skerry"
Found today as "skerry" |
tangi |
Meaning "tongue"
Found today as "-taing" |
| |
e.g. Auskerry |
|
e.g. Linkertaing |
| Sea features |
| efja |
Meaning "backwater"
or "eddy"
Found today as "evie" |
fjörðr |
Meaning "firth"
Found today as "firth" or "-ford" |
| |
e.g. Evie |
|
e.g. Firth, a Mainland parish. |
| gjá |
Meaning "chasm"
or "inlet"
Found today as "geo" |
glúfr |
Meaning "chasm"
Found today as "gloup" |
| |
e.g. Skippigeo |
|
e.g. The Gloup |
| hafn |
Meaning "Haven"
or "harbour"
Found today as "ham" or "hamn-" |
hóp |
Meaning "shallow bay" |
| |
e.g. Hamnavoe |
|
e.g. St Margaret's Hope, Longhope |
| straumr |
Meaning "tide stream"
Also found today as "strom-" |
vágr |
Meaning "narrow bay"
Found today as "voe" or "-wall" |
| |
e.g. Stromness |
|
e.g. Kirkwall (Kirkjuvagr) |
| vað |
Meaning "ford" or "wading-place"
Found today as "waith" |
vík |
Meaning "bay"
Found today as "-wick" |
| |
e.g. Brig o Waith |
|
e.g. Sandwick, Otterswick |
| Other
elements |
| djúp |
Meaning "deep"
Found today as "Deep-" or "jub-" |
faer |
Meaning "a sheep"
Found today as "far" |
| |
e.g. Deepdale, Jubidee |
|
e.g. Faraclett, Fara, Faray |
| flatr |
Meaning "flat"
Found today as "flot-" |
há |
Meaning "high"
Found today as "ho-" |
| |
e.g. Flotta |
|
e.g. Hoy |
| heilagr |
Meaning "holy"
Found today as "hellya", "helli" or "hallow"
|
hrafn |
Meaning "raven"
Found today as "ram-" or "ramn-" |
| |
e.g. Eynhallow, Hellihowe |
|
|
| hross |
Meaning "horse"
Found today as "russ-" |
mykill |
Meaning "great" (as in "large")
Found today as "muckle" |
| |
e.g. Russland |
|
e.g. Muckle Green Holm |
| skalp |
Meaning "ship"
Found today as "scap-" |
skip |
Meaning "ship" |
| |
e.g. Scapa |
|
e.g. Skippigeo |
| rauðr |
Meaning "red"
Found today as "ro-" or "ruthie" |
hvít |
Meaning "white"
Found today as "wheeta-" |
| |
e.g. Ruthietaing |
|
|
| svartr |
Meaning "black"
Found today as "swart-" |
|
|
| |
e.g. Swartland |
|
|
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