Names of Iceland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are numerous different names for Iceland, which have over the years appeared in poetry or literature.

In Icelandic[]

Many names have been used to refer to Iceland in the Icelandic language. These names include colloquial, formal, and poetic forms:

  • Eylenda [ˈeiːˌlɛnta], fem.—island, that is to say Iceland[citation needed]
    Stephan G. Stephansson
    Fjarst í eilífðar útsæ
    vakir eylendan þín.
    Far in the eternal yonder sea
    your island wakes.[citation needed]
  • Fjalladrottning [ˈfjatlaˌtrɔhtniŋk], fem.—queen of the mountain or Iceland[citation needed]
  • Fjallkonan [ˈfjatl̥ˌkɔːnan], fem. with definite article—lady of the mountain, a figure representing Iceland[citation needed]
  • Frón Icelandic pronunciation: ​[ˈfrouːn], neu.— old Norse word for land, Iceland[citation needed]
    Heima á Fróni.
  • Garðarshólmi [ˈkarðar̥sˌhoulmɪ], masc.—Iceland, named after Gardar Svavarsson[1]
  • Hrímey [ˈr̥iːmˌeiː], fem.[citation needed]
  • Hrímgrund [ˈr̥imˌkrʏnt], fem.[citation needed]
  • Hrímland [ˈr̥imˌlant], neu.—(the book Crymogaea occasionally uses “Hrímland”)[citation needed]
  • Ísafold [ˈiːsaˌfɔlt], neu.
  • Ísaland [ˈiːsaˌlant], neu.[citation needed]
    ...og flykkjast heim að fögru landi Ísa.
  • Ísland [ˈistlant] - Iceland's official and most common name
  • Jökulmær [ˈjœːkʏlˌmaiːr̥], fem.—Young woman of the glacier, Iceland[citation needed]
  • Klakinn [ˈkʰlaːcɪn], masc—literally the iceberg or the ice cover[citation needed]
  • Norðurey [ˈnɔrðʏrˌeiː], fem.— literally meaning "northern island", used in jest in the Westman Islands since Iceland is north of them[citation needed]
  • Skerið [ˈscɛːrɪθ], neu-literally the skerry[citation needed]
  • Snjóland [ˈstnjouːˌlant], neu.—Snowland[citation needed]
  • Snæland [ˈstnaiːˌlant], neu.—the name that the Viking Naddoddr reputedly gave to Iceland in the 9th century meaning "snow land"[citation needed]
  • Thule, neu.—some scholars claim Iceland was the land of Thule[2]
  • Týli [ˈtʰiːlɪ], neu.—Thule[citation needed]
  • Þyli [ˈθɪːlɪ], neu.—Thule[citation needed]

Icelanders also have several nicknames for themselves, including Frónbúi [ˈfrounˌpuːɪ] or Frónverji [ˈfrounˌvɛrjɪ] ("an inhabitant of Frón") and Landi [ˈlantɪ] ("fellow countryman").[citation needed]

In Latin[]

Iceland has prominently been called by three names in Latin:[citation needed]

  • Islandia—directly from Icelandic language "Ísland"
  • Snelandia—a Latinization of the more poetic name Snæland
  • Insula Gardari—literally meaning "Island of Garðar", compare Garðarshólmi

In Norwegian[]

  • Sagaøya—"Saga Island"[citation needed]

Other foreign languages[]

References[]

  1. ^ Nuttall, Mark (2005-09-23). Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-78680-8.
  2. ^ Strabo, Geographica, book 2, chapter 5, start of paragraph 8: Ὁ μὲν οὖν Μασσαλιώτης Πυθέας τὰ περὶ Θούλην τὴν βορειοτάτην τῶν Βρεττανίδων ὕστατα λέγει, παρ' οἷς ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἀρκτικῷ ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς κύκλος· "Pytheas of Massalia therefore chooses the furthest regions around Thule, [which is] the most northern of the lands around Britain, around which the "summer turning circle" [= the line of celestial latitude where the sun turns at midsummer] is the same as the Arctic Circle.", which may refer to the sun being circumpolar at midsummer.
    Strabo 1.4.2: ἥν φησι Πυθέας ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Βρεττανικῆς ἓξ ἡμερῶν πλοῦν ἀπέχειν πρὸς ἄρκτον, ἐγγὺς δ᾽ εἶναι τῆς πεπηγυίας θαλάττης : "[Thule] which Pytheas says is a six days’ sail north of Britain, and is near the frozen sea."

External links[]

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