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
    Stephan G. Stephansson
    Fjarst í eilífðar útsæ
    vakir eylendan þín.
    Far in the eternal yonder sea
    your island wakes.
  • Fjalladrottning [ˈfjatlaˌtrɔhtniŋk], fem. – queen of the mountain or Iceland
  • Fjallkonan [ˈfjatl̥ˌkɔːnan], fem. with definite article—lady of the mountain, a figure representing Iceland
  • Frón Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈfrouːn], neu. – old Norse word for land, Iceland
    Heima á Fróni.
  • Garðarshólmi [ˈkarðar̥sˌhoulmɪ], masc. – Iceland, named after Gardar Svavarsson[1]
  • Hrímey [ˈr̥iːmˌeiː], fem.
  • Hrímgrund [ˈr̥imˌkrʏnt], fem.
  • Hrímland [ˈr̥imˌlant], neu. – the book Crymogaea occasionally uses "Hrímland"
  • Ísafold [ˈiːsaˌfɔlt], neu.
  • Ísaland [ˈiːsaˌlant], neu.
    ...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
  • Klakinn [ˈkʰlaːcɪn], masc – literally the iceberg or the ice cover
  • Norðurey [ˈnɔrðʏrˌeiː], fem. – literally meaning "northern island", used in jest in the Westman Islands since Iceland is north of them
  • Skerið [ˈscɛːrɪθ], neu – literally the skerry
  • Snjóland [ˈstnjouːˌlant], neu. – Snowland
  • Snæland [ˈstnaiːˌlant], neu. – the name that the Viking Naddoddr reputedly gave to Iceland in the 9th century meaning "snow land"
  • Thule, neu. – some scholars claim Iceland was the land of Thule[2]
  • Týli [ˈtʰiːlɪ], neu. – Thule
  • Þyli [ˈθɪːlɪ], neu. – Thule

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

In Latin

Iceland has prominently been called by three names in Latin:

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

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."
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.