"Piotr Gasiorowski" wrote:
> > The shallow valleys along the south coast of England, where stream
> courses cut through the South Downs, are toponymically -deans (hence
> placenames like Saltdean, Rottingdean, Ovingdean, etc.). That's *dan-
> as well. The east coast of Denmark has lots of similar features.
Torsten Pedersen responded:
> True, if we are talking about the east coast of Jutland. This is also
> where Jelling is, from where Harald Blutooth united or
> subjugated "all of Denmark".
> Is there any independent confirmation (other than toponyms) that *dan-
> is "shallow valley"?
Harald's accredited feats MAY more appropriately belong to his father, Gorm
(Harald just cutting his name in more stones, after quelling insurrections).
Gorm is the first known and probable patriarch of that significant
Dynasty..but there are several variants on it. Harald was 10th century,
however, and there are significant 8th century (dendrochron. dated)
fortifications (the Danevirke) across the neck of Jutland, indicating even
earlier unity. Also by the 8th, portions of the English coast were Danish
dominated (distinct from earlier Jute incursions) and referred to as the
Danelaw..this centuries before Harald's son, Sven I, took all of England.
Thinking only a possible influence on that -deans usage in England that
Piotr references..river and stream mouths were favored incursion spots for
Viking and pre-Viking Danes..and flat or shallow valleys the best settlement
spots off the access waterway. That pattern repeats again with the incursion
into Normandy, where Rollo emerged.
This is more than history to me. Harald is purported to be a direct ancestor
of my Scots line. A second or third son of Harald, with three ships from dad
anchoring in a cove off Dornoch Firth, (yet another river mouth) established
a freehold and trading station in Scotland in the vicinity of Tain, Easter
Ross in the Scots Highlands (North..east coast), also 10th century. His
name, rank, or title was supposedly related to the word for "Wolf" in Danish
or Norn...which became Gaelicized into some form of McTyre: mctire now
reflecting in some lexicons as an alternate Scots Gaelic form for wolf.
After Anglicization, and Americanization, I get some extra vowels, and:
McTyeire.
(as Rex, some would translate me "Dog, Son of Wolf" :-)
Cu Stima;
Rex H. McTyeire
Bucharest, Romania