I've been trying to see how far back we can
trace the Norse names Eysýsla and ADalsýsla for Saaremaa and Estonia. They are
mentioned in Scandinavian sagas of the early Viking period (Estonians =
Sýslukind) and reflected in Alfred's translation of Orosius at the end
of the ninth century. They seem to have been given by Swedes exploiting the
East Baltic lands.
Old Norse sýsla, -u (weak fem.) 1.
business, work, 2. as a law term, any stewardship held from the king or bishop;
as a geographical term, a district, bailwick, prefecture (also in
placenames).
Derived from sýsa, sýsti [defective
verb: only the pret. and the past part. attested] to be busy with a thing, give
effect to it.
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Language - Area - Routes
I wrote:
The name doesn't go back to
prehistoric
times...