--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:
> At 7:21:29 PM on Monday, June 27, 2005, aquila_grande wrote:
>
> > kvänn - may be the name of an ethnic group immigrated from
> > Finland. The world is present in many Norwegian names.
>
> Alternatively consider <af Kuændale> ca.1360 for modern
> Norwegian <Kvanndal>; the first element is from the OIc
> plant name <hvo,nn> 'angelica'. It's also in <Kvenna>,
> explained as from OIc *<Hvannin>, from <hvo,nn> + <vin>
> 'meadow'.
>
There's a Vanløse near Copenhagen, 1186 [Huan]lose, 1198 Hwanløsæ.
Consensus is that it's not the angelica name. Politikens
Stednavneordbog suggests origin from *Hwatn, the old (undocumented)
name of Harrestrup Å, from ON *hwat "rapid" < "sharp".
The -løse names of Southern Scandinavia are from the appr. the same
period as the -lev names. -lev means "something left behind,
inheritance", -løse supposedly means "clearing" (Da. 'lysning'), some
suggest "slope".
I think it's strange two common placename types should belong to very
different semantic spheres. I propose therefore -løse is related to
eg. German 'lösen', cf. 'erlösen' "redeem". So the -lev names are the
property of a conquering Germanic-speaking invasion, the -løse names
are the redeemed properties of the aboriginals.
-lev is combined with non-Christian male names, -løse with difficult-
to-interpret (non-Germanic?) morphemes. But perhaps Huan < *kvan, so
that there were kvænir in Southern Scandinavia too?
Torsten