From: Berglaug Ásmundardóttir
Message: 4183
Date: 2004-02-15
----- Original Message -----
From: "Haukur Thorgeirsson" <haukurth@...>
To: <norse_course@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2004 2:43 PM
Subject: Re: [norse_course] RE: Shetland place names
> Hinn 14. febrúar 2004 lét Gordon Johnston þetta frá sér fara:
> > Hello.
> >
> > There are two placenames here in Shetland, a former Norse colony as you
will
> > know , from the 800s to the 15th century. I'm interested in the
derivation
> > of two, the first is my village here, long called Cunningsburgh (in old
> > documents it is referred to as Konungsburg) I know the word means
'King's
> > fort or broch', but I've always been puzzled as I understood the term
> > 'King'
> > was not a word the Vikings used. They had 'Jarls' did they not?
>
> Kings as well. The relevant word is 'konungr'; genitive 'konungs'.
> The word 'borg' means "fort, stronghold". In Icelandic the meaning
> "fortified city" and then "city" became prevalent. Thus we can say:
>
> "Reykjavík er borg. Hún er höfuð-borg Íslands."
>
> Even though our "head-city" is certainly not fortified.
>
> In Faroese the word seems to retain its older meaning.
> I'm reminded of the lyrics to one of Eivør Pálsdóttir's songs:
>
> "Brostnar borgir, ið bløða á køldum illveðursdegi,
> hvør vónsvikin sál nú liggur í brennandi øskutrogi."
>
> brostnar borgir = broken castles
>
> In the Middle-English poem about Sir Gawain and the
> Green Knight Troy seems to be called a 'borg':
>
> "Siþen þe sege and þe assaut watz sesed at Troye
> þe borg brittened and brent to brondez and askez;"
>
>
> > The second word is 'Papil', which most people have assumed had
something to
> > do with the possible presence of Christian priests or 'papar, but what
about
> > the suffix 'il'.
>
> I don't know. What sort of place is Papil?
>
>
> > And would the pagan Vikings have killed these Papars?
>
> A difficult subject. In Íslendingabók Ari fróði says:
>
> "þeir fóru síðar á braut, af því at þeir
> vildu eigi vera hér við heiðna menn"
>
> Very innocent sounding words. "They went away because
> they didn't want to stay here among heathen people."
>
> They went away? Perhaps. But let's look at Ari's next words:
>
> "ok létu eftir bækur írskar, bjöllur og bagla.
> Af því mátti skilja, að þeir voru menn írskir."
>
> @: "And they left behind Irish books,
> bells and crosiers, from which could be
> gathered that they were Irish people."
>
> To me books sound like something too valuable
> and easily portable to be "left behind" just
> like that. Perhaps they had to leave in a hurry.
> Perhaps Ari is mistaken about this. Perhaps they
> were slaughtered to the last man.
>
> Kveðja,
> Haukur
>
>
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>
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