Browse Items (39 total)

  • Tags: Place Names

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A map of some of the Danish place names with connections to the Norse gods,on display in an exhibition on legacy at Kongernes Jelling (Royal Jelling) Experience Centre.See theirwebsitefor more information.

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The coat of arms of Torsås kommun in Kalmar län, Sweden is a red Thor's hammer on a yellow background. The name of the Municipality means 'Thor's ridge'. Thor is a common element in placenames across the Norse world.

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A map that has been tagged with historical events and mentions, including events from the sagas

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Dalkey island, on the southern point of Dublin Bay, carries a Norse name (dálkr-ey, dress-pin island) which was a corruption of the Irish name Delginis, or 'thorn island'). It played a role in the Dublin slave trade in the tenth century, and an…

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Fishamble street is one of the oldest streets in Dublin, and dates back to the Viking longphort, which was established as a permanent settlement by 841. Fishamble street was in the eastern side of the settlement, with Winetavern Street marking the…

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The Hjaltland Research Network ran a project to map Viking Age Shetland by digitising and mapping the datasets from different disciplines. It sought to answer the following questions:
– what happened to the pre-Viking population,
– …

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It is quite common to find house names with references to Norse myth in areas with a strong connection to Norse heritage - this example is from Kirkwall in Orkney.

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Many place names in Iceland reference the earliest Norse settlers, such as this example of Ingólfshvoll (Ingólfr's Hill), referring to the first permanent settler, Ingólfr Arnarson whose name appears in several place names in the vicinity of…

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This is a photo of a building named Jötunheimar in Heimaey, the only permanently inhabited island in the Westman Islands. Jötunheimar refers to the 'Giant Land' of Norse mythology. However, we are not sure where this building got its name, or what…

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This narrow lane leading up from the south bank of the River Lee in Cork is one of the only place names in the city with possible Norse roots. The name may come from the ON word keisari (meaning emperor) or more likely from keisa, meaning to bend or…

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Many streets in central Lerwick are named after Scandinavian Kings, Queens and Saints, particularly from the medieval period. This sign probably refers to the thirteenth century Norwegian king Eiríkr Magnússon, who married princess Margaret of…

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This street sign probably refers to Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. Many streets in central Lerwick are named after Scandinavian Kings, Queens and Saints, particularly from the medieval period.

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This street sign probably refers to Haraldr Hárfagri (Harald Fairhair), ruler of Norway from c. 872 to 930, who recaptured Shetland and Orkney from his rivals in c. 875. Many streets in central Lerwick are named after Scandinavian Kings, Queens and…

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Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin is a new product due to be launched in August 2016 and produced by Orkney Distilling Limited. It is branded using the Old Norse name for Kirkwall (Kirkjuvagr or 'Church Inlet') and the website explains that "Kirkjuvagr Gin…

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Photo of Kitterland, a small island in the sound between the main Island of Man and the Calf of Man. The second element of the name probably derives from Norse eyland: the first element is unclear. There are several stories linking the island both…

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A leaflet produced by Shetland Amenity Trust, giving information about Shetland's Norse place names

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This is a photo of the logo from a map produced by Tórshavar Havn (and shared with Tórshavn Municipality) depicting Mjǫllnir - the hammer owned by Thor. This references the fact that Tórshavn in the Føroyar was named after the Norse god (lit.…

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Detail from a map in the Calf Sound Cafe & Visitor Centre, detailing several Norse names, including Kitterland, the Calf, and the Cletts, deriving from the Norse word klettr meaning 'rock'.

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A map of the Viking world as named by (or as known to) the Norse peoples. Whilst the names are not entirely accurate (and include a few not recorded in Norse sources), it does illustrate the extent of Norse activity.

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Many of the streets in this central area of Reykjavík are named after the Norse Gods. The first street to be named was Óðinsgata in the early twentieth century.
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