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Photo of St Olaf's Wynd Street Sign in Orkney
Photo of the street sign 'Olaf's Wynd' in Kirkwall, Orkney. Wynd is a placename element from the Norse verb venda, meaning 'to turn' or 'to wind'. St Olaf refers to the Norwegian king Ólafr Haraldsson, who reigned from 1015 to 1028 and was…
Photo of Midgarth Crescent Sign in Lerwick, Shetland
Midgarth is a common Norse placename, and Anglicisation of Miðgarðr, meaning in this case 'Middle Enclosure / Farm' . Miðgarðr is also the 'Middle Realm', and home of mankind, in Norse Mythology.
Photo of Copeland Pier Sign in Lerwick, Shetland
Copeland is a common placename and surname deriving from Old Norse kaupa land, meaning 'bought land'. This example is from Lerwick in Shetland.
Photo of Twageos Road Sign in Lerwick, Shetland
Twageos is a place name incorporating the common Norse place name element 'gjá', meaning 'ravine' and rendered in Shetland as 'geo' or 'gjo'. Twageos may refer to the 'two ravines'.
Photo of Tait's Closs Sign in Lerwick, Shetland
Tait is a common Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse 'teitr', meaning cheerful. Many surnames and place names in Shetland have a Norse origin.
Ingólfshvoll sign in Iceland
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…
King Erik Street in Lerwick, Shetland
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…
St Magnus Street in Lerwick, Shetland
This sign refers to the early twelfth century Earl of Orkney, Magnus Erlendsson, who was martyred in 1115 according to Orkneyinga saga. Many streets in central Lerwick are named after Scandinavian Kings, Queens and Saints, particularly from the…
King Haakon Street in Lerwick, Shetland
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.
King Harald Street in Lerwick, Shetland
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…
St Sunniva Street in Lerwick, Scotland
This street sign in Lerwick refers to the tenth-century Norwegian Saint Sunniva (ON Sunnifa), who is associated with Selja on the West Coast of Norway, and according to legend fled from Ireland and was persecuted by the pagan Jarl Hákon…
Neighbourhood of the Gods, Reykjavík
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.
Street name: Óðinsgata
Óðinsgata (Odin's Street) in Reykjavik
Street name: Óðinstorg
Óðinstorg (Odin's square) named for the god Odin.
St Olavs gate, Oslo
St Olavs gate (St Olav's Road) in Oslo is named for Olav Haraldsson who died at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. He is largely credited with converting Norway to Christianity, although somewhat brutally. This process was ostensibly begun by Olav…
Iduns gate, Oslo
Idun was the goddess who tended the golden apples that kept the gods young.
Street sign: Baglergaten
This street in Tønsberg is named for the Baglere who were opponents of King Sverre Hakonsson in the civil wars in late twelfth- and early thirteenth-century Norway.
Street Name: Håkon Gamles gate
This street is named for Håkon Gamle (Hakon the Old or Håkon IV Håkonsson) who ruled Norway from 1217-1263 and expanded the castle on Slottsfjell. He was also responsible for having a number of European romances translated into Old Norse.
Street Name: Kong Sverres gate
Kong Sverres gate (King Sverre's street) is named for King Sverre who was part of the Birkebeinere faction in the Norwegian civila wars of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.
Street Name: Tors vei
Tors vei (Thor's Way), named for the god of thunder and smiter of giants.