Landnámabók
Part #6
It was as a means of comparing the Icelandic Language and Place Names with the Place Names and Dialect of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Furness, that originally about eleven years ago I commenced this work. I intended when I started to translate a chapter, or perhaps two chapters, of the Book of the Icelandic Settlement for the purpose of such comment and comparison.
In the years that have elapsed since, the work has widened out to its present proportions; it is still, however, as a record of Icelandic Place Names in comparison with North English Place Names upon which it grounds its chief claim to consideration. Hence the following Index and Reference of Place Names has occupied weeks and months of careful thought and work, and has been most carefully gone over and revised again and again by me, and I have given a reference to Part and Chapter where each Place Name is found, so that the student interested in tracing out and following the connexion and history of such Place Names may at once turn to whereever it occurs in the body of the work. This has been a work implying much comparison and research. I have also from my own examination, or from the best authority available, given in italics the meaning of each Place Name, as such meaning is often of important service in following out the connexion of the history, and will be available also for use in comparing those Icelandic Place Names with our own Place Names in the north.
The Norsemen, as will be seen from the note at page 160, considered the giving of Place Names as a solemn ceremony in the act of Settlement, by which they dedicated the land to the God, and thereafter held it from him for their own use. Hence all Place Names were very carefully and very methodically given, and each marks some characteristic description, some distinguished chieftain, or some notable event in the early History of the Settlement.
The following Register (1) should be carefully compared with the names upon the map, commencing with the settlement of Kalman in þverar þing in the Quarter of the West Firths, Part II, page 27. Some slight differences exist between the names in the index and those on the map --- fjörd or Fjardar on the map is generally firth in the index; and þ and ð on the map are represented by Th and d in the index; map heiði = register heath, and á or ár in map is often river, as also is fljot, vatn, lækr, and straum.
Rivers, as will be seen, form an essential factor in the great work of the division of landtakes. The Place Names of Norway to be found in the Book of Settlement, have been so annotated, either in the body of this work or in the following register, that their modern locality will be easily found upon a good modern map of Norway. The meaning of each Place Name is put in Italics immediately after the Place Name.
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1. Ferguson in his Northmen in Cumberland and Westmorland, expresses some doubt about how and when Norwegian Place Names as distinguished from Danish Place Names found their way to the north-west of our island. Anyone carefully reading the story of the Settlement and comparing the words in the following Register with North English Place Names, will find such doubt cleared up. [Back]
A
Adalvik, Main Wick, ii, 20-31.
Asvaldsness, Asvald's-ness, ii, 31.
Agdanes, V, 7.
Agdir, ii, 19 bis, 21, 26; iii, 19.
Akrafell, Cornfield mountain, i, 15.
Akranes, Cornfield-ness, i, 15 bis, 17, 20, 21 bis; ii, 1.
Akrar, Cornfields, ii, 4.
Alfgeirsvellir, Alfgeir's-field, iii, 6.
Alfsnes, Alf's-ness, i, 11.
Alfsos, Alf's-inlet, v, 13.
All, iii, 6.
Almannafljot, All men's river, iv, 11.
Almannagja, All men's gorge or rift.
Almdalir in Norway, Elm-dale, iv, 1.
Almenningar, All men's land, commons, ii, 20.
Alptafjordr, The Lower, Swan-firth, iv, 7.
Alptafjordr, The Southern, i. 4; iv, 4-7.
Alptafjordr, Off Broadfirth, ii, 59, 13 bis, 14.
Alptafjordr, In Greenland, ii, 14.
Alptafjordr, Off Icefirth, ii, 29.
Alptanes, Swan's-ness, i, 14, 19, 24; ii, 4 bis, 24; iv, 12.
Alptaver, Swan's-haunts, iv, 12.
Alvidra in Dyrafirth, All weather, ii, 27, 29.
Alvidra in Norway, v. 8.
Althing, iii, 1; 5, 10. For Althing, see note under iv, 7.
Alost in Sandnes, i, 18; v, 3.
Ambattara, Bondmaid's-river, iii, 1.
Anabrekka, Ani's-brink, ii, 4.
Anavik in Greenland, Ani's-wick.
Andakilsa, Duck-pool-river, i, 17, 19.
Andarkelda, Duck Bog.
Armenia, Armenia.
Arnallstadir, Arnall(ld)'s-stead, iv, 3.
Arnarbæli, Eagle's-seat, ii, 3.
Arnafell, Arni's mountain, iii, 8.
Arnarfjordr, Eagle-firth, ii, 26 bis. 27; iii, 13.
Arnarholt, Orn's-wood, i, 19; ii, 3, 13.
Arnarhvall, Orn's-knoll, i, 7.
Arnarnes, Eagle's-ness, iii, 13.
Arnarthufa, Eagle's-hummock, iii, 20.
Arnbjargarlækr, Arnborg's-brook, ii, 3.
Arneidarstadir, Arneid's-stead, iv, 2.
Arnlaugsfjordr in Greenland, Arnlaug's-firth, ii, 14.
As, The Ridge, i, 21; v, 8; iii, 20.
Asar, The Ridges, iv, 11.
Asbjarnarnes, Osbern's-ness, iii, 4.
Asbjarnarstadir, Osbern's-stead, ii, 2.
Asbjarnavick, Osbern's-wick, iii, 19.
Asgautsstadir, Osgaut's-stead, v, 9.
Asgeirsa, Osgar's-river, iii, 1.
Ashildarmyri, Ashild's-moor, v, 10.
Asia, Asia.
Askelshöfdi, Oskettle's-head, v, 8.
Asmundarleidi, Osmund's grave, ii, 6.
Asolfskali, Oswulf's house, i, 15, 16.
Atlahaugr, Atli's how, v, 10.
Atley, Atli's Isle, ii, 5; v, 9.
Audarstein, Name of stone marking Queen Aud's grave, see ii, 19.
Audartoptir, Aud's-tofts, ii, 16.
Audbrekka, Aud's-brink.
Audbrekku-menn, Aud's-brink-men, iii, 13.
Audkulustadir, Aud-knoll-stead, iii, 5.
Audnar, The Wastes, v, 2.
Audolfsstadir, Eadwulf's-stead, iii, 5, 19.
Audsstadir, Aud's-stead, i, 21.
Audunarstadir, Eadwin's-stead, iii, 1.
Augastadir, Eye-stead, i, 21.
Aungley, Angle (hook) island, iii, 17.
Austfirdingafjordungr or Eastfirth Settlements, iv, 1, 13; v, 1, 15.
Austfirdingar. see above.
Austfirdir, East-firths, i, 1, 4; v, 1.
Austfjordr, East-firth.
Austmadr, Eastman, Norwegian, ii, 28.
Austmenn, plural Eastmen, ii, 31, 33 bis, v, 5, 10.
Austrbygd in Greenland, East Settlement.
Austrvegr, Eastern Baltic, iii, 1.
Axlarhagi, Axle (shoulder) Haws, iii, 8.
Axlhegingar, Axihengings, iii, 8.
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