From 95878e6281833902f5fb7ae1afc7457a1bda1379 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lucien Cartier-Tilet Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2022 12:32:37 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] [Eittlandic] More information regarding the name of Eittland --- content/eittlandic.org | 43 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------- 1 file changed, 36 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/content/eittlandic.org b/content/eittlandic.org index c4b8510..eadb691 100644 --- a/content/eittlandic.org +++ b/content/eittlandic.org @@ -237,13 +237,42 @@ given, the name of said dialect will be shared. :PROPERTIES: :CUSTOM_ID: Eittland-Name-of-the-Country-hun23je06bj0 :END: -The root of the name of “Eittland” is the accusative of /einn/ (Old -Norse /one/, /alone/) and /land/ (Old Norse /country/, /land/. This is due to -how remote it seemed to the people who discovered, before Iceland and -Greenland were known. Hence, a possible translation of “Eittland” can -be /Lonely Land/. The term “Eittlandic” is relatively transparent -considering the term “Icelandic” for “Iceland” and “Greenlandic” for -“Greenland”. +The origins of the name of Eittland are unclear, two main theories +exist regarding its etymology. + +The first theory says the root of the name of “Eittland” is the +accusative of /einn/ (Old Norse /one/, /alone/) and /land/ (Old Norse /country/, +/land/. This is due to how remote it seemed to the people who +discovered, before Iceland and Greenland were known. Hence, a possible +translation of “Eittland” can be /Lonely Land/. The term “Eittlandic” is +relatively transparent considering the term “Icelandic” for “Iceland” +and “Greenlandic” for “Greenland”. + +However, the second but least probable theory is the island is named +after /eitr/, a mythical poison from which the first Jøtunn Ymir was +created. Eittland’s waters near the volcanoes containing high amounts +of sulfur, a poison, could be what named the island. This association +with poison, as well as the association to the place where it was +found, /Ginnungagap/, could have acted as a deterrent to prevent people +outsiders from coming. + +This last theory’s first recorded mention is from the 18th century, +while the first theory appears to be much older, and therefore much +more likely. It is possible the latter was thought of as a way to +re-invigorate Eittland’s identity as a pagan country unlike its other +Nordic counterparts, maybe even as a fearsome country. + +Although the country is known as Eittland, the island itself bears a +few other names. Early records show the island being referred to as +/Vestrheim/ by early settlers, meaning /West Home/, and its inhabitants +being referred to as /Vestrheiming/ and /Vestrheimingjar/ (singular and +plural respectively). Around the same time, settlers living closer to +the mountains would also call the inner lands /Fjallheim/, meaning +/Mountain Home/, which stuck until now as a name for the Northwestern +peninsula of Eittland. Lastly, the name /Eldøy/, /Fire Island/, was used +to refer both to Eittland and Iceland due to their volcanic activity. +Nowadays, the name morphed into /Eldfjall/ to refer to the volcanic +cluster at the center of the Island. ** History :PROPERTIES: