WARNING: As the title indicates, this article is a work in progress: I am slowly adding more place-names as I find time, and from time to time I revise some of the conclusions as I learn more.
In 1948 Einar Arnórsson published an edition of Landnámabók, the Icelandic Book of Settlement, containing all of the four major variants, Sturlubók, Hauksbók, Þórðarbók, and Melabók, as well as several useful indices, including indices of place-names and of burial mounds and sepulchral cairns.[1] I have combined these indices into a single list, to which I have added some etymological and other explanatory notes.
Although he shows all of the variant wordings, Einar Arnórsson chose to normalize the spellings of the original manuscripts. His normalization is a somewhat idiosyncratic combination of normalized Old Icelandic (OIc.) and modern Icelandic (Ic.). For instance, he writes OIc maðr 'a human being' instead of Ic maður, but Ic tótt 'a toft' instead of OIc topt. I have therefore changed some of his spellings to suit my own normalization preferences. A typical entry consists of a place-name and the county in which the place is situated, if that is known; places not in Iceland are identified only as being in Norway, Greenland, Sweden, the Faeroe Islands, etc. Etymological and other notes follow in a separate paragraph.
A few words of caution are in order concerning the etymological notes. Most of the Icelandic farm-names mentioned in Landnámabók appear to have transparent etymologies. Arnbjargarlœkr, for example, is clearly 'Arnbjo˛rg’s brook'. Most of these obvious etymologies can very probably be taken at face value, but it’s not impossible that some early names that did not fit the naming patterns that developed during the settlement period were subsequently distorted into or replaced by more familiar, understandable forms. Landnámabók explains some of these names as references to specific incidents; an example is the name Dúfunefsskeið. I have no idea how many of these explanations record historical fact and how many are later explanations of the place-names in question, so I have been careful to offer them only with such qualifications as ‘According to Landnámabók’, ‘is said to have’, and the like. Not all of the place-names are quite so straightforward, however, even on the surface. There are also a few names that can be interpreted in more than one way, and even some that are quite opaque, at least to me: I am far from being a specialist in Icelandic place-names, and in particular I lack the detailed knowledge of Icelandic topography and literature required for a serious study.
Many entries conclude with at least one grammatically correct locative byname based on the place-name in question. Although other types of OIc. locative bynames are known, these are all prepositional bynames: they consist of a preposition expressing location or origin, and a place-name in the appropriate grammatical case, almost always the dative case. The hard part is choosing an idiomatically correct preposition. Typically this choice depends on the final element of the place-name. For instance, place-names in -staðir 'places, steads' (but used in Icelandic place-names as if it were singular) usually take the preposition á. Some variation is possible, however; for example, one manuscript has at Einarssto˛ðum instead of the expected á Einarssto˛dum that occurs elsewhere. In such cases I have given all of the variants; if there is any reason to think that one preposition is preferred with a particular place-name or its final element, that version is listed first, but otherwise there is little significance to the order in which the variants are listed. (I should note that since locative bynames as such are fairly rare in this source, I have included variants drawn from syntactically comparable constructions, e.g., at Berghyl from Bro˛ndólfr bjó at Berghyl 'Bro˛ndólf settled at Berghyl'.)
A Brief Note on Prepositions. The most common prepositions in these bynames are at, á, and í, all of which imply residence at the named place. Prepositions are notoriously hard to translate, and their correct usage is often a matter of idiom, but some rough generalizations are possible. For example, the basic sense of í is 'in', so it tends to be used with place-names denoting woods, holts, dales, islands, fjords, and other topographical features conceived as having an interior. In reference to the place where someone lives, at is quite similar in sense to the identically spelled English word, but it further suggests the notion 'by the side of' and is therefore commonly used with place-names denoting hills, rocks, rivers, streams, and the like. With farm-names suggesting open, slightly elevated settings, on the other hand, the usual preposition is á, which is actually cognate with English on and whose most straightforward locational sense is 'on, in'. If a farm lies at the base of a hill, peak, or slope for which it is named, the preposition undir 'under, below' may be used (cf. the English surname Underhill).
The prepositions frá and ór (or ór) are also moderately common in locative bynames, but to indicate place of origin rather than place of residence: both can generally be translated 'from' in this context. Indeed, frá is cognate with English from. The difference between them is that while frá simply denotes origin, ór often has the more specific sense 'out of' and therefore tends to be used with the same place-names with which í is used to indicate residence. Thus, for instance, we find both í Hrísey 'at Brushwood Island' and ór Hrísey 'from Brushwood Island'.
All of these prepositions take the dative case when used in locative bynames. So far I have seen only one locative construction using a preposition governing the accusative case: við Grímsgil, where við is 'near, by', and Grímsgil is 'Grím’s ravine with a stream at the bottom'. Had one of the usual locative prepositions been used here, it would most probably have been at, making at Grímsgili (with the place-name in the dative case).
Finally, a word about the counties is in order. The Icelandic word is actually sýsla 'district; county', plural sýslur. As of 1945 the sýslur were as follows, starting in the northwest corner and going across the northern coast of the island ([2], frontispiece):
[1] Einar Arnórsson (1948). Landnámabók Íslands. Reykjavík: Helgafell.
[2] Stefán Einarsson (1945). Icelandic. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.
CV: Cleasby, Richard, Gudbrand Vigfusson, & William A. Craigie (1957). An Icelandic-English Dictionary. 2nd edn. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Gordon, E.V. (1957). Introduction to Old Norse. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Köbler, Gerhard (2003). Altnordisches Wörterbuch. 2nd edn. WWW: http://www.koeblergerhard.de/anwbhinw.html.
Lind, E.H. (1905-1915). Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn från Medeltiden. Uppsala & Leipzig.
Lind, E.H. (1905-1915). Norsk-Isländska Dopnamn ock Fingerade Namn från Medeltiden. Supplement. Oslo, Uppsala, & København.
Lind, E.H. (1920-1921). Norsk-Isländska Personbinamn från Medeltiden. Uppsala.
NSL: Sandnes, Jørn, & Ola Stemshaug (1997). Norsk Stadnamnleksikon. 4th edn. Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget.
De Vries, Jan (2000). Altnordisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd edn. Boston: Brill.
Zoëga, Geir T. (1910). A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press.
Det Kongelige Nordiske Oldskrift-Selskab (1900). Landnámabók. I–III. Hauksbók. Sturlubók. Melabók. København: Thieles Bogtrykkeri.
Á (Árbœr), Rang.
–– Skaft. (farm)
OIc. á 'a river'; Árbœr is from á,
genitive singular ár, and bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead':
'river's farmstead'.
Locative Byname: at Á
Aðalvík, Ísafj. (bay)
From OIc. aðal- 'chief, head, principal' and vík
'a bay, an inlet': 'chief bay'.
Locative Byname: í Aðalvík
Afvaldsnes: see O˛gvaldsnes.
Agðanes, Norway.
OIc. nes is 'ness, headland'; Agðanes is a large headland
on the south side of the mouth of Trondheimsfjord. For the first element see the
next entry, for Agðir. (NSL s.n. Agdenes)
Locative Byname:
Agðir, Norway.
A district in Norway; its inhabitants are called Egðir
in OIc. The etymology is uncertain, but the name is likely to be from a PIE root
meaning 'sharp', perhaps signifying the way that the region sticks out into the
sea. (NSL s.n. Agder)
Locative Byname:
Akrafell (Akrafjall), Borg. (mountain)
OIc. akr is 'arable land, field', and fell
is 'an isolated hill', but it's possible that in this case Akra- refers
to its location in Akranes (see the next entry). In the variant, which is also
the modern name, fjall is 'a fell, a mountain'.
Locative Byname:
Akranes, Borg. (ness)
From OIc. akr 'arable land, field' and nes 'ness,
headland'; presumably this was an unusually fertile area.
Locative Byname:
Akrar, Mýr. (farm)
–– Skag.
The plural of OIc. akr 'arable land, field'.
Locative Byname: at O˛krum,
á O˛krum
Álfgeirsvellir, Skag. (plain and farm)
From the masculine name Álfgeirr, genitive Álfgeirs,
and OIc. vo˛llr 'a field',
with no implication of cultivation; vellir
is the plural, so the name is 'Álfgeir’s fields'.
Locative Byname: á Álfgeirsvo˛llum
Álfsnes, Kjós. (farm)
OIc. nes is 'ness, headland'. The first element is
ambiguous: it could be the personal name Álfr, genitive Álfs,
making the name 'Álf’s point', or it could be OIc. álfr 'an elf',
genitive singular álfs, making the name 'elf’s point', though the personal
name is considerably more likely.
Locative Byname: í Álfsnesi
Álfsóss, Árn. (river-mouth)
From the masculine name Álfr, genitive Álfs, and
OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'Álf’s river-mouth'.
This one is named after Álfr inn egðski (whose byname means 'the one from
Agðir').
Locative Byname:
Áll, Norway.
Now Ål. OIc. áll is 'a deep, narrow channel in sea or
river; a stripe on the back of an animal'; the place-name may refer to a narrow river-valley.
It may also be an old farm-name, however, in which case the underlying element may be related
to Gothic alhs 'a temple'. (NSL s.n. Ål)
Locative Byname: í Ál
Almannafljót
, Skaft. (river)The OIc. prefix almanna- has the senses 'public, common, general,
universal', as in almannaleið 'a public road', almannastofa 'the common hall',
almannalof 'universal praise', almannaskript 'general confession'; the
associated adjective is almennligr 'general, common'. OIc. fljót is 'a river,
a lake', but usually only as a proper noun. The smaller, slower-moving upper reaches of the
river were called Raptalœkr or, in one source,
Toptalœkr; here lœkr (later lækr) is
'a rivulet, a brook'. Etymologically fljótr connotes a fast-moving stream,
lœkr a slow-moving brook. It is now the hverfisfljót.
Locative Byname:
Almannagjá (Not in Arnórsson.)
For almanna- see Almannafljót above. OIc. gjá is 'a
rift, a cleft, a chasm'; this is the famous 'Gorge of the Commons' in Þingvellir.
Locative Byname:
Álmdalir, Norway.
From OIc. álmr 'an elm' and dalir, plural of dalr 'a
valley, a dale', so 'elm dales'. I have not been able to identify the region.
Locative Byname: í Álmdo˛lum
Almenningar inir vestri, Ísafj. (a stretch of coast that was common property)
Almenningar is the plural of OIc. almenningr 'common land,
common or public pasture'; in full the name is 'the western common lands'. It was one of the
farms built by Geirmundr heljarskinn Hjo˛rs son (see Aðalvík),
in the custody of his thrall Bjo˛rn; after Geirmund’s death, Bjo˛rn
was convicted of sheep-stealing, and his confiscated goods became common lands.
Locative Byname: á Almenningum inum vestrum
Álptá, Mýr. (river)
'Swan River', from OIc. álpt 'a swan' and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Álptafjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
–– Ísafj. (fjord)
–– Snæf. (fjord)
–– inn nyrðri, S.-Múl. (fjord)
–– inn syðri, S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. álpt 'a swan', genitive plural álpta, and
fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'swans’ fjord'. The modifers
inn nyrðri and inn syðri are 'the more northerly' and 'the more southerly',
respectively. Álptafjo˛rðr inn nyrðri
is now Hamarsfjörður.
Locative Byname: í Álptafirði
Álptanes, Gullbr. (ness)
–– Mýr.
From OIc. álpt 'a swan', genitive plural álpta, and
nes 'a ness, a headland': 'swans’ point'. The one in Mýrasýsla is explicitly
said to have been so named because Skallagrímr Kveldúlfs son and his companions saw
swans there.
Locative Byname: á Álftanesi
Álptaver, Skaft. (district)
OIc. ver is 'a station for catching fish, taking eggs,
etc.'; álptaver is both 'the taking of swans' and 'the place where swans
are caught', its sense in the place-name. The place is explicitly noted to have
álptaveiðr 'swan-hunting'.
Locative Byname:
Alviðra, Ísafj. (farm)
–– Norway. (farm)
OIc. viðra is 'to blow, to be such and such (of the weather)', related to
veðr 'weather; wind'; the prefix al- has the sense 'all, entirely'. Here the sense
is that the winds and weather come from all quarters. The Norwegian place is now Alvera.
(NSL s.n. Alvera)
Locative Byname: í Alviðru
Alo˛st, Norway. (island)
This is the island of Alsta (also Alsten) in
Nordland county. The etymology is unknown; it’s been suggested that the
name might be from an unrecorded *Álvo˛zt, from OIc. áll 'an eel' and
vo˛zt 'a fishing-bank'.
(NSL s.n. Alsta)
Locative Byname:
Ambáttará, Húnv. (river)
From OIc. ambátt 'a bondswoman; a concubine', genitive singular
ámbáttar, and á 'a river': 'bondswoman’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Ánabrekka, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Áni, genitive Ána, and OIc. brekka
'a slope': 'Áni’s slope'. A man named Áni was given the land by
Skallagrímr Kveldúlfs son.
Locative Byname: at Ánabrekku
Andakílsá, Borg. (river)
From OIc. o˛nd 'a duck', genitive plural anda, kíll 'a
narrow inlet, a canal', genitive singular kíls, and á 'a river'; the name is 'ducks’
inlet’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Andarkelda, Dal. (swamp)
From OIc. o˛nd 'a duck', genitive singular andar, and kelda
'a well, a spring; a bog, a quagmire', here in the latter sense: 'ducks’ bog'.
Locative Byname:
Ár, Sweden.
The name is the plural of á 'a river'; the location is unknown.
Locative Byname: frá Ám
Arastaðir; see Orrastaðir.
Arnallsstaðir, S.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Arnaldr, genitive Arnalls,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead'; staðir is actually the plural.
(The name also occurs as Arnnhallzstaðir, but this is a scribal attempt to
make the unfamiliar masculine name, a borrowing of Continental Germanic Arn(w)ald,
look less unfamiliar by giving it a fairly common OIc. second element.)
Locative Byname: á Arnallzsto˛ðum
Arnarbœli, Mýr. (farm)
From OIc. o˛rn 'an eagle', genitive arnar, and bœli 'a
den, a lair; a farm, a dwelling', hence 'eagle’s lair'. In principle the name could also
mean 'O˛rn’s farm', from the masculine name O˛rn, genitive Arnar,
and it was in fact at one edge of the land taken by O˛rn inn gamli; however, he lived at
Háreksstaðir, so 'eagle’s lair' seems the likelier etymology.
Locative Byname:
Arnarfell.
From the masculine name O˛rn, genitive Arnar, and OIc. fell
'an isolated hill': 'O˛rn’s hill'. According to Landnámabók, O˛rn landshornamaðr
lost a sizable bet and was so upset at the loss of money that he killed himself at Arnarfell; the location is unknown.
Locative Byname:
Arnarfjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
Apparently named after O˛rn, who took all of the land around it, in which case
the meaning is 'O˛rn’s fjord'; the alternative is 'eagle’s fjord', as the common noun
o˛rn 'an eagle', genitive singular arnar, is indistinguishable from the masculine name
O˛rn (genitive Arnar).
Locative Byname:
Arnarholt, Mýr. (farm)
The second element is OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge';
the first is either the genitive singular of o˛rn 'an eagle' or the genitive of the masculine name
O˛rn. The fact that Þorbjo˛rn settled there suggests that holt here is 'a wood,
a copse', but one would have to know the terrain to decide safely. The fact that the farm was originally
settled by someone not named O˛rn suggests that the first element is the common noun, but the place
could have been renamed after a later tenant between its original settlement and the writing of
Landnámabók.
Locative Byname: í Arnarholti
Arnarhváll, Eyfj. (hill)
–– Reykjavík (hillock)
The second element is hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll'; the name is either
'eagle’s knoll' or 'O˛rn’s knoll' (see Arnarfjo˛rðr).
The name also appears simply as Hváll.
Locative Byname:
Arnarnes, Eyfj. (ness and farm)
See Arnarfjo˛rðr for the first element; the second
is OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. The name is probably 'O˛rn’s fjord', but
in principle it could be 'eagle’s fjord'.
Locative Byname: í Arnarnesi
Arnarþúfa, Þing.
From OIc. o˛rn 'an eagle', genitive singular arnar,
and þúfa 'a mound, a knoll': 'eagle’s mound'. This was
apparently towards the western end of the land claimed by Torf-Einarr
and two brothers; it was given its name because they set up an eagle there
as part of a ritual associated with claiming the land.
Locative Byname:
Arnbjargarlœkr, Mýr. (farm)
From the feminine name Arnbjo˛rg, genitive Arnbjargar, and OIc. lœkr
(later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook': 'Arnbjo˛rg’s brook'.
Locative Byname: at Arnbjargarlœk
Arneiðarstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the feminine name Arneiðr, genitive Arneiðar, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Arneið’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Arneiðarsto˛ðum
Arnlaugsfjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
From the masculine name Arnlaugr, genitive Arnlaugs, and OIc. fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Arnlaug’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Ásar, Skaft. (farm)
The plural of OIc. áss 'a rocky ridge', a metaphorical extension of áss
'a thick pole, a main beam of a house; a yard of a sail': 'rocky ridges'. See also
Áss.
Locative Byname: í Ásum
Ásbjarnarnes, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Ásbjo˛rn, genitive Ásbjarnar, and OIc. nes
'a ness, a headland': 'Ásbjo˛rn’s point'.
Locative Byname: í Ásbjarnarnesi
Ásbjarnarstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Ásbjo˛rn, genitive Ásbjarnar, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Ásbjo˛rn’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ásbjarnarsto˛ðum
Ásbjarnarvík.
From the masculine name Ásbjo˛rn, genitive Ásbjarnar, and OIc.
vík 'a bay, an inlet': 'Ásbjo˛rn’s inlet'. The location is unknown.
Locative Byname:
Ásgautsstaðir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Ásgautr, genitive Ásgauts, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Ásgaut’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Ásgeirsá, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Ásgeirr, genitive Ásgeirs, and OIc. á
'a river': 'Ásgeir’s river'.
Locative Byname: at Ásgeirsá
Áshildarmýrr, Árn. (meadow-bog)
From the feminine name Áshildr, genitive Áshildar, and OIc. mýrr
'a bog, a swamp, a mire': 'Áshild’s bog'.
Locative Byname:
Áskelsho˛fði, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Áskell, genitive Áskels, and OIc. ho˛fði
'a headland': 'Áskel’s headland'.
Locative Byname: í Áskelsho˛fða
Ásmundarleiði, Snæf.
From the masculine name Ásmundr, genitive Ásmundar, and OIc. leiði
'a tomb', here probably a burial mound: 'Ásmund’s tomb'. Ásmundr Atla son was buried
there in a ship with his thrall beside him.
Locative Byname:
Ásólfsleiði, Borg.
From the masculine name Ásólfr, genitive Ásólfs, and OIc. leiði
'a tomb', here probably a burial mound: 'Ásólf’s tomb'.
Locative Byname:
Ásólfsskáli, Rang.
From the masculine name Ásólfr, genitive Ásólfs, and OIc. skáli
'a shieling: a hut or shed put up for temporary use': 'Ásólf’s hut'. There were actually three,
all put up by Ásólfr alskikk Konáls son: Ásólfsskáli inn austasti 'the easternmost',
Ásólfsskáli inn vestasti 'the westernmost', and Miðskáli 'mid-hut'. All seem to have
became farms.
Locative Byname: at Ásólfsskála
Áss, Rang. (farm)
–– inn syðri Borg. (district and farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– (Oddsáss), Húnv. (farm)
–– Þing. (farm)
OIc. áss 'a rocky ridge', a metaphorical extension of
áss 'a thick pole, a main beam of a house; a yard of a sail': 'rocky
ridges'. For the one in Borg., inn syðri is 'the (more) southern'.
It’s possible that the one in Skaft. is identical with
Ásar, as both are said to have been settled
by Hróarr Tungugoði Una son. The one in Hún. is also called
Oddsáss, from the masculine name Oddr, genitive Odds.
Locative Byname: í Ási
Atlahaugr, Árn.
From the masculine name Atli, genitive Atla, and OIc. haugr 'a burial
mound, a cairn': 'Atli’s burial mound', here for Atli Hásteins son. See
Haugavað.
Locative Byname:
Atley, Norway.
Now Atløy. From the masculine name Atli and
OIc. ey 'an island': 'Atli’s island'. Atli jarl
inn mjóvi is said to have died here. (NSL s.n. Atløy)
Locative Byname:
Auðartoptir, Dal. (temporary farm)
From the feminine name Auðr, genitive Auðar, and OIc. topt 'a toft,
a homestead; a place marked out for a house or building; a square plot of ground with walls but no roof', here
in the plural toptir: 'Auð’s tofts'.
Locative Byname:
Auðbrekka, Eyfj.
The second element is OIc. brekka 'a slope'; the first might be from OIc. auðr
'empty, desolate'. The text has í Auðbrekku, but the index of persons gives it as í Auðarbrekku;
if this emendation is correct, the first element is Auðar, the genitive of the feminine name Auðr,
making the place-name 'Auð’s slope', but I've found no other evidence for such a form.
Locative Byname: í Auðbrekku
Auðkúlustaðir, Húnv. (farm)
The second element is the plural of OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead'. The original settler
was Eyvindr auðkúla; auðkúlu is the genitive of his byname. The byname combines OIc. auðr
'riches, wealth' and kúla 'a knob, a boss, a ball', here in the sense 'a hump' as in kúlabak
'humpback'. An alternative suggestion is that kúla should be understood in the sense 'a hill, a mound',
the byname signifying a very rich man.
Locative Byname: á Auðkúlusto˛ðum
Auðnar, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. auðn 'a wilderness, a desert; an uninhabited and uncultivated tract of land, a waste; a deserted farm or habitation'; the nominative plural is now auðnir, but according to Ko˛bler this is an original ō-stem, which would have had nominative plural auðnar. Evidently this is one of the many original ō-stems that subsequently changed the nominative and accusative plural ending -ar to -ir. Thus, the name is simply '[the] Wastes'.
The text actually says that Ásgeirr ... bjó þar er nú heitir at Auðnum 'settled at the place
that is now called at Auðnum'; the preposition at takes the dative, and auðnum is the
dative plural of auðn, so at Auðnum is simply 'at [the] Wastes'. This inclusion of the preposition
as part of the place-name is not uncommon.
Locative Byname: at Auðnum
Auðólfsstaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Auðólfr, genitive Auðólfs, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Auðólf’s stead(s)'. Auðólfr
was one of the crewmen of Ævarr inn gamli Ketils son helluflaga, who took a considerable holding and
divided some of it among his crew.
Locative Byname: á Auðólfssto˛ðum
Auðsstaðir, Borg. (farm)
From the masculine name Auðr, genitive Auðs, and OIc. staðr 'a place,
a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Auð’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Auðssto˛ðum
Auðunarstaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Auðun, genitive Auðunar, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Auðun’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Auðunarsto˛ðum,
at Auðunarsto˛ðum
Augastaðir, Borg. (farm)
The second element is OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir.
The original tenant was Þorgils auga á Augasto˛ðum; Auga- in the place-name is the genitive
singular of OIc. auga 'an eye', making the name 'Eye’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Augasto˛ðum
Aurriðaá, Borg. (river)
From OIc. aurriði 'a salmon-trout, a brown trout', genitive singular and genitive plural
aurriða, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Aurriðaáróss, Dal. (river-mouth)
From Aurriðaá, genitive Aurriðaár (see Aurriðaá)
and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake'.
Locative Byname:
One of the four Quarters into which Iceland was divided, the
others being Vestfirðingafjórðungr,
Norðlendingafjórðungr,
and Sunnlendingafjórðungr; Austfirðingafjórðungr
was the first to be settled. Austfirðinga is the genitive plural of
Austfirðingr 'man of the Austfirðir', i.e., 'man of the eastern
fjords of Iceland'; fjórðungr is 'the fourth part, a quarter'. The name
is literally 'the quarter of the men of the eastern fjords'.
Locative Byname:
Austfirðir.
From OIc. austr 'the east' and firðir,
the plural of fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': '[the] eastern fjords (of Iceland)'.
Locative Byname:
Austrvegr.
Literally 'east way', from OIc. austr 'the east' and vegr 'a way, a road', it
refers to the eastern Baltic Sea and the lands neighboring it; fara í Austrveg 'to travel the East Way'
was a common expression for trading or piratical expeditions in the Baltic.
Locative Byname:
Axlarhagi, Skag. (farm)
From OIc. o˛xl 'a shoulder-joint, a shoulder', genitive singular axlar, here in
the metaphorical sense 'shoulder of a mountain', and hagi 'a pasture, a field for grazing': literally
'mountain-shoulder’s pasture', i.e., a pasture on the shoulder of a mountain.
Locative Byname: í Axlarhaga, á Axlarhaga
Bakkarholt, Skaft. (farm)
The second element is OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a
rough, stony hill or ridge'. The first is probably from bakki 'a bank
(of a river, lake, chasm, etc.); a ridge', genitive bakka, and
á 'a river', genitive ár. What is now the river
Bakkarholtsá 'Bakkarholt(’s) river' was probably
originally the Bakkaá, meaning something like 'ridge(’s) river',
and Bakkar is probably contracted from the genitive Bakkaár.
Thus, the sense of the name is probably 'wood (or perhaps ridge) on the
Bakkaá'.
Locative Byname: í Bakkarholti
Balkastaðir, Húnv. (two farms)
From the masculine name Balki, genitive Balka, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Balki’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Balkasto˛ðum
Ballará, Dal. (farm)
From OIc. bo˛llr, genitive singular ballar, normally
'a ball, a globe' but here apparently 'a (rounded?) peak', and á 'a
river'.
Locative Byname: at Ballará
Barð, Barð.
–– Skag. (farm)
OIc. barð 'the verge or edge of a hill' (and other senses).
Locative Byname: frá Barði
Bárðardalr, Þing. (valley)
From the masculine name Bárðr, genitive Bárðar, and OIc. dalr
'a valley, a dale': 'Bárð’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Bárðargata, Skaft.
From the masculine name Bárðr, genitive Bárðar, and OIc. gata
'a path, a way, a road': 'Bárð’s way'. It seems to have been a (path through) a mountain pass
and was so named because Gnúpa-Bárðr Heyangrs-Bjarnar son travelled it; its name had been
Vánarskarð.
Locative Byname:
Barðastro˛nd, Barð.
From OIc. barði 'a kind of ship; baleen whale',
genitive singular and genitive plural barða, and stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore';
possibly this stretch of coast was frequented by whales.
Locative Byname:
Barðsnes, S.-Múl. (farm)
From OIc. barð 'the verge or edge of a hill', genitive singular barðs,
and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname: á Barðsnesi
Barðsvík, Ísafj. (farm)
From OIc. barð 'the verge or edge of a hill', genitive singular barðs,
and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname: í Barðsvík, á Barðsvík
Baugsstaðir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Baugr, genitive Baugs, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Baug’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Baugssto˛ðum
Beigaðarhváll, Húnv. (hillock)
From Beigaðr, genitive Beigaðar, the name of a boar, and OIc. hváll
'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Beigað’s knoll'. Beigaðr is supposed to have died on the knoll.
Locative Byname:
Beigaldi, Mýr. (farm)
Þórðr beigaldi, also called Þórir, is said to have lived á Beigalda
'at Beigaldi', which took its name from his byname. Beigaldi is otherwise unattested but must
correspond to Nynorsk beigall 'sickly, ailing' and is apparently related to OIc. beigla 'to walk
clumsily', found in poetry.
Locative Byname: á Beigalda
Bekansstaðir, Borg. (farm)
From the masculine name Bekan, genitive Bekans, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Bekan’s stead(s)'. In
Sturlubók he is called Beigan, and his steading Beigansstaðir.
Locative Byname: á Bekanssto˛ðum
Belgsdalr, Dal. (valley)
From OIc. belgr 'the skin of a quadruped, taken off whole, often used as a bag; a bellows',
genitive belgs, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'. The original settler here was Óláfr belgr;
as his byname the word belgr probably had the sense 'belly, paunch', making the place-name 'Belly’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Belgsstaðir, Dal. (farm)
From OIc. belgr 'the skin of a quadruped, taken off whole, often used as a bag; a bellows',
genitive belgs, and staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir. The original
settler here was Óláfr belgr; as his byname the word belgr probably had the sense 'belly, paunch',
making the place-name 'Belly’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Belgssto˛ðum
Berg, Norway.
OIc. berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice'.
Locative Byname:
Berghlíðir, Barð.
From OIc. berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice' and
hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope', plural hlíðir (now hlíðar).
Locative Byname:
Berghylr, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice' and
hylr 'a pool or deep place in a river'.
Locative Byname: at Berghyl
Bergþórshváll, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Bergþórr, genitive Bergþórs, and hváll
'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Bergþór’s knoll'.
Locative Byname: at Bergþórshváli
Berjadalsá, Borg. (river)
From OIc. ber 'a berry', genitive plural berja, dalr 'a valley, a dale',
genitive singular dals, and á 'a river': 'berries’-dale’s-river'.
Locative Byname:
Bersastaðir, Húnv. (farm)
–– N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Bersi, genitive Bersa, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Bersi’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Bersasto˛ðum
Berserkseyrr (Borðeyrr), Snæf. (farm and spit)
From OIc. berserkr 'a berserker', genitive singular berserks, and eyrr
'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea': 'berserker’s sandspit' or the like.
The place is also called Borðeyrr, whose first element appears to be borð 'edge, side, rim,
esp. the side of a ship; a board, a plank; a table'. The sense here is probably 'edge', as in 'the edge of the land':
de Vries s.v. borð (1) reports a Shetland bord(ek) 'a cape, a headland, a promontory'.
Locative Byname:
Berufell: see Búrfell.
Berufjo˛rðr,
Barð. (fjord)
–– S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. bera 'a she-bear', genitive singular beru, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'she-bear’s fjord'.
Locative Byname: í Berufirði
Beruvík, Snæf.
From OIc. bera 'a she-bear', genitive singular beru, and vík
'an inlet, a small bay': 'she-bear’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Beruvíkrhraun, Snæf. (lava field)
From the place-name Beruvík above, genitive Beruvíkr, and OIc. hraun
'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough place, a wilderness': 'Beruvík’s lava field'.
Locative Byname:
Bíldsá, Eyfj. (river)
From OIc. bíldr 'an instrument for letting blood, a lancet', genitives singular
bílds, and á 'a river'. Bíldr is recorded as the nickname of O˛nundr bíldr Hróars
son [or Hróaldz son] and his half-brother Þorgrímr bíldr Úlfs son, after whom
Bíldsfell was named; it is possible that Bíldsá got its name in similar
fashion. (Bíldr, genitive Bílds, also occurs as the name of a dwarf and as the name of one or
two apparently fictional persons.)
Locative Byname: at Bildsá
Bíldsfell, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. bíldr 'an instrument for letting blood, a lancet', genitives singular
bílds, genitive bílds, and fell 'an isolated hill'. The original settler here
was Þorgrímr bíldr; the exact significance of his byname is uncertain, but the basic idea is
'sharp point'; compare Swedish isbill 'icepick' and plogbill 'plowshare-point'.
Locative Byname: at Bíldsfelli
Biskupstunga, Árn. (tongue of land)
From OIc. biskup 'a bishop', genitive singular biskups, and tunga
'a tongue of land' (also, as in English, used of the body part and in the sense 'a language'): 'bishop’s
tongue of land'.
Locative Byname:
Bitra (Bitrufjo˛rðr), Strand. (fjord)
OIc. bitra is attested only in this place-name and
the byname of its original settler, Þorbjo˛rn bitra. It is apparently a noun derived from
bitr 'biting, snapping; cutting, sharp; painful, bitter' in the same
way that beiska 'bitterness, sourness' is derived from beiskr
'bitter, acrid'; the sense must be 'bitterness, bitingness'. Note that
Þorbjo˛rn is described
as illmenni 'a wicked (cruel) man'. Bitra appears in the
genitive singular in the longer name Bitrufjo˛rðr, whose second element is
fjo˛rðr 'a ford,
a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Bjallabrekka, Rang. (farm)
The second element is OIc. brekka 'a slope'; the first
is the genitive of bjalli, a word found as the sole or primary element
of some 70 place-names in Rangárvallsýsla but rare to non-existent elsewhere,
according to the April 2008 instalment of the
Örnefni
Mánaðarins (Place-Name of the Month) feature of Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies). Its usual meaning is 'ridge, hill, hillock, bump, rocky or craggy
elevation, crag, cliff'. The word is related to OIc. bjalla 'a bell'
and Ic. bölti 'a slope, a hill' and to Norw. dialect bell
'a roundish hump or hill'.
Locative Byname: á Ballabrekku
Bjargaóss (Bragaóss), Húnv.
From OIc. bjarg 'a boulder, a (large) rock; a precipice or cliff, especially by the sea',
genitive plural bjarga, and óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake'; the sense is probably
'river-mouth with precipices'. Possibly the name was a puzzle to the authors of the versions that substitute
Bragaóss, which can readily be interpreted as 'Bragi’s river-mouth', from the masculine
name Bragi, genitive Braga.
Locative Byname: í Bjargaósi
Bjarkey, Norway. (island)
The island of Bjarkøy(a). Shortened from
Bjarkarey, from OIc. bjo˛rk 'a birch-tree', genitive singular
bjarkar, and ey 'an island': 'birch island', for an
island with a birch wood. (NSL s.n. Bjarkøy(a))
Locative Byname: ór Bjarkey(ju)
Bjarmaland.
From OIc. Bjarmar 'Perms' and land 'land
(as opposed to sea); a country': 'land of the Perms'. The Perms were a people
in Russia.
Locative Byname:
Bjarnardalr, Mýr. (valley)
From the masculine name Bjo˛rn,
genitive Bjarnar, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Bjo˛rn’s dale'. Rauða-Bjo˛rn, the original settler here, is said to have got his nickname
because he was the first man to smelt rauði 'bog iron ore' in Iceland.
Locative Byname:
Bjarnarfjo˛rðr, (1) Strand. (fjord)
–– (2) Strand. (fjord)
From the masculine name Bjo˛rn, genitive Bjarnar, and OIc. fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Bjo˛rn’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Bjarnarho˛fn, Snæf. (cove)
From the masculine name Bjo˛rn, genitive Bjarnar, and OIc. ho˛fn
'a harbor, a haven': 'Bjo˛rn’s harbor', named after the first settler there.
Locative Byname: í Bjarnarho˛fn
Bjarnarnes, Ísafj. (ness)
From the masculine name Bjo˛rn, genitive Bjarnar, and OIc. nes
'a ness, a headland': 'Bjo˛rn’s headland', named for the original settler.
Locative Byname: á Bjarnarnesi, í Bjarnarnesi
Bjarnastaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Bjarni, genitive Bjarna, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Bjarni’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Bjarnasto˛ðum
Bjarneyjaflói, Barð.
From OIc. bjo˛rn 'a bear', whose underlying root is bjarn-, ey
'an island', genitive plural eyja, and flói 'a marshy moor; a bay, a large firth', but
here 'deep water in a bay' as opposed to shallow coastal water; the sense is 'deep water around the Bear
Islands'.
Locative Byname:
Bjo˛rgyn, Norway.
Now Bergen, but the form is unexpected: the name is from Bergvin
and its variant Bjo˛rgvin, from OIc. berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff,
a precipice' or bjarg 'a boulder, a (large) rock', plural bjo˛rg 'precipices, especially by the
sea', and vin 'a meadow'. The sense is 'meadow by the precipices by the sea'. (NSL s.n.
Bergen)
Locative Byname:
Blanda, Blo˛nduóss, Húnv. (river, river-mouth)
OIc. blanda, genitive singular blo˛ndu, is 'a mixture of two fluids, especially a beverage made
of sour whey mixed with water'; the Blanda is a stream of glacier water, presumably so
called for its color. The second element of Blo˛nduóss is óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake',
making the name 'Blanda’s mouth'. See Blo˛ndudalr, Blo˛nduhlíð, and Blo˛ndukvíslir.
Locative Byname:
Bláserkr, Greenland. (hill)
From OIc. blár 'blue, livid; black' and serkr
'a sark, a shirt': 'blue shirt'. The text indicates that there is a glacier,
so the name may refer to the appearance of the glacier.
Locative Byname:
Bláskeggsá (Bláskógsá), Borg. (river)
From OIc. blár 'blue, livid; black', skegg 'a beard', genitive singular
skeggs, and á 'a river': 'blue-beard’s river'. The variant Bláskógsá has as
its middle element OIc. skógr 'a wood, a forest', genitive singular skógs: 'blue-wood’s
river', probably with the sense 'dark-wood’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Bláskógar, Árn. (a stretch of heath)
From OIc. blár 'blue, livid; black', skógr 'a
wood, a forest', here in the plural skógar: 'blue woods', probably with
the sense 'dark woods'.
Locative Byname: í Bláskógum
Blesastaðir, Mýr. (farm)
The second element is OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir.
The original settler here was Þorbjo˛rn blesi; blesa is the genitive singular of his byname. The
byname, which is otherwise unattested, is related to OIc. blesóttr 'having a blaze or white mark on the
forehead' and Swedish bläs 'a blaze' and means 'a white spot on the forehead of an animal': 'Blaze’s
stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Blesasto˛ðum
Blundsvatn, Borg. (lake)
From OIc. blundr 'sleep, dozing, slumber', genitive singular blunds, and OIc.
vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake'; the original settler here was Ketill blundr, and the sense
is 'Sleepy’s lake'.
Locative Byname:
Blo˛ndudalr, Húnv. (valley)
From OIc. blanda 'a mixture of two fluids, especially a beverage made of sour whey mixed
with water', genitive singular blo˛ndu, here the name of a stream of glacier water, and dalr
'a valley, a dale': 'Blanda’s valley'. See Blanda,
Blo˛nduhlíð, and Blo˛ndukvíslir.
Locative Byname: í Blo˛ndudal, older í Blo˛ndudali
Blo˛nduhlíð, Skag. (district)
From OIc. blanda 'a mixture of two fluids, especially a beverage made of sour whey mixed
with water', genitive singular blo˛ndu, here the name of a stream of glacier water, and hlíð
'a mountainside, a slope': 'Blanda’s slope'. See Blanda,
Blo˛ndudalr, and Blo˛ndukvíslir.
Locative Byname:
Blo˛ndukvíslir 209
From OIc. blanda 'a mixture of two fluids, especially a beverage made of sour whey mixed
with water', genitive singular blo˛ndu, here the name of a stream of glacier water, and kvísl
'a fork of a river' (and other meanings), here in the plural kvíslar: 'branches of the Blanda'. See
Blanda, Blo˛ndudalr, and
Blo˛nduhlíð.
Locative Byname:
Bólstaðará, Skag. (river)
From OIc. bólstaðr 'a homestead, a farm; an abode', genitive singular bólstaðar,
and á 'a river': 'homestead’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Bólstaðr, Rang. (farm)
OIc. bólstaðr 'a homestead, a farm; an abode'.
Locative Byname: í Bólstað
Bolungavík, Ísafj. (cove)
From OIc. bulungr (variant bolungr) 'a pile of logs, firewood', genitive plural
bulunga, and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'; the sense is 'firewood inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Borðeyrr, Strand. (farm)
The second element is eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea'.
The first element appears to be OIc. borð 'edge, side, rim, esp. the side of a ship; a board, a plank; a table'.
The sense here is probably 'edge', as in 'the edge of the land': de Vries s.v. borð (1) reports a Shetland
bord(ek) 'a cape, a headland, a promontory'. See Berserkseyrr.
Locative Byname:
Borg, Mýr. (farm)
–– (Stóra-Borg) Húnv.
OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses). OIc. stórr, here in the
feminine nominative singular, is 'big, great'.
Locative Byname: at Borg
Borgardalr, Snæf. (valley)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Borgarfjo˛rðr, Borg. (fjord)
–– N.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,a firth, an inlet'. The first one listed is said to have been named after
Borg by Skallagrímr Kveld-Úlfs son, who settled there and took
much of the surrounding land.
Locative Byname:
Borgarholt, (1) Snæf. (farm)
–– (2) Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Borgarholti
Borgarhraun, Snæf. (lava field)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough place, a wilderness'.
Locative Byname:
Borgarho˛fn, Skaft.
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven'.
Locative Byname: í Borgarho˛fn
Borgarlœkr, Snæf. (brook)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook'.
Locative Byname:
Borgarsandr, Skag. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped hill' (and other senses), genitive singular borgar,
and sandr 'sand; the seashore'.
Locative Byname:
Borgund, Norway. (island)
Borgund in the municipality of Ålesund, in the county of Møre og
Romsdal in Western Norway. The name is from OIc. borg 'a small, dome-shaped
hill' and a suffix -und that is very common in Norwegian island names
and seems to have meant something like 'well provided with whatever is named by
the first element'. (NSL s.n. Borgund)
Locative Byname:
Bótarskarð (Bótarskál), Árn. (mountain ravine)
From the feminine name Bót, genitive Bótar, and OIc. skarð 'a mountain pass;
a notch': 'Bót’s pass'. It is said to have been named after Bót, a bondwoman of Ketilbjo˛rn
inn gamli Ketils son, who killed her here for stealing an ox laden with silver. However, according to the May 2003
instalment of the Örnefni
Mánaðarins (Place-Name of the Month) feature of Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies), bót is found as a place-name element throughout Iceland, though with somewhat different meanings in
different regions. Since no other instance of the feminine name Bót seems to be known, it’s likely that
the explanation is a fiction and that Bótarskarð actually contains the place-name element, probably in the sense
'grassy hollow, small vale. Indeed, in the alternative name skál is 'a bowl', used as a topographical term meaning
'a hollow'.
Locative Byname:
Botn, Borg. (farm)
OIc. botn 'the head of a bay, firth, lake, or valley'.
Locative Byname: í Botni
Botnsá, Borg. (river)
From OIc. botn 'the head of a bay, firth, lake, or valley', genitive singular botns,
and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Bragaóss: see Bjargaóss.
Bramslœkr, Barð.: see Brjánslœkr.
Brattahlíð, Greenland. (farm)
From OIc. brattr 'steep' and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope': 'steep mountainside,
steep slope'.
Locative Byname:
Brattsholt, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Brattr, genitive Bratts, and OIc. holt 'a wood,
a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge'; in an early place-name the sense 'copse' is perhaps more likely.
Locative Byname: í Brattsholti
Brautarholt, Kjós. (farm)
From OIc. braut 'a road', genitive singular brautar, and holt 'a wood,
a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': 'road’s wood', presumably a copse on a roadway.
Locative Byname: í Brautarholti
Brávo˛llr. (battle site)
From OIc. brá 'eyelash' and vo˛llr 'a field' (with no implication of cultivation);
the sense of the compound is not clear.
Locative Byname:
Breiðá, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. breiðr 'broad' and á 'a river': 'broad river'.
Locative Byname: at Breiðá
Breiðabólstaðr, Borg. (farm)
–– Dal. (farm)
–– Húnv. (farm)
–– Rang. (farm)
–– (1) Skaft. (farm)
–– (2) Skaft. (farm)
–– Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. breið 'broad' and bólstaðr 'a homestead, a farm; an abode': 'broad homestead'.
Locative Byname: á Breiðabólstað
Breiðafjo˛rðr. (fjord)
From OIc. breið 'broad' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'broad fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Breiðamýrr, Þing. (farm)
–– in eystri Árn. (farm and district)
From OIc. breið 'broad' and mýrr 'a bog, a swamp, a mire':
'broad bog'. The modifier in eystri is 'the more eastern'.
Locative Byname: á Breiðamýri
Breiðársandr, Skaft. (coastal stretch of sand)
From the river-name Breiðá, genitive Breiðár, and
OIc. sandr 'sand, the seashore': 'Breiðá’s sands'.
Locative Byname:
Breiðavað, Húnv.
From OIc. breiðr 'broad' and vað 'a ford, a wading-place across a stream': 'broad ford'.
Locative Byname: á Breiðavaði
Breiðavík, N.-Múl. (small cove)
–– Snæf. (cove)
From OIc. breiðr 'broad' and vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'broad inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Breiðdalr, S.-Múl. (district)
From OIc. breiðr 'broad' and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'broad dale'.
Locative Byname: í Breiðdal
Brekka (Fagrabrekka), Strand. (farm)
–– Ísafj. (farm)
OIc. brekka 'a slope'. The first element of the alternative name Fagrabrekka
is from OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful'.
Locative Byname: at Brekku, á Brekku
Brekkur (Sumarliðabœr), Rang. (farm)
Brekkur is the plural of OIc. brekka 'a slope'. Sumarliðabœr is the older
name, from the masculine name Sumarliði, genitive sumarliða, and OIc. bœr 'a farmhouse,
a farmstead'. The text says the place heitir nú undir Brekkum 'is now called undir Brekkum';
undir Brekkum is 'under Brekkur', literally 'under or below the slopes'.
Locative Byname: undir Brekkum, í Sumarliðabœ
Brenna, Borg. (farm)
OIc. brenna 'the burning of a house or person'. Landnámabók says that in the
course of a feud Þjóðólfr Karls son burned Kári Kýlans son in his own house here; the farm,
which had been called Kýlanshólar or Kýlanshólmar, was thereafter
called á Brennu 'at the burning in'. (Brennu is the dative singular of brenna; the
preposition á takes the dative case.) For the more usual meaning of brenna in place-names see
Brenningr.
Locative Byname: á Brennu
Brenningr, Snæf. (farm)
According to the February 2005 instalment of the
Örnefni Mánaðarins
(Place-Name of the Month) feature of the Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies), the name signifies a place where vegetation (woods, brush, dry grass, etc.) had been burned
off, deliberately or otherwise; this was probably also the usual sense of brenna in place-names.
Locative Byname: í Brenningi
Bretland.
Britain, especially Wales.
Locative Byname:
Brimilsvellir, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. brimill 'a kind of large seal', genitive singular brimils, and vo˛llr
'a field', with no implication of cultivation, here in the plural: 'seal’s fields'. However, brimill was
also used as a nickname: the father of one of the settlers was Ketill brimill O˛rnólfs son, and it’s possible
that the place is named for him (or even for someone else with the same nickname).
Locative Byname: á Brimilsvo˛llum
Brimnesskógar, Skag. (stretch of woods)
From OIc. brim 'the surf', nes 'a ness, a headland', and skógr 'a wood, a forest',
here in the plural skógar: 'surf point woods'.
Locative Byname:
Brjánslœkr (Bramslœkr), Barð. (farm)
From the masculine name Brjánn, genitive Brjáns, and OIc. lœkr (later lækr)
'a rivulet, a brook': 'Brján’s brook'. The alternative version appears to be the result of scribal error.
Locative Byname:
Brokey, Snæf. (island)
The meaning of brok is uncertain; CV takes it to be 'bad, black grass'. The second element
is OIc. ey 'an island'.
Locative Byname:
Brúnahaugr.
From the masculine name Brúni, genitive Brúna, and OIc. haugr 'a burial mound,
a cairn': 'Brúni’s burial mound'.
Locative Byname:
Brúnastaðir, Skag. (farm)
From the masculine name Brúni, genitive Brúna, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
here in the plural staðir: 'Brúni’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Brúnasto˛ðum
Brynjudalr, Kjós. (valley)
Apparently from OIc. brynja 'a coat of mail', genitive singular brynju, and
dalr 'a valley, a dale'. However, some versions say that the valley got its name from a particularly
valuable cow called Brynja (genitive Brynju) over whom two men quarreled.
Locative Byname: í Brynjudal
Brynjudalsá, Kjós. (river)
The genitive of the place-name Brynjudalr and OIc.
á 'a river': 'Brynjudal’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Búðardalr, Dal. (valley)
From OIc. búð 'a temporary dwelling, a booth', genitive singular búðar, and
dalr 'a valley, a dale'. The settler Geirmundr heljarskinn Hjo˛rs son spent his first winter in
Iceland there.
Locative Byname:
Búðardalsá, Dal. (river)
The genitive of the place-name Búðardalr and OIc. á
'a river': 'Búðardal’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Búland, Skaft. (farm)
OIc. búland 'home land'.
Locative Byname: á Búlandi, í Búlandi
Búlandsho˛fði, Snæf. (headland)
From the genitive of búland (see Búland) and OIc.
ho˛fði 'a headland'. Also
called simply Ho˛fði.
Locative Byname:
Búlandsnes, S.-Múl. (ness)
From the genitive of búland (see Búland) and OIc.
nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Búrfell (Berufell), Árn. (farm)
The second element is OIc. fell 'an isolated hill', but the first is uncertain. There is an
OIc. búr 'pantry; storehouse; women’s apartment', but the August 2002 instalment of the
Örnefni Mánaðarins
(Place-Name of the Month) feature of the Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies) notes the existence of some 47 places named Búrfell and seems to suggest that the name is especially
associated with isolated steeple-shaped peaks, in which case Búr- may have had topographical significance. The first
element of the alternative version appears to be the genitive singular of bera 'a she-bear'.
Locative Byname: at Búrfelli
Byrgisvík, Strand. (cove)
From OIc. byrgi 'an enclosure, a fence, an enclosed place', genitive singular byrgis,
and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Bægisá, Eyfj. (farm and river)
–– in syðri, Eyfj. (farm)
The name is a compound of bægis and OIc. á 'a river'. The first element appears to be
the genitive singular of an unattested noun *bægir (if masculine) or *bægi (if neuter), making the name
'Bægi(r)’s river'. If this is correct, bægi(r) is probably a nickname related to the verb
bægja 'to make one give way, to push; to hinder', the noun bæging 'a thwarting', the adjective
bæginn 'cross-grained', and the first element of the nickname bægifótr 'lame-foot', and a little more
distantly to the adjective bágr 'uneasy, awkward'. The modifier in syðri is 'the more southern'.
Locative Byname: at Bægisá inni syðri
Bœjarsker, Gullbr. (farm)
From OIc. bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead', genitive singular bœjar, and sker
'a rock in the sea, a skerry': 'farmstead’s skerry'.
Locative Byname:
Bœr, Borg. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– Strand. (farm)
OIc. bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead'.
Locative Byname: í Bœ
Bo˛ðmóðshorn (Bo˛ðmóðshraun), Skaft.
From the masculine name Bo˛ðmóðr, genitive Bo˛ðmóðs, and OIc. horn 'a corner, a nook,
an angle' (extended from the original meaning 'an animal's horn'):
'Bo˛ðmóð’s
horn of land'. The second element of the alternative name is OIc.
hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough place, a
wilderness'.
Locative Byname:
Bo˛ðmóðstunga, Skaft. (farm)
From the masculine name Bo˛ðmóðr, genitive Bo˛ðmóðs, and OIc. tungu 'a tongue of land'
(also, as in English, used of the body part and in the sense 'a language'):
'Bo˛ðmóð’s
tongue of land'.
Locative Byname: í Bo˛ðmóðstungu
Bo˛ðólfs skytja, Þing.
From the masculine name Bo˛ðólfr, genitive Bo˛ðólfs, and OIc. skytja 'a little
nook, a piece of land in an angle between two others' (and other very different meanings).
Locative Byname: at Bo˛ðólfs skytju
Bo˛ðvarsdalr, N.-Múl. (valley)
From the masculine name Bo˛ðvarr, genitive Bo˛ðvars, and OIc. dalr 'a valley,
a dale': 'Bo˛ðvar’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Bo˛ðvarshólar, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Bo˛ðvarr, genitive Bo˛ðvars, and OIc. hóll 'a hill,
a hillock, a knoll', here in the plural hólar: 'Bo˛ðvar’s knolls'.
Locative Byname: ór Bo˛dvarshólum
Bo˛ðvarsholt, Skaft. (farm)
From the masculine name Bo˛ðvarr, genitive Bo˛ðvars, and OIc. holt 'a wood,
a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge', here probably 'Bo˛ðvar’s wood'.
Locative Byname: í Bo˛ðvarsholti
Bo˛ðvarstoptir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Bo˛ðvarr, genitive Bo˛ðvars, and OIc. topt 'a toft,
a homestead; a place marked out for a house or building; a square plot of ground with walls but no roof', here in the
plural as toptir: 'Bo˛ðvar’s tofts'.
Locative Byname: at Bo˛ðvarstoptum, í Bo˛ðvarstoptum
Dalalo˛nd, Dal.
From OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale', genitive plural dala, and land 'land
(as opposed to sea); a country', nominative plural lo˛nd: 'dale-lands'.
Locative Byname:
Dalir, Barð.
–– Dal.
From OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale', nominative plural dalir: 'dales'.
Locative Byname: í Do˛lum
Dalsfjo˛rðr, Norway. (fjord)
From OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale', genitive singular dals, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'dale’s fjord'. This is Dalsfjorden in Sunnfjord. (NSL s.n.
Dalsfjorden)
Locative Byname:
Dalsmynni, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale', genitive singular dals, and mynni
'a mouth (as of a river or fjord)': 'dale’s-mouth'.
Locative Byname: at Dalsmynni
Danmo˛rk.
Denmark.
Locative Byname:
Deildará Rang. (two rivers)
–– Skag. (river)
From OIc. deild 'a dole, a share', genitive singular deildar, used in place-names
referring to rivers and other boundary features, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Deildarey, Dal. (island)
From OIc. deild 'a dole, a share', genitive singular deildar, used in place-names
referring to rivers and other boundary features, and ey 'an island'.
Locative Byname:
Deildargil, Borg. (ravine)
From OIc. deild 'a dole, a share', genitive singular deildar, used in place-names
referring to rivers and other boundary markers, and gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom'.
Locative Byname:
Deildarhjalli, Húnv. (mountain ledge)
From OIc. deild 'a dole, a share', genitive singular deildar, used in place-names
referring to rivers and other boundary markers, and hjalli 'a ledge in a mountainside'.
Locative Byname:
Digranes, N.-Múl. (ness)
From OIc. digr 'big, stout, thick' and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Dímunarvágr, Dal.
According to the May 2004 instalment of the
Örnefni
Mánaðarins (Place-Name of the Month) feature of the Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies), dímun signifies 'two hills, two eminences' and is a borrowing from the Celtic
languages, specifically from something like OIr. dí muin 'two upper backs'. (Muin is 'the upper part of the
back between the shoulders and below the neck'.) The second element is OIc. vágr 'a creek, a bay'.
Locative Byname:
Djúpá, Skag. (island)
From OIc. djúpr 'deep' and á 'a river': 'deep river'.
Locative Byname:
Djúpadalr, Djúpadalslo˛nd, Eyfj. (farm, its lands)
From OIc. djúpr 'deep' and dalr 'a valley,
a dale', genitive singular dals: 'deep-dale'. Djúpadalslo˛nd is 'deep-dale’s lands', from land
'land (as opposed to sea); a country', nominative plural lo˛nd. Here the sense is 'lands associated with the
farm Djúpadalr'.
Locative Byname: í Djúpadal
Djúpafjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
From OIc. djúpr 'deep' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'deep-ford'.
Locative Byname:
Dofrar, Norway.
The word is a plural noun, but the meaning is uncertain. It is thought to be related to djúpr
'deep' and to signify something like 'valleys, clefts, fissures'. (NSL s.n. Dovre)
Locative Byname:
Drangaland, Strand.
From the place-name Drangar,
genitive Dranga, and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a
country': 'land associated with Drangar.'.
Locative Byname:
Drangar, Eyfj.
–– Snæf.
–– Strand.
–– (Lóndrangar), Snæf.
The nominative plural of OIc. drangr 'a detached pillar of rock'. The first element of
Lóndrangar is lón 'a lagoon, an inlet'; however, this appears to derive from the byname of
Lón-Einarr, who is said to have seen a troll there, and not to the location of the place. The byname
itself, however, is from Lónland.
Locative Byname: at Dro˛ngum
Drangavík, Strand. (cove and farm)
From OIc. drangr 'a detached pillar of rock', genitive plural dranga, and vík
'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Drangshlíð, Rang.
From OIc. drangr 'a detached pillar of rock', genitive singular drangs, and hlíð
'a mountainside, a slope'.
Locative Byname:
Drápuhlíð, Snæf. (farm)
Apparently from OIc. drápa 'a heroic, laudatory poem', genitive singular drápu, and
hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'; possibly the slope in question figured in such a poem.
Locative Byname: í Drápuhlíð
Drífandi, Skaft. (river)
The present participle of the verb drífa 'to drift, to
drive', so literally 'drifting, driving', like sand or snow; present participles
are also used as agent nouns, so 'driver' and 'drifter' are also possible senses;
here it may refer to a waterfall or a rapidly flowing brook.
Locative Byname:
Dritsker, Snæf. (skerry)
From OIc. drit 'excrement, especially of birds; dirt', and sker 'a rock in the sea,
a skerry'.
Locative Byname:
Drumboddsstaðir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Oddr, genitive Odds, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
nominative plural staðir; Drumb- is a byname from OIc. drumbr 'log of wood', probably for a
thick, lumpish person. Drumb-Oddr was in the company of one of the original settlers.
Locative Byname: á Drumboddssto˛ðum
Dufansdalr, Barð. (valley)
From the masculine name Dufan, a borrowing of OIr. Dubán, genitive Dufans, and
OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Dufan’s dale'. Dufan was a thrall to Án rauðfeldar Gríms
son, who freed him and gave him the land.
Locative Byname: í Dufansdal
From OIc. dúfa 'a dove, a pigeon', genitive singular dúfu; nef 'a nose; a bird's
beak or bill', genitive singular nefs; and skeið 'a race, a run; a race-course' (and other meanings):
'Dove’s-nose's race-course'. It is said to be named after Þórir (or Þórðr) dúfunef
('dove’s-nose'), who is supposed to have won a horse race here.
Locative Byname:
Dufþaksholt, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Dufþakr, genitive Dufþaks, a borrowing of OIr Dubthach,
and OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': 'Dufþak’s copse or stony ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Dufþaksholti
Dufþaksskor, Vestmannaeyjar. (rocky rift)
From the masculine name Dufþakr, genitive Dufþaks, a borrowing of OIr. Dubthach,
and OIc. skor 'a rift in a rock or precipice; more generally, a notch, a score'. A thrall named Dufþakr
is said to have incited his fellow thralls to kill their master Hjo˛rleifr Hróðmars son; Hjo˛rleif’s
foster brother Ingólfr Arnar son (or Bjo˛rnólfs son) is said to have killed all of them here.
Locative Byname:
Dumbshaf, (?)
The second element is OIc. haf 'the sea, especially the high sea, the ocean'; the first is ostensibly
from a masculine name Dumbr, genitive Dumbs, the name of a fictitious king after whom the sea is supposed
to have been named. The name Dumbr is formally identical to OIc. dumbr 'dumb, mute'.
Locative Byname:
Dyflinn, Ireland.
This is the OIc. adaptation of OIr. Duiblinn 'Dublin'.
Locative Byname:
Dyflinnarskíri, Ireland.
From Dyflinn 'Dublin' (see above), genitive Dyflinnar, and OIc. skíri 'a district,
a province'; apparently the region around Dublin that was under Norse control.
Locative Byname:
Dynskógar, Skaft. (farm)
The second element OIc. skógr 'a wood, a forest', here in the nominative plural skógar.
The first appears to be related to dynr 'din, noise', dynja 'to boom, to resound', duna
'to boom, to roar', and duna 'a rushing, thundering noise'; the sense would then be something like 'noisy woods'.
Locative Byname: í Dynskógum
Dýrafjo˛rðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
From the masculine name Dýri, genitive Dýra, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth,
an inlet': 'Dýri’s firth'.
Locative Byname: í Dýrafirði
Do˛gurðará, Dal. (river)
From OIc. do˛gurðr 'day-meal', genitive singular do˛gurðar, and á 'a river'.
The day-meal, taken in the morning about 9 a.m., was the main meal of the day; this is one of several places whose names
commemorate the first day-meal taken in Iceland by a settler.
Locative Byname:
Do˛gurðarnes, Dal. (ness)
From OIc. do˛gurðr 'day-meal', genitive singular do˛gurðar, and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
The day-meal, taken in the morning about 9 a.m., was the main meal of the day; this is one of several places whose names
commemorate the first day-meal taken in Iceland by a settler.
Locative Byname:
Egilsstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Egill, genitive Egils, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
nominative plural staðir: 'Egil’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Egilssto˛ðum
Eið, Vestmannaeyjar.
OIc. eið 'an isthmus, a neck of land'. (See Vestmannaeyjar.)
Locative Byname:
Eilífsdalsá, Kjós. (river)
From the masculine name Eilífr, genitive Eilífs, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale',
genitive singular dals, and á 'a river': 'Eilíf’s dale’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Einarsfjo˛rðr, Greenland.
From the masculine name Einarr, genitive Einars,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Einar’s fjord'. Now Igaliko.
Locative Byname:
Einarsho˛fn, Árn. (landing-place)
From the masculine name Einarr, genitive Einars,
and OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor,
a haven': 'Einar’s harbor'.
Locative Byname:
Einarssker, Dal. (skerry)
From the masculine name Einarr, genitive Einars, and OIc. sker 'a rock in the sea,
a skerry': 'Einar’s skerry'. Einarr skálaglamm Helga son is said to have drowned there.
Locative Byname:
Einarsstaðir, Þing. (farm)
From the masculine name Einarr, genitive Einars, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
nominative plural staðir: 'Einar’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Einarssto˛ðum, at Einarssto˛ðum
Einhyrningsmo˛rk, Rang. (wood)
From OIc. einhyrningr 'unicorn', genitive singular
einhyrnings, and mo˛rk
'a forest': 'unicorn’s forest'.
Locative Byname:
Eiríksey, Greenland. (two islands)
From the masculine name Eiríkr, genitive Eiríks,
and OIc. ey 'an island': 'Eirík’s island'. There were two
of them, one near the Eastern and one near the Western Settlement. The reference
is to Eiríkr inn rauði.
Locative Byname: í Eiríksey
Eiríksfjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
From the masculine name Eiríkr, genitive Eiríks,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Eirík’s fjord'. The reference is to Eiríkr
inn rauði. Now Tunugdliarfik Fjord.
Locative Byname:
Eiríkshólmar, Greenland.
From the masculine name Eiríkr, genitive Eiríks, and OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet',
here in the plural hólmar: 'Eirík’s islets'. The reference is to Eiríkr inn rauði.
Locative Byname: í Eiríksholmum
Eiríksstaðir, Dal. (farm)
–– á O˛xney,
Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Eiríkr, genitive Eiríks,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', nominative plural staðir:
'Eirík’s stead(s)'. In both cases the reference is apparently to
Eiríkr inn rauði. The qualifier á O˛xney is 'on O˛xney'.
Locative Byname: á Eiríkssto˛ðum
Eiríksvágr, Snæf. (bay)
From the masculine name Eiríkr, genitive Eiríks, and OIc. vágr 'a creek, a bay':
'Eirík’s bay'. The reference is to Eiríkr inn rauði.
Locative Byname:
Eldgrímsstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Eldgrímr, genitive Eldgríms, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
nominative plural staðir: 'Eldgrím’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Eldgrímssto˛ðum
Eldueið, Norway.
From the settlement name Elda and ON eið 'an isthmus, a neck of land'; Elda
was originally a river-name. The place is now Namdalseid. (NSL s.n. Eldueid)
Locative Byname:
Elliðaáróss, Kjós. (river-mouth)
The first element is OIc. elliði 'a kind of ship with a high poop', genitive elliða,
but here it is said to have been the name of the ship in which the settler Ketilbjo˛rn inn gamli Ketils son
came to Iceland. The other elements are á 'a river', genitive singular ár, and óss
'mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'mouth of Elliði’s river'. This is said to have been
Ketilbjo˛rn’s first landfall.
Locative Byname:
Elliðaey, Snæf. (island)
From OIc. elliði 'a kind of ship with a high poop', genitive singular elliða, and
ey 'an island'; the island was named for its resemblance to this kind of ship.
Locative Byname:
Engá, Rang. (river)
The second element is OIc. á 'a river'. The first is uncertain, perhaps OIc. eng 'a meadow',
but it is suggested here (PDF) that the name is an error for Rangá.
Locative Byname:
Engihlíð, Húnv.
From OIc. engi 'a meadow and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'.
Locative Byname: í Engihlíð
Engines, Strand. (ness)
From OIc. engi 'a meadow and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
England.
England.
Locative Byname:
Enni, Snæf. (fell)
OIc. enni 'forehead', but in the metaphorical sense 'a steep crag, a precipice'.
Locative Byname:
Esjuberg, Kjós. (farm and fell)
The second element is OIc. berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice';
the first is ultimately from OIc. esja, genitive singular esju, variously glossed 'a kind of clay' and
'a kind of slate', but in this case the proximate source may be Esja, genitive Esju, the name of a
mountain.
Locative Byname: at Esjubergi
Eskifjo˛rðr, S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. eski 'a place growing with ash trees' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an
inlet'.
Locative Byname: í Eskifirði
Eskiholt, Mýr. (farm)
From OIc. eski 'a place growing with ash trees' or the prefix eski- 'ashen-' and holt
'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': 'ash-wood'.
Locative Byname:
Espihóll inn syðri, Eyfj. (farm)
–– inn nyrðri, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. espi 'an aspen wood' and hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll'; inn syðri is
'the southern', inn nyrðri 'the northern'.
Locative Byname: á Espihóli
Ey, Húnv. (island)
OIc. ey 'an island'.
Locative Byname: at Eyju
Eyjafjarðará, Eyfj. (river)
From the place-name Eyjafjo˛rðr, genitive Eyjafjarðar, and OIc. á 'a river':
'Eyjafjo˛rð’s river, river emptying into the fjord Eyjafjo˛rð'. See
Eyjafjo˛rðr.
Locative Byname:
Eyjafjarðarstro˛nd in eystri, Eyfj. (stretch of coast)
From the place-name Eyjafjo˛rðr, genitive Eyjafjarðar, and OIc. stro˛nd 'strand,
coast, shore'; in eystri is 'the eastern'. (Another version makes it in nyrðri 'the northern'; the fjord
opens into the northern coast of Iceland and runs slightly east of due south, so the eastern shore is just barely the
northern shore as well.)
Locative Byname:
Eyjafjo˛ll, Rang. (fells)
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive plural eyja, and fjall 'a fell, a mountain',
nominative plural fjo˛ll; they are roughly opposite the
Vestmannaeyjar, but I don’t know whether this is the reason for the name.
Locative Byname:
Eyjafjo˛rðr, Eyfj. (fjord)
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive plural eyja, and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an
inlet': 'islands’ fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Eyjará, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive singular eyjar, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Eyjardalsá, Þing. (river and farm)
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive singular eyjar, dalr 'a valley, a dale',
genitive singular dals, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Eyjasandr, Rang. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive plural eyja, and sandr 'sand; the seashore'.
The location isn’t specified, but context suggests the Vestmannaeyjar.
Locative Byname:
Eyjasund.
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive plural eyja,
and sund 'a sound, a strait, a channel'. Context puts it somewhere in
Breiðafjo˛rðr, off the coast of Dalasýsla.
Locative Byname:
Eyjasveit (Landeyjar), Rang.
From OIc. ey 'an island', genitive plural eyja, and sveit 'a community, a district'.
(The text actually has Eyrasveit and Eyjarsveit; Eyjasveit is the editor's index entry.) The region
in question is apparently now called Landeyjar; it’s a district in the south of Iceland roughly opposite the
Vestmannaeyjar.
Locative Byname:
Eyrar, Árn.
OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea', nominative plural
eyrar: 'sandbanks' or 'sandspits'.
Locative Byname:
Eyrarbakki, Árn. (trading centre and farm)
From OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea', genitive singular
eyrar, and bakki 'bank of a river, lake, or chasm; a ridge, a bank'.
Locative Byname:
Eyrarfell, Snæf. (fell)
From OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea', genitive singular
eyrar, and fell 'an isolated hill'.
Locative Byname:
Eyrarland, Snæf.
From OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea', genitive singular
eyrar, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'. (At least one version has Eyjarland, with
first element as in Eyjará above, but this is an error.)
Locative Byname:
Eyrr, Kjós. (farm)
–– (Hrafnseyri), Ísafj. (farm)
–– (Flateyri), Ísafj. (farm)
–– (Narfeyri), Snæf.
–– (O˛ndverðareyri), Snæf.
OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea'; in modern Icelandic it has
been replaced by eyri, originally the dative and accusative singular. In the modern place-names Hrafns is
the genitive of the masculine name Hrafn, and Flat- is from OIc. flatr 'flat, level'. Narf-
is from the masculine name Narfi, genitive Narfa; the -a of Narfa has been absorbed into
the initial vowel of -eyri. Finally, O˛ndverðar is from OIc. o˛ndverðr 'fronting, in front of'.
Locative Byname: á Eyri
Eystribyggð, Greenland.
From OIc. eystri 'more eastern' and byggð
'habitation; settlement, inhabited land': 'Eastern Settlement'.
Locative Byname:
Eystridalr, Skag.
From OIc. eystri 'more eastern' and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'eastern dale'.
Locative Byname:
Eyvindará, S.-Múl. (river)
From the masculine name Eyvindr, genitive Eyvindar, and OIc. á 'a river':
'Eyvind’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Eyvindardalr, S.-Múl. (valley)
From the masculine name Eyvindr, genitive Eyvindar,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Eyvind’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Eyvindarfjo˛rðr, Strand. (fjord)
From the masculine name Eyvindr, genitive Eyvindar, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth,
an inlet': 'Eyvind’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Eyvindarhólar, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Eyvindr, genitive Eyvindar, and OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock,
a knoll', nominative plural hólar: 'Eyvind’s hills'.
Locative Byname:
Eyvindarmúli, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Eyvindr, genitive Eyvindar, and OIc. múli 'a projecting mountain,
a jutting crag (between two fjords, valleys, or the like)', whence the Scottish topographical term mull:
'Eyvind’s mull, Eyvind’s crag'.
Locative Byname: at Eyvindarmúla
Fábeinsá, Dal. (river)
The last element is OIc. á 'a river'. The first, fábeins, appears to be the genitive
singular of a word fábeinn, apparently a compound of fá- and beinn, but according to the November
2004 instalment of the Örnefni
Mánaðarins (Place-Name of the Month) feature of the Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies), Ásgeir Blo˛ndal Magnússon
says in his Icelandic etymological dictionary that the origin of the name is unclear.
He suggests that fábeinn should probably be interpreted as 'white-footed, white-legged', either a man's byname or a
reference to some domestic animal. If so, the first element is from the ON adjective fár 'multi-colored, dyed, shining'
(cf. Nynorsk få 'pale, whitish, bleached').
Locative Byname:
Fagrabrekka (Brekka), Strand.
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful' and brekka 'a slope'.
Locative Byname: at Fagrabrekku
Fagradalr, Dal. (valley)
–– N.-Múl. (valley and farm)
–– Skaft. (valley and farm)
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful' and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname: í Fagradal
Fagradalsá, N.-Múl. (river)
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful', dalr 'a valley, a dale', genitive singular
dals, and á 'a river': 'fair-dale’s river' (idiomatically, 'Fairdale River').
Locative Byname:
Fagradalsáróss, Dal. (river-mouth)
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful', dalr 'a valley, a dale', genitive singular
dals, á 'a river', genitive singular ár, and óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or
lake': 'mouth of fair-dale’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Fagraskógr, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful' and skógr 'a wood, a forest'.
Locative Byname: í Fagraskógi
Fagravík, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. fagr 'fair, fine, beautiful' and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname: í Fagravík
Fáskrúðsfjo˛rðr, S.-Múl. (fjord)
The second element is OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
The first, fáskrúðs, appears to be the genitive singular of a word fáskrúð, apparently a compound of fá- and
skrúð 'tackle, gear, appendages; an ornament; costly stuff', but the etymology is uncertain. The fjord may be named for the
island Skrúðey, in which case the element fá- may be connected with the noun
fá 'glitter, gleam', referring to the sea foam around the island. Alternatively, fáskrúð may be related to
OIc. fáskrúðligr 'meagre, poor' (in which fá- is from the adjective fár 'few').
Locative Byname:
Faxaóss, Gullbr.
From the masculine name Faxi, genitive Faxa,
and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake'. This Faxi
is supposed to have been a Hebridean follower of Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðar son,
the man who is said to have given Iceland its name. A joke name for the entrance
to the large bay Faxaflói.
Locative Byname:
Feldarhólmr, Snæf. (islet)
From OIc. feldr 'a cloak', genitive singular feldar, and hólmr 'a holm, an islet'.
It is said that when Einarr skálaglamm Helga son drowned at Einarssker,
his cloak washed up here.
Locative Byname:
Fell (undir Felli), Dal. (farm)
–– (undir Felli), Skaft. (farm)
–– (undir Felli), Strand. (farm)
OIc. fell 'an isolated hill', dative singular felli; undir is 'under, below'.
Locative Byname: undir Felli
Fellshverfi, Skaft. (district)
From OIc. fell 'an isolated hill', genitive singular fells, and hverfi 'a cluster
of farms'.
Locative Byname:
Fellsmúli, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. fell 'an isolated hill', genitive singular fells, and múli 'a projecting
mountain, a jutting crag (between two fjords, valleys, or the like)'.
Locative Byname: í Fellsmúla
Fellsskógar, Dal. (wood)
From the place-name Fell,
genitive Fells, and OIc. skógr 'a wood, a forest', here in
the plural skógar; the reference is to Fell in Dal.
Locative Byname:
Ferstikla, Borg. (farm)
The first element is OIc. fer- 'in fours'; the second is closely related to OIc. stikill
'the point of a horn', plural stiklar, referring to something pointed or projecting. This farm may have been
named for a cross-shaped protective fence or perhaps a square enclosure;
see „Tölur í örnefnum“
(‘Numbers in place-names’), by Jónína Hafsteinsdóttir, on the site of the
Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies).
Locative Byname: á Ferstiklu, at Ferstiklu
Fíflavellir, Norway.
From OIc. fífill 'a dandelion', genitive plural
fífla, and vo˛llr
'a field', with no implication of cultivation, nominative plural vellir:
'dandelions’ fields'.
Locative Byname: á Fíflavo˛llum
Finnafjo˛rðr, N.-Múl. (fjord)
From the masculine name Finni, genitive Finna, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth,
an inlet': 'Finni’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Finnmo˛rk.
From ON Finnar 'Saami' and mo˛rk 'a forest'. The modern Norwegian is Finnmark,
the name of a district in northern Norway, but the ON term was applied more generally
to unsettled tracts of mountain and forest inhabited by Saami. (NSL s.n. Finnmark)
Locative Byname:
Firðafylki, Norway.
From OIc. fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', genitive plural firða, and fylki
'district, county, shire (in Norway)'. According to NSL s.n. Firdafylke,
however, firðir, literally 'fjords', is here the name of a people and
has the sense 'fjord-dwellers', making the name 'fjord-dwellers’ district'
rather than 'district of fjords'. Firðir is also used as the name of
the district.
Locative Byname: í Fjo˛rðum
Firðir = Firðafylki.
Fiská, Rang. (river)
From OIc. fiskr 'a fish' and á 'a river': 'fish river'.
Locative Byname:
Fiskilœkr, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. fiskr 'a fish' and lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook', but the
compound fiskilœkr exists as an independent word, 'brook full of fish, fish-brook'.
Locative Byname: at Fiskilœk
Fitjar, Norway.
OIc. fit 'meadow land on the banks of a fjord, lake, or river', nominative plural fitjar;
the name is unchanged in modern Norwegian. (NSL s.n. Fitjar)
Locative Byname:
Fjalafylki, Norway.
From OIc. fjo˛l 'a board, a plank', genitive plural fjala,
and fylki 'district, county, shire (in Norway)'; apparently the same
district as Fjalir.
Locative Byname:
Fjalir, Norway.
OIc. fjo˛l
'a board, a plank', nominative plural fjalir; the exact region denoted
by the term is uncertain. The modern Norwegian place-name Fjaler
resurrects the defunct ON name but dates only to 1912. (NSL s.n. Fjaler)
Locative Byname:
Fjall (Alpafjo˛ll).
OIc. fjall 'a fell, a mountain'. The reference is to
the Alps, Alpafjöll in modern Icelandic.
Locative Byname:
Fjarðará (Fjaðrá, Fjarðrá), Skaft. (river)
From OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', genitive singular fjarðar, and á
'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Fjarðarhorn, Snæf.
OIc. fjarðarhorn 'a creek at the head of a firth',
a compound of fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', genitive singular fjarðar, and
horn 'a corner, a nook, and angle'; this is the innermost part of
Kolgrafafjo˛rðr.
Locative Byname:
Fjo˛ll (Eyjafjo˛ll), Rang.
OIc. fjall 'a fell, a mountain', nominative plural
fjo˛ll. (The first
element of the modern name is eyja, the genitive plural of ey
'an island'.)
Locative Byname:
Flangastaðir, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. flangi 'a lout', genitive singular flanga, here probably someone’s byname,
and staðr 'a place, a stead', nominative plural staðir: 'Lout’s stead(s)'. (There is some
disagreement as to the exact sense of flangi, CV glossing it 'a coaxer, a fawner', but it’s evidently
pejorative.)
Locative Byname:
Flatatunga, Skag. (farm)
From OIc. flatr 'flat, level' and tunga 'a tongue of land': 'flat tongue'. The place gave
Kári, the original settler, his byname: subsequently he was known as Tungu-Kári.
Locative Byname: í Flatatungu
Flatey, Barð. (island)
From OIc. flatr 'flat, level' and ey 'an island': 'flat island'.
Locative Byname: í Flateyju, í Flatey
Flateyjardalr, Þing. (valley)
From OIc. flatr 'flat, level', ey 'an island', genitive singular eyjar, and
dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'flat-islands’ dale'.
Locative Byname:
Fljót, Ísafj. (district)
–– (Lagarfljót). (river)
–– (Markarfljót), Rang. (large river)
–– (Skjálfandafljót), Þing. (river)
OIc. fljót 'a river'. The first element of
Lagarfljót is lo˛gr
'still or running water', genitive singular lagar; that of
Markarfljót is mo˛rk
'a forest', genitive singular markar; and the Skjálfandafljót
empties into the bay Skjálfandi.
Locative Byname: í Fljóti
Fljót (plural), Borg.
–– (plural), Skag. (region)
OIc. fljót 'a river', nominative plural identical.
Locative Byname: í Fljótum
Fljótsá (= Lagarfljót).
From OIc. fljót 'a river', genitive singular fljóts, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Fljótsdalr, Mýr. (valley)
–– N.-Múl. (district)
From OIc. fljót 'a river', genitive singular fljóts, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Fljótshlíð, Rang. (district)
–– Þing.
From OIc. fljót 'a river', genitive singular fljóts,
and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'. Also called simply Hlíð.
Locative Byname:
Fljótshverfi, Skaft. (region)
From OIc. fljót 'a river', genitive singular fljóts, and hverfi 'a cluster of farms'.
Locative Byname:
Flói, Árn. (region)
OIc. flói 'a marshy moor; a bay, a large firth'; here the first sense is intended.
Locative Byname: í Flóa
Flókadalr, Borg. (valley)
–– Skag. (valley)
From the masculine name Flóki, genitive Flóka, and dalr 'a valley, a dale':
'Flóki’s dale'. Flóki, an Irish thrall of Ketill gufa
Ørlygs son, is supposed to have
taken the one in Borgarfjarðarsýsla and been killed there.
Locative Byname:
Flókadalsá, Borg. (river)
–– Skag. (river)
From the place-name Flókadalr,
genitive Flókadals, and OIc. á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Flókavarði, Norway.
Now Ryvarden. From the masculine name Flóki, genitive
Flóka, and OIc. varði 'a cairn': 'Flóki’s
cairn'. (NSL s.n. Ryvarden)
Locative Byname:
Flugumýrr, Skag. (farm)
Þórir dúfunef, the original settler, is said to have had a horse named Fluga
(genitive Flugu) that died here; the second element is OIc. mýrr 'a bog, a swamp, a mire', so
the name is 'Fluga’s bog'.
Locative Byname: á Flugumýri
Fnjóskadalr, Þing. (valley)
From OIc. fnjóskr 'touchwood', now hnjóskr, genitive plural fnjóska, and dalr
'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Fnjóskadalsá (Fnjóská), Þing. (river)
From the place-name Fnjóskadalr, genitive Fnjóskadals, and á 'a river', also
shortened to Fnjóská 'touchwood-river'; see Fnjóskadalr.
Locative Byname:
Folafótr, Ísafj. (region)
From OIc. foli 'a foal', genitive singular fola, and fótr 'a foot': 'foal’s
foot'.
Locative Byname:
Fors, Mýr. (farm)
–– Rang. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– Snæf. (farm)
OIc. fors 'a waterfall'.
Locative Byname: at Forsi
Forsá, Borg. (river)
–– Húnv. (river)
–– Kjós. (river)
–– Rang. (river)
From OIc. fors 'a waterfall' and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Forsfjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
From OIc. fors 'a waterfall' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'waterfall fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Forsvo˛llr, N.-Múl. (farm)
From OIc. fors 'a waterfall' and vo˛llr 'a field (with no implication of cultivation)'
Locative Byname: á Forsvelli.
Forsœludalr, Húnv. (valley)
From OIc. forsœla 'shade from the sun', genitive singular forsœlu, and dalr 'a valley,
a dale'; effectively 'shady valley'.
Locative Byname:
Framnes, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. fram, a preposition with the general sense 'forward' (as opposed to 'backward'), and
nes 'a ness, a headland'; the sense is either 'headland that juts out' or 'frontmost headland'.
Locative Byname: á Framnesi
Friðleifsdalr, Skag. (valley)
From the masculine name Friðleifr, genitive Friðleifs, and dalr 'a valley, a dale':
'Friðleif’s dale'. The name Friðleifr is unusual in West Norse; this man is said to have had a father
from Gautland (approx. western Sweden) and a Flemish mother.
Locative Byname:
Friðleifsdalsá, Skag. (river)
From the place-name Friðleifsdalr, genitive Friðleifsdals, and á 'a river': 'the
river running through Friðleifsdalr'. See Friðleifsdalr.
Locative Byname:
Friðmundará, Húnv.
From the masculine name Friðmundr, genitive Friðmundar, and á 'a river':
'Friðmund’s river'. From the context it seems likely that it takes its name from the Friðmundr
who was a thrall of Ingimundr inn gamli Þorsteins son; he may have been of Swedish origin, as his name is
otherwise found only in Sweden.
Locative Byname:
Fróðá, Snæf. (farm and river)
The final element is OIc. á 'a river'; the first is obscure to me. The adjective fróðr is
'learned, well-informed', and fróð- in compounds normally has a closely related sense, but this seems clearly
inappropriate here. The long vowel is a problem, but perhaps the first element is related to OIc. froða and
frauð, both 'foam, froth'.
Locative Byname: at Fróðá
Fróðáróss, Snæf. (river-mouth)
From the place-name Fróðá and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'mouth of the
river Fróðá'. See Fróðá.
Locative Byname:
Fúlalœkr, Skaft.
–– (Fyllarlœkr), Árn.
From OIc. fúll 'foul, stinking' and lœkr 'a rivulet,
a brook'. The one in Skaft. had come to be known as
Jo˛kulsá
á Sólheimasandi by the time the texts were written. The other also
appears as Fyllarlœkr.
Locative Byname:
Fura, Snæf. (river)
OIc. fura 'a fir-tree'.
Locative Byname:
Fyllarlœkr, Árn. (brook)
The second element is lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook'; the
first is unclear to me, though it may be related to OIc. fullr 'full'
and fylla 'to fill'. See Fúlalœkr.
Locative Byname:
Færeyjar.
From OIc. fær 'a sheep' and ey 'an island', nominative plural eyjar: 'Sheep Islands'.
These are the Faeroe Islands.
Locative Byname:
Galmastro˛nd (Galmansstro˛nd, Galmarstro˛nd, Gamlastro˛nd), Eyfj. (stretch of coast)
The second element is OIc. stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore'. The first element appears variously as
Galma-, Galmar-, Galmans-, and Gamla- in the several manuscripts; the modern name is
Galmastro˛nd, possibly with a variant form Gálmastro˛nd arising from lengthening of the first vowel.
(Lengthening of stressed /a/ before /lm/ is actually the regular development; Galmastro˛nd retains an older form.)
The etymology of Galma- isn't entirely clear, but the element is probably related to a family of gálm-
words with such senses as 'a knot in thread' and 'to bend, to make uneven', and the sense of the place-name is perhaps
something like 'irregularly bent and bowed strand'. The element and various place-names containing it are discussed in the
October 2003 instalment of the Örnefni
Mánaðarins (Place-Name of the Month) feature of the Stofnun
Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum (the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic
Studies).
Locative Byname: á Galmastro˛nd
Galtarhamarr, Eyfj.
From OIc. go˛ltr
'a boar, a hog', genitive singular galtar, and hamarr, literally
'a hammer', but as a topographical term 'a hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice':
'boar’s crag'. Helgi inn magri is said to have shot two swine there,
a boar called So˛lvi and
a sow. The location is unknown.
Locative Byname:
Garðar.
Garðar is the nominative plural of OIc. garðr 'an enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a court;
a house; a stronghold', here in the sense 'stronghold'. This was one of the names of the Scandinavian-Russian kingdom of the
10th and 11th centuries.
Locative Byname:
Garðar (Jo˛rundarholt), Borg. (farm)
Garðar is the nominative plural of OIc. garðr
'an enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold'. Apparently
the place was originally named after Jo˛rundr inn kristni Ketils son, who settled there,
and only later received its present name, after it had become a substantial
settlement. See Jo˛rundarholt.
Locative Byname: í Go˛rðum
Garðarshólmr.
From the masculine name Garðarr and OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet': 'Garðar’s
holm'. A very early name of Iceland: Garðarr Svafars son ins svenska is said to have circumnavigated Iceland and
wintered there a few years before the first Scandinavian settlers arrived, speaking very favorably of the island on his
return to Norway.
Locative Byname:
Garpsdalr, Barð. (farm and valley)
From the masculine name Garpr, genitive Garps, in this case borne by an ox, and OIc.
dalr 'a valley, a dale': Garp’s dale. The name is from OIc. garpr 'a bold and warlike
man; a bravo', which is found as a byname.
Locative Byname: í Garpsdal
Gata, Faeroe Islands. (farm)
OIc. gata 'a path, a way, a road'.
Locative Byname: í Go˛tu
Gaular, an old district in Norway.
The plural of Gaula, a river-name.
Locative Byname:
Gaulverjabœr, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. Gaulverjar 'men of Gaular', genitive plural Gaulverja, and bœr 'a farmhouse,
a farmstead': 'farm of the men from Gaular'. The original settler was Loptr Orms son, who came to Iceland from Gaular.
Locative Byname: í Gaulverjarbœ
Gautland, Sweden.
The land of the Gautar, generally identified with the Geats of Beowulf. Modern Go˛taland,
comprising the historical Swedish provinces of Västergo˛tland and O˛stergo˛tland.
Locative Byname:
Gautsdalr, Húnv. (side valley and farm)
From the masculine name Gautr, genitive Gauts, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale':
'Gaut’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Geiradalr, Barð. (valley)
From the masculine name Geiri, genitive Geira, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale':
'Geiri’s dale'.
Locative Byname: í Geiradal
Geirastaðir, Barð. (farm)
–– Húnv. (farm)
–– Þing. (farm)
From the masculine name Geiri, genitive Geira, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
nominative plural staðir: Geiri’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Geirasto˛ðum, í Geirasto˛ðum
Geirhildarvatn, Shetland. (lake)
From the feminine name Geirhildr, genitive Geirhildar, and OIc. vatn 'water, fresh
water; a lake': 'Geirhild’s lake'. Geirhildr Flóka dóttir is said to have perished in this body of
water.
Locative Byname:
Geirland, Skaft. (farm)
The second element is OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'; the first seems likely to be
akin to geiri 'a gore, a triangular strip', in Orkney 'a triangular piece of land', and geirr 'a spear'.
Cf. Geirvo˛r.
Locative Byname: í Geirlandi, á Geirlandi
Geirlandsá, Skaft. (river)
From the place-name Geirland, genitive Geirlands, and OIc.
á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Geirmundarstaðir, Dal. (farm)
–– (Sæmundarstaðir), Skag. (farm)
–– Strand. (farm)
From the masculine name Geirmundr, genitive Geirmundar, and OIc. staðr 'a place,
a stead', nominative plural staðir: Geirmund’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Geirmundarsto˛ðum
Geirmundarvágr, Dal. (bay)
From the masculine name Geirmundr, genitive Geirmundar, and OIc. vágr 'a creek,
a bay': 'Geirmund’s bay'.
Locative Byname:
Geirólfsgnúpr, Strand. (promontory)
From the masculine name Geirólfr, genitive Geirólfs, and OIc. gnúpr 'a peak,
an overhanging peak': 'Geirólf’s peak'.
Locative Byname: undir Geirólfsgnúpi
Geirsá, Borg. (river)
From the masculine name Geirr, genitive Geirs, and OIc. á 'a river':
'Geir’s river'. The river may be named for Geirr inn auðgi Ketils son blunds
Locative Byname:
Geirshlíð, Borg. (farm)
From the masculine name Geirr, genitive Geirs, and OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope':
'Geir’s slope'.
Locative Byname: í Geirshlíð
Geirshólmr, Borg. (holm)
From the masculine name Geirr, genitive Geirs, and OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet':
'Geir’s holm'.
Locative Byname:
Geirvo˛r, Snæf. (landslide)
The second element appears to be OIc. vo˛r 'a fenced-in landing place'; the first seems likely to be
akin to geiri 'a gore, a triangular strip', in Orkney 'a triangular piece
of land', and geirr 'a spear'. Cf. Geirland.
Locative Byname:
Geirþjófsfjo˛rðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
From the masculine name Geirþjófr, genitive Geirþjófs, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Geirþjóf’s fjord'.
Locative Byname: í Geirþjófsfirði
Geitland, Borg. (hilly region and farm)
Apparently from OIc. geit 'a goat' and land
'land (as opposed to sea)'.
Locative Byname: í Geitlandi
Gerpir, S.-Múl. (headland)
Formally identical to the byname gerpir, which is a derivative of garpr 'a bold, dauntless man';
Gerpir is the easternmost spit of Iceland, rising very steeply from the sea to a height of 661 metres.
Locative Byname:
Gil, Borg.
The plural of OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream
at the bottom', which is identical to the singular.
Locative Byname:
Gilá: see Giljá.
Gilhagi, Skag. (farm)
From OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom' and hagi 'a pasture, a field for
grazing', presumably for a pasture near such a gully, or with one running through it.
Locative Byname:
Giljá, Húnv. (river and farm)
–– (Gilsá), S.-Múl. (brook)
–– Skag.
From OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom' and á 'a river'; gilj-
appears to be contracted from gilja, the genitive plural of gil, though it might be simply a combining form.
In the variant Gilsá, gils is the genitive singular of gil.
Locative Byname: at Giljá
Gilsá: see Giljá.
Gilsbakki, Mýr. (farm)
Apparently from OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom', genitive singular
gils, and bakki 'bank of a river, lake, or chasm; a ridge, a bank': 'gully’s bank'. The first
element could also be from the masculine name Gils, genitive also Gils, from earlier Gísl.
Locative Byname: á Gilsbakka
Gilsfjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
From the masculine name Gils, genitive also Gils, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet':
'Gils’s fjord'. Gils is a later variant of the name Gísl.
Locative Byname:
Gíslavo˛tn (Gíslavatn), Mýr. (lake)
From the masculine name Gísli, genitive Gísla, and OIc. vatn 'water, fresh water;
a lake', nominative plural vo˛tn: 'Gísli’s lake(s)', said to be named after Gísli Þorbjarnar son
at Melum.
Locative Byname:
Glaumsteinn, Sweden.
The second element is OIc. steinn 'a stone, a boulder, a rock'; the first is perhaps related to
OIc. glaumr 'noisy merriment' and glymja 'to dash noisily, to splash, to clatter, to rattle'.
Locative Byname:
Glerá nyrðri and Glerá syðri, Eyfj. (farms)
Apparently from OIc. gler 'glass' and á 'a river': 'Glass River'. The affixes
nyrðri and syðri are '(the) more northern' and '(the) more southern', respectively.
Locative Byname: at Glerá inni syðri, at Glerá inni nyrðri
Gljúfrá, Mýr. (river)
–– Skag. (river)
From OIc. gljúfr 'rocky (sides of a) ravine' and á 'a river': 'river in a ravine or chasm'.
Locative Byname:
Glóðafeykisá, Skag. (river)
From Glóðafeykir, genitive Glóðafeykis, the name of a mountain, and OIc. á 'a river':
'Glóðafeykir’s river'. Glóðafeykir is from OIc. glóð 'red-hot embers', genitive plural glóða,
and *feykir, a nomen agentis from feykja 'to blow, to toss'; the sense is 'the one that casts hot embers'.
The ONorw cognate Glóðaføykir is the source of the Norwegian place-name Gloføykje. (NSL s.n.
Gloføykje)
Locative Byname:
Gnúpá, Snæf. (river)
From OIc. gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak' and á 'a river': 'peak river'.
Locative Byname:
Gnúpar, Árn. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
This is the nominative plural of OIc. gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak. Gnúpa-Barðr
Heyangrs-Bjarnar son is said to have got his byname because he settled at Gnúpar in Skaftafellssýsla.
Locative Byname: at Gnúpum, á Gnúpum
Gnúpr (undir Gnúpi), Húnv. (farm)
–– Rang.
–– S.-Múl.
OIc. gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak'.
Locative Byname: undir Gnúpi
Gnúpudalr, Snæf. (valley)
From the OIc. byname gnúpa 'stooping', genitive singular gnúpu, and dalr 'a valley,
a dale': 'Gnúpa’s valley'. The valley apparently takes its name from the original settler, Þórðr gnúpa
Odds son, but using his byname instead of his forename.
Locative Byname:
Gnúpufell, Eyfj. (farm)
The second element is OIc. fell 'an isolated hill'; the first appears to be the genitive singular of
the byname gnúpa 'stooping', as in the case of Gnúpudalr, but I have no
information connecting any bearer of that byname with the place.
Locative Byname: í Gnúpufelli
Gnúpverjahreppr, Árn.
OIc. hreppr is 'a poor-law district', and Gnúpverja is the genitive of Gnúpverjar; this is literally '(the) Gnúpverjar’s poor-law district'. Gnúpverjar itself is a compound; Gnúp- is from gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak', and verjar is from verr 'a husband', nominative plural verar 'men'. The variant nominative plural -verjar is found as the second element of such compounds as Rómverjar 'Romans', Víkverjar 'men of the district Vík in Norway', and Manverjar 'the Manxmen'; in general the X-verjar are 'the men of X', and in particular, the Gnúpverjar are the 'men of the peak'.
Note that this sense of hreppr postdates the introduction
of Christianity; either the name is an anachronism in Landnámabók, or the
word originally had a somewhat different sense.
Locative Byname:
Goðdalir (Guðdalir), Skag. (farm)
The second element is the plural of OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'. On the face of it the first element
is OIc. goð 'a god', later (and especially in reference to the Christian god) guð, making the compound
'god valleys', but the significance is unclear, and this obvious interpretation may be incorrect.
Locative Byname: í Goðdo˛lum
Gotalœkr, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Goti, genitive Gota, and OIc. lœkr (later lækr)
'a rivulet, a brook': 'Goti’s brook'.
Locative Byname: at Gotalœk
Grenitrésnes, Barð. (ness)
From OIc. greni 'pine', tré 'a tree', genitive singular trés, and nes
'a ness, a headland': 'pine-tree’s point'. Landnámabók says that Hallsteinn Þórólfs son mostrarskeggs
sacrificed to Thor, desiring that the god send him high-seat pillars; in due course a tree large enough to provide high-seat
pillars for nearly every farm in Þverfirðir drifted ashore here.
Locative Byname:
Grenivík, Þing. (inlet)
From OIc. greni 'pine' and vík 'an inlet, a
small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Grenjaðarstaðir, Þing. (farm)
From the masculine name Grenjaðr, genitive Grenjaðar, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: Grenjaðr’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Grenjaðarsto˛ðum
Grenmarr, Norway.
An old name for Langesundsfjorden in Telemark. The second element is OIc. marr 'the sea'; the first is
from an ethnonym for a people called grannii by Jordanes ca. 550. (NSL s.n. Grenmar)
Locative Byname:
Grettisgeil, Árn. (small valley)
From the masculine name Grettir, genitive
Grettis, and OIc. geil 'a narrow glen': 'Grettir’s
narrow glen'.
Locative Byname:
Grímsá, Árn. (river)
–– Borg. (river)
–– Skaft. (river)
From the masculine name Grímr, genitive Gríms, and OIc. á 'a river':
Grímr’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Grímsáróss, Borg. (river-mouth)
From the river-name Grímsá and OIc. óss
'mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'mouth of the river Grímsá'.
Locative Byname:
Grímsdalr, Myr. (valley)
From the masculine name Grímr, genitive Gríms, and OIc. dalr
'a valley, a dale': Grím’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Grímsey, Strand. (island)
From the masculine name Grímr, genitive Gríms, and OIc. ey
'an island': Grím’s island'.
Locative Byname:
Grímsgil, Borg. (ravine and farm)
From the masculine name Grímr, genitive Gríms, and OIc. gil
'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'Grím’s ravine with a stream at the
bottom'.
Locative Byname: við Grímsgil. Note that the preposition
við takes the accusative case.
Grímsnes, Árn. (region)
From the masculine name Grímr, genitive Gríms, and OIc. nes
'a ness, a headland': Grím’s point'.
Locative Byname: í Grímsnesi
Grímúlfsvo˛tn, Ísafj.
From the masculine name Grímólfr ~ Grímúlfr and OIc. vatn
'water, fresh water; a lake', here in the plural vo˛tn '(large) streams, waters':
Grímúlf’s waters'. Grímúlfr í Unaðsdal was killed near here.
Locative Byname:
Grindalœkr, Húnv. (brook)
The second element is OIc. lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook';
the first is the genitive plural and combining form of grind 'a gate made of spars or
bars; a fence; a lattice', in place-names also 'hedge, fence; gate; cliff face, craggy fence',
here probably identifying the brook by reference to a local topographical feature.
Locative Byname:
Grindavík, Gullbr. (inlet)
The second element is OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay'; the first is
the genitive plural and combining form of grind 'a gate made of spars or bars; a fence;
a lattice', in place-names also 'hedge, fence; gate; cliff face, craggy fence', but its
precise significance here is uncertain.
Locative Byname:
Grindill (Grillir), Skag. (farm)
In some manuscripts the name appears as Grilli, and there
are examples of this form from the 15th century, and Grillir has for some
time been the most common spoken form, but it is likely that Grindill
represents the original form. The dative case, used after many common locative
prepositions, is Grindli, and a development (á) Grindli >
*Grinli > Grilli would be very natural. The original significance
is uncertain; the name may refer to sandy or gravelly soil (cf. Low German
grind 'gravel'). See Svavar Sigmundsson,
„Hvað þýðir orðið Grindill og hvaðan
kemur það?“ (‘What does the word Grindill signify, and where does it come
from?’).
Locative Byname: á Grindli
Grindr, Borg. (region)
Obscure. Its appearance in the prepositional phrase um Grindr
shows that Grindr is the accusative as well as the nominative case and hence
that the final -r is part of the root, not an inflectional suffix; the name
is therefore distinct from grind 'a gate made of spars or bars; a fence; a lattice',
in place-names also 'hedge, fence; gate; cliff face, craggy fence', but it may be related
somehow.
Locative Byname:
Grísartunga, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Gríss, genitive Grísar, and
OIc. tunga 'a tongue of land': 'Grís’s tongue of land'.
Locative Byname: í Grísartungu
Grjótá, Mýr. (river)
–– Skag. (river)
From OIc. grjót 'stones' and á 'a river'; the sense
is 'rocky river'.
Locative Byname:
Grjótvallarmúli, Dal. (ridge)
From OIc. grjót 'stones', vo˛llr 'a field, (level) ground',
genitive singular vallar, and múli 'a projecting mountain or headland,
a jutting crag (between two fjords, valleys, or the like)'; the sense is something like
'stony field’s headland'.
Locative Byname:
Grónes, Barð. (ness)
The second element is OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland'; I am
inclined to think that the first is a reduced form of Gróu, the genitive
of the feminine name Gróa, making the name 'Gróa’s point',
especially since one version of does give the name as Gróunes. This
spelling is also found in an 1816
census of Barðastrandarsýsla (PDF).
Locative Byname:
Gróustaðir, Húnv.
From the feminine name Gróa, genitive Gróu, and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Gróa’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Gróusto˛ðum
Grund, Eyfj. (farm)
–– Húnv. (farm)
OIc. grund 'green field, grassy plain'.
Locative Byname: á Grund
Grunnafjo˛rðr, Borg. (inlet)
From OIc. grunnr 'shallow' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'shallow fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Grœn(a)land, i.e., Greenland.
From OIc. grœnn 'green; fresh' and land 'land
(as opposed to sea); a country': 'green land'. Eiríkr inn rauði Þorvalds son
is said to have given it the name, saying that people would be more eager to go there
if the land had an attractive name.
Locative Byname:
Grœnavatn, Þing. (lake and farm)
From OIc. grœnn 'green; fresh' and vatn 'water,
fresh water; a lake': 'green water'.
Locative Byname: at Grœnavatni
Grœningr, Norway.
From OIc. grœnn 'green; fresh' and a derivational suffix
-ing- that can be added to a noun or adjective X to form a place-name meaning
something like 'place characterized by X'. The place-name does not actually occur
in Landnámabók; rather, it is inferred from the byname of Þórunn
Grœningarrjúpa 'Grœningr ptarmigan'. There are several places in Norway named
Grønningen, which derives from Grœningr either by addition of the
postposed definite article or perhaps by composition with OIc. eng 'a meadow'.
(NSL s.n. Grønningen)
Locative Byname:
Gro˛f, Mýr. (farm)
OIc. gro˛f 'a pit, a ditch; a grave'.
Locative Byname: í Gro˛f
Guðbrandsstaðir, Húnv.
From the masculine name Guðbrandr and OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Guðbrand’s
stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Guðbrandssto˛ðum
Guðdalir: see Goddalir.
Guðlaugsho˛fði, Strand. (headland)
From the masculine name Guðlaugr and OIc. ho˛fði
'a headland': 'Guðlaug’s headland'.
Locative Byname:
Guf(u)á, Mýr. (river)
The second element is OIc. á 'a river'. In Landnámabók
the name is associated with a person called Gufa; this looks like a feminine
name whose genitive would be Gufu, so that Gufuá could be interpreted
as 'Gufa’s river'. (The corresponding masculine name would be Gufi,
and indeed a Gufi Ketils son is mentioned in very close proximity.) However,
this Gufa is clearly identified as male. One possible solution is suggested
by the name Ketill gufa Ørlygs son,
in which gufa appears as a byname:
perhaps the person called Gufa bore the same byname and was known by it.
Chapter 77 of
Egils saga Skall-Grímssonar says explicitly that
Gufudalr and
Gufufjo˛rðr were named after this
Ketill gufa, and the context suggests that the same is true of
Guf(u)á, Gufunes, and
Gufuskálar. It is entirely possible,
however, that the first element in all of these names is simply OIc. gufa
'vapor, steam', genitive singular and combining form gufu, from the steam of
hot wells.
Locative Byname:
Gufáróss, Mýr. (river-mouth)
From Gufá, genitive Gufár (see
Guf(u)á) and OIc. óss 'mouth or
outlet of a river or lake': 'mouth of the river Gufá.
Locative Byname:
Gufudalr, Barð. (valley)
The second element is OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'; for
the first see Guf(u)á.
Locative Byname: í Gufudal
Gufufjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
The second element is OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'; for the first
see Guf(u)á.
Locative Byname:
Gufunes, Kjós. (small ness)
The second element is OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland'; for
the first see Guf(u)á.
Locative Byname: á Gufunesi
Gufuskálar, Borg.
–– Gullbr.
–– Snæf.
The second element is the plural of OIc. skáli 'a shieling:
a hut or shed put up for temporary use'; for the first see
Guf(u)á.
Locative Byname: at Gufuskálum
Gullberastaðir, Borg. (farm)
The second element is the plural of OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead'.
The original settler here was Bjo˛rn gullberi; gullbera is the genitive
of his byname: 'Gullberi’s stead(s)'. The byname itself is 'gold-bearer',
a compound of OIc. gull 'gold' and beri 'a bearer'.
Locative Byname: á Gullberasto˛ðum
Gunnarsholt, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Gunnarr, genitive Gunnars, and
OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': 'Gunnarr’s
wood'.
Locative Byname: í Gunnarsholti
Gunnbjarnarsker (skerry)
From the masculine name Gunnbjo˛rn, genitive Gunnbjarnar,
and OIc. sker 'a rock in the sea, a skerry': 'Gunnbjo˛rn’s
skerry'. It is said to have been named for Gunnbjo˛rn son Úlfs kráku.
Locative Byname:
Gunnlaugsstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Gunnlaugr, genitive Gunnlaugs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Gunnbjo˛rn’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Gunnlaugssto˛ðum
Gunnólfsá, Eyfj. (farm)
From the masculine name Gunnólfr, genitive Gunnólfs,
and OIc. á 'a river': 'Gunnólf’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: at Gunnólfsá, á Gunnólfsá
Gunnólfsfell, N.-Múl. (fell)
From the masculine name Gunnólfr, genitive Gunnólfs,
and OIc. fell 'an isolated hill': 'Gunnólf’s isolated hill'.
Locative Byname:
Gunnólfsvík, N.-Múl. (inlet)
From the masculine name Gunnólfr, genitive Gunnólfs,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Gunnólf’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Gunnsteinar, Þing.
Apparently from OIc. gunnr 'battle, war' and OIc. steinn
'a stone, a boulder, a rock', here in the plural steinar; if so, the name is
'battle-stones'.
Locative Byname:
Gunnsteinsstaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Gunnsteinn, genitive Gunnsteins,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Gunnstein’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: at Gunnsteinssto˛ðum, á Gunnsteinssto˛ðum
Gýgjarsporsá, Ísafj. (river)
From OIc. gýgr 'giantess, a hag', genitive singular gýgjar,
spor 'a track, a footprint', genitive singular spors, and á
'a river': 'hag’s track’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Gyldarhagi (Galdrahagi), Árn.
The second element is OIc. hagi 'a pasture, a field for
grazing'; the first is uncertain. Galdra- is the combining form of OIc.
galdrar 'witchcraft, sorcery', plural of galdr 'a magic song, a charm',
but it appears to be an error for Gyldar-; Gyldar-, unfortunately,
has no obvious etymology.
Locative Byname:
Go˛nguskarð, Skag. (pass)
From OIc. ganga 'a walking', combining form
go˛ngu-, and
skarð 'a mountain pass; a notch'.
Locative Byname: í Go˛nguskarði
Go˛nguskarðsá, Go˛nguskarðsáróss, Skag. (river, river-mouth)
From the place-name Go˛nguskarð,
OIc. á 'a river', genitive ár, and óss 'mouth or outlet of a
river or lake': 'Go˛nguskarð river' and
'mouth of the Go˛nguskarð river'.
Locative Byname:
Haddingjadalr, Norway.
The second element is OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'. The
first is ultimately from OIc. haddr 'a woman’s hair', but its
immediate source is uncertain. Haddingja may be the genitive plural of an
ethnonym Haddingjar, more or less 'the long-hairs', in which case the
place-name is 'valley of the Haddingjar'. Alternatively, it could perhaps
be the genitive singular of an unattested masculine name Haddingi, making
the place-name 'Hadding’s valley'. The modern form, with ll
for older dd, is first seen as hi Halliggadal 'in Halli(n)ggadal'
in a document,
DN X, Nr. 178, dated 1443. (NSL s.n. Hallingdal)
Locative Byname: ór Haddingjadal
Hafgrímsfjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
From the masculine name Hafgrímr, genitive Hafgríms,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Hafgrím’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Hafnarfjall (Hafnarfjo˛ll), Borg.
From OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven', genitive singularhafnar,
and fjall 'a fell, a mountain' (or its plural fjo˛ll): 'harbor(’s)
mountain(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Hafnarfjo˛rðr, Gullbr. (fjord)
From OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven', genitive singularhafnar,
and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'harbor(’s) fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Hafnarlo˛nd, Borg.
From OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven', genitive singularhafnar,
and land 'land (as opposed to sea)', nominative plural lo˛nd: 'harbor(’s)
lands'.
Locative Byname:
Hafnaróss (Óss), Þing.
From OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven', genitive singular hafnar,
and óss 'a mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'harbor(’s) river-mouth'.
(Of course Óss is simply 'river-mouth'.)
Locative Byname:
Háfr, Rang. (farm)
Probably OIc. háfr 'a bag-shaped net for catching fish': maps show
it as being beside a long, bag-shaped inlet. (Cf. reykháfr 'a chimney-pot', from
reykr 'smoke, steam' and háfr.) Connection with háfr 'a dogfish'
seems less likely.
Locative Byname: í Háfi
Hafrafell, Barð. (fell)
From OIc. hafr 'a he-goat, a buck', genitive plural hafra,
and fell 'an isolated hill': 'goats’ hill'.
Locative Byname:
Hafragil, Dal. (farm?)
From OIc. hafr 'a he-goat, a buck', genitive plural hafra,
and gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'goats’ ravine'.
Locative Byname: frá Hafragili
Hafranes, S.-Múl. (ness)
From OIc. hafr 'a he-goat, a buck', genitive plural hafra,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'goats’ point'.
Locative Byname: á Hafranesi
Hafrsá, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. hafr 'a he-goat, a buck', genitive plural hafra,
and á 'a river': 'goats’ river'.
Locative Byname:
Hafrsfjo˛rðr, Norway.
From OIc. hafr 'a he-goat, a buck', genitive singular hafrs,
and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': literally 'goat’s fjord'. However,
hafr may in this case refer to a skerry in the narrow entrance to the fjord, or to
a dangerous shoal by one of these skerries: dangerous skerries in shipping channels were not
infrequently named for domestic animals. (NSL s.n. Hafrsfjord)
Locative Byname:
Hafsbotn
OIc. hafsbotn 'a gulf', a compound of haf 'the sea,
especially the high sea, the ocean', genitive singular hafs, and botn
'the head of a bay, firth, lake, or valley'. Here it refers to the Arctic Ocean,
which was thought to be fringed by a land-bridge between Greenland and Russia.
Locative Byname:
Háfslœkr, Mýr. (brook)
The second element is OIc. lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet,
a brook'; the first seems likely to be from háfr 'a bag-shaped net for catching
fish', genitive singular háfs, but the exact significance isn’t clear.
Connection with háfr 'a dogfish' seems unlikely: the dogfish is an ocean fish.
Locative Byname:
Hagagarðr, Árn.
From OIc. hagi 'a pasture, a field for grazing', genitive
singular haga, and garðr 'an enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a
court; a house; a stronghold'; it’s uncertain whether this is an actual
place-name or merely a common noun denoting a yard or house by a pasture.
Locative Byname:
Haganes, Skag. (ness and farm)
From OIc. hagi 'a pasture, a field for grazing', genitive
singular haga, and nes 'a ness, a headland', a ness with a pasture.
Locative Byname:
Hagbarðshólmr, Norway. (islet)
From the masculine name Hagbarðr, genitive Hagbarðs,
and OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet': 'Hagbarð’s holm'. The islet,
now called Hagbardholmen, is on the island of Engeløya
(OIc. O˛ngull) in the county of Nordland and is
associated with the legend
of Hagbard and Signy.
Locative Byname:
Hagi, Árn. (farm)
–– Barð. (farm)
–– Eyfj. (farm)
–– inn forni (Fornhagi), Eyfj.
OIc. hagi 'a pasture, a field for grazing'. Hagi inn forni
is 'the old pasture', and Fornhagi is 'old-pasture'.
Locative Byname: í Haga, í Haganum forna,
ór Haga
Hakaskarð, Árn. (notch)
From the masculine name Haki, genitive Haka, and
OIc. skarð 'a mountain pass, a notch': 'Haki’s notch'. A
thrall named Haki is supposed to have been slain here.
Locative Byname:
Hákonarhella, Norway.
From the masculine name Hákon, genitive Hákonar,
and OIc. hella 'a flat stone, a slab of rock', often applied to a landing-place:
'Hákon’s flat rock'. Hákon Aðalsteins fóstri (Haakon I of
Norway, fosterling to King Athelstan of England) is supposed to have died here. (NSL
s.n. Håkonshella)
Locative Byname:
Hákonarstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Hákon, genitive Hákonar,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hákon’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Hákonarsto˛ðum, at Hákonarsto˛ðum
Hallarmúli, Mýr. (fell)
From OIc. ho˛ll 'a large house, a hall', genitive singular
hallar, and múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting crag (between
two fjords, valleys, or the like)'.
Locative Byname:
Halland, Sweden.
The second element is OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea);
a country', here referring to a region: Halland is a historical province in
southwestern Sweden. The first element is perhaps from OIc. hallr 'a flat
stone'.
Locative Byname:
Hallbjarnarvo˛rður, Árn. (cairns)
From the masculine name Hallbjo˛rn, genitive Hallbjarnar,
and OIc. varða 'a pile of stones, a cairn', here in the plural vo˛rður;
according to Landnámabók, there were three and five cairns respectively on
two neighboring heights where Hallbjo˛rn Odds son frá Kiðjabergi and seven
other men were killed after Hallbjo˛rn killed his wife.
Locative Byname:
Hallgeirsey, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Hallgeirr, genitive Hallgeirs,
and OIc. ey 'an island': 'Hallgeir’s island'.
Locative Byname: í Hallgeirsey(ju)
Hallkelshólar, Árn.
From the masculine name Hallkell, genitive Hallkels,
and OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', here in the plural hólar:
'Hallkel’s knolls'.
Locative Byname: undir Hallkelshólum, at Hallkelshólum
Hallkelsstaðir, Borg. (farm)
–– Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Hallkell, genitive Hallkels,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead': 'Hallkel’s stead(s)'. The
first of these also appears erroneously as Hrokkelsstaðir.
Locative Byname: á Hallkelssto˛ðum
Hallsteinsnes, Barð. (ness)
From the masculine name Hallsteinn, genitive Hallsteins,
and OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland': 'Hallstein’s point'.
Locative Byname: á Hallsteinsnesi
Hálogaland, Norway.
From the (plural) ethnonym háleygir, genitive háloga,
and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here referring to the
part of Norway north of Trøndelag: 'land of the Háleygir'. The southern part
of the county of Nordland is still called Helgeland. The etymology of the
ethnonym is uncertain. (NSL s.nn. Hálogaland, Helgeland)
Locative Byname:
Háls, Eyfj. (farm)
–– inn ytri, Ísafj. (farm)
–– Húnv.
OIc. háls 'a ridge or hill, especially the low fells between
two parallel valleys' (literally 'a neck'); háls inn ytri is 'the outer
ridge'.
Locative Byname:
Hálsaland, Borg. (region)
Apparently from OIc. háls 'a ridge or hill, especially the low
fells between two parallel valleys' (literally 'a neck'), and land 'land (as
opposed to sea); a country', making this 'land of ridges'.
Locative Byname:
Hálsar, Ísafj. (two ridges and a farm)
OIc. háls 'a ridge or hill, especially the low fells between
two parallel valleys' (literally 'a neck'), here in the plural hálsar.
Locative Byname: at Hálsum
Hálsgro˛f, Skag.
From OIc. háls 'a ridge or hill, especially the low fells
between two parallel valleys' (literally 'a neck'), genitive singular háls,
and gro˛f 'a pit, a ditch; a grave', for a pit on a ridge.
Locative Byname:
Hamarr, Mýr. (farm)
–– (cliff in the Vestmannaeyjar)
–– see So˛lvahamarr.
OIc. hamarr, literally 'a hammer', but as a topographical
term 'a hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice'.
Locative Byname: á Hamri
Hamarsá, S.-Múl. (river)
From OIc. hamarr, literally 'a hammer', but as a topographical
term 'a hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice', and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Hamrar, (1) Skaft. (rocky area and farm)
–– (2) Skaft.
From OIc. hamarr, literally 'a hammer', but as a topographical
term 'a hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice', here in the plural hamrar.
Locative Byname:
Hámundarstaðir, Eyfj. (farm)
From the masculine name Hámundr, genitive Hámundar,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hámund’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Hámundarsto˛ðum
Hanatún, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. hani 'a cock, a rooster', genitive singular
hana, and tún 'a hedged plot, an enclosure, a courtyard, a homestead;
a home field, a home meadow'. The exact sense of tún in this place-name
isn’t clear; perhaps 'enclosed homestead'? Hana- comes from the
byname of Eyvindr hani, the original settler: 'Cock’s tún'.
Apparently his place of residence was distinctive, as he was subsequently called
túnhani 'tún-cock'.
Locative Byname: í Hanatúni
Háreksstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Hárekr, genitive Háreks,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hárek’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Hárekssto˛ðum
Hásteinssund, Árn. (sound)
From the masculine name Hásteinn, genitive Hásteins,
and OIc. sund 'a sound, a strait, a channel': 'Hástein’s
sound'.
Locative Byname:
Haugar, Mýr. (farm)
OIc. haugr 'a burial mound, a cairn', here in the plural
haugar.
Locative Byname: at Haugum
Haugavað, Árn. (ford)
From OIc. haugr 'a burial mound, a cairn', genitive plural
hauga, and vað 'a ford, a wading-place across a stream', for a
ford by some burial mounds.
Locative Byname:
Haugr, (?).
OIc. haugr 'a burial mound, a cairn'.
Locative Byname: at Haugi, af Haugi
Haukadalr, Árn. (farm)
–– Dal. (valley)
–– Ísafj. (valley)
From OIc. haukr 'a hawk', genitive plural hauka, and
dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'hawks’ valley'.
Locative Byname: í Haukadal, older í Haukadali
Haukagil, Húnv.
From OIc. haukr 'a hawk', genitive plural hauka, and
gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'hawks’ ravine'.
Locative Byname: frá Haukagili
Hauksgrafir (Hauksstaðir), (?). (farm)
From the masculine name Haukr, genitive Hauks,
and OIc. gro˛f 'a pit, a ditch; a grave', here in the plural grafir,
or staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hauk’s pits' or 'Hauk’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Hávararlón, Þing.
From the masculine name Hávarr, genitive Hávarar,
and OIc. lón 'an inlet, a lagoon': 'Hávar’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Héðinsho˛fði, Þing. (farm)
From the masculine name Héðinn, genitive Héðins,
and OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland': 'Héðin’s headland'.
Locative Byname: at Héðinsho˛fða, frá Héðinsho˛fða
Hefn, Norway. (fjord)
A variant (or possibly a derivative) of OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor,
a haven'. Hefn seems to have been the original name of what is now
Hemnefjorden.
Locative Byname: í Hefni
Hegranes, Skag. (delta)
From OIc. hegri 'a heron', genitive singular and genitive
plural hegra, and nes 'a ness, a headland'; formally this could
be either 'heron’s point' or 'herons’ point'. However, Hávarðr hegri
is said to have wintered there when he first came out to Iceland, so it could
get its name from his byname.
Locative Byname: í Hegranesi
Heggsgerðismúli, Skaft.: see Hreggsgerðismúli.
Heiðabœr, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. heiðr 'a heath, a moor', genitive plural heiða,
and bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead'.
Locative Byname: í Heiðabœ, á Heiðabœ
Heiðr, Kjós. (heath)
OIc. heiðr 'a heath, a moor'. Now Mosfellsheiði.
Locative Byname:
Heinabergsá(r), Skaft. (river)
The final element is OIc. á 'a river' or its plural
ár. Heinabergs is the genitive of Heinaberg, so the
place-name is 'Heinaberg’s river(s)'. The farm-name Heinaberg
is itself a compound, apparently referring to a particular kind of rock: berg
is 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice', and heina
appears to be the genitive plural of hein 'a hone, a whetstone'.
Locative Byname:
Helgafell (Helgafjall), Snæf. (fell)
Traditionally as 'sacred fell', from OIc. heilagr 'sacred,
holy; inviolate' and fell 'an isolated hill' (or fjall 'a fell, a
mountain'). (Both fell and fjall are neuter nouns, and helga
is the neuter singular of the weak declension of heilagr, which is
appropriate here.) This interpretation is supported by the tale of its naming given
in Landnámabók. However, there is evidence that in pre-Christian usage
heilagr was strictly a legal term, 'inviolate, untouchable' and hence that
the tale is anachronistic. It is entirely possible that the name is simply
'Helgi’s fell', from the masculine name Helgi, genitive
Helga. (It is in any case a rather striking formation, as can be seen
here).
Locative Byname:
Helgahraun, Árn.
From the masculine name Helgi, genitive Helga,
and OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough place, a wilderness':
'Helgi’s lava field'. In some versions of Landnámabók Helgi
trausti is said to have been killed here; others give the name as
Helgahváll.
Locative Byname:
Helgahváll, Árn.
From the masculine name Helgi, genitive Helga,
and OIc. hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Helgi’s knoll'.
In some versions of Landnámabók Helgi trausti is said to have been
killed here; others give the name as
Helgahraun.
Locative Byname:
Helgasker, Strand. (skerry)
From the masculine name Helgi, genitive Helga,
and OIc. sker 'a rock in the sea, a skerry': 'Helgi’s skerry'.
Locative Byname:
Helgastaðir, Þing. (farm)
From the masculine name Helgi, genitive Helga,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Helgi’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Helgasto˛ðum, at Helgasto˛ðum
Helgavatn, Húnv. (lake and farm)
–– Mýr. (lake and farm)
From the masculine name Helgi, genitive Helga,
and OIc. vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake': 'Helgi’s lake'.
The one in Mýrasýsla also appears as Hreðuvatn; here hreðu
appears to be the genitive singular of the attested byname hreða 'a
disturbance', perhaps for a quarrelsome person.
Locative Byname: at Helgavatni
Hellisdalr, Mýr. (side valley)
From OIc. hellir 'a cave, a cavern', genitive singular
hellis, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Hellisfitjar, Mýr.
From OIc. hellir 'a cave, a cavern', genitive singular
hellis, and fit 'meadow land on the banks of a fjord, lake, or
river', here in the plural fitjar.
Locative Byname:
Hellisfjo˛rðr, S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. hellir 'a cave, a cavern', genitive singular
hellis, and fjo˛rdr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Hellishraun, Snæf. (lava field)
From OIc. hellir 'a cave, a cavern', genitive singular
hellis, and hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough
place, a wilderness'.
Locative Byname:
Hengiforsá, N.-Múl. (river)
'Hanging-waterfall river', from OIc. hengi- 'hanging',
fors 'a waterfall', genitive identical, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Herfurða, Saxland.
This is Herford in North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany.
Locative Byname:
Hergilsey, Barð. (island)
From the masculine name Hergils, genitive identical, and
OIc. ey 'an island': 'Hergils’s island'.
Locative Byname: í Hergilsey
Herjólfsdalr, in the Vestmannaeyjar. (farm)
From the masculine name Herjólfr, genitive Herjólfs,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Herjólf’s valley'.
Locative Byname: í Herjólfsdal
Herjólfsfjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
From the masculine name Herjólfr, genitive Herjólfs,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Herjólf’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Herjólfsho˛fn, Gullbr.(?) (cove)
From the masculine name Herjólfr, genitive Herjólfs,
and OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor,
a haven': 'Herjólf’s harbor'.
Locative Byname:
Herjólfsnes, Greenland. (ness and farm)
From the masculine name Herjólfr, genitive Herjólfs,
and OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland': 'Herjólf’s point'.
Locative Byname: á Herjólfsnesi
Hernar, Norway. (island)
The name is from the same root as OIc. hjarsi 'the crown
of the head' and hjarni 'the brain'; a plural noun, it probably refers to
the head-like elevations at the southwestern tip of the island. (NSL s.n. Hernar)
Locative Byname:
Hestfjo˛rðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
From OIc. hestr 'a horse, a stallion', of which the root is
hest-, and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Hestr, S.-Múl.
OIc. hestr 'a horse, a stallion'.
Locative Byname:
Heynes, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. hey 'hay' and nes 'a ness, a headland':
'hay point'.
Locative Byname: á Heynesi
Hildisey, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Hildir, genitive Hildis,
and OIc. ey 'an island': 'Hildir’s island'.
Locative Byname: í Hildisey
Hísargafl, Norway.
From *Hís, an earlier name of the island Hisarøy,
genitive *Hísar, and OIc. gafl 'a gable, a gable-end'; the sense
is 'the end of Hís island'. There are etymological grounds for thinking
that *Hís probably meant something like 'split, cloven', and in fact the
island is almost cut in two. (NSL s.nn. Hisarøy, Hisøy)
Locative Byname:
Hítá, Hítará, Mýr. (river)
The last element is OIc. á 'a river'; the first is uncertain.
The variation between Hítá and Hítará indicates that hít
was treated as a feminine noun with genitive hítar; there is such a noun,
hít 'a skin bag', but this is quite unsatisfactory semantically. In
Bárðar saga snæfellsáss,
which dates from the late fourteenth century, it is explained as the name of a
tro˛llkona 'female troll'; this suggests that the name had by then no
obvious etymology. In all likelihood the name was originally Hitá 'hot
river', with a first element related to hiti 'heat'; not far to the north
is the Kaldá 'cold river'.
Locative Byname:
Hítardalr, Mýr. (valley)
The second element is OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'; for the
first see Hítá. If the suggestion made there
is correct, this would properly be Hitárdalr, Hitár being the
genitive of Hitá 'hot river': 'hot-river valley'.
Locative Byname: ór Hítardal, í Hítardal
Hjallaland, Húnv.
From OIc. hjalli 'a ledge in a mountainside', genitive
singular hjalla, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'.
Locative Byname: á Hjallalandi
Hjallanes, Ísafj. (ness)
From OIc. hjalli 'a ledge in a mountainside', genitive
singular hjalla, and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Hjalli, Árn. (farm)
–– Húnv.
OIc. hjalli 'a ledge in a mountainside'.
Locative Byname: á Hjalla
Hjaltadalr, Skag. (valley)
From the masculine name Hjalti, genitive Hjalta,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Hjalti’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Hjaltaeyrr, Eyfj. (spit)
From the masculine name Hjalti, genitive Hjalta,
and OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the
sea': 'Hjalti’s sandbank'. This seems to be the location of the
modern Hjalteyri.
Locative Byname:
Hjaltdælalaut, Barð. (small valley)
The last element is OIc. laut 'a hollow place'. Hjaltdæla
appears to be the genitive of a plural noun *Hjaltdælir 'people of Hjaltdalr',
historically *Hjaltdœlir; here dœlir is the plural of dœll
'a dalesman'. This would make *Hjaltdalr the name of a valley, though I have
not found such a place-name. It would seem to be a compound of OIc. hjalt
'the pommel of a sword; also its guard or crosspiece' and dalr 'a valley;
a dale', the first element presumably describing its shape or situation relative to
other geographical features.
Locative Byname:
Hjaltland.
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands; Shetland is
how the name developed in English. From OIc. hjalt 'the pommel of a sword;
also its guard or crosspiece' and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'.
Locative Byname:
Hjarðarholt, Dal. (farm)
From OIc. hjo˛rð
'a herd, a flock', genitive hjarðar, and holt 'a wood, a copse;
a rough, stony hill or ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Hjarðarholti
Hjarðarnes (Herdísarnes), Barð. (ness)
From OIc. hjo˛rð 'a herd, a flock', genitive
hjarðar, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'herd’s point'.
One source gives the name as Herdísarnes, whose first element, Herdísar,
is the genitive of the feminine name Herdís, but this appears to be an
error.
Locative Byname:
Hjarðarvatn, Snæf. (lake)
From OIc. hjo˛rð 'a herd, a flock', genitive
hjarðar, and vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake': 'herd’s
lake'.
Locative Byname:
Hjo˛rleifsho˛fði, Skaft. (headland)
From the masculine name Hjo˛rleifr, genitive Hjo˛rleifs, and OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland': 'Hjo˛rleif’s headland'.
Locative Byname:
Hlaðhamarr, Borg.
OIc. hlaðhamarr, synonymous with hlaðberg 'a
projecting pier, a rock where a ship is laden'; the first element seems to be from
hlaða 'to load, especially a ship' (and other meanings). (Berg
and hamarr are respectively 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a
cliff, a precipice' and 'a hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice' (literally
'a hammer'.)
Locative Byname:
Hleiðrargarðr, Eyfj.
The second element is OIc. garðr 'an enclosure, a yard; a
courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold'. The first appears to be related to
the name of the Danish town of Lejre, whose OIc. form was Hleiðra.
Specifically, it appears to be the genitive singular of a feminine noun *hleiðr
related to Gothic hleiþra 'a tent, a hut'
Locative Byname:
Hlíð, Barð.
–– in ytri, Árn.
–– (Jökulsárhlíð), N.-Múl.
OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'; in ytri is
'the outer', so that Hlíð in ytri is 'the outer slope'. The one in
N.-Múl. is now Jökulsárhlíð; Jökulsár is the genitive of the
river-name Jökulsá
Locative Byname: í Hlíð (inni ytri); ór Hlíð
Hlíðir, Norway.
The plural of OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'. (The
modern plural is hlíðar.) In Old Norwegian this was Líðir, which
has become Lier in the modern language. (NSL s.n. Lier)
Locative Byname: ór Hlíðum
Hlíðarendi, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope', genitive singular
hlíðar, and endi 'the end of an object': 'slope’s end'.
Locative Byname: at Hlíðarenda, á Hlíðarenda,
frá Hlíðarenda
Hlíðarlo˛nd, Árn.
From OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope', genitive singular
hlíðar, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here in
the plural lo˛nd: 'slope’s lands'.
Locative Byname:
Hlymrek, Ireland.
An OIc. adaptation of Luimnech, the Old Irish name of
Limerick.
Locative Byname: í Hlymreki
Hlo˛ðuvík, Ísafj. (inlet)
Apparently from OIc. hlaða 'a storehouse, a barn', genitive
(singular and plural) hlo˛ðu, and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Hnjóská, Hnjóskadalsá: see Fnjóskadalsá.
Hnjóskadalr: see Fnjóskadalr.
Hof, (1) Húnv. (farm)
–– (2) Húnv. (farm)
–– Kjós. (farm)
–– N.-Múl. (farm)
–– Rang. (farm)
–– S.-Múl. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– (1) Skag. (farm)
–– (2) Skag. (farm)
–– ?
OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple'.
Locative Byname: at Hofi, á Hofi, frá Hofi
Hofgarðar, Snæf.
OIc. hofgarðr 'a temple-yard', here in the plural hofgarðar;
the word is a compound of hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple' and garðr
'an enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold'.
Locative Byname: í Hofgo˛rðum
Hofsá, Snæf.
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Hofsfell, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and fell 'an isolated hill'.
Locative Byname: í Hofsfelli
Hofsland, Húnv.
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'.
Apparently the land associated with Hof (2)
in Húnv.
Locative Byname:
Hofslo˛nd, N.-Múl.
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here in the
plural lo˛nd.
Apparently the lands associated with Hof in
N.-Múl.
Locative Byname:
Hofstaðir, Barð. (farm)
–– Borg.
–– Skag. (farm)
–– Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir.
Locative Byname: á Hofsto˛ðum, af Hofsto˛ðum
Hofsteigr, N.-Múl. (farm)
The first element is OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple',
genitive singular hofs; the second is probably close kin to stigr
and its variant stígr, both 'a path, a way'.
Locative Byname:
Hofsvágr, Snæf. (inlet)
From OIc. hof 'a (pre-Christian) temple', genitive singular
hofs, and vágr 'a creek, a bay'.
Locative Byname: í Hofsvági
Hólar (Hrepphólar), (1) Árn. (farm)
–– (Klaustrhólar), (2) Árn. (farm)
–– (Reykjahólar),
Barð. (farm)
–– (Vestrhópshólar), Húnv. (farm)
–– (Krumshólar), Mýr. (farm)
–– Skag. (farm)
OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', here in the plural
hólar. The long forms in parentheses are OIc. forms of the modern names
of these places; Reykjahólar occurs in at least one version of
Landnámabók, and they are probably all quite old, but I have no other
details. The first elements of the first four are from OIc. hreppr 'a
poor-law district (in Iceland)', klaustr 'a cloister, a convent',
reykr 'smoke, steam' (referring to hot springs), genitive plural
reykja, and a compound of vestr 'the west' and hóp
'a small, land-locked bay or inlet connected with the sea'. Krums
is the genitive singular of krumr, the byname of Þorbjo˛rn krumr, who was given land
there; the byname probably refers to a stiff or crooked finger.
Locative Byname: at Hólum, í Hólum, á Hólum.
(There is also someone described as living fyrir ofan Hóla 'above Hólar',
but I’m not sure whether this expression would have been used as a byname.)
Hóll, Norway(?)
–– Dal. (farm)
OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll'.
Locative Byname: frá Hóli, undir Hóli
Hólmgarðr.
Northwestern Russia, e.g., around Lake Ladoga; the name is a
compound of OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet' and garðr 'an enclosure,
a yard; a courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold'.
Locative Byname:
Hólmkelsá, Snæf. (river)
From the masculine name Hólmkell, genitive Hólmkels,
and OIc. á 'a river': 'Hólmkel’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Hólmr, Gullbr. (farm)
–– inn innri (ytri), Borg. (farm)
–– Mýr. (farm)
OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet'; inn innri and
inn ytri are 'the inner' and 'the outer', respectively.
Locative Byname: at Hólmi, á Hólmi;
at Hólmi inum iðra (ytra)
Hólmsá, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet', genitive singular
hólms, and á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Hólmslátr, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet', genitive singular
hólms, and látr 'the place where animals, esp. seals and whales,
lay their young'.
Locative Byname: á Hólmslátri
Hólm(s)lo˛nd, Mýr.
From OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet', genitive singular
hólms, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here in
the plural lo˛nd.
These are the lands associated with Hólmr
in Mýr.
Locative Byname:
Hólmslo˛nd, Rang. (region)
From OIc. hólmr 'a holm, an islet', genitive singular
hólms, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here in
the plural lo˛nd.
Locative Byname:
Holt, Árn. (region)
–– (= Brautarholt?), Kjós.?
–– undir Eyjafjo˛llum,
Rang. (farm)
–– Húnv.
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– Skag. (farm)
OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge';
in most cases the first sense is probably intended. The Árn. place-name is in
the plural, which in the nominative case is identical to the singular, and the
region is also referred to as Holtalo˛nd 'Holt’s lands'; undir
Eyjafjo˛llum is 'under
Eyjafjo˛ll'.
Locative Byname: í Holti (when Holt is singular)
Holtastaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or
ridge', genitive plural holta, and staðr 'a place, a stead',
here in the plural staðir.
Locative Byname: á Holtasto˛ðum
Horn it eystra, Skaft. (promontory)
OIc. horn 'a corner, a nook, an angle', modified by the
addition of it eystra 'the eastern': 'the eastern corner'.
Locative Byname:
Horn it vestra, Ísafj.
OIc. horn 'a corner, a nook, an angle', modified by the
addition of it vestra 'the western': 'the western corner'.
Locative Byname:
Hornafjarðarstro˛nd, Skaft. (stretch of coast)
From the place-name Hornafjo˛rðr,
genitive Hornafjarðar and OIc. stro˛nd 'a strand, coast, shore':
'Hornafjo˛rð’s strand'.
Locative Byname:
Hornafjo˛rðr, Skaft. (fjord)
From OIc. horn 'a corner, a nook, an angle', genitive plural
horna, and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Hornstrandir, Ísafj. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. horn 'a corner, a nook, an angle' and stro˛nd
'a strand, coast, shore', here in the plural strandir.
Locative Byname:
Hrafnagil, Eyfj.
From OIc. hrafn 'a raven', genitive plural hrafna,
and gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'ravens’
gully'.
Locative Byname: at Hrafnagili
Hrafnagjá, Árn. (cleft)
From OIc. hrafn 'a raven', genitive plural hrafna,
and gjá 'a rift, a cleft, a chasm': 'ravens’ rift'.
Locative Byname:
Hrafnista, Norway. (island)
An island name, probably from OIc. hrafn 'a raven' and a
suffix -ista of unknown origin. (NSL s.n. Ramstad)
Locative Byname: ór Hrafnistu
Hrafnkelsdalr, N.-Múl. (side valley)
From the masculine name Hrafnkell, genitive Hrafnkels,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Hrafnkel’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Hrafnsfjo˛rðr,
Greenland. (fjord)
–– Ísafj. (fjord)
From the masculine name Hrafn, genitive Hrafns,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Hrafn’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Hrafnstóptir, Rang. (temporary farm)
From the masculine name Hrafn, genitive Hrafns,
and OIc. topt 'a toft, a homestead; a place marked out for a house or building;
a square plot of ground with walls but no roof', here in the plural toptir:
'Hrafn’s tofts'.
Locative Byname:
Hranafall, Mýr.?
From the masculine name Hrani, genitive Hrana,
and OIc. fall 'a fall; a death in battle' (and various other senses);
Hrani Gríms son is said to have killed Þorgestr Arnbjargar son
in battle here.
Locative Byname:
Hranastaðir, Borg. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From the masculine name Hrani, genitive Hrana,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hrani’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Hranasto˛ðum
Hraun, Borg. (lava field)
–– (1) (= Berserkjahraun) Snæf. (lava field)
–– (2) Snæf.
–– (3) Snæf. (farm)
OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a rough
place, a wilderness'. Berserkja is the genitive plural of berserkr
'a berserker', so Berserkjahraun is 'berserkers’ hraun';
Eyrbyggja saga,
Chapter 28, tells how two berserkers were tricked into clearing a path across the
hraun.
Locative Byname: í Hrauni, at Hrauni
Hraunaheiðr: see Kraunaheiðr.
Hraunadalr (syðri, ytri), Mýr. (two valleys)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', genitive plural hrauna, and dalr
'a valley, a dale'; there were two, one syðri 'southern', the other
ytri 'outer'.
Locative Byname: í inum syðrum Hraundal
Hraungerði, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', and gerði 'a fenced field'.
Locative Byname: í Hraungerði
Hraungerðingahreppr, Árn. (region)
From OIc. Hraungerðingr 'an inhabitant of
Hraungerði', genitive plural
Hraungerðinga, and hreppr 'a poor-law district (in Iceland)':
'poor-law district of the inhabitants of Hraungerði'. Note that this
sense of hreppr postdates the introduction of Christianity; either the
name is an anachronism in Landnámabók, or the word originally had a
somewhat different sense.
Locative Byname:
Hraunhafnará, Snæf. (river)
From the place-name Hraunho˛fn,
genitive Hraunhafnar, and OIc. á 'a river': 'Hraunho˛fn’s
river'.
Locative Byname:
Hraunho˛fn, Snæf. (cove)
–– Þing. (harbor)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', and ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven'.
Locative Byname:
Hraunsáss, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', genitive singular hrauns, and áss
'a rocky ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Hraunsási
Hraunsfjo˛rðr, Snæf. (fjord and farm)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', genitive singular hrauns, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. This is the name both of a fjord and of a farm;
the locative byname refers to the farm.
Locative Byname: í Hraunsfirði
Hraunsholtslœkr, Gullbr. (brook)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', genitive singular hrauns, holt
'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge', genitive holts, and
lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook'.
Locative Byname:
Hraunslœkr, Árn. (brook)
From OIc. hraun 'a burnt-out lava field', originally 'a
rough place, a wilderness', genitive singular hrauns, and lœkr
(later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook'.
Locative Byname:
Hreðuvatn, Mýr. 91: see Helgavatn.
Hreggsgerðismúli, Heggsgerðismúli, Skaft. (fell)
Both forms are found, depending on the manuscript. This is
apparently a compound of H(r)eggsgerðis, the genitive singular of
H(r)eggsgerði, and OIc. múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting
crag (between two fjords, valleys, or the like)'. H(r)eggsgerði is
itself a topographical compound, the second element being OIc. gerði
'a fenced field'. If Hreggsgerðismúli is correct, the first element
would seem to be the genitive singular of OIc. hregg 'a storm'. If
Heggsgerðismúli is correct, the first element is the genitive of the
masculine name Heggr, or perhaps the genitive singular of OIc. heggr
'bird cherry (tree)'.
Locative Byname:
Hreiðarsgerði, Snæf.
From the masculine name Hreiðarr, genitive Hreiðars,
and OIc. gerði 'a fenced field'.
Locative Byname:
Hringaríki, Norway.
From an ethnonym Hringar, genitive Hringa, both
plural, and OIc. ríki 'a kingdom, a realm': 'the realm of the Hringar'.
(NSL s.n. Ringerike)
Locative Byname: af Hringaríki
Hringdalir, (?)
Apparently from OIc. hringr 'a ring, a circle' and dalr
'a valley, a dale', here in the plural dalir: 'ring valleys'.
Locative Byname:
Hringsstaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From OIc. hringr 'a ring, a circle', genitive singular
hrings, and staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural
staðir; according to Landnámabók, the original settler was
Haraldr hringr. The byname may mean that he came from
Hringaríki.
Locative Byname:
Hrip, Snæf. (farm)
Apparently OIc. hrip 'a box of laths; a basket', but if so,
the sense as a place-name isn’t entirely clear, to say the least.
Locative Byname: í Hripi
Hrísar, Borg. (farm)
This is a feminine collective plural corresponding to the neuter
OIc. noun hrís 'shrubs, brushwood'
Locative Byname: í Hrísum; Hríseyjar-
Hrísateigr, Eyfj. (meadow)
From OIc. hrís 'shrubs, brushwood', genitive hrísa,
and teigr 'a strip of field or meadowland': 'brush-covered strip of field
or meadowland'.
Locative Byname:
Hrísey, Eyfj. (island)
From OIc. hrís 'shrubs, brushwood' and ey 'an
island': 'brushwood island'.
Locative Byname: í Hrísey, ór Hrísey
Hróarsholt, Árn.
From the masculine name Hróarr, genitive Hróars,
and OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': probably
'Hróar’s copse'.
Locative Byname:
Hróarslœkr (Hróarsholtslœkr), Árn. (brook)
From the masculine name Hróarr, genitive Hróars,
and OIc. lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook':
'Hróar’s brook'. In the variant Hróarsholtslœkr the
compound first element, Hróarsholts, is the genitive of the place-name
Hróarsholt.
Locative Byname:
Hróarslœkr, Rang.
From the masculine name Hróarr, genitive Hróars,
and OIc. lœkr (later lækr) 'a rivulet, a brook':
'Hróar’s brook'.
Locative Byname:
Hrokkelsstaðir: see Hallkelsstaðir, Borg.
Hróksholt, Snæf.
From the masculine name Hrókr, genitive Hróks,
and OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': probably
'Hrók’s copse'.
Locative Byname: í Hróksholti
Hrolleifsdalr, Skag. (valley)
From the masculine name Hrolleifr, genitive Hrolleifs,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Hrolleif’s valley'.
Locative Byname: í Hrolleifsdal
Hrolleifsdalsá, Skag. (river)
From the place-name Hrolleifsdalr,
genitive Hrolleifsdals, and OIc. á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Hrunamannahreppr, Árn. (region)
OIc. hreppr is 'a poor-law district'. Hrunamanna
is the genitive plural of Hrunamaðr, a compound whose second element is
maðr 'a human being'. I have not been able to identify the first element;
it could be the genitive of Hruni, a place-name in the region, though
this place-name does not itself occur in Landnámabók. If so, the sense
would be 'poor-law district of the people of Hruni'. The place-name
Hruni may be related to hruninn 'collapsed, fallen in', the past
participle of hrynja.
Note that this sense of hreppr postdates the introduction
of Christianity; either the name is an anachronism in Landnámabók, or the
word originally had a somewhat different sense.
Locative Byname:
Hrútafjarðardalr. (region)
Hrútafjarðar is the genitive of the place-name
Hrútafjo˛rðr. The last element is
OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'valley of the fjord Hrútafjo˛rðr'.
Locative Byname:
Hrútafjarðarstro˛nd in eystri, Húnv.
Hrútafjarðar is the genitive of the place-name
Hrútafjo˛rðr. The last element is
OIc. stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore', and the affix is 'the eastern':
'the eastern shore of Hrútafjo˛rðr'.
Locative Byname:
Hrútafjo˛rðr. (fjord)
The second element is OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
On the face of it the first element is from hrútr 'a ram', genitive plural
hrúta, making the name 'rams’ fjord': according to Landnámabók
it was so called because an early group of settlers found two rams there when they
first sailed into the fjord.
Locative Byname: í Hrútafirði, ór Hrútafirði
Hrútsstaðir, Dal. (farm)
From the masculine name Hrútr, genitive Hrúts,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hrút’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Hrútssto˛ðum
Hræreksgil, Skag.
From the masculine name Hrærekr, genitive Hræreks,
and OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'Hrærek’s
gully'. It is said to have been named after a thrall named Hrærekr; his
name also appears as Roðrekr, genitive Roðreks. (Both are from an
older *Hróðríkr.)
Locative Byname:
Húnavatn, Húnv. (lake)
Apparently from OIc. húnn 'a bear-cub', genitive plural
húna, and vatn 'water, fresh water, a lake': 'bear-cubs’
lake'. According to Landnámabók, the settler Ingimundr inn gamli
Þorsteins son found a female polar bear and two cubs here and took them to
Norway, where people had never before seen white bears.
Locative Byname:
Húnavatnsþing.
From the place-name Húnavatn
and OIc. þing 'an assembly, a meeting; a parliament'. This was one of the
várþing, or spring assemblies.
Locative Byname:
Hundadalr, Dal. (valley)
From the masculine name Hundi, genitive Hunda,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Hundi’s valley'. In
principle the first element could be the genitive plural of hundr 'a hound,
a dog', making it 'hounds' valley', but Landnámabók says that it was given
by Auðr in djúpúðga Ketils dóttir to her freedman Hundi. He is
said to have been Scottish, and the name is probably a translation of EIr
cuilén 'a whelp', used as a masculine name, or perhaps of matad
'a dog, a mastiff; a cur', also used as a masculine name.
Locative Byname:
Hundsnes, Þing.
Apparently from OIc. hundr 'a hound, a dog', genitive
singular hunds, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'hound’s
point'.
Locative Byname:
Húsagarðr, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. hús 'a house', in the plural not just 'houses'
but also the group of buildings on a farm', genitive plural húsa, and
garðr 'an enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold',
perhaps for a farm with an enclosing wall.
Locative Byname: í Húsagarði
Húsavík, N.-Múl.
–– Þing. (cove and farm)
From OIc. hús 'a house', in the plural not just 'houses'
but also the group of buildings on a farm', genitive plural húsa, and
vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Húsnar: see Hernar.
Hvaleyrr, Gullbr. (ness)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale' and eyrr 'a sandbank,
a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea'; Flóki Vilgerðar son,
the man who is supposed to have given Iceland (Ísland) its name, is said
to have found a whale stranded here.
Locative Byname:
Hvalfjarðarstro˛nd, Borg.
From the place-name Hvalfjo˛rðr,
genitive Hvalfjarðar, and OIc. stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore'.
Locative Byname:
Hvalfjo˛rðr. (fjord)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a
firth, an inlet': 'whale-fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Hváll (Stórólfshváll), Rang. (farm)
OIc. hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll'. The longer name
is 'Stórólf’s knoll', from the masculine name Stórólfr,
genitive Stórólfs.
Locative Byname: at Hváli
Hvallátr, Barð. (farm)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale' and látr 'the place
where animals, esp. seals and whales, lay their young', here in the identical
plural: 'whale breeding-grounds'.
Locative Byname: at Hvallátrum
Hvallátr, Snæf.
–– Þing. (region)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale' and látr 'the place
where animals, esp. seals and whales, lay their young', here in the singular:
'whale breeding-ground'. The one in Snæf. is an error for
Hólmslátr.
Locative Byname: á Hvallátri, at Hvallátri
Hvalsey(jar), Greenland. (island)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale', genitive singular hvals,
and ey 'an island' or its plural eyjar: 'whale’s island(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Hvalsnesskriður, S.-Múl. (fell and land-slips)
From OIc. hvalr 'a whale', genitive singular hvals,
nes 'a ness, a headland', and skriða 'a land-slip (on a hillside)',
nominative plural skriður: 'whale’s point land-slips'. The name appears
in some versions as Hvalnesskriður, with the uninflected root hval-
instead of the genitive singular hvals.
Locative Byname:
Hvalvatnsfjo˛rðr, Þing. (fjord)
From the place-name Hvalvatn, genitive Hvalvatns,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Hvalvatn’s
fjord'. Hvalvatn, which does not appear in Landnámabók, is from
hvalr 'a whale' and vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake'.
Locative Byname:
Hvammr, Árn. (farm)
–– Dal. (farm)
–– Húnv.
–– Kjós. (farm)
–– Mýr. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
–– Skag. (farm)
OIc. hvammr 'a grassy hollow, a small vale'.
Locative Byname: í Hvammi; Hvamm-
Hvanná, N.-Múl. (river)
From OIc. hvo˛nn 'angelica', combining stem hvann-,
and á 'a river': 'angelica river'.
Locative Byname:
Hvanndalir, Eyfj. (small valley)
From OIc. hvo˛nn 'angelica', combining stem hvann-,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale', here in the plural dalir: 'angelica
dales'.
Locative Byname:
Hvanneyrr, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. hvo˛nn 'angelica', combining stem hvann-,
and eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea':
'angelica bank'.
Locative Byname: á Hvanneyri, at Hvanneyri,
af Hvanneyri
Hvarf, Greenland.
OIc. hvarf has a variety of meanings, but here it is
'a tongue of land, a cape'. The etymological sense is 'a turning'.
Locative Byname:
Hvarfsgnípa, Greenland.
From OIc. hvarf 'a tongue of land, a cape', genitive singular
hvarfs, and gnípa 'a peak, a jutting pinnacle', here in a variant
spelling. Another name for Hvarf.
Locative Byname:
Hvassahraun, Gullbr. (lava field)
From OIc. hvass 'sharp' and hraun 'a burnt-out
lava field', originally 'a rough place, a wilderness'; hvassa is the
neuter nominative singular weak inflection, agreeing with the neuter noun
hraun.
Locative Byname:
Hvatastaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Hvati, genitive Hvata,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Hvati’s stead(s)'. (Hvati is an original byname akin to
hvatr 'active, brisk, vigorous'.)
Locative Byname: á Hvatasto˛ðum, at Hvatasto˛ðum
Hvinir, Norway.
The name should perhaps be Hvínir, with a long first
vowel, as it is given in some sources. Originally a fjord-name from the river-name
*Hvín (from the verb hvína 'to whizz, to whistle', referring to
the sound of the river; there is an associated noun hvinr 'a whizzing,
whistling sound'), it also came to denote the surrounding region. The name
Hvinisfjo˛rðr is also used; Hvinis is the genitive of Hvinir,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr is 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. (NSL s.n. Kvinesdal)
Locative Byname:
Hvinisfjo˛rðr: see Hvinir.
Hvinverjadalr. (valley)
From OIc. Hvinverjar 'men of Hvinir',
genitive (plural) Hvinverjar, and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'valley
of the men of Hvinir'. (The name actually appears in Landnámabók
as Vinverjadalr, but this is known to be a defective orthography.) The
exact location seems to be unknown.
Locative Byname:
Hvítá, Árn. (river)
–– Borg. (river)From OIc. hvítr 'white' and á 'a river': 'white
river'. (Á is a feminine noun, and hvít is the nominative singular
feminine of the adjective in the strong declension.)
Locative Byname:
Hvítársíða, Mýr. (region)
From the river-name Hvítá,
genitive Hvítár, and OIc. síða 'a side; a coast': 'Hvítá’s
side', i.e., 'land beside the Hvítá'. It is also called simply
Síða
Locative Byname:
Hvítbjo˛rg, Mýr. (rocky area)
From OIc. hvítr 'white' and bjarg 'a boulder, a
(large) rock', here in the plural bjo˛rg 'precipices, especially by the
sea'. Bjo˛rg is a neuter plural, and hvít is the matching
neuter nominative plural of the adjective in the strong declension. The name
also occurs as Hvítabjo˛rg, with the adjective in the weak declension
neuter nominative plural.
Locative Byname:
The name, which means 'white men’s land, land of the white men', is not so much a true compound as a noun phrase, hvítra manna land, run together as a single word. The elements are OIc. hvítr 'white', genitive plural hvítra; maðr 'a person', genitive plural manna; and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'. Landnámabók says:
Þat kalla sumir Írland it mikla. Þat liggr vestr í haf nær Vínlandinu góða (Vinlandi inu góða, Írlandi inu góða). Þat er kallat VI dægra sigling vestr frá Írlandi.
Some call it Ireland the Great. It lies west over the sea near the Vineland (Vinland the Good, Ireland [sic] the Good). It is called six days’ sailing west of Ireland.
Locative Byname:
Hæll, Árn. (farm)
OIc. hæll 'a heel', probably in a metaphorical topographical
sense.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛fðabrekka, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland', genitive singular ho˛fða,
and brekka 'a slope': 'headland’s slope'. Alternatively, the first
element may be the genitive of one of the place-names Ho˛fði.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛fðalo˛nd, Árn.
From the place-name Ho˛fði, genitive Ho˛fða, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a
country', here in the plural lo˛nd; 'lands associated with Ho˛fði'.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛fðársandr, Skaft. (stretch of sand)
From the river-name Ho˛fðá, genitive Ho˛fðár, and
OIc. sandr 'sand; the seashore': 'sands of the Ho˛fðá'. The
river-name, which does not occur by itself in Landnámabók, seems to be a
syncopated form of ho˛fuð á 'chief river', from OIc. ho˛fuð 'head,
chief' and á 'a river'. At the time of the Settlement there was a fjord,
Kerlingarfjo˛rðr, ‘where Ho˛fðársandr
is now’. The Ho˛fðá itself is probably the river now called the
Múlakvísl.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛fðastro˛nd, Skag. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland', genitive singular ho˛fða,
and stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore'. Alternatively, the first element may
be the genitive of one of the place-names Ho˛fði.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛fði,
Árn. (farm)
–– Skag. (farm)
–– (Hjo˛rleifsho˛fði), Skaft. (farm)
–– (Búlandsho˛fði),
Snæf. (farm)
–– Þing. (farm)
OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland'.
Locative Byname: í Ho˛fða, á Ho˛fða, at
Ho˛fða, frá Ho˛fða
Ho˛fn,
Borg. (farm and region)
–– Norway: see Hefn.
OIc. ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven'.
Locative Byname: í Ho˛fn
Ho˛gnastaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Ho˛gni, genitive Ho˛gna,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ho˛gni’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ho˛gnasto˛ðum
Ho˛kustaðir, Skag. (farm)
The second element, staðir, is the plural of OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead'. The first is probably from OIc. haka 'a chin', genitive
ho˛ku, used as a byname, making this 'Chin’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rðadalr, Dal. (valley)
From the (plural) ethnonym Ho˛rðar, genitive (plural)
Ho˛rða, referring to the people of Ho˛rðaland,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'valley of the people from Ho˛rðaland'.
Landnámabók says that Auðr in djúpúðga Ketils dóttir gave the
valley to one of her crewmen, a man named Ho˛rðr, but it does not take
its name from his: the genitive of Ho˛rðr is Harðar, so that
'Ho˛rð’s valley' would be Harðardalr.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rðadalsá, Dal. (river)
From the place-name Ho˛rðadalr,
genitive Ho˛rðadals, and OIc. á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rðahólar, Mýr.
From the (plural) ethnonym Ho˛rðar, genitive (plural)
Ho˛rða, referring to the people of Ho˛rðaland,
and OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', here in the plural hólar:
'hills of the people from Ho˛rðaland'.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rðaland, Norway.
From the OIc. (plural) ethnonym Ho˛rðar, genitive (plural)
ho˛rða, and land 'a country, a region': 'land of the Ho˛rðar'.
The ethnonym is from Proto-Germanic *haruðōz, probably meaning
'warriors, heroes', and may originally have been Celtic. (NSL s.n. Hordaland)
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rgá, Eyfj. (river)
From OIc. ho˛rgr 'a heap of stones, a cairn; a sacrificial
altar; a stone altar', referring to a pre-Christian place of worship, and á
'a river'; presumably the river was associated with such a place.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rgárdalr, Eyfj. (valley)
From the river-name Ho˛rgá,
genitive Ho˛rgár, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'valley of
the Ho˛rg river'.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rgárdalsá, Eyfj. (river)
Another name for the Ho˛rgá.
The name is amusingly redundant: the first element, Ho˛rgárdals, is the
genitive of Ho˛rgárdalr, and the last
is OIc. á 'a river', so the name is 'river of the valley of the Ho˛rg
river'!
Locative Byname:
Ho˛rgsholt, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. ho˛rgr 'a heap of stones, a cairn; a sacrificial
altar; a stone altar', referring to a pre-Christian place of worship, genitive
ho˛rgs, and holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Ho˛rgsholti
Ho˛skuldsár, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Ho˛skuldr, genitive Ho˛skulds,
and OIc. á 'a river', here in the plural ár: 'Ho˛skuld’s
rivers'. Also called Ho˛skuldsstaðir.
Locative Byname: at Ho˛skuldsám, á Ho˛skuldsám
Ho˛skuldslœkr, Árn. (brook)
From the masculine name Ho˛skuldr, genitive Ho˛skulds,
and OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook': 'Ho˛skuld’s brook'.
According to Landnámabók it is named after Ho˛skuldr Þorsteins son
þurs, who drowned there.
Locative Byname:
Ho˛skuldsstaðir, Dal. (farm)
–– Snæf.: another name for Ho˛skuldsár. (farm)
From the masculine name Ho˛skuldr, genitive Ho˛skulds,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ho˛skuld’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ho˛skuldssto˛ðum
Ho˛skuldsvatn, Þing. (lake)
From the masculine name Ho˛skuldr, genitive Ho˛skulds,
and OIc. vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake': 'Ho˛skuld’s lake'.
Locative Byname:
Íafjo˛rðr, Norway.
The second element is OIc. fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', but the first element is obscure, as is the actual location. The place-name
occurs only once, in the dative case, as Íafirði; forms found in other mss. include
Jófirði, Jafndi, Jamfirði, and Jafnfirði.
Locative Byname:
Ingimundarholt, Húnv. (temporary farm)
From the masculine name Ingimundr, genitive Ingimundar,
and OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge'; probably
'Ingimund’s copse', since it lies in a valley.
Locative Byname:
Ingjaldsgnúpr, Árn. (peak)
From the masculine name Ingjaldr, genitive Ingjalds,
and OIc. gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak': 'Ingjald’s peak'.
Locative Byname:
Ingjaldshváll, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Ingjaldr, genitive Ingjalds,
and OIc. hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Ingjald’s knoll'.
Locative Byname: á Ingjaldshváli, at Ingjaldshváli
Ingjaldssandr, Ísafj. (stretch of coast)
From the masculine name Ingjaldr, genitive Ingjalds,
and OIc. sandr 'sand; the seashore': 'Ingjald’s sand'.
Locative Byname: at Ingjaldssandi, á Ingjaldssandi
Ingólfsfell, Árn. (fell)
From the masculine name Ingólfr, genitive Ingólfs,
and OIc. fell 'an isolated hill': 'Ingólf’s isolated hill'.
Locative Byname:
Ingólfsfjo˛rðr, Strand. (fjord)
From the masculine name Ingólfr, genitive Ingólfs,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a
firth, an inlet': 'Ingólf’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Ingólfsho˛fðahverfi, Skaft. (region)
From the place-name Ingólfsho˛fði, genitive Ingólfsho˛fða,
and OIc. hverfi 'a cluster of farms'.
Locative Byname:
Ingólfsho˛fði, Skaft. (headland)
From the masculine name Ingólfr, genitive Ingólfs,
and OIc. ho˛fði 'a headland':
'Ingólf’s headland'.
Locative Byname:
Írá (Írará), Rang. (river)
From OIc. Írar 'Irishmen', genitive Íra, and á
'a river': 'Irish river, river of the Irishmen'. Landnámabók explicitly gives
this derivation. Írá is presumably contracted from *Íra-á; Írará
exceptionally contains the nominative case, contrary to the usual formation of such compounds.
Locative Byname:
Írland.
The OIc. name of Ireland, 'land of the Írar'.
Locative Byname:
Írland it mikla.
See Hvítramannaland.
Locative Byname:
Ísafjarðardjúp. (fjord)
From OIc. íss 'ice', genitive plural ísa,
fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth,
an inlet', genitive fjarðar, and djúp 'deep water; a deep place;
the deep sea off the shore': 'ice fjord’s deep'. The name Ísafjarðardjúp
now refers to a long fjord in northwestern Iceland, one of the deepest in the
country, often called simply Djúpið 'The Deep'; a number of small fjords
extend inland from it, of which the innermost (southernmost) is called
Ísafjörður. In Landnámabók and other older sources, however,
Ísafjo˛rðr,
the older form of Ísafjörður, was the name of the entire fjord, and
Ísafjarðardjúp was the name of the deep, narrow channels that go out
from the fjord. (See the Icelandic Wikipedia s.v.
Ísafjarðardjúp.)
Locative Byname:
Ísafjo˛rðr. (fjord)
From OIc. íss 'ice', genitive plural ísa,
fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth,
an inlet': 'ice fjord'. See Ísafjarðardjúp.
Locative Byname:
Iceland. From OIc. íss 'ice' and land 'land
(as opposed to sea); a country': 'ice land'. The English name of the country is
an exact translation.
Locative Byname:
Íslandshaf.
From the place-name Ísland,
genitive Íslands, and OIc. haf 'the sea, especially the high sea,
the ocean': 'Iceland’s sea', referring to the part of the Arctic Ocean
immediately north of Iceland.
Locative Byname:
Ísleifsstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Ísleifr, genitive Ísleifs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural as staðir:
'Ísleif’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ísleifssto˛ðum
Ísro˛ðarstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Ísro˛ðr, genitive Ísro˛ðar, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here
in the plural as staðir: 'Ísro˛ð’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ísro˛ðarsto˛ðum
Jaðarr, Norway.
OIc. jaðarr 'edge, border'. This is the original form of
several Norwegian place-names, including Jæren, the name of a coastal
region in southwest Norway that is probably meant here. (NPL s.n. Jæren,
s.v. jadar.)
Locative Byname:
Jafnaskarð (Jannaskarð), Mýr. (pass and farm)
From OIc. jafn 'even; equal' and skarð 'a
mountain pass; a notch'; here, however, jafn has the same sense as in
jafna 'level ground, a plain', much as in the English expression
'even ground'.
Locative Byname:
Jamtaland, Sweden.
The second element is OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea);
a country'. The people who lived there were the Jamtar 'Jamts', genitive
plural Jamta, so the name as a whole is 'Jamts’s land, land of the
Jamts'. The modern Swedish name is Jämtland.
Locative Byname:
Jarðfallsgil, Ísafj. (ravine)
From OIc. jarðfall 'an earth-slip', genitive jarðfalls,
and gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom'. (Jarðfall
itself is a fairly transparent compound of jarð-, the root of
jo˛rð 'earth', and fall
'a fall'.)
Locative Byname:
Jarðlangsstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
The second element, staðir, is the plural of OIc. staðr
'a place, a stead'. According to Landnámabók, the original settler was
Þorgeirr jarðlangr; the first element is the genitive of his byname, so
that the place is 'Jarðlang’s stead(s)'. The byname is a compound
of jarð-, the root of jo˛rð
'earth', and langr 'long'. Its sense is uncertain; one possibility is
'tall person from a place called Jo˛rð'.
Locative Byname: á Jarðlangssto˛ðum
Jólgeirsstaðir, Rang. (farm)
From the masculine name Jólgeirr, genitive Jólgeirs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Jólgeir’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Jólgeirssto˛ðum
Jórunnarstaðir, Eyfj. (farm)
From the feminine name Jórunn, genitive Jórunnar,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Jórunn’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Jórunnarsto˛ðum
Jo˛kulsá
(Héraðsvo˛tn), Skag. (river)
–– í Lóni, Skaft. (river)
–– á Breiðamerkursandi, Skaft. (river)
–– á Sólheimasandi, Skaft. (river)
–– á Dal, N.-Múl. (river)
–– á Fjo˛llum,
Þing. (river)
From OIc. jo˛kull
'an icicle; ice; a glacier', genitive jo˛kuls,
and á 'a river'. In Iceland the primary sense of jo˛kull is 'glacier', and the place-name is 'glacial river'.
The modifying prepositional phrases – í Lóni, á Dal, etc.
– do not appear in Landnámabók; at some point they must have been added
to distinguish one Jo˛kulsá
from another, but I don’t know when this occurred. Héraðsvötn is the
modern name of the first river in the list, a compound of héraðs, the genitive
of hérað 'a district' and vötn, the nominative plural of vatn
'water, fresh water; a lake'; the literal sense is 'district’s waters'.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛kulsdalr, N.-Múl. (valley)
From OIc. jo˛kull
'a glacier', genitive jo˛kuls,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'glacier valley'. This is the valley of the
Jo˛kulsá á
Dal.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛kulsfell, Skaft. (fell)
From OIc. jo˛kull
'a glacier', genitive jo˛kuls,
and fell 'an isolated hill': 'glacier hill'.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛kulsfirðir, Ísafj. (fjords)
From OIc. jo˛kull
'a glacier', genitive jo˛kuls,
and firðir, the plural of fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'glacier fjords'.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛kul(s)víkrá (Jo˛kulsá á Sólheimasandi), Skaft. (river)
From OIc. jo˛kull
'a glacier', genitive jo˛kuls,
vík 'an inlet, a small bay', genitive víkr, and á 'a river':
'glacier inlet river'. In one of the mss. the river is called simply
Jo˛kulsá;
Jökulsá á Sólheimasandi is its modern name.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛lduhlaup, Ireland. (promontory)
From OIc. jalda 'a mare', genitive jo˛ldu, and hlaup 'a leap': 'mare’s leap'. The
exact location in Ireland seems to be unknown.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛ldusteinn, Rang.
From OIc. jalda 'a mare', genitive jo˛ldu, and steinn 'a stone, a boulder, a rock':
'mare’s stone'. In Brennu-Njáls saga the name appears as
O˛ldusteinn, whose first
element, o˛ldu, is the
genitive of alda 'a wave, a roller', making it 'wave(’s) rock'.
Neither name survives; the place is probably the free-standing rock now called
Lausalda.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛rundarfell, Húnv. (fell)
From the masculine personal name Jo˛rundr, genitive Jo˛rundar, and OIc. fell 'an isolated hill':
'Jo˛rund’s
isolated hill'.
Locative Byname:
Jo˛rundarholt (Garðar á Akranesi), Borg. (farm)
From the masculine personal name Jo˛rundr, genitive Jo˛rundar, and OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a
rough, stony hill or ridge'; probably 'Jo˛rund’s wood'. This was the original name; by the
time of Landnámabók it was known as Garðar.
Locative Byname: í Jo˛rundarholti
Jo˛sureið, Norway. (island)
An island near Borgund.
The etymology of Jo˛sur
is uncertain; the second element is apparently OIc. eið 'an isthmus, a
neck of land'. (The name also appears as Jo˛surheið, but this form appears to be erroneous.)
Locative Byname:
Kaldá, Snæf. (river)
From OIc. kaldr 'cold' and á 'a river': 'cold
river'.
Locative Byname:
Kaldáróss, Snæf. (river-mouth)
From the place-name Kaldá,
genitive Kaldár, and OIc. óss 'mouth of a river or lake'
Locative Byname:
Kaldakinn, Dal. (region)
–– Þing. (region)
From OIc. kaldr 'cold', here in the weak nominative
singular feminine inflection kalda, and kinn 'a cheek', and
as a topographical term 'a mountain slope': 'cold slope'.
Locative Byname:
Kaldaklofsá, Rang. (river)
From the place-name Kaldaklof, genitive Kaldaklofs,
and OIc. á 'a river'. Kaldaklof is a broad mountain pass; its name is from
OIc. kaldr 'cold', here in the neuter nominative singular of the weak
declension, and klof 'a crotch' (i.e., 'something that is cleft').
Locative Byname:
Kaldakvísl (Tungufljót), Árn. (river)
From OIc. kaldr 'cold', here in the feminine nominative
singular of the weak declension, and kvísl 'a fork or branch of a river':
'cold branch'. Tungufljót is the modern name, from the place-name
Tunga, genitive Tungu, and
OIc. fljót 'a fast-moving river or stream'.
Locative Byname:
Kaldbakr, Strand. (fell and farm)
From OIc. kaldr 'cold' and bakr 'a back, a ridge':
'cold back or ridge'. The name refers both to a mountain and to a farm on the
adjacent cove Kaldbaksvík; the
locative byname refers to the farm.
Locative Byname: í Kaldbak
Kaldbaksvík, Strand. (cove)
From the mountain name Kaldbakr,
genitive Kaldbaks, and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay':
'Kaldbak’s cove'.
Locative Byname:
Kálfá, Árn. (river)
From OIc. kálfr 'a calf' and á 'a river':
'calf river'.
Locative Byname:
Kálfagrafir, Skaft.
From OIc. kálfr, genitive plural kálfa, and
gro˛f 'a pit, a ditch;
a grave', here in the plural: 'calves’ pits'.
Locative Byname:
Kálfborgará (Kolborgará), Þing. (river)
From OIc. kálfr 'a calf', borg 'a small hill',
genitive borgar, and á 'a river': 'calf’s hill river'.
The variant Kolborgará appears to be an error.
Locative Byname:
Kálfskinn, Eyfj. (farm)
From the masculine name Kálfr, genitive Kálfs,
or OIc. kálfr 'a calf', genitive kálfs, and kinn
'a cheek', and as a topographical term 'a mountain slope': 'Kálf’s
slope' or 'calf’s slope'.
Locative Byname: á Kálfskinni
Kallnesingahreppr, Árn.
From Kallnesingar 'inhabitants of Kallnes', genitive (plural) Kallnesinga, and OIc. hreppr 'a poor-law district': 'poor-law district of the inhabitants of Kallnes'. However, this sense of hreppr postdates the introduction of Christianity to Iceland, so either the name is an anachronism in Landnámabók, or the word originally had a somewhat different sense.
The name also appears as Kaldnesingahreppr, as if the
underlying place-name were Kaldnes 'cold point', from OIc. kaldr
'cold' and nes 'a ness, a headland'. According to Prof. Svavar
Sigmundsson of the Department of Name Studies of the Árni Magnússon Institute
for Icelandic Studies, however, the place-name was originally Kallaðarnes,
because it was from there that the ferryman was summoned (kallað á
'called to') by those wishing to cross the O˛lfusá. (See
here
in answer to the question dated 06. 4, 2005.)
Locative Byname:
Kalmansá (al. Kalmarsá), Borg. (river)
From the masculine name Kalman(n), genitive Kalmans,
and OIc. á 'a river': 'Kalman’s river'. The name is probably
a borrowing of Old Irish Colmán, and Landnámabók does imply that
the river was named after a man from the Hebrides. His name is also given as
Kalmarr and that of the river as Kalmarsá, but this appears to
be an error.
Locative Byname:
Kalmanstunga, Mýr. (region and farm)
From the masculine name Kalman(n), genitive Kalmans,
and OIr. tunga 'a tongue of land' (also, as in English, used of the body
part and in the sense 'a language'): 'Kalman’s tongue of land'.
Locative Byname: í Kalmanstungu
Kambakista, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. kambr 'a comb; a crest; a ridge of hills',
genitive plural kamba, and kista 'a chest; a coffin'. The
name suggests a pocket enclosed by a ridge of hills, but the location is
unknown.
Locative Byname: í Kambakistu
Kambr, Snæf. (farm)
OIc. kambr 'a comb; a crest; a ridge of hills'.
Locative Byname: frá Kambi
Kambsdalr, S.-Múl. (valley)
From OIc. kambr 'a comb; a crest; a ridge of hills',
genitive kambs, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Kambsnes, Dal. (ness)
From OIc. kambr 'a comb; a crest; a ridge of hills',
genitive kambs, and nes 'a ness, a headland'. It is said to
have been named by Auðr in djúpúðga Ketils dóttir when she lost her comb there.
Locative Byname: á Kambsnesi; af Kambsnesi
Kampaholt, Árn. (farm)
The second element is OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough,
stony hill or ridge'. The place was apparently named after Þorgrímr kampi
O˛zurar son, whose nickname
kampi is 'a bearded or moustached person'; its genitive is kampa,
and the place-name is 'Kampi’s copse or ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Kampaholti
Karlafjo˛rðr, (?) (fjord and farm)
From the masculine name Karli, genitive Karla,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Karli’s fjord'.
Locative Byname: í Karlafirði
Karlastaðir, Húnv. (farm)
–– Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Karli, genitive Karla,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Karli’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Karlasto˛ðum
Karlsá, Eyfj. (farm)
From the masculine name Karl, genitive Karls,
and OIc. á 'a river': 'Karl’s river'.
Locative Byname: at Karlsá
Karlsbrekka (Hrómundarstaðir), Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Karl, genitive Karls,
and OIc. brekka 'a slope': 'Karl’s slope'. (Karls
could also be the genitive of karl 'a man (as opposed to a woman); a
man of the common people; an old man'.) This is the modern place-name, which was
already in use when Landnámabók was written down; it also appears in
the variant Kallsbrekka. The original name, according to Landnámabók,
was Hrómundarstaðir 'Hrómund’s stead(s)', from the masculine
name Hrúmundr, genitive Hrúmundar, and OIc. staðr 'a place,
a stead', here in the plural staðir.
Locative Byname: at Karlsbrekku; á Hrómundarsto˛ðum
Karlsdalr, Mýr. (small valley)
From the masculine name Karl, genitive Karls,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Karl’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Karlsfell, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Karl, genitive Karls,
and OIc. fell 'an isolated hill': 'Karl’s isolated hill'.
Locative Byname: undir Karlsfelli
Karnsá, Húnv. (farm)
The second element is OIc. á 'a river'. The first element
is uncertain. It may be from OIc. kárn 'a kind of bird', in which case
the name was Kárnsá 'bird’s river'. However, the name also occurs
as Kornsá; this, which is also the modern form, suggests that the first
element might be the genitive of korn 'corn, grain'.
Locative Byname: frá Karnsá
Karnsárland (Korns-), Húnv.
From the place-name Karnsá,
genitive Karnsár, and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a
country': 'land associated with Karnsá'.
Locative Byname:
Kársstaðir, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Kárr, genitive Kárs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Kár’s stead(s)'. This was not the original name: Landnámabók
says Hann bjó þar, sem nú heitir á Kárssto˛ðum 'He settled at the place that is now called
at Kársstaðir' but does not give an earlier name.
Locative Byname: á Kárssto˛ðum
Katanes, Borg. (farm)
–– Rang. (farm)
–– Scotland. (region)
The second element is OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Despite the missing t, the first element is apparently from OIc.
ko˛ttr 'a cat',
genitive plural katta: 'cats’ point'. Katanes in
Scotland is Caithness, and a number of Old Irish place-names in northern
Scotland and the Northern Isles suggest that ‘Cats’ may have
been the designation of the dominant tribe in the region. It has been
suggested that this was the original Katanes and the source of the
Icelandic instances of the place-name; in this connection it is perhaps
significant that the first settler at Katanes in Borgarfjarðarsýsla
(according to Landnámabók) was Irish.
Locative Byname: í Katanesi
Keflavík, Barð. (bay)
From OIc. kefli 'a stick, a piece of wood, a cylinder
(of wood)', genitive plural kefla, and vík 'an inlet, a small
bay'; the sense is probably 'driftwood bay'.
Locative Byname:
Keldudalr, Ísafj. (valley)
From OIc. kelda 'a well, a spring; a bog, a quagmire',
genitive keldu, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Keldugnúpr, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. kelda 'a well, a spring; a bog, a quagmire',
and gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak'.
Locative Byname: at Keldugnúpi; frá Keldugnúpi
Kelduhverfi, Þing. (region)
From OIc. kelda 'a well, a spring; a bog, a quagmire',
and hverfi 'a cluster of farms'.
Locative Byname:
Keldunes, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. kelda 'a well, a spring; a bog, a quagmire',
and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Kerlingará, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. kerling 'woman, wife; old woman', genitive
kerlingar, and á 'a river': 'old woman’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Kerlingarfjo˛rðr, Skaft. (fjord)
From OIc. kerling 'woman, wife; old woman', genitive
kerlingar, and fjo˛rðr
'fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'old woman’s inlet'. Landnámabók
says that Eysteinn Þorsteins son threw a certain kerling off
his ship here.
Locative Byname:
Kerseyrr (Kjo˛rseyrr), Strand. (farm)
The second element is OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank;
a spit of land running into the sea', now Ic eyri. The first element is a
bit uncertain: the place-name appears as Kerseyrr, Kjo˛rseyrr, and Korseyrr,
the modern form being Kjörseyri. On balance I think it likely that the
element is from OIc. kjarr ~ kjo˛rr 'brushwood, a thicket', genitive kjars ~
kjo˛rs, a word whose
first syllable in Proto-Scandinavian was *ker-.
Locative Byname: á Kerseyri, á Kjo˛rseyri
Ketilseyrr, Ísafj. (farm)
From the masculine name Ketill, genitive Ketils,
and OIc. eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the
sea': 'Ketil’s sandbank'.
Locative Byname: á Ketilseyri, at Ketilseyri
Ketilsfjo˛rðr, Greenland. (fjord)
From the masculine name Ketill, genitive Ketils,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Ketil’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Ketilsstaðir, Dal. (farm)
–– S.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Ketill, genitive Ketils,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ketil’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ketilssto˛ðum
Kiðjaberg, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. kið 'a kid', genitive plural kiðja,
and berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock, a boulder; a cliff, a precipice':
'kids’ rock'.
Locative Byname: at Kiðjabergi; frá Kiðjabergi
Kiðjafell, Kjós. (farm)
From OIc. kið 'a kid', genitive plural kiðja,
and fell 'an isolated hill': 'kids’ hill'.
Locative Byname: at Kiðjafelli
Kiðjaklettr (Kiðjaleit), Skaft.
From OIc. kið 'a kid', genitive plural kiðja,
and klettr 'a rock, a crag': 'kids’ rock'. In some versions the
place-name is given as Kiðjaleit, whose second element seems to be
leit 'a search, exploration', possibly in reference to the annual autumn
search for sheep in the mountain pastures.
Locative Byname:
Kirkjubólstaðr, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. kirkja 'a church', genitive kirkju,
and bólstaðr 'a homestead, a farm; an abode': the farm belonging to (or
perhaps simply by) a church.
Locative Byname: á Kirkjubólstað
Kirkjubœr, Rang. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. kirkja 'a church', genitive kirkju,
and bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead': the farmstead belonging to (or
perhaps simply by) a church.
Locative Byname: í Kirkjubœ; ór Kirkjubœ
Kirkjufell, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. kirkja 'a church', genitive kirkju,
and fell 'an isolated hill'.
Locative Byname: í Kirkjufelli
Kirkjufjo˛rðr, Snæf. (fjord)
From OIc. kirkja 'a church', genitive kirkju,
and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a
firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Kirkjusandr, Borg. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. kirkja 'a church', genitive kirkju,
and sandr 'sand; the seashore'.
Locative Byname:
Kjalarnes (Krossnes), Kjós. (ness)
From OIc. kjo˛lr
'a keel; a keel-shaped range of mountains', genitive kjalar, and nes
'a ness, a headland': 'keel’s point'. In one version it is called Krossnes
'cross point', from OIc. kross 'a cross'.
Locative Byname:
Kjálkafjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
From OIc. kjálki 'a jawbone; a hand sledge', genitive
kjálka, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. It was apparently named after the original settler,
Geirsteinn kjálki.
Locative Byname:
Kjallakshóll, Dal. (hill)
From the masculine name Kjallakr, genitive Kjallaks,
and OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Kjallak’s knoll'.
According to Landnámabók, a boy named Kjallakr was killed there.
Locative Byname:
Kjallaksstaðir, Dal. (farm)
From the masculine name Kjallakr, genitive Kjallaks,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Kjallak’s stead(s)'. (The name Kjallakr is a borrowing
of Old Irish Cellach.)
Locative Byname: á Kjallakssto˛ðum
Kjaransvík, Ísafj.
From the masculine name Kjaran, genitive Kjarans,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Kjaran’s inlet'.
(The name Kjaran is a borrowing of Old Irish Ciarán.)
Locative Byname: í Kjaransvík
Kjarrá, Mýr. (river)
From OIc. kjarr 'brushwood, a thicket' and á
'a river': 'brushwood river'.
Locative Byname:
Kjarradalr, Mýr. (valley)
From OIc. kjarr 'brushwood, a thicket' and dalr
'a valley, a dale': 'brushwood valley'. Possibly the valley of the
Kjarrá.
Locative Byname:
Kjós, Kjós. (region)
OIc. kjós 'a deep or hollow place; a small valley'.
Locative Byname:
OIc. kjo˛lr
'a keel; a keel-shaped range of mountains'. This is the pass (such as it is) between
the Hofsjökull and Langjökull icecaps, on the Kjalvegr 'keel-way', an
old north-south route through the Icelandic Highlands.
Locative Byname: á Kili
Kjo˛lvararstaðir, Borg. (farm)
From the feminine name Kjo˛lvo˛r,
genitive Kjo˛lvarar, and
OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Kjo˛lvo˛r’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Kjo˛lvararsto˛ðum
Kleifar, Dal. (farm)
–– Strand.
The plural of OIc. kleif 'a cliff, a rocky ascent'.
Locative Byname: at Klo˛fum
Kleifarlo˛nd, S.-Múl.
From OIc. kleif 'a cliff, a rocky ascent', genitive
kleifar, and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here
in the plural lo˛nd.
Locative Byname:
Klif, Mýr.
OIc. klif 'a cliff'.
Locative Byname:
Klofasteinar, Dal.
The second element, steinar, is the plural of OIc.
steinn 'a stone, a boulder, a rock'. The first is apparently klofi
'a cleft or rift', genitive (singular and plural) klofa: 'cleft stones,
cloven stones'.
Locative Byname:
Klofningar, Dal. (rocky area)
The plural of OIc. klofningr 'anything that is cloven'.
Locative Byname:
Knafahólar (Knappa-), Rang.
The second element, hólar, is the plural of OIc. hóll
'a hill, a hillock, a knoll'; the etymology of Knafa- is uncertain. One
version makes the place-name Knappahólar, as if from knappr 'a
knob; a button', genitive plural knappa, but this is considered an error.
Locative Byname:
Knappadalr, Snæf.
The second element is OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'; the
first is the genitive of knappi, the nickname of Þorgils knappi,
the settler who initially took the valley, so the place-name is 'Knappi’s
dale'. The interpretation of the nickname is uncertain. It could be derived from
knappr 'a knob; a button'. However, if Ic knappur 'scanty; terse,
concise' is not borrowed, but rather goes back to an OIc. *knappr of
similar meaning, it would also be a plausible source of the nickname.
Locative Byname:
Knappsstaðir, Skag. (farm)
The second element is OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here
in the plural staðir. The original settler was Þórðr knappr, and
the first element of the place-name is the genitive of his nickname: 'Knapp’s
stead(s)'. The nickname may be OIc. knappr 'a knob; a button', but if
Ic knappur 'scanty; terse, concise' is not borrowed, but rather goes
back to an OIc. *knappr of similar meaning, it would also be a plausible
nickname.
Locative Byname: á Knappssto˛ðum
Knarrarnes, Mýr. (ness)
From OIc. kno˛rr
'a ship, especially a merchant ship (and not a warship)', genitive knarrar,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'merchant-ship’s point'.
Locative Byname:
Knefilsdalsá, N.-Múl. (river)
From a place-name Knefilsdalr, genitive Knefilsdals,
and OIc. á 'a river'. Knefilsdalr is apparently from knefill
'a post, a pole; a crossbeam', genitive knefils, and dalr 'a valley,
a dale'. However, the river-name appears in one source in its modern form,
Hnefilsdalsá, and the valley is now Hnefilsdalur (corresponding
to an OIc. Hnefilsdalr), so it isn’t clear what the original name
was. If Hnefils- is correct, it would be the genitive of an otherwise
unattested *hnefill, perhaps a nickname related to hnefi 'a
fist'.
Locative Byname:
Kolbeinsáróss, Skag. (river-mouth)
From the place-name Kolbeinsá, genitive Kolbeinsár,
and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake'. Kolbeinsá if
from the masculine name Kolbeinn, genitive Kolbeins, and á
'a river': 'Kolbein’s river'. Kolbeinsáróss, now called
Kalkuós, was an important Viking harbor.
Locative Byname:
Kolbeinsdalr, Skag. (valley)
From the masculine name Kolbeinn, genitive Kolbeins,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Kolbein’s dale'.
Locative Byname:
Kolbeinsey. (island)
From the masculine name Kolbeinn, genitive Kolbeins,
and OIc. ey 'an island': 'Kolbein’s island'.
Locative Byname:
Kolbeinsstaðir, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Kolbeinn, genitive Kolbeins,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Kolbein’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Kolbeinssto˛ðum
Kolbeinsvík, Strand. (inlet)
From the masculine name Kolbeinn, genitive Kolbeins,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Kolbein’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Kolgrafafjo˛rðr, Snæf. (fjord)
From OIc. kolgro˛f
'a charcoal pit', genitive plural kolgrafa, and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'charcoal-pits’
fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Kolgrafir, Snæf. (farm)
The plural of OIc. kolgro˛f
'a charcoal pit': '(the) charcoal pits'.
Locative Byname: at Kolgro˛fum
Kolkumýrar, Húnv. (boggy stretch)
The second element, mýrar, is the plural of OIc. mýrr
'a bog, a swamp, a mire'. The first is the genitive of kolka, the nickname
of Þorbjo˛rn kolka, the
original settler. The meaning of the nickname is unknown.
Locative Byname:
Kollafjarðarheiðr, Barð. (stretch of heath)
From the place-name Kollafjo˛rðr, genitive
Kollafjarðar, and OIc. heiðr 'a heath, a moor'.
Locative Byname:
Kollafjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
–– Strand. (fjord)
From the masculine name Kolli, genitive Kolla,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Kolli’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Kollavík, Þing. (inlet)
From the masculine name Kolli, genitive Kolla,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Kolli’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Kollshamarr (-hamrar), Borg.
From the masculine name Kollr, genitive Kolls,
and OIc. hamarr, literally 'a hammer', but as a topographical term 'a
hammer-shaped crag, a steep rock, a precipice': 'Koll’s crag'. The
name also appears in the plural hamrar: 'Koll’s crags'.
Locative Byname:
Kollslœkr, Borg. (brook and farm)
From the masculine name Kollr, genitive Kolls,
and OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook': 'Koll’s brook'.
Locative Byname: at Kollslœk, á Kollslœk
Kollsveinsstaðir, Skag. (farm)
From the masculine name Kollsveinn, genitive Kollsveins,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Kollsvein’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Kollsveinssto˛ðum
Kollsvík, Barð. (inlet)
From the masculine name Kollr, genitive Kolls,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Koll’s inlet'.
Locative Byname: í Kollsvík
Kolssonafell, Snæf.(?)
From the masculine name Kolr, genitive Kols,
and OIc. sonr, genitive plural sona, and fell 'an
isolated hill': 'Kol’s sons’ hill'. In some versions the
name appears as Kollssonafell, as if the father’s name were
Kollr.
Locative Byname:
Kópanes, Barð. (ness)
From OIc. kópr 'a young seal', genitive plural kópa,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'seals’ point'.
Locative Byname:
Kóranes, Mýr. (ness)
From the masculine name Kóri, genitive Kóra,
and OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland': 'Kóri’s point'. A thrall
named Kóri is said to have been killed here.
Locative Byname:
Kraunaheiðr, Þing. (heath)
The second element is OIc. heiðr 'a heath, a moor'; the
first is obscure.
Locative Byname:
Krist(s)nes, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. Kristr 'Christ' and nes 'a ness, a
headland'. Krist is the usual combining form, making Kristnes
'Christ point'. The name is also found in the variant Kristsnes, with
the first element in the genitive, Krists: 'Christ’s point'.
Locative Byname: í Krist(s)nesi
Krókr, Mýr. (small valley)
OIc. krókr 'a hook; a curve, a bend; a nook, a corner'.
Locative Byname:
Króksdalr: see Króksfjo˛rðr.
Króksfjarðarmúli, Barð. (fell)
From the place-name Króksfjo˛rðr, genitive Króksfjarðar,
and OIc. múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting crag (between two fjords,
valleys, or the like)'.
Locative Byname:
Króksfjarðarnes, Barð. (ness and farm)
From the place-name Króksfjo˛rðr, genitive Króksfjarðar,
and OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Króksfjo˛rðr, Barð. (fjord)
The second element is OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'; the second is the
genitive of krókr 'a hook; a curve, a bend; a nook, a corner', the
nickname of Þórarinn krókr, the original settler, making the place-name
'Krók’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Kroppr, Eyfj. (farm)
Apparently OIc. kroppr 'a hump or bunch on any part of
that body; the body, the trunk', presumably used in some topographical sense.
Locative Byname: at Kroppi
Krossá, Rang. (river)
From OIc. kross 'a cross' and á 'a river':
'cross river'.
Locative Byname:
Krossáss, Þing.
From OIc. kross 'a cross' and áss 'a thick pole,
a main beam in a house; a yard of a sail; a rocky ridge', presumably used here in
the topographical sense. The original settlers are said to have raised a cross
here.
Locative Byname:
Krossavík, N.-Múl. (inlet and farm)
–– S.-Múl. (inlet and farm)
From OIc. kross 'a cross', genitive plural krossa,
and vík 'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname: í Krossavík
Krosshólar, Dal. (rocky area)
From OIc. kross and hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a
knoll', here in the plural hólar: 'cross knolls'. Landnámbók
says that Auðr in djúpúðga Ketils dóttir had crosses raised here því
at hún var skírð ok vel trúuð 'because she was baptized and a devout
believer'.
Locative Byname:
Krossnes: see Kjalarnes.
Krýsuvík (Krísuvík), Gullbr. (inlet and region)
The second element is OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay';
the etymology of the first is unknown. Both spellings are found even today, but
Krýsuvík appears to be the older.
Locative Byname:
Kræklingahlíð, Eyfj. (district)
The second element is OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope'.
According to Landnámabók it was settled by the sons of O˛ndótt kráka, called the
Kræklingar 'crow-lings', genitive plural Kræklinga, after
their father’s nickname kráka 'a crow'.
Locative Byname:
Kro˛fluhellir, Húnv.
The second element is OIc. hellir 'a cave, a cavern'. The
first appears to be the genitive of krafla, the nickname of Þorkell
krafla: according to Landnámabók, he hid here behind a waterfall,
so it’s 'Krafla’s cave'. According to Vatnsdæla saga,
he had been exposed at birth; the men who found him saw that something had been
spread over his face at which he had kraflaði 'pawed', from krafla
'to paw or scrabble with the hands'. This does not, however, explain why there is
a volcano named Krafla.
Locative Byname:
Kúðafljót, Skaft. (river)
The second element is OIc. fljót 'a river, generally a
fast-moving stream'; according to Landnámabók, the first element is
from Kúði, the name of the ship in which Vilbaldr Dufþaks son
first sailed into its mouth, so that the river is 'Kúdi’s river'.
The meaning of the ship’s name is unclear, but modern Ic kúði is
'a weak, sickly person; a small creature; a (wooden) container', and either of
the last two senses might be appropriate names for a ship.
Locative Byname:
Kvernvágastro˛nd, Norway.
The various versions show considerable variation in the first
element of the place-name, and it is not clear whether it should be Kvern-
or Kvenn-. If Kvern-, it would be from OIc. kvern 'a
quern-stone, a millstone; a quern, a handmill'; if Kvenn-, from kvenna
'a woman'. Both are found in other Norwegian place-names. The rest of the name
is from vágr 'a creek, a bay', genitive plural vága, and
stro˛nd 'strand, coast,
shore': 'coves’ strand'.
Locative Byname: á Kvernvágastro˛nd
Kvíá, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. kví 'a fold, a pen (e.g., for sheep)' and
á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Kvíabekkr, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. kví 'a fold, a pen (e.g., for sheep)', genitive
plural kvía, and bekkr 'a rivulet, a brook'. (This is an unusual
place-name, in that the element bekkr is rare in Iceland and largely
confined to poetic usage; the usual term is lœkr).
Locative Byname: at Kvíabekk, á Kvíabekk
Kvígandafjo˛rðr (Kvígandisfjo˛rðr), Barð. (fjord)
From OIc. kvígendi 'a young cow or bullock', genitive
kvíganda, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. The textual variant Kvígandisfjo˛rðr foreshadows the modern name,
Kvígindisfjo˛rður.
Locative Byname:
Kvígandanes, Barð. (ness)
From OIc. kvígendi 'a young cow or bullock', genitive
kvíganda, and nes 'a ness, a headland'.
Locative Byname:
Kvíguvágabjörg, Gullbr.
From OIc. kvíga 'a young cow, a heifer', genitive
kvígu, vágr 'a creek, a bay', genitive plural vága,
and bjarg 'a boulder, a (large) rock', here in the plural bjo˛rg 'precipices, especially by
the sea'. The place, now called Vogastapi is a precipitous cliff
between the coves now called Njarðvík and Vogarvík. On
Vogavík is the community of Vogar, whose old name was
Kvíguvágar 'heifer’s coves'.
Locative Byname:
Kýlanshólar (Kýlanshólmar), Borg. (?)
From the masculine name Kýlan, genitive Kýlans,
and the plural of either OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll' or
hólmr 'a holm, an islet': 'Kýlan’s knoll or holm'.
Kýlan Kára son is said to have been killed there; see
Brenna.
Locative Byname:
Lagarfljót. (river)
The first element, lagar, is the genitive of OIc. lo˛gr 'the sea; water, any liquid',
a term also applied to some large lakes and estuaries. The second is fljót
'a river, a lake', the latter sense usually only in proper nouns; it connotes a
fast-moving stream as opposed to lœkr, a slow-moving brook. The river
does in fact run through a fairly large lake. Also called simply
Fljót.
Locative Byname:
Lagarfljótsstrandir. (region)
From the place-name Lagarfljót,
genitive Lagarfljóts, and OIc. stro˛
'strand, coast, shore', here in the plural strandir: 'Lagarfljót’s
strands'.
Locative Byname:
Lágey, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. lágr 'low' and ey 'an island': 'low
island'. One version calls it Laxey 'salmon island', from lax
'a salmon'.
Locative Byname: í Lágey
Lambafellsá, Rang. (river)
From OIc. lamb 'a lamb', genitive plural lamba,
fell 'an isolated hill', genitive fells, and á 'a
river': 'lambs’ hill river'.
Locative Byname:
Lambastaðir, Mýr. (farm)
–– Rang.
The two place-names have slightly different origins. The second
is from the masculine name Lambi, genitive Lamba, and OIc.
staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir. The name
Lambi was originally a byname derived from OIc. lamb 'a lamb',
and Lambastaðir in Mýrasýsla has as its first element the genitive,
lamba, of the byname of Þorgeirr lambi. Thus, both are
'Lambi’s stead(s)', though the personal references are of
slightly different types.
Locative Byname: á Lambasto˛ðum
Landamót, Þing.
From OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country',
genitive plural landa, and mót 'a meeting; a town-meeting;
a joint, a juncture'. It has the last sense in ármót 'a meeting of
waters' (from á 'a river', genitive ár), and the local
topography suggests that the name may refer to the meeting of two usable
valleys separated by barren hills.
Locative Byname:
Landbrot, Skag.
Either OIc. landbrot 'a desolation of land by sea or
rivers', or a more literal compound of land 'land (as opposed to sea);
a country', and brot 'a breaking, a fracture'.
Locative Byname:
Langá, Mýr. (river)
From OIc. langr 'long' and á 'a river': 'long
river'.
Locative Byname:
Langadalr, Húnv. (valley)
–– Snæf. (two valleys)
From OIc. langr 'long' and dalr 'a valley, a
dale': 'long dale'. The spelling is slightly unexpected: dalr is masculine,
so one would expect Langidalr.
Locative Byname: í Langadal; ór Langadal
Langadalsá, Ísafj. (river)
–– Snæf. (river)
From the place-name Langadalr,
genitive Langadals, and OIc. á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Langaholt, Snæf. (ridge)
–– Skag. (ridge)
From OIc. langr 'long', here in the neuter nominative
singular of the weak declension, and holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough,
stony hill or ridge'.
Locative Byname: í Langaholti
Langanes, Ísafj. (ness)
–– Rang. (ness)
–– Þing. (ness)
From OIc. langr 'long', here in the neuter nominative
singular of the weak declension, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'long
ness'.
Locative Byname:
Langavatnsdalr, Mýr. (valley)
From the place-name Langavatn, genitive Langavatns,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Langavatn’s valley'.
Langavatn is from OIc. langr 'long', here in the neuter nominative
singular of the weak declension, and vatn 'water, fresh water, a lake':
'long lake'. The lake is drained by the Langá.
Locative Byname:
Laugar: see Lundar.
Laugarbrekka, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. laug 'a bath; a hot spring', genitive laugar,
and brekka 'a slope': 'hot spring’s slope'.
Locative Byname: at Laugarbrekku, Laugarbrekku-
Laugardalr, Árn. (valley)
–– Ísafj. (valley)
From OIc. laug 'a bath; a hot spring', genitive laugar,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'hot spring’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Laxá (Stór-), Árn. (river)
–– Borg. (river)
–– Kjós. (river)
–– (1) Snæf. (river)
–– (2) Snæf. (river)
–– Þing. (river)
From OIc. lax 'a salmon' and á 'a river':
'salmon river'. The modifier Stór- is 'Great-'; I don’t know
how early it was applied.
Locative Byname:
Laxárdalr, Dal. (valley)
–– Skag. (valley)
–– Þing. (valley)
From the place-name Laxá,
genitive Laxár, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname: í Laxárdal
Laxey: see Lágey.
Leiðólfsfell, Skaft. (fell)
From the masculine name Leiðólfr, genitive Leiðólfs,
and OIc. fell 'an isolated hill': 'Leiðólf’s hill'.
Locative Byname:
Leiðólfsstaðir, Árn. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From the masculine name Leiðólfr, genitive Leiðólfs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Leiðólf’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Leiðólfssto˛ðum
Leikskálar, Dal. (farm)
The plural of OIc. leikskáli 'play-shed'; these were
temporary dwellings for participants and spectators at a leikmót, or
athletic meeting. The word is a compound of leikr 'play, game, sport'
and skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up for temporary use'.
Locative Byname:
Leirá, Borg. (river)
From OIc. leir 'clay, loam; mud' and á 'a
river'.
Locative Byname: at Leirá
Leirho˛fn, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. leir 'clay, loam; mud' and ho˛fn 'a harbor, a haven'.
Locative Byname: í Leirho˛fn
Leirulœkr, Mýr. (brook)
From OIc. leira 'a muddy shore, a mud flat', genitive
leiru, and lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook'.
Locative Byname:
Leiruvágr, Kjós. (cove)
– – S.-Múl. (cove)
From OIc. leira 'a muddy shore, a mud flat', genitive
leiru, and vágr 'a creek, a bay'.
Locative Byname:
Líðandisnes, Norway.
This is modern Lindesnes, whose oldest recorded name is
OIc. Líðandi; this is the present participle of líða 'to go; to
pass; to be at an end'. Here the sense is probably 'the end (of the peninsula)'.
To this was later added nes 'a ness, a headland'. I don’t entirely
understand the construction: I would have expected Líðandanes, with
Líðandi treated either as an adjective in the neuter nominative
singular or as an nd-stem noun in the genitive singular. (NSL s.n.
Lindesnes)
Locative Byname:
Línakradalr, Húnv. (valley and fell)
From OIc. línakr 'a flax field', genitive plural
línakra, and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'flax fields’
dale'. Línakr is a compound of lín 'flax; linen' and
akr 'a field; a crop'.
Locative Byname:
Ljósavatn, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. ljóss 'light, bright', here in the neuter
nominative singular of the weak declension, and vatn 'water, fresh
water; a lake'.
Locative Byname: at Ljósavatni; frá Ljósavatni
Ljósavatnsskarð, Þing. (valley)
From the place-name Ljósavatn,
genitive Ljósavatns, and OIc. skarð 'a mountain pass; a notch'.
The lake is at one end of the pass.
Locative Byname:
Ljótarstaðir, Rang. (farm)
From the feminine name Ljót, genitive Ljótar,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ljót’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ljótarsto˛ðum
Ljótólfsstaðir, Dal. (farm)
From the masculine name Ljótólfr, genitive Ljótólfs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ljótólf’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ljótólfssto˛ðum
Loðmundarfjo˛rðr, N.-Múl. (fjord)
From the masculine name Loðmundr, genitive Loðmundar,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a
firth, an inlet': 'Loðmund’s fjord'.
Locative Byname: í Loðmundarfirði
Loðmundarhvammr, Skaft. (farm)
From the masculine name Loðmundr, genitive Loðmundar,
and OIc. hvammr 'a grassy hollow or little vale': 'Loðmund’s
hollow'.
Locative Byname: í Loðmundarhvammi
Lófót, Norway.
The old name of the island Vestvågøya in the Lofoten
archipelago, now applied to the island chain as a whole. The neighboring island
of Flakstadøya was called Vargfót. Despite the missing
inflectional -r, this is clearly from OIc. vargr 'a wolf' and
fótr 'a foot', perhaps in reference to the way the coastline is cut
up by fjords and inlets. It seems likely, therefore, that the first element of
Lófót is an otherwise unattested cognate of Old Swedish lo
'a lynx', making the name is 'lynx-foot', though other etymologies have been
proposed. (NSL s.n. Lofoten)
Locative Byname:
Lómagnúpslo˛nd, Skaft. (farm with associated lands)
From the farm-name Lómagnúpr, genitive Lómagnúps,
and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', here in the plural
lo˛nd. Lómagnúpr
is from lómr 'a loon, an ember-goose', genitive plural lóma,
and gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak': 'loons’ peak'.
Locative Byname:
Lón (Skipalón), Eyfj. (farm)
–– Skaft. (inlet)
OIc. lón 'an inlet, a lagoon'. Lón in
Eyjafjarðarsýsla is now Skipalón 'ships’ lagoon', from
skip 'a ship', genitive plural skipa; I don’ know
how old this name is.
Locative Byname: í Lóni, at Lóni
Lónland, Snæf.
From OIc. lón 'an inlet, a lagoon' and land
'land (as opposed to sea); a country'. (Einar Arnórsson’s index lists
the name as Lonsland), but this appears to be an error.)
Locative Byname:
Lónlo˛nd, Skaft.
From either the place-name Lón
or OIc. lón 'an inlet, a lagoon' and land 'land (as opposed to
sea); a country', here in the plural lo˛nd.
Locative Byname:
Lónsheiðr, Skaft. (heath)
From the place-name Lón,
genitive Lóns, and OIc. heiðr 'a heath, a moor':
'Lón’s heath'.
Locative Byname:
Lunansholt, Rang. (farm)
The second element is OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a
rough, stony hill or ridge'; the first is the genitive of lunan, the
byname of the settler Þorsteinn lunan. It also appears as luna,
and its meaning and origin are unknown.
Locative Byname: í Lunansholti
Lundar, (?). (farm)
The plural of OIc. lundr 'a grove'.
Locative Byname: at Lundum
Lundarbrekka, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. lundr 'a grove', genitive lundar,
and brekka 'a slope'.
Locative Byname: at Lundarbrekku(m)
Lundr, Borg. (farm)
–– Þing. (farm)
OIc. lundr 'a grove'.
Locative Byname: at Lundi
Lýsa, Snæf. (river)
Apparently OIc. lýsa 'a gleam, shimmering light'.
Locative Byname:
Lœkjarbotnar, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook', genitive lœkjar,
and botn 'the head of a bay, firth, lake, or valley', here in the plural
botnar.
Locative Byname:
Lo˛nguhlíð, Eyfj.
From OIc. langr 'long', here in the feminine nominative
singular of the weak declension, and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope':
'long slope'.
Locative Byname: í Lo˛nguhlíð
Máná, Þing. (farm)
The second element is OIc. á 'a river'; the first is
probably from the masculine name Máni, genitive Mána,
Mána á 'Máni’s river' being elided to Máná.
(A man named Máni is said to have lived there for several years.) It
is possible, however, that the first element is from the etymologically identical
OIc. máni 'moon', genitive mána, making the name 'Moon River';
however, máni is for the most part a poetic term, the usual word being
tungl.
Locative Byname:
Mánafell (Mánárfell), Þing. (farm)
The second element is OIc. fell 'an isolated hill'; the
first is either the masculine name Máni, genitive mána, or the
etymologically identical OIc. máni, genitive mána, a largely
poetic term for the moon: 'Máni’s isolated hill' or 'Moon Hill'
(more or less). In the variant Mánárfell, the first element is the
genitive of Máná.
Locative Byname: í Mánafelli, í Mánárfell
Mánavík, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Máni, genitive Mána,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Máni’s inlet'.
Locative Byname: í Mánavík
Mánaþúfa, Húnv.
From the masculine name Máni, genitive Mána,
and OIc. þúfa 'a mound, a knoll': 'Máni’s mound or knoll'.
Locative Byname:
Mannafallsbrekka (Mannafallsbrekkur), Snæf.
From OIc. maðr 'a human being, a man', genitive plural
manna, fall 'a fall; a death in battle', genitive singular
falls, and brekka 'a slope': 'slope where men fell in battle'.
The variant form contains the plural brekkur 'slopes'. Landnámabók
says that four men fell there in a fight between
Laugarbrekku-Einarr Sigmundar son and
Lón-Einarr.
Locative Byname:
Marbœli (Hanatún), Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. marr 'sea', combining form mar-, and
bœli 'a farm, a dwelling; a den, a lair': 'sea-farm'. According to
Landnámabók, it was originally called Hanatún, from the byname
of Eyvindr hani, the original settler there: hana is the genitive
of OIc. hani 'a cock', and tún is 'a hedged plot, an enclosure,
a courtyard, a homestead; a home field, a home meadow', so it was 'Hani’s
homestead, the Cock’s homestead'. Eyvindr was subsequently called
túnhani.
Locative Byname: í Hanatúni
Markarfljót, Rang. (large river)
From OIc. mo˛rk
'a forest', genitive marker, and fljót 'a river' (with a connotation
of 'fast-moving'): 'forest river' (literally 'forest’s river').
Locative Byname:
Másstaðir, Árn. (farm)
–– Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Már, genitive Más, and
OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'Már’s
stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Mássto˛ðum
Mávahlíð, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. már 'a sea mew, a sea gull', genitive plural
máva, and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope': 'sea gulls’ slope'.
Locative Byname: í Mávahlíð
Meðalfarssund, Denmark.
From the place-name Meðalfar, genitive Meðalfars,
and OIc. sund 'a sound, a strait, a channel': 'Meðalfar’s
strait'. Meðalfar is now Middelfart on the island of Funen (Danish Fyn),
Melfar in the local dialect; it is first noted in 1231 as Mæthlæfar,
from ODa. mæthæl 'middle' (OIc. meðal- 'middle') and ODa., OIc.
far 'a way, a passage; a crossing, a ferry'.
Locative Byname:
Meðalfell, Kjós. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. meðal- 'middle' and fell 'an isolated
hill'.
Locative Byname: at Meðalfelli, á Meðalfelli
Meðalfellsstro˛nd (Fellsstro˛nd), Dal.
From OIc. meðal- 'middle', fell 'an isolated
hill', genitive fells, and stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore'; Fellsströnd is
the modern name.
Locative Byname:
Meðallo˛nd, Skaft. (region)
From OIc. meðal- 'middle' and land 'land (as
opposed to sea)', here in the plural lo˛nd: 'middle lands'.
Locative Byname:
Melahverfi, Borg. (region)
From OIc. melr 'a sand-bank, a gravel-bank, especially
one overgrown with bent grass', genitive plural mela, and hverfi
'a cluster of farms'.
Locative Byname:
Melar, Borg. (farm)
–– Mýr. (farm)
–– Strand. (farm)
The nominative plural of OIc. melr 'a sand-bank, a gravel-bank,
especially one overgrown with bent grass'.
Locative Byname: á Melum, at Melum, Mela-
Melrakkadalr, Borg. (valley)
From OIc. melrakki 'arctic fox', genitive (singular and
plural) melrakka, and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'arctic fox’s
or foxes’ valley'. Melrakki is a compound of melr 'a
sand-bank, a gravel-bank, especially one overgrown with bent grass' and rakki
'a dog'.
Locative Byname:
Melrakkanes, S.-Múl. (ness)
From OIc. melrakki 'arctic fox', genitive (singular and
plural) melrakka, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'arctic fox’s
or foxes’ point'. Melrakki is a compound of melr 'a
sand-bank, a gravel-bank, especially one overgrown with bent grass' and rakki
'a dog'.
Locative Byname:
Merkigil, Eyfj.
–– Skag. (ravine)
From OIc. merki 'a boundary' and gil 'a ravine
or gully with a stream at the bottom'.
Locative Byname:
Merkrhraun, Árn. (lava field)
From OIc. mo˛rk
'a forest', variant genitive merkr, and hraun 'a burnt-out lava field'
(originally 'a rough place, a wilderness').
Locative Byname:
Merrhæfi, Scotland.
This is the OIc. adaptation of OIr. Muireb 'Moray' or
an unattested precursor *Muirthreb 'sea-settlement'. The name appears
in a variety of forms, including among others Mærhæfi, Mæræfi,
Mærævi, Meræfi, and Merævi.
Locative Byname:
Miðengi, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and engi 'meadow,
meadowland'.
Locative Byname: í Miðengi, at Miðengi
Miðfell, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and fell 'an isolated
hill'.
Locative Byname: at Miðfelli
Miðfjo˛rðr,
Húnv. (fjord)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and fjo˛ðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname: Miðfjarðar-
Miðhús, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and hús 'a house', here
in the identical plural, meaning 'the group of houses forming a farm'.
Locative Byname: at Miðhúsum
Miðjo˛kull, Greenland. (glacier)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and jo˛kull 'a glacier'.
Locative Byname:
Miðskáli, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. mið 'middle' and skáli 'a shieling:
a hut or shed put up for temporary use'.
Locative Byname:
Mígandi, Eyfj.
OIc. mígandi 'pissing' (or possibly 'pisser'), the
present participle of míga 'to piss'; this is the name of a brook or
river.
Locative Byname:
Mikilsstaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the byname OIc. mikill 'great, tall' of Þórðr
mikill Ævars son (genitive mikils), who settled there, and OIc.
staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Tall’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Mikilssto˛ðum
Miklagarðr, Þing. (farm)
–– Tyrkland.
From OIc. mikill 'great, large' and garðr 'an
enclosure, a yard; a courtyard, a court; a house; a stronghold'; the one in
Tyrkland 'the land of the Turks' is Constantinople. (One would have
expected Mikligarðr, with the weak nominative singular masculine
inflection of the adjective to match the gender of garðr.)
Locative Byname: í Miklagarði
Miklagil, Strand. (?)
From OIc. mikill 'great, large' and gil 'a ravine
or gully with a stream at the bottom'; mikla is the weak neuter singular
inflection, matching the neuter noun gil.
Locative Byname:
Minþakseyrr, Skaft.
From OIc. minþak 'a dough made of flour and butter', genitive minþaks, and eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea'. Minþak is a borrowing of OIr. menadach 'gruel made of flour and water (or occasionally butter)'. Landnámabók explains the name as follows:
Ingólfr tók þar land, er nú heitir Ingólfsho˛fði, en Hjo˛rleif rak vestr fyrir land, ok fekk hann vatnfátt. Þá tóku þrælarnir írsku þat ráð at knoða saman mjo˛l ok smjo˛r ok ko˛lluðu þat óþorstlátt. Þeir nefndu þat minþak. En er þat var tilbúit, kom regn mikit, ok tóku þeir þá vatn á tjöldum. En er minþakit tók at mygla, ko˛stuðu þeir því fyrir borð, ok rak þat á land, þar sem nú heitir Minþakseyrr.
Ingólf took land there that is now called Ingólfshöfði, but Hjörleif drifted west along the land and grew short of water. Then the Irish thralls formed a plan to knead together flour and butter, and they called that thirst-slaking. They named it minþak. But when it was prepared, a great rain came, and they collected the water in tent-cloths. And when the minþak began to mold, they cast it overboard, and it drifted ashore at the place that is now called Minþakseyrr.
Locative Byname:
Mjósyndi, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. mjór 'narrow' and a side-form of sund
'a sound, a strait, a channel; a defile'. (The name also appears as
Mjósund.) It is said that the river Þjórsá was once so
narrow here that one could throw a stick across it, though it is now very wide
here.
Locative Byname: frá Mjósyndi
Mjóvadalr, Mýr. (side valley)
From OIc. mjór 'narrow' and dalr 'a valley, a
dale': 'narrow valley'. (One would have expected Mjóvidalr, with the
weak nominative singular masculine inflection of the adjective
to match the gender of dalr.)
Locative Byname:
Mjóvadalsá, Skag. (river)
From another instance of the valley-name
Mjóvadalr, genitive Mjóvadals,
and OIc. á 'a river'.
Locative Byname:
Mjóvafjo˛rðr,
Ísafj. (fjord)
–– S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. mjór 'narrow' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'narrow fjord'. (One
would have expected Mjóvifjo˛rðr,
with the weak nominative singular masculine inflection of the
adjective to match the gender of fjo˛rðr.)
Locative Byname:
Mjo˛la, Norway.
This appears to be modern Meløy(a), a municipality (originally
a parish) and an island in the county of Nordland. The OIc. name is recorded
only in oblique cases, from which the nominative Mjo˛la is a natural inference; however, the original form
is more likely to have been *Mjo˛lva,
akin to OIc. mjo˛l 'flour,
meal', perhaps here in the sense 'sand'. (NSL s.n. Meløy(a))
Locative Byname: ór Mjo˛lu
Mjo˛rs, Norway.
This is now Mjøsa, the largest lake in Norway. The name is very
old and is from PScand. *Mersō, whose etymology however is uncertain;
it may be from PIE *mer- 'to shimmer, to shine', though other possibilities
have been suggested.
Locative Byname:
Móberg, Húnv. (farm)
OIc. móberg 'tuff', compound of mór 'a moor,
a heath, barren moorland; peat' and berg 'elevated rocky ground; a rock,
a boulder; a cliff, a precipice'.
Locative Byname: at Móbergi
Móbergsbrekkur, Húnv. (slope)
From OIc. móberg 'tuff', genitive móbergs, and
brekka 'a slope', here in the plural brekkur: 'slopes of tuff'.
Locative Byname:
Móðólfsgnúpr, Skaft. (peak)
From the masculine name Móðólfr and OIc. gnúpr
'a peak, an overhanging peak': 'Móðólf’s peak'.
Locative Byname:
Móeiðarhváll, Rang. (farm)
From the feminine name Móeiðr, genitive Móeiðar,
and OIc. hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Móeiðr’s
knoll'. (The rare name Móeiðr is contracted from Móheiðr,
probably from an original *Móðheiðr.)
Locative Byname: at Móeiðarhváli
Mógilsá, Kjós. (farm)
The last element is OIc. á 'a river'. Mógils-
is apparently the genitive of a compound, mógil, of mór 'a moor,
a heath, a barren moorland; peat' and gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream
at the bottom'; it has been suggested that mó- here refers to the color.
Locative Byname:
Mógilslœkr, Húnv. (brook)
The last element is OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook'.
Mógils- is apparently the genitive of a compound, mógil, of
mór 'a moor, a heath, a barren moorland; peat' and gil 'a
ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom'; it has been suggested that
mó- here refers to the color.
Locative Byname:
Moldatún, Norway.
Now Moldtua in Agdenes herad, Sør-Trøndelag. The second
element is OIc. tún 'a hedged plot, an enclosure, a courtyard, a
homestead; a home field, a home meadow'. The first element is uncertain; the
best suggestion seems to be that it is from an unrecorded name of an elevation,
*Moldi, genitive Molda, related to OE molda 'the top
or dome of the head'.' (NSL s.n. Moldtustranda)
Locative Byname:
Mór, Skag. (farm)
OIc. mór 'a moor, a heath, a barren moorland'.
Locative Byname: á Mói, at Mói
Mosfell, Árn. (farm)
–– Kjós. (farm)
From OIc. mos 'a bog, moorland; moss' and fell
'an isolated hill'.
Locative Byname: at Mosfelli; frá Mosfelli
Mostr, Norway.
Now the island of Moster; the etymology is unknown. (NSL s.n.
Moster)
Locative Byname: í Mostr
Múlafell, Dal. (fell)
From OIc. múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting crag
(between two fjords, valleys, or the like)', genitive múla, and
fell 'an isolated hill'. (The name is now Múlafjall, with
fjall 'a fell, a mountain' replacing fell.)
Locative Byname:
Múli, Árn. (fell)
–– Dal. (farm)
–– (1) Kjós. (farm)
–– (2) Kjós. (farm)
–– S.-Múl. (fell)
OIc. múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting crag
(between two fjords, valleys, or the like)'.
Locative Byname: í Múla, at Múla
Munaðarnes, Mýr. (farm)
From OIc. munaðr 'lust, sensual pleasure, pleasure,
enjoyment, delight' (Ic. munaður 'luxury'), genitive munaðar,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': apparently 'pleasure’s ness'.
Locative Byname:
Mýdalr, Skaft. (region)
From OIc. mý 'a midge, a gnat' and dalr 'a
valley, a dale': 'midge valley'. The modern name is Mýrdalur.
Locative Byname:
Mýdalsá, Kjós. (river)
From the place-name Mýdalr, genitive Mýdals,
and OIc. á 'a river'. This Mýdalr has the same etymology as
the one in Skaftafellssýsla: this is 'Midge Valley River'.
(The valley is now called Miðdalur, however, as if it were 'middle
valley'.)
Locative Byname:
Mýrar, Mýr. (region)
–– Ísafj. (farm)
–– Skaft. (region)
OIc. mýrr 'a bog, a swamp, a mire', here in the plural.
Locative Byname:
Myrká, Eyfj. (river and farm)
From OIc. myrkr 'dark, murky' and á 'a river':
'dark river'.
Locative Byname:
Mýrr, Barð. (?)
OIc. mýrr 'a bog, a swamp, a mire'.
Locative Byname:
Mývatn, Þing. (large lake)
From OIc. mý 'a midge, a gnat' and vatn 'water,
fresh water; a lake': 'midge lake'.
Locative Byname: at Mývatni
Mælifell, Skag. (fell and farm)
The second element is fell 'an isolated hill', and the
first derives from OIc. mæla 'to measure': 'measuring hill, measuring
peak'. The place-name is found 12 times in Iceland; it was applied to peaks,
often conical and easily recognized at a distance, that were used as reference
points. In some cases they marked the midpoint of a particular travellers’
route; this one is probably of that type. In others they marked the middle of
a series of peaks, a valley, a highland pasture, or the like; and in yet others
they served as eyktamörk 'octant marks' showing where the sun would be
at a certain time of day (e.g., noon) when seen from a particular vantage point.
(More information on the connection between time and direction in Old Norse
society can be found
here.)
Locative Byname: at Mælifelli
Mælifellsá, Skag. (river)
From another instance of the place-name
Mælifell, genitive Mælifells,
and OIc. á 'a river'. (In this case the reason for the name is
uncertain.
Locative Byname:
Mælifellsdalr, Skag. (valley)
From another instance of the place-name
Mælifell, genitive Mælifells,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
Locative Byname:
Mælifellsgil, Mýr. (ravine)
From the place-name Mælifell,
genitive Mælifells, and OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a
stream at the bottom'.
Locative Byname:
Mærin, Norway.
Now Mære in Nord-Trøndelag. The sources are inconsistent, and
the OIc. place-name never appears in the nominative case, but it appears to
have been Mærin, from an earlier *Mærvin whose second element
is OIc. vin 'a meadow'. The first element is uncertain; it could be
from mærr 'famous, glorious, illustrious', as this was a major
pre-Christian (and later Christian) religious site, but mæri 'boundary',
attested in the compound landamæri 'borderland, boundary', is also a
possibility. (NSL s.n. Mære)
Locative Byname:
Mo˛ðrufell, Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. maðra 'madder', genitive mo˛ðru, and fell 'an isolated hill': 'madder hill'.
Locative Byname: í Mo˛ðrufelli
Mo˛ðruvellir,
Eyfj. (farm)
–– Kjós. (farm)
From OIc. maðra 'madder', genitive mo˛ðru, and vo˛llr
'a field', here in the plural vellir: 'madder field'.
Locative Byname: á Mo˛ðruvellum
Mo˛rk, Árn.
–– Rang. (farm)
OIc. mo˛rk
'a forest'.
Locative Byname: í Mo˛rk
Narfasker, Eyfj. (skerry)
From the masculine name Narfi, genitive Narfa,
and OIc. sker 'a rock in the sea, a skerry': 'Narfi’s skerry'.
Locative Byname:
Náttfaravík, Þing. (inlet)
From the masculine name Náttfari, genitive Náttfara,
and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'Náttfari’s inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Naumdælafylki, Norway.
From OIc. naumdæll 'of or from
Naumudalr; one from Naumudalr', genitive plural
Naumdæla, and fylki 'district, county, shire (in Norway)':
'district of the people of Naumudalr'.
Locative Byname:
Naumudalr, Norway.
Now Naumdalen. From an unrecorded river-name *Nauma,
genitive Naumu, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Nauma
valley'. (NSL s.n. Namdalen)
Locative Byname: í Naumudal, older í Naumudali
Nautabú, Skag. (farm)
From OIc. naut 'cattle, neat', genitive plural nauta,
and bú 'a farm, an estate': 'cattle farm'.
Locative Byname:
Nes, (1) Gullbr. (farm)
–– (2) Gullbr. (ness)
–– S.-Múl. (ness and farm)
OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland' or the identical plural.
The dative case, which is the most common form, distinguishes between singular
(nesi) and plural (nesjum), but the sources sometimes disagree.
Nesinu, the dative of nesin 'the ness', with postposed
definite article, also occurs, implying the possibility of a place-name
Nesin. The byname Nesja- if from the plural.
Locative Byname: á Nesi; Nesja-
Neshraun, Snæf. (lava field)
From OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland' and hraun
'a burnt-out lava field'.
Locative Byname:
Njarðey, Norway.
Now Nærøy(a) in Nord-Trøndelag. The second element is
OIc. ey 'an island'; the first is probably the root of the god-name
Njo˛rðr. (NSL s.n.
Nærøy(a))
Locative Byname:
Njarðvík, N.-Múl. (inlet and farm)
The second element is OIc. vík 'an inlet, a small bay';
the first is probably the root of the god-name Njo˛rðr.
Locative Byname:
Norðfjo˛rðr, S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. norðr 'the north' and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'north fjord'.
Locative Byname:
At an early date Iceland was divided into four political
divisions, each called a fjórðungr 'a fourth, a quarter'. One of
these was Norðrland '(the) Northland', and its inhabitants were the
Norðlendingar 'Northlanders', genitive Norðlenginga; the
Norðlendingafjórðungr is therefore the 'quarter of the Northlanders'.
(The other quarters are the Austrfirðingafjórðungr,
the Vestfirðingafjórðungr, and the
Sunnlendingafjórðungr.)
Locative Byname:
Norðmandí, i.e., Normandy.
The OIc. basis is Norðmaðr 'a Northman, esp. a Norwegian',
from norðr 'the north' and maðr 'a man', but the details are
a bit complicated. OIc. maðr is from an earlier mannr (still
to be seen in a half dozen early poems). In OEScand., however, the change of
nnr to ðr was less consistently carried out and generally
reversed; OSwe., for example, has maþer, man, mandr,
and mand, and there are Danish runic inscriptions in which the word
appears as mantr and matr (also for mantr: omission
of runic n before a consonant was common), representing non-runic
mandr. Finally, modern Danish has mand 'man'. It therefore
appears that Norðmandí developed from an OEScand. form of Norðmaðr.
The final -í seems to be from the Latin place-name suffix -ia.
Locative Byname:
Norðmœrr, Norway.
Now the Nordmøre district in Møre og Romsdal. The first element
is from OIc. norðr 'the north'; the second is from mœrr 'land'.
This word, found only in poetry, is quite possibly related to marr 'sea',
with an original sense 'land by the sea' or 'wetland, bogland'. (NSL s.nn.
Nordmøre, Møre)
Locative Byname:
Norðrá, Mýr. (river)
–– Skag. (river)
From OIc. norðr 'the north' and á 'a river':
'north river'. These are two different rivers, not a single river that
extends into both counties.
Locative Byname:
Norðrárdalr, Mýr. (valley)
–– Skag. (valley)
From the place-name Norðrá,
genitive Norðrár, and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'valley of
the Norðrá (North River)'.
Locative Byname:
Norðrlo˛nd
From OIc. norðr 'the north' and land 'land (as
opposed to sea); a country', here in the plural lo˛nd: '(the) northlands', usually meaning the lands
peopled by Northmen, but sometimes referring to all of Europe.
Locative Byname:
Norðtunga, Mýr. (region and farm)
From OIc. norðr 'the north' and tunga 'a tongue
of land': 'north tongue'.
Locative Byname:
Nor(v)egr, Nóregr, i.e., Norway.
Although there have been a few dissenters, communis opinio
is that the name is from an unattested *Norðvegr '(the) northern way',
from OIc. norðr 'the north' and vegr 'a way, a road'. A
similar development is actually attested for austrvegr '(the) eastern
way'. In early sources it appears in the plural, austrvegir, and may
denote any lands east of Scandinavia. Later it appears in the singular, and
its denotation is increasingly restricted, first to Old Rus and other lands
along the eastern route to Byzantium (but excluding Byzantium itself), and
eventually to the South and East Baltic lands. The very early loss of the
ð is a bit surprising, but no other hypothesis is nearly as well-supported.
Locative Byname:
Nýkomi, Skaft. (river)
Apparently from OIc. nýr 'new' and koma 'to
come', but the significance is unknown. Indeed, it is not even known exactly
where or what Nýkomi was; it may have been a branch of the
Skaptá.
Locative Byname:
Oddgeirshólar, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Oddgeirr, genitive Oddgeirs,
and OIc. hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', here in the plural hólar.
Locative Byname: í Oddgeirshólum
Oddi, Rang. (farm)
–– inn litli, Rang. (region)
OIc. oddi 'a triangle, a point or tongue of land';
inn litla is 'the little, the small'.
Locative Byname: í Odda
Oddsáss, Húnv.: see Áss.
Ódeila, Þing. (fell)
Apparently the same as Ic. ódeila 'undivided land'.
(Not the mountain now known as Ódeila.)
Locative Byname:
Ófeigsfjo˛rðr, Strand. (fjord)
From the masculine name Ófeigr, genitive Ófeigs,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Ófeig’s inlet'. (The name Ófeigr
is rather interesting in its own right: it is literally 'destined for a long
life, from the negative prefix ó- and feigr 'destined to die,
fey'. An English unfey would be an exact cognate.)
Locative Byname:
Ófeigsstaðir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Ófeigr, genitive Ófeigs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Ófeig’s stead(s)'. (For more on the name Ófeigr see
Ófeigsfjo˛rðr.)
Locative Byname:
Ofrustaðir, Norway.
Now Obrestad in Rogaland. The second element is OIc.
staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir.
The first should probably be Opru- or, more likely,
O˛pru-, the genitive
of a lost river-name *Opra or O˛pra, respectively. Some early forms do in
fact have p rather than f, and the later forms clearly
point in this direction. (NSL s.n. Obrestad)
Locative Byname: á Ofrusto˛ðum
Ófœra, Ísafj. (fell)
–– Strand. (fell)
OIc. ófœra 'an impassable place'.
Locative Byname:
Ólafsdalr, Dal. (farm)
From the masculine name Ólafr, genitive Ólafs,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Ólaf’s valley'.
Locative Byname: í Ólafsdal, older í Ólafsdali
Ólafsfjo˛rðr, Eyfj. (fjord)
From the masculine name Ólafr, genitive Ólafs,
and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet': 'Ólaf’s fjord'.
Locative Byname:
Ólafsvellir, Árn. (farm)
From the masculine name Ólafr, genitive Ólafs,
and OIc. vo˛llr 'a field',
here in the plural vellir: 'Ólaf’s fields'.
Locative Byname: á Ólafsvo˛llum
ÓlafsvíkSnæf. (inlet)
Ólaf’s inlet, from the masculine name
Ólafr, genitive Ólafs, and OIc. vík 'an inlet, a
small bay'.
Locative Byname:
Óleifsborg (Óleifsbjo˛rg), Skaft.
From the masculine name Óleifr, genitive Óleifs,
and OIc. borg 'an isolated hill' or bjo˛rg 'precipices, especially by the sea' (actually the
plural of bjarg 'a boulder, a (large) rock').
Locative Byname:
Orkneyjar, i.e., Orkney, the Orkney Islands.
On the face of it from OIc. orkn 'a kind of seal' and
ey 'an island', here in the plural eyjar: 'seal islands'.
However, this is a Norse adaptation of a much older name: the Roman geographer
Mela knew the islands as the Orcades in the first century CE. The
original name is probably akin to OIr. orc, a poetic term for a young
pig, perhaps a tribal name 'the (young) boars' or the like.
Locative Byname:
Ormsá (Ormarsá), S.-Múl. (river)
–– (Ormarsá), N.-Múl. (river)
From the masculine name Ormr, genitive Orms,
or Ormarr, genitive Ormars, and OIc. á 'a river':
'Orm’s or Ormar’s river'.
Locative Byname:
Ormsdalr, Húnv. (side valley)
From the masculine name Ormr, genitive Orms,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Orm’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Ormsstaðir, Vestmannaeyjar. (farm)
From the masculine name Ormr, genitive Orms,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Orm’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Ormssto˛ðum
Orrastaðir, Dal. (farm)
From orri 'a blackcock or heathcock, the male of the
black grouse', genitive orra, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a
stead', here in the plural staðir: 'blackcock’s stead(s)'. It
is likely, however, that the place takes its name not directly from the bird,
but from the byname of an early owner: staðir were most often named
after people, not infrequently using the byname rather than the forename, and
orri was a fairly common byname. Indeed, Gísla saga Súrssonar
mentions another Orrastaðir where a man named Þorgeirr orri
lived. (One version incorrectly has Arastaðir, as if the first element
were from the masculine name Ari, genitive Ara.)
Locative Byname: á Orrasto˛ðum
Orrostudalr, Árn. (valley)
From OIc. orrosta 'a battle', genitive orrostu,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'battle valley'. Landnámabók
describes a small battle that took place there.
Locative Byname:
Ósar (Óss, Unaóss), N.-Múl. (harbor)
OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake', here
in the plural ósar. The place-name is also found in the singular
and as Unaóss 'Uni’s river-mouth', where Una
is the genitive of the masculine name Uni.
Locative Byname:
Ósfjo˛ll, N.-Múl. (fells)
From the root of OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river
or lake' and fjall 'a fell, a mountain', here in the plural
fjo˛ll.
Locative Byname:
Ósómi, Ísafj. (brook)
OIc. ósómi 'disgrace'. It is described as a
lœkr 'brook' by a meadow, but the exact location seems to be
unknown. It has been suggested that the name might indicate that the
brook was liable to flood in the spring and damage the neighboring fields.
Locative Byname:
Óss, Húnv. (farm)
–– S.-Múl.
–– Þing. (farm)
OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake'.
Locative Byname: at Ósi; frá Ósi
Osta, Norway.
This one is a complete mystery to me.
Locative Byname: ór Ostu
Ósvífslœkr, Kjós. (brook)
From the masculine name Ósvifr, genitive Ósvifs,
and OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook': 'Ósvif’s brook'.
Locative Byname:
Papey, Skaft. (island)
From OIc. papi 'an Irish monk or hermit', plural
papar, and ey 'an island'; presumably papa ey
'island of the papar' was contracted to Papey. Landnámabók
says that Irish monks were found here and at Papýli
when the Norse first arrived in Iceland, but numerous attempts have turned up
no archaeological evidence of their presence.
Locative Byname:
Papýli, Skaft. (region)
Generally taken to be syncopated from an earlier *Papabýli,
from OIc. papi 'an Irish monk or hermit', genitive plural papa,
and býli 'a farm; a settlement': 'settlement of papar, Irish
monks'. The original form may, however, have been *Papbýli, which
would more easily give rise to the attested forms. There is some indication
that it was actually the name of a district: places named
Breiðabólstaðr and
Hof are described as lying within it.
Landnámabók says that Irish monks were found here and at
Papey when the Norse first arrived in
Iceland, but numerous attempts have turned up no archaeological evidence of
their presence.
Locative Byname:
Patreksfjo˛rðr. (fjord)
From the masculine name Patrekr, genitive Patreks, and OIc. fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'Patrek’s fjord'. Patrekr is a borrowing of OIr. Pátraic, itself from Latin Patricius. According to Landnámabók, the name was bestowed by one of the original settlers, Ørlygr inn gamli Hrapps son in honor of his foster-father, 'the holy bishop Patrek in the Hebrides':
Þeir Ørlygr létu í haf ok fengu útivist harða ok vissu eigi, hvar þeir fóru. Þá hét Ørlygr á Patrek biskup til landto˛ku sér, at hann skyldi af hans nafni gefa o˛rnefni, þar sem hann tæki land. Þeir váru þaðan frá litla hríð úti, áðr þeir sá land, ok váru komnir vestr um landit. Þeir tóku þar, sem heitir Ørlygsho˛fn, en fjo˛rðinn inn frá ko˛lluðu þeir Patreksfjo˛rð.
Ørlygr and his men put out to sea and suffered a hard voyage and did not know where they were going. Then Ørlygr invoked bishop Patrek for a landing-place, vowing that he would give his [Patrek’s] name to wherever he reached land. After that they were at sea only a little while before they saw land, and had come west around the land. They landed at the place called Ørlygsho˛fn 'Ørlyg’s harbor', and they called the fjord that runs in from there Patreksfjo˛rðr.
Locative Byname:Pettlandsfjo˛rðr, Scotland.
This is the Pentland Firth separating Orkney
(Orkneyjar) from Caithness
(Katanes). Pettlands is the
genitive of Pettland 'land of the Picts', from OIc. Pettr
'a Pict'. Pettr is a borrowing of OE Peht 'a Pict', which
in turn is a borrowing of Latin Pictī.
Locative Byname:
Rangá, N-Múl. (river)
–– eystri, Rang. (river)
–– ytri, Rang. (river)
From OIc. rangr 'wrong' (earlier vrangr) and
á 'a river'; the sense of the name is probably something like
'crooked river, river with many bends'. Eystr is 'more eastern',
and ytri is 'outer'.
Locative Byname:
Rangaðarvarða á Kjalvegi. (cairn)
From the masculine name Ro˛nguðr, genitive Rangaðar, and OIc.
varða 'a pile of stones, a cairn': 'Ro˛nguð’s cairn', after the thrall who is
said to have built it. For the Kjalvegr see
Kjo˛lr.
Locative Byname:
Rangáróss, Rang. (river-mouth)
From the river-name Rangá,
genitive Rangár, and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or
lake': 'mouth of the Rangá river'.
Locative Byname:
Rangárvellir inir eystri.
–– inir ytri.
From the river-name Rangá,
genitive Rangár, and OIc. vo˛llr 'a field', here in the plural vellir;
inir eystri and inir ytri are 'the more eastern' and 'the
outer', respectively.
Locative Byname:
Raptalœkr, Skaft. (river)
From OIc. raptr 'a log, especially the rafters of a
roof', genitive plural rapta, and lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook';
a name applied to the slower-moving upper reaches of the
Almannafljót; the name is also
given as Toptalœkr.
Locative Byname:
Rauðá, Árn. (river)
–– (Rauðalœkr), Rang. (river or brook)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and á 'a river':
'red river'. The one in Rang. is called
Rauðalœkr in some versions.
Locative Byname:
Rauðabjarnarstaðir, Mýr. (farm)
From the masculine name Rauða-Bjo˛rn, genitive Rauða-Bjarnar, and OIc.
staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Rauða-Bjo˛rn’s
stead(s)'. The preposed byname Rauða- is not from rauðr 'red';
it's the genitive of the related word rauði 'red iron ore'. According
to Landnámabók, Rauða-Bjo˛rn got his byname because he was the first to smelt
iron in Iceland.
Locative Byname: at Rauðabjarnarsto˛ðum
Rauðafell it eystra, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and fell 'an isolated
hill': 'red hill'. It eystra is 'the more eastern'. The place is
also called Raufarfell it eystra; here raufar appears to be
the genitive of rauf 'a rift or hole', making it 'hill with a rift
in it'.
Locative Byname:
Rauðagnúpr, Þing. (promontory)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and gnúpr 'a peak, an
overhanging peak': 'red peak'. (On purely grammatical grounds one would
expect Rauðignúpr; CV s.v. rauðr gives this form, but it
is not supported by the sources.)
Locative Byname:
Rauðalœkr, Borg. (brook)
–– Rang. (brook)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and lœkr 'a rivulet,
a brook': 'red brook'. The one in Rang. is also called
Rauðá in some versions. (On purely
grammatical grounds one would expect Rauðilœkr; CV s.n. rauðr
gives this form, but it is not supported by the sources.)
Locative Byname: at Rauðalœk
Rauðamelr inn ytri, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and melr 'a sand-bank,
a gravel-bank, especially one overgrown with bent grass': 'red sand'. (On
purely grammatical grounds one would expect Rauðimelr; CV s.n.
rauðr gives this form, but it is not supported by the sources or the
modern name.) Inn ytri is 'the outer'.
Locative Byname: at Rauðamel inum ytra, at ytra
Rauðamel, at Rauðamel
Rauðamelslo˛nd, Snæf.
From the place-name Rauðamelr,
genitive Rauðamels, and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea)',
here in the plural lo˛nd:
'lands associated with Rauðamelr'.
Locative Byname:
Rauðasandr, Barð. (district)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and sandr 'sand; the
seashore': 'red sand'. (On purely grammatical grounds one would expect
Rauðisandr; CV s.n. rauðr gives this form, but it is not
supported by the sources or the modern name, and the sand is a distinctive
reddish-orange color.) It appears to be an amusing coincidence that the
original settler here was Ármóðr inn rauði Þorbjarnar son 'Ármóðr
the Red'.
Locative Byname:
Rauðaskriða, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and skriða 'a landslip,
an avalanche'.
Locative Byname: ór Rauðaskriðu
Rauðaskriðulo˛nd.
From the place-name Rauðaskriða,
genitive Rauðaskriðu, and OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea)',
here in the plural lo˛nd:
'lands associated with Rauðaskriða'.
Locative Byname:
Rauðaskriður, S.-Múl. (fell)
From OIc. rauðr 'red' and skriða 'a landslip,
an avalanche', here in the plural skriður.
Locative Byname:
Rauðkollsstaðir, Snæf. (farm)
From OIc. rauðr 'red', kollr 'top, summit',
genitive kolls, and staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the
plural staðir: 'red-summit stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Rauðkollssto˛ðum
Rauðsgil, Borg. (ravine and farm)
From the masculine name Rauðr, genitive Rauðs,
and OIc. gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom':
'Rauð’s gully'.
Locative Byname:
Raufarfell it eystra: see Rauðafell it eystra.
Raufarnes, Mýr. (ness)
From OIc. rauf 'a rift or hole', genitive raufar,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'headland with a rift'.
Locative Byname:
Raumsdalr, Norway.
Now Romsdal. The second element is OIc. dalr 'a
valley, a dale'; the first is probably connected with the river-name Rauma,
of unknown etymology. On account of the -s- in Raums-,
however, it cannot derive directly from the river-name: this is not simply
'valley of the Rauma'. It has been suggested that the river gave
its name to the fjord in the form *Raumr, genitive Raums,
and that the valley was then named after the fjord. (NSL s.n. Romsdal)
Locative Byname:
Raumsdælafylki, Norway.
From OIc. raumsdæll 'of or from
Raumsdalr; one from Raumsdalr', genitive plural
Raumsdæla, and fylki 'district, county, shire (in Norway)':
'district of the people of Raumsdalr'.
Locative Byname:
Refsstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Refr, genitive Refs,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir.
Locative Byname: á Refssto˛ðum
Reistará, Eyfj. (river and farm)
The second element is OIc. á 'a river'; the first is
probably from the poetic term reistr 'a snake', genitive reistar,
the idea being 'crooked river'.
Locative Byname:
Reistargnúpr, Þing. (promontory)
The second element is OIc. gnúpr 'a peak, an
overhanging peak'. On semantic grounds the first is unlikely to be from
reistr 'a snake', but from the feminine compound uppreist
'an uprising, a rebellion' we can infer a feminine noun reist,
genitive reistar, related to the verb rísa 'to rise'
and meaning something like 'a rising; something that has risen'. It may be
that the peak was originally named simply Reist, the more familiar
gnúpr being added later by way of explanation. See Svavar
Sigmundsson, „Í Eyjafirði
er áin Reistará og bær kenndur við hana. Af hverju dregur áin nafn sitt?“
(‘In Eyjafjördur there is the river Reistará and the farm named after
it. From what does the river derive its name?’).
Locative Byname:
Reyðarfell, Borg. (fell)
From OIc. reyðr
'a rorqual';
arctic char', genitive
reyðar, and fell 'an isolated hill'. Since it lies near
the river Hvítá, reyðar
probably refers to the fish, not the whale.
Locative Byname: at Reyðarfelli
Reyðarfjall, S.-Múl. (fell)
From OIc. reyðr
'a rorqual;
arctic char', genitive
reyðar, and fjall 'a fell, a mountain': 'rorqual(’s)
fell'. From the south and southeast it bears a considerable resemblance to a
whale.
Locative Byname:
Reyðarfjo˛rðr, S.-Múl. (fjord)
From OIc. reyðr
'a rorqual;
arctic char', genitive
reyðar, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'. According to Tryggvi Gíslason,
„Norsk
örnefni á Íslandi og torræð örnefni í Eyjafirði“ (‘Norwegian
place-names in Iceland and obscure place-names in Eyjafjörðr’), the
fjord takes its name from Reyðarfjall
to its south.
Locative Byname:
Reyðarmúli, Árn. (fell)
From OIc. reyðr
'a rorqual;
arctic char', genitive
reyðar, and múli 'a projecting mountain, a jutting crag
(between two fjords, valleys, or the like)': 'char(’s) crag'. According
to Landnámabók, Ketilbjo˛rn
Ketils son and his companions named it after the char that they took from
the river there.
Locative Byname:
Reyðarvatn, Rang. (small lake)
From OIc. reyðr
'a rorqual;
arctic char', genitive
reyðar, and vatn 'water, fresh water; a lake': 'char(’s)
lake'.
Locative Byname:
Reykir inir efri (Kópareykir), Borg.
–– Húnv. (farm)
The plural of OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', referring to
the hot springs in the area; inir efri is 'the upper'. Kópareykir
is the modern name; the added element is apparently the genitive plural of
kópr 'a seal pup, a young seal'.
Locative Byname: at Reykjum (inum efrum)
Reykjaá, Eyfj. (river)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and á 'a river'; the sense is 'river associated
with hot springs'.
Locative Byname:
Reykjadalr (inn) nyrðri,
Borg. (valley)
–– (inn) syðri, Borg. (valley)
–– Þing.
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and dalr 'a valley, a dale'; the sense is 'valley
with hot springs'. (Inn) nyrðri and (inn) syðri are '(the)
more northerly' and '(the) more southerly', respectively.
Locative Byname:
Reykjadalsá, Borg. (river)
From the place-name Reykjadalr,
genitive Reykjadals, and OIc. á 'a river', the river that
flows through Reykjadalr.
Locative Byname:
Reykjahlíð, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope': a slope with
hot springs.
Locative Byname: í Reykjahlíð
Reykjahólar, Barð. (farm)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', here in the
plural hólar: knolls with hot springs. The name also occurs as
Hólar.
Locative Byname: á Reykjahólum, at
Reykjahólum
Reykjaholt, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and holt 'a wood, a copse; a rough, stony hill or
ridge': probably a ridge with hot springs.
Locative Byname: í Reykjaholti
Reykjanes, Barð. (ness)
–– Gullbr. (ness)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and nes 'a ness, a headland': a headland with hot
springs.
Locative Byname: af Reykjanesi
Reykjarfjo˛rðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive singular
reykjaf, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': a fjord with a hot spring.
Locative Byname:
Reykjarhóll, Skag. (hill and farm)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive singular
reykjar, and hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': a knoll with
a hot spring.
Locative Byname:
Reykjavellir (við Kjalveg). (plain)
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive plural
reykja, and vo˛llr
'a field', here in the plural vellir: fields with hot springs. The
descriptive phrase við 'by Kjalvegr' is an editorial addition.
(The Kjalvegr 'keel-way' was an old north-south route through the
Icelandic Highlands.)
Locative Byname:
Reykjarvík, Gullbr.
From OIc. reykr 'smoke, steam', genitive singular
reykjar, and vík 'an inlet, a small bay': an inlet with a
hot spring. This is now Reykjavík, the Icelandic capital, with the
genitive plural reykja.
Locative Byname: í Reykjarvík
Reynir, Borg.
–– Skaft. (farm)
OIc. reynir 'a rowan tree'.
Locative Byname: at Reyni; Reyni-,
Reynis-
Reynisnes, Þing. (ness)
From OIc. reynir 'a rowan tree', genitive reynis,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'rowan(’s) ness'.
Locative Byname:
Reyrvo˛llr, Norway.
The second element is OIc. vo˛llr 'a field'; the first is either from reyrr
'reed' or from reyrr 'a heap of stones, a cairn'. I’ve not been
able to identify the place.
Locative Byname: á Reyrvelli
Roðreksgil: see Hræreksgil.
Rogaland, Norway.
This is still the name of the region. The second element is
OIc. land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country', and the first is an
old genitive of the (plural) folk-name Rygir: 'land of the Rygir'.
Rygir is apparently the same as the folk-name Rugii
mentioned by Tacitus in the first century CE, though the actual historical
connection between the two peoples is unknown. The name is from PGmc.
*rugi- 'rye'. (NSL s.n. Rogaland)
Locative Byname: af Rogalandi
Róma.
Rome.
Locative Byname:
Ros, Scotland.
Ross in Scotland. The name is from OIr. ros 'a wood',
in some dialects also 'a promontory'.
Locative Byname:
Rosmhvalanes, Gullbr.
From OIc. rosmhvalr 'a walrus', genitive plural
rosmhvala, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'walrus’
ness'.
Locative Byname:
Rykinsvík, Norway.
Now Røykenvik; an older form of the name, found at least as
late as 1912, is Røkenvik(en). The second element is OIc. vík
'an inlet, a small bay'. The first is probably from the genitive Røykins
of an old farm-name Røykin, contracted from an unattested compound
*Hraukvin of OIc. hraukr 'a cone-shaped heap or pile' (as in
torfhraukr 'a peat-stack') and vin 'a meadow'. The spelling
without initial h probably reflects the ONorw. pronunciation when the
sources were written down. (NSL s.n. Røyken)
Locative Byname:
Rytagnúpr, Ísaf. (promontory)
From OIc. rytr 'a seagull', genitive plural ryta,
and gnúpr 'a peak, an overhanging peak': 'gulls’ peak'.
Locative Byname:
Ro˛nd, Norway.
Now Randsfjorden. OIc. ro˛nd 'a rim, a border; a stripe', probably referring
to the long, narrow shape of the lake. (NSL s.n. Randsfjorden)
Locative Byname:
Salteyraróss, Snæf. (harbor)
From OIc. salt 'salt', eyrr 'a sandbank, a
gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea', genitive eyrar,
and óss 'mouth or outlet of a river or lake': 'salt-spit(’s)
inlet' or the like.
Locative Byname:
Sandá, Mýr. (river)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
á 'a river': 'sand river'.
Locative Byname:
Sandbrekka, Snæf. (precipice)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
brekka 'a slope': 'sand slope'.
Locative Byname:
Sanddalr, Mýr. (side valley)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'sand valley'.
Locative Byname:
Sandeyrará, Ísafj. (river)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground',
eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the sea',
genitive eyrar, and á 'a river': 'sand-bank(’s) river'
or the like.
Locative Byname:
Sandfell, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
fell 'an isolated hill': 'sand hill'.
Locative Byname: at Sandfelli
Sandgil, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
gil 'a ravine or gully with a stream at the bottom': 'sand gully'.
Locative Byname: at Sandgili, í Sandgili;
frá Sandgili
Sandhólaferja, Rang. (ferry crossing)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground',
hóll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll', genitive plural hóla, and
ferja 'a ferry': 'sand-hills’ ferry crossing'.
Locative Byname:
Sandlœkr, Árn. (brook)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, stretch of sandy ground' and
lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook': 'sand brook'.
Locative Byname:
Sandnes, Norway.
From OIc. sandr 'sand, a stretch of sandy ground' and
nes 'a ness, a headland': 'sand ness'. This was a farm on the island
of Alo˛st; I’ve not been able to determine
whether it still exists. In Ch. 7 of Egils saga Skallagrímssonar its
name is given as á Sandnesi 'at Sandnes'.
Locative Byname: á Sandnesi
Sandvík, Kjós. (inlet)
–– N.-Múl. (inlet)
–– S.-Múl. (inlet)
From OIc. sandr 'sand, a stretch of sandy ground' and
vík 'an inlet, a small bay': 'sand inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Sauðá, Skag. (river and farm)
From OIc. sauðr 'a sheep' and á 'a river':
'sheep river'.
Locative Byname:
Sauðadalr, Húnv.
From OIc. sauðr 'a sheep', genitive plural sauða,
and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'sheep’s valley'.
Locative Byname:
Sauðafellslo˛nd, Dal. (farm and associated lands)
From OIc. sauðr 'a sheep', genitive plural sauða,
fell 'an isolated hill', genitive fells, and land
'land (as opposed to sea)', here in the plural lo˛nd: literally 'sheep’s hill’s lands', but
in fact the lands associated with the farm Sauðafell.
Locative Byname:
Sauðanes, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. sauðr 'a sheep', genitive plural sauða,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'sheep’s ness'.
Locative Byname:
Saurbær, Borg. (farm)
–– Dal. (farm)
–– Eyfj. (farm)
From OIc. saurr 'mud, mire; dirt, excrement' and
bœr 'a farmhouse, a farmstead': 'mud farmstead'. Landnámabók
says that the one in Dal. was so called því at þar var mýrlent
mjo˛k 'because it was
very boggy there'.
Locative Byname: í Saurbœ
Saxahváll, Snæf. (farm)
From the masculine name Saxi, genitive Saxa,
and OIc. hváll 'a hill, a hillock, a knoll': 'Saxi’s
knoll'.
Locative Byname: at Saxahváli
From OIc. Saxar 'Saxons' and land 'land (as
opposed to sea); a country': 'Saxon-land, land of the Saxons', more or less
Germany.
Locative Byname:
Selaeyrr, Borg. (spit)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', genitive plural sela,
and eyrr 'a sandbank, a gravel-bank; a spit of land running into the
sea': 'seals’ bank'.
Locative Byname:
Selalón, Snæf. (inlet)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', genitive plural sela,
and lón 'an inlet, a lagoon': 'seals’ inlet'.
Locative Byname:
Selárdalr, N.-Múl. (valley)
–– Strand. (valley)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', á 'a river',
genitive ár, and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'seal-river(’s)
valley'.
Locative Byname:
Selasund, Dal. (strait)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', genitive plural sela,
and sund 'a sound, a strait, a channel': 'seals’ strait'. The
name also occurs as Seljasund; selja is the genitive plural
of sel 'a shed on a mountain pasture where milk cows are kept in
summer'.
Locative Byname:
Selfors, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. selr 'a seal' and fors 'a
waterfall': 'seal fall'.
Locative Byname: at Selforsi
Seljalandsá, Rang. (river)
From OIc. sel 'a shed on a mountain pasture where milk
cows are kept in summer', genitive plural selja, land 'land
(as opposed to sea)', genitive singular lands, and á 'a
river': literally 'seals’ land’ river', but probably in fact 'river
by the farm Seljaland'.
Locative Byname:
Seljalandsmúli, Rang. (ridge)
From OIc. sel 'a shed on a mountain pasture where milk
cows are kept in summer', genitive plural selja, land 'land
(as opposed to sea)', genitive singular lands, and múli 'a
projecting mountain, a jutting crag (between two fjords, valleys, or the like)':
literally something like 'seals’ land’ ridge'.
Locative Byname:
Seljasund: see Selasund.
Selslœkr, Árn. (brook)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', genitive singular
sels, and lœkr 'a rivulet, a brook': 'seal’s brook'.
Locative Byname:
Seltjarnarnes, Gullbr. (ness)
From OIc. selr 'a seal', tjo˛rn 'a tarn, a small lake; a pool', genitive
tjarnar, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'seal-tarn’s
ness'.
Locative Byname: í Seltjarnarnesi
Selvágr, Árn. (cove)
From OIc. selr 'a seal' and vágr 'a creek,
a bay': 'seal bay'.
Locative Byname:
Seyðarfjo˛rðr: see Seyðisfjo˛rðr
Seyðisfjo˛rðr, N.-Múl. (fjord)
–– Ísafj. (fjord)
From OIc. seyðir 'a cooking-fire', genitive singular
seyðis, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'cook-fire(’s) fjord'. The one in N.-Múl.
also appears as Seyðarfjo˛rðr,
with the nominative plural seyðar; this violates the normal rules for
constructing such compounds and should probably be considered an error.
(*Seyðafjo˛rðr, however,
with the genitive plural, should in principle be possible.)
Locative Byname: í Seyðisfirði
Síða, Skaft. (district)
OIc. síða 'a side; a coast'; a coastal district.
Locative Byname: á Síðu; af Síðu; Síðu-
Siglufjo˛fðr,
Eyfj. (fjord)
–– Greenland. (fjord)
On the face of it from OIc. sigla 'a mast', genitive
siglu, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', hence 'mast’s fjord', but the actual
etymology is somewhat doubtful.
Locative Byname:
Siglunes, Eyfj. (ness and farm)
On the face of it from OIc. sigla 'a mast', genitive
siglu, and nes 'a ness, a headland', hence 'mast’s ness',
but the actual etymology is somewhat doubtful.
Locative Byname: á Siglunesi
Sigluvík, Þing. (farm)
On the face of it from OIc. sigla 'a mast', genitive
siglu, and vík 'an inlet, a small bay', hence 'mast’s
inlet', but the actual etymology is somewhat doubtful.
Locative Byname: í Sigluvík
Sigmundarakr, Eyfj. (field)
From the masculine name Sigmundr, genitive
Sigmundar, and OIc. akr 'arable land, a field':
'Sigmund’s field'. Also called
Vitazgjafi.
Locative Byname:
Sigmundarnes, Mýr. (ness)
From the masculine name Sigmundr, genitive
Sigmundar, and nes 'a ness, a headland':
'Sigmund’s ness'. It is said to have been named after a
leysingi 'freedman' of Skallagrímr Kveldúlfs son.
Locative Byname:
Sigmundarstaðir: see Stafngrímsstaðir.
Signýjarbruðr (Signýjarbúðir), Norway.
From the feminine name Signý, genitive Signýjar,
and OIc. bruðr 'a spring; a well': 'Signý’s spring'.
(Bruðr is the same word as the more familiar brunnr. In OIc.
the sequence nnr normally developed into ðr; for example, an
early nominative singular mannr 'a man' became the familiar
maðr, and there are just a handful of examples of mannr in
early poetry. Similarly, the normal development of brunnr was to
bruðr, but in this case the older brunnr was restored on the
model of the oblique cases in brunn-.) The name also appears as
Signýjarbúðir, in which the second element is the plural of búð
'a temporary dwelling; a booth': 'Signý*’s booths'.
Locative Byname:
Signýjarstaðir, Borg. (farm)
From the feminine name Signý, genitive Signýjar,
and OIc. staðr, here in the plural staðir: 'Signý’s
stead(s)'.
Locative Byname:
Silfrastaðahlíð, Skag. (precipice)
From a place-name Silfrastaðir, genitive
Silfrastaða, and OIc. hlíð 'a mountainside, a slope':
'slope by Silfrastaðir'. The place-name is from the byname
silfri 'silver', genitive silfra, and staðr
'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir: 'stead(s) of a man
called Silfri'.
Locative Byname:
Síreksstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Sírekr, genitive Síreks,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural
sto˛ðum:
'Sírek’s stead(s)'. Sírekr appears to be a reduced
form of an older *Sigríkr.
Locative Byname:
Sjóland, Denmark.
Zealand (Danish Sjælland), the largest island in
Denmark. On the face of it this is 'sea-land', from OIc. sjór 'the
sea' and land 'land (as opposed to sea); a country'. However, the
name is found earlier as Selund, and it seems likely that the original
sense was 'abounding in seals', from PGmc. *selxa-wunðī:
*selxa- is the source of OIc. selr 'a seal', and the OIc.
suffix -und from *-wunðī 'abounding in' is found in a
number of island names. (I can find no adequate justification for the
alternative interpretation of *selxa- preferred
here and
mentioned
here.)
Locative Byname:
Sjónafjo˛rðr, Norway. (fjord)
Apparently from OIc. sjón 'sight, eyesight', genitive
plural sjóna, and fjo˛rðr
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet', perhaps for a straight, broad fjord down which
one could see for a considerable distance.
Locative Byname:
Skagafjo˛rðr, Skag. (fjord)
From OIc. skagi 'a low cape or ness', genitive
skaga, and fjo˛
'a fjord, a firth, an inlet'; it runs along the eastern side of the
Skagi peninsula.
Locative Byname:
Skagastro˛nd, Húnv. (stretch of coast)
From OIc. skagi 'a low cape or ness', genitive
skaga, and stro˛nd
'strand, coast, shore'; it lies on the western side of the
Skagi peninsula.
Locative Byname:
Skagi, Húnv.
OIc. skagi 'a low cape or ness'; the name refers to
the northern part of the peninsula separating Húnaflói and
Skagafjo˛rðr.
Locative Byname:
Skál, Skaft. (farm)
OIc. skál 'a bowl', i.e., 'a hollow'.
Locative Byname:
Skálabrekka, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and brekka 'a slope':
'shieling’s slope', i.e., a slope on which a shieling had been erected.
Locative Byname:
Skálafell (Skalla-), Árn. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and fell 'an isolated
hill': 'shieling’s hill', an isolated hill with a shieling. The one
in Árn. also appears as Skallafell, as if from skalli 'a
bald head', genitive skalla; this element does occur in other
place-names, probably as a rule from the byname of an owner, but here it’s
probably an error: Landnámabók says that Ingólfr, reputedly
the first settler in Iceland, had a shieling built there. Whether the story
is true or merely an ex post fact explanation, it suggests that
Skála- is the correct form.
Locative Byname: á Skálafelli, at Skálafelli
Skálaholt, Árn. (farm)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and holt 'a wood, a
copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge': 'shieling’s wood or ridge', a
wood or ridge, probably the former, with a shieling.
Locative Byname: í Skálaholti
Skálamýrr, Skag. (meadow)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and mýrr 'a bog, a swamp,
a mire': 'shieling’s bog', i.e., a boggy place with a shieling.
Locative Byname:
Skálanes, Barð. (ness)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and nes 'a ness, a
headland': 'shieling’s ness', a headland with a shieling.
Locative Byname:
Skálavík, Ísfj. (inlet)
From OIc. skáli 'a shieling: a hut or shed put up
for temporary use', genitive skála, and vík 'an inlet, a
small bay': 'shieling’s inlet', an inlet where a shieling had been
erected.
Locative Byname:
Skáldskelmisdalr, Borg. (valley)
From OIc. skáld 'a skald, a poet', skelmir
'a rogue, a rascal, a devil', genitive skelmis, and dalr
'a valley, a dale': 'skald-rogue’s valley'. Skalds enjoyed a mixed
reputation; cf. Hallfreðr vandræðaskáld 'difficult or troublesome
skald' and Gunnlaugr ormstunga 'serpent-tongue', the latter noted for
his derogatory poems. This skald, however, has not been identified.
Locative Byname:
Skáli, S.-Múl.: see Þjóðreksskáli.
Skallanes, Snæf.
From OIc. skalli 'a bald head', genitive skalla,
and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'bald-head’s ness', probably from
someone’s byname. According to Landnámabók it was the site of
the burial mound of Þórólfr blo˛ðruskalli 'bladder-pate'.
Locative Byname:
Skálmarkelda, Snæf. (bog)
From OIc. skálm 'one prong of something cleft in two;
a short sword', genitive skálmar, and kelda 'a well, a spring;
a bog, a quagmire'. Landnámabók interprets the name as
'Skáld’s bog', after a mare named Skálm (genitive
Skálmar) that is supposed to have died there, but this has the look
of an explanation after the fact; perhaps the first element refers in some way
to the local topography. (For more on the mare Skálm see
Skalmarnes.)
Locative Byname:
Skálmarnes, Barð. (ness)
From OIc. skálm 'one prong of something cleft in two; a short sword', genitive skálmar, and nes 'a ness, a headland'. Landnámabók interprets the name as 'Skáld’s ness', after a mare named Skálm, but the story is quite fantastic and seems designed to explain the name after the fact:
Grímr hét maðr Ingjaldsson, Hróaldssonar ór Haddingjadal, bróðir Ása bersis. Hann fór til Íslands í landaleit ok sigldi fyrir norðan landit. Hann var um vetrinn í Grímsey á Steingrímsfirði. Bergdís hét kona hans, en Þórir sonr þeira.
Grímr reri til fiska um haustit með húskarla sína, en sveinninn Þórir lá í stafni ok var í selbelg, ok dreginn at hálsinum. Grímr dró marmennil, ok er hann kom upp, spurði Grímr: „Hvað spár þú oss um forlo˛g vár, eða hvar skulum vér byggja á Íslandi?“
Marmennill svarar: „Ekki þarf ek at spá yðr, en sveininum, er liggr í selbelginum. Hann skal þar byggja ok land nema, er Skálm, merr yður, leggsk undir klyfjum.“
Ekki fengu þeir fleiri orð af honum. En síðar um vetrinn reru þeir Grímr svá, at sveinninn var á landi. Þá týndusk þeir allir.
Þau Bergdís ok Þórir fóru um várit ór Grímsey ok vestr yfir heiði til Breiðafjarðar. Þá gekk Skálm fyrir ok lagðisk aldri. Annan vetr váru þau á Skálmarnesi í Breiðafirði, en um sumarit eptir sneru þau suðr. Þá gekk enn Skálm fyrir, þar til er þau kómu af heiðum suðr til Borgarfjarðar, þar sem sandmelir tveir rauðir stóðu fyrir. Þar lagðisk Skálm niðr undir klyfjum undir inum ytra melnum. Þar nam Þórir land fyrir sunnan Gnúpá til Kaldár fyrir neðan Knappadal milli fjalls ok fjo˛ru. Hann bjó at Rauðamel inum ytra. Hann var ho˛fðingi mikill.
There was a man named Grímr, son of Ingjaldr the son of Hróaldr from Haddingjadalr, brother of Ási bersir. He went to Iceland on a voyage of exploration and sailed north of the land. During the winter he was at Grímsey in Steingrímsfjo˛rðr. His wife was named Bergdís, and their son, Þórir.
In the fall Grímr rowed out to fish with his farmhand, and the lad Þórir lay ill in the bow in a sealskin. Grímr caught a merman, and when he came up, Grímr asked: ‘What do you prophesy for us concerning our fate, or where we should settle in Iceland?’
The merman answers: ‘I don’t need to prophesy for you, but for the lad who lies in the sealskin. He shall take land and settle in the place where Skálm, your mare, lies down under its packs.’
They got no more words from him. And later in the winter Grímr and his men rowed out leaving the lad on land, and they all perished.
In the spring Bergdís and Þórir travelled from Grímsey west across the heath to Breiðafjo˛rðr, and Skálm went ahead and never lay down. The next winter they were at Skálmarnes in Breiðafjo˛rðr, and the following summer they turned south. And Skálm still went ahead, until they came off the heath south towards Bjorgarfjo˛rðr, in the place where two red sandbanks stood forth. There Skálm lay down under her packs below the outer sandbank. There Þórir took land south of Gnúpá to Kaldá below Knappadalr between fell and fore-shore (i.e., all of the low-lying land from the coast back to the hills). He lived at Rauðamelr inn ytri. He was a great chieftain.
Perhaps the first element originally had topographical significance.
Locative Byname:
Skáney, Borg. (farm)
Uncertain. Skáney is also the OIc. name of
Scania (Skåne), the southernmost province of Sweden; however,
the two names may not have the same etymology, and in any case that of the
Swedish name is itself quite uncertain. On the face of it, the Icelandic
place-name is from OIc. skán 'a film, a crust' and ey 'an
island'; since the farm lies at the southern edge of an 'island' of firm land
surrounded by marshy areas, this may indeed be the etymology.
Locative Byname: at Skáney(ju), á Skáney
Skaptá, Skaft. (large river)
From OIc. skapt 'a shaft (e.g., of a lance), a
shaft-shaped object' and á 'a river': 'shaft river'. The reason for
the name is not clear to me.
Locative Byname:
Skaptafellsþing, Skaft.
From the place-name Skaptafell, genitive
Skaptafells, and OIc. þing 'an assembly, a meeting,
especially for purposes of legislation'; Skaptafellsþing is where
the þing for the Skaptafell region was held. The second
element of the name Skaptafell is fell 'an isolated hill',
but the first is a bit problematic. On the face of it we have the genitive,
skapta, of skapti, a byname derived from skapt
'a shaft (e.g., of a spear)', perhaps for a tall, slender person, so that the
place-name is 'Skapti’s hill'. It’s possible, however,
that Skapta- was originally Skaptár-, the genitive of the
river-name Skaptá, making the name
something like 'isolated hill by the river Skaptá'.
Locative Byname:
Skaptaholt, Árn. (farm)
The second element is OIc. holt 'a wood, a copse; a
rough, stony hill or ridge'. According to Landnámabók, the first
settler here was Þormóðr skapti Óleifs son, whose byname is a
derivative of skapt 'a shaft (e.g., of a spear)', perhaps for a tall,
slender person; skapta is the genitive, and the place-name is
'Skapti’s wood'.
Locative Byname: í Skaptaholti
Skarð, Dal. (ravine)
–– (= Svignaskarð), Mýr. (farm)
–– it eystra, Rang. (farm)
–– Skaft. (farm)
OIc. skarð 'a mountain pass, a notch'; it eystra
is 'the (more) eastern'. The one in Mýr. is now Svignaskarð;
Svigna is the genitive of Svignir, a variant of Sygnir
'people from Sogn (Norway)'. Sogn was originally the name of what is
now Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway, whence it was
transferred to the surrounding region; it derives from OWScand. súga
'to suck', presumably referring to the strong current. (NSL s.n. Sogn)
Locative Byname: í Skarði, í Skarðinu eystra,
í Skarði inu eystra, at Skarði
Skarðsbrekka, Skaft. (farm)
From OIc. skarð 'a mountain pass, a notch', genitive
skarðs, and brekka 'a slope'; the second element also appears
in the plural, brekkur.
Locative Byname: undir Skarðsbrekku (singular form),
undir Skarðsbrekkum (plural form)
Skarfanes, Rang. (farm)
From OIc. skarfr 'a cormorant', genitive plural
skarfa, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'cormorants’
ness'.
Locative Byname:
Skarfsnes, Borg.(?) (farm)
From OIc. skarfr 'a cormorant', genitive singular
skarfs, and nes 'a ness, a headland': 'cormorant’s
ness'.
Locative Byname: í Skarfsnesi
Skeggjastaðir, Kjós. (farm)
–– N.-Múl. (1) (farm)
–– N.-Múl. (2) (farm)
'Skeggi’s stead(s)', from the masculine byname
skeggi, genitive skeggjar, and staðr 'a place, a
stead', here in the plural staðir. Skeggi is a derivative
of skegg 'a beard'; presumably it was applied to someone with an
especially shaggy or otherwise notable beard. (It is also a common noun
meaning 'a man', but that seems unlikely in a place-name.) The farm in Kjós.
apparently took its name from Þórðr skeggi Hrapps son.
Locative Byname: á Skeggjasto˛ðum
Skeið, Árn. (region)
OIc. skeið 'a race, a run; a race-course'; this is
that name of a region that appears to be relatively flat and suitable for
gatherings.
Locative Byname:
Skeiðsbrekkur, Dal. (precipice)
From OIc. skeið 'a race, a run; a race-course',
genitive skeiðs, and brekka 'a slope', here in the plural
brekkur: 'race-course’s slopes'.
Locative Byname:
Skeljabrekka, Borg. (farm)
From OIc. skel 'a shell (flat or spoon-shaped, as
opposed to whorled)', genitive plural skelja, and brekka
'a slope': 'shells’ slope'.
Locative Byname: á Skeljabrekku, at
Skeljabrekku
Skíðadalr, Eyfj. (side valley)
From the masculine name Skíði, genitive Skíða,
and OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'Skíði’s valley'.
Locative Byname: ór Skíðadal, older ór
Skíðadali
Skíðastaðir, Húnv. (farm)
From the masculine name Skíði, genitive Skíða,
and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead', here in the plural staðir:
'Skíði’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: af Skíðasto˛ðum
Skjaldabjarnarvík, Strand. (inlet and farm)
'Skjalda-Bjo˛rn’s inlet', from OIc. vík 'a small
bay, an inlet' and Skjalda-Bjarnar, the genitive of the masculine
name Skjalda-Bjo˛rn,
the original settler in the area. According to Landnámabók, he
acquired the byname Skjalda- when he sailed into
Bjarnarfjo˛rðr with his ship alskjaldat
'closely set with shields' (literally 'all-shielded').
Locative Byname: í Skjaldabjarnarvík
Skjaldey, Dal. (island)
Apparently 'shield island', from OIc. skjo˛ldr 'a shield', stem skald-, and ey
'an island'. According to Landnámabók, when Einarr skálaglamm Helga
son drowned at Einarssker, his
cloak washed up at Feldarhólmr
'cloak’s holm', and his shield washed up here. This has the look of an
explanation made up after the fact to explain the name.
Locative Byname:
Skjálfandafljótsóss, Þing. (river-mouth)
From the river-name Skjálfandafljót,
genitive Skjálfandafljóts, and OIc. óss 'mouth or outlet of a
river or lake': 'mouth of the Skjálfandafljót'. The river empties
into the bay Skjálfandi.
Locative Byname:
Skjálfandi, Þing. (bay)
A large bay. OIc. skjálfandi 'shivering, shaking',
the present participle of skjálfa 'to shiver, to shake, to quiver';
the present participle can also be used as an agent noun, so 'shaker' is also
a possible sense. The reason for the name is not apparent: there is
considerable seismic activity in the area, but it is not very noticeable.
Locative Byname:
Skjálgdalsá, Eyfj. (river)
It is likely
that Skjálgr, genitive Skjálgs, is an old river-name;
Skjálgsdalr, genitive Skjálgsdals, would then be
'Skjálg’s valley', from OIc. dalr 'a valley, a dale'.
The last element is OIc. á 'a river', and Skjálgdalsá would
then be a later name for the hypothetical Skjálgr. As an adjective
skjálgr is 'crooked, lopsided, oblique; cross-eyed'; as a river-name
it would have meant something like 'the one that twists and turns' (cf.
Rangá).
Locative Byname:
Skjo˛ldólfsnes, S.-Múl. (ness)
From the masculine name Skjo˛ldólfr, genitive Skjo˛ldólfs, and OIc. nes 'a ness, a headland':
'Skjo˛ldólf’s
ness'.
Locative Byname:
Skjo˛ldólfsstaðir, N.-Múl. (farm)
From the masculine name Skjo˛ldólfr, genitive Skjo˛ldólfs, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a stead',
here in the plural staðir: 'Skjo˛ldólf’s stead(s)'.
Locative Byname: á Skjo˛ldólfssto˛ðum
Skógahverfi, Skaft. (region)
From OIc. skógr 'a wood, a forest', genitive plural
skóga, and hverfi 'a cluster of farms': 'cluster of farms by
the woods'. The modern name is Síða.
Locative Byname: í Skógahverfi
Skógar inir eystri, Rang. (farm)
–– Barð. (farm)
Skógar is the plural of OIc. skógr 'a wood,
a forest'; inir eystri is 'the (more) eastern', making it 'the eastern
woods'. Note in connection with the bynames that inum eystrum is
usually omitted even when the reference is to the one in Rang.
Locative Byname: í Skógum (inum eystrum)
Skógarstro˛nd, Snæf. (district)
'Wood’s strand', from OIc. skógr 'a wood, a
forest', genitive skógar, and stro˛nd 'strand, coast, shore'.
Locative Byname:
Skorradalr, Borg. (valley)
'Skorri’s valley', from the masculine name
Skorri, genitive Skorra, and OIc. dalr 'a valley,
a dale'. Landnámabók associates the place with one of two Irish
thralls of Ketill gufa Ørlygs son named Skorri; the name
was rare and was probably originally a byname meaning 'loud, noisy; quarrelsome'.
Locative Byname: í Skorradal, earlier í Skorradali
Skorraey, Mýr. (island)
'Skorri’s island', from the masculine name
Skorri, genitive Skorra, and OIc. ey 'an island'.
Landnámabók associates the place with one of two Irish thralls of
Ketill gufa Ørlygs son named Skorri; the name was rare and
was probably originally a byname meaning 'loud, noisy; quarrelsome'.
Locative Byname: í Skorraey(ju)
Skorraholt, Borg. (farm)
'Skorri’s wood', from the masculine name
Skorri, genitive Skorra, and OIc. holt 'a wood, a
copse; a rough, stony hill or ridge'. Landnámabók associates the
place with one of two Irish thralls of Ketill gufa Ørlygs son named
Skorri; the name was rare and was probably originally a byname meaning
'loud, noisy; quarrelsome'.
Locative Byname: í Skorraholti
Skorravík, Dal. (farm)
Apparently 'Skorri’s inlet', from the rare
masculine name Skorri, genitive Skorra, and OIc. vík
'an inlet, a small bay'.
Locative Byname: í Skorravík
Skotland
Scotland.
Locative Byname:
Skrámuhlaupsá: see Skraumuhlaupsá.
Skrattafell, Þing. (farm)
From OIc. skratti 'a wizard, a warlock; a goblin, a
monster' and fell 'an isolated hill': 'goblin’s hill' or
'wizard’s hill', probably the former.
Locative Byname: undir Skrattafelli
Skraumuhlaupsá, Dal. (river)
The river is now simply the Skrauma. According to a
folk tale of unknown age, a troll woman named Skrauma (genitive
Skraumu) once leaped over the river; both the leap and the place
where it supposedly occurred would be Skraumuhlaup 'Skrauma’s
leap', from OIc. hlaup 'a leap', genitive hlaups, and
the place-name would be interpreted as 'Skrauma’s leap’s
river', from á 'a river'. It seems likely that the name predates
the story. Possibly Skrauma was actually the original name, and the
river was renamed Skraumuhlaupsá after a notable flood: hlaup
can also mean a sudden rise in a river. The etymology of Skrauma
is’t clear; it may be related to Ic. skraumur and skraumi,
both 'a braggart, a boaster', for a loud, fast-flowing river.
Locative Byname:
Skriðnisenni (Skriðinsenni), Strand. (promontory)
The second element is OIc. enni 'a steep cliff, a
precipice'. The first appears both as Skriðnis- and as Skriðin;
I see no way to make grammatical sense out of the latter, but skriðnis
is the genitive of skriðnir 'crawler, creeper', which at least in Ic.
is a name for the arctic
willow, a tiny creeping willow.
Locative Byname:
Skriðudalr, S.-Múl. (valley)
From OIc. skriða 'a landslip, an avalanche', genitive
skriðu, and dalr 'a valley, a dale': 'landslip’s
valley'.
Locative Byname:
Skrúðey (Skrúðr), S.-Múl. (island)
OIc. ey is 'an island', but the rest of the name is a
bit of a puzzle. It appears to be related to skrúð 'tackle, gear;
ornament, apparel'; perhaps the second sense is involved, since at least today
the island is mostly covered with with grass, which looks a bit like a green
'coat'. The modern name is Skrúður, the modern form of Skrúðr.
Locative Byname:
Skúfslœkr, Árn. (brook)
'Skúf’s brook', from the masculine name
Skúfr, genitive Skúfs, and OIc. lœkr 'a rivulet,
a brook'.
Locative Byname:
Skuggabjo˛rg, Þing. (cliffs and rocky area)
From OIc. skuggi 'shade, shadow; a shadow; a shade,
a spectre', genitive skugga, and bjarg 'a boulder, a (large)
rock', here in the plural bjo˛rg
'precipices, especially by the sea'. It appears that the cliffs face the north
on the north coast of Iceland and would therefore normally be in shadow.
Locative Byname:
Skúlastaðir, Gullbr. (farm)
'Skúli’s stead(s)', from the masculine name
Skúli, genitive Skúla, and OIc. staðr 'a place, a
stead', here in the plural staðir.
Locative Byname: á Skulasto˛ðum
Skutilsfjörðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
From OIc. skutill 'a missile, especially a harpoon',
genitive skutils, and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord, a firth, an inlet': 'harpoon’s
fjord'. Helgi Hrólfs son is supposed to have given the fjord its
name when he found there skutil í flæðarmáli 'a harpoon at the
water’s edge'. The modern name is Skutulsfjörður.
Locative Byname:
Skörð, Þing. (farm)
The plural of OIc. skarð 'a notch; a mountain pass'.
In at least one version the farm is called Sko˛ruvík, where vík is 'an inlet, a small
bay'.
Locative Byname: í Sko˛rðum, í Sko˛ðuvík
Sko˛tufjo˛rðr, Ísafj. (fjord)
'Skate’s fjord', from OIc. skata 'a skate, a
ray (the fish)', genitive sko˛tu,
and fjo˛rðr 'a fjord,
a firth, an inlet'.
Locative Byname:
