Names of Iceland
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There are numerous different names for Iceland, which have over the years appeared in poetry or literature.
In Icelandic[edit]
Many names have been used to refer to Iceland in the Icelandic language. These names include colloquial, formal, and poetic forms:
- Eylenda [ˈeiːˌlɛnta], fem. – island, that is to say Iceland[citation needed]
- Stephan G. Stephansson
- Fjarst í eilífðar útsæ
- vakir eylendan þín.
- Far in the eternal yonder sea
- your island wakes.[citation needed]
- Stephan G. Stephansson
- Fjalladrottning [ˈfjatlaˌtrɔhtniŋk], fem. – queen of the mountain or Iceland[citation needed]
- Fjallkonan [ˈfjatl̥ˌkɔːnan], fem. with definite article—lady of the mountain, a figure representing Iceland[citation needed]
- Frón Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈfrouːn], neu. – old Norse word for land, Iceland[citation needed]
- Heima á Fróni.
- Garðarshólmi [ˈkarðar̥sˌhoulmɪ], masc. – Iceland, named after Gardar Svavarsson[1]
- Hrímey [ˈr̥iːmˌeiː], fem.[citation needed]
- Hrímgrund [ˈr̥imˌkrʏnt], fem.[citation needed]
- Hrímland [ˈr̥imˌlant], neu. – the book Crymogaea occasionally uses "Hrímland"[citation needed]
- Ísafold [ˈiːsaˌfɔlt], neu.
- Ísaland [ˈiːsaˌlant], neu.[citation needed]
- ...og flykkjast heim að fögru landi Ísa.
- Ísland [ˈistlant] ⓘ – Iceland's official and most common name
- Jökulmær [ˈjœːkʏlˌmaiːr̥], fem. – Young woman of the glacier, Iceland[citation needed]
- Klakinn [ˈkʰlaːcɪn], masc – literally the iceberg or the ice cover[citation needed]
- Norðurey [ˈnɔrðʏrˌeiː], fem. – literally meaning "northern island", used in jest in the Westman Islands since Iceland is north of them[citation needed]
- Skerið [ˈscɛːrɪθ], neu – literally the skerry[citation needed]
- Snjóland [ˈstnjouːˌlant], neu. – Snowland[citation needed]
- Snæland [ˈstnaiːˌlant], neu. – the name that the Viking Naddoddr reputedly gave to Iceland in the 9th century meaning "snow land"[citation needed]
- Thule, neu. – some scholars claim Iceland was the land of Thule[2]
- Týli [ˈtʰiːlɪ], neu. – Thule[citation needed]
- Þyli [ˈθɪːlɪ], neu. – Thule[citation needed]
Icelanders also have several nicknames for themselves, including Frónbúi [ˈfrounˌpuːɪ] or Frónverji [ˈfrounˌvɛrjɪ] ("an inhabitant of Frón") and Landi [ˈlantɪ] ("fellow countryman").[citation needed]
In Latin[edit]
Iceland has prominently been called by three names in Latin:[citation needed]
- Islandia – directly from Icelandic language "Ísland"
- Snelandia – a Latinization of the more poetic name Snæland
- Insula Gardari – literally meaning "Island of Garðar", compare Garðarshólmi
Other foreign languages[edit]
- Arabic: أيسلندا; Ayslanda
- Chinese: 冰岛; 冰島; Bīngdǎo, lit. 'Ice island'
- Czech: Island
- Danish, Swedish: Island
- Dutch: IJsland
- English: Iceland
- French: Islande
- Finnish: Islanti
- German: Island
- Greenlandic: Islandi
- Korean: 아이슬란드; Aiseurrandeu
- Irish: an Íoslainn
- Japanese: アイスランド; Aisurando
- Norwegian: Island, Sagaøya
- Portuguese: Islândia
- Russian: Исландия; Islandiya
- Scottish Gaelic: Innis Tile, lit. 'Island of Thule'
- Spanish: Islandia
- Sanskrit: Mihikaavani
- Turkish: İzlanda
References[edit]
- ^ Nuttall, Mark (2005-09-23). Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-78680-8.
- ^ Strabo, Geographica, book 2, chapter 5, start of paragraph 8: Ὁ μὲν οὖν Μασσαλιώτης Πυθέας τὰ περὶ Θούλην τὴν βορειοτάτην τῶν Βρεττανίδων ὕστατα λέγει, παρ' οἷς ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἀρκτικῷ ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς κύκλος· "Pytheas of Massalia therefore chooses the furthest regions around Thule, [which is] the most northern of the lands around Britain, around which the "summer turning circle" [= the line of celestial latitude where the sun turns at midsummer] is the same as the Arctic Circle.", which may refer to the sun being circumpolar at midsummer.
Strabo 1.4.2: ἥν φησι Πυθέας ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Βρεττανικῆς ἓξ ἡμερῶν πλοῦν ἀπέχειν πρὸς ἄρκτον, ἐγγὺς δ᾽ εἶναι τῆς πεπηγυίας θαλάττης : "[Thule] which Pytheas says is a six days’ sail north of Britain, and is near the frozen sea."
