Names of Iceland

(Redirected from Toponymy of Iceland)

There are numerous different names for Iceland, which have over the years appeared in poetry or literature.

In Icelandic

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Many names have been used to refer to Iceland in the Icelandic language. These names include colloquial, formal, and poetic forms:

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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ Nuttall, Mark (2005-09-23). Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-78680-8.
  2. ^ 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."
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