Names of Iceland

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

In Icelandic

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]}
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

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

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

^ 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."

External links

"How did Iceland get its name?" – Iceland Review

[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."

[1]

[2]