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 , ''fem.''—island, that is to say Iceland
*: Stephan G. Stephansson
*:: ''Fjarst í eilífðar útsæ''
*:: ''vakir eylendan þín.
*::: Far in the eternal yonder sea
*::: your island wakes.
* Fjalladrottning , ''fem.''—queen of the mountain or Iceland
* Fjallkonan , ''fem.'' with definite article— lady of the mountain, a figure representing Iceland
* Frón , ''neu.''— old Norse word for land, Iceland
*: ''Heima á Fróni.''
* Garðarshólmi , ''masc.''—Iceland, named after Gardar Svavarsson
* Hrímey , ''fem.''
* Hrímgrund , ''fem.''
* Hrímland , ''neu.''—(the book '' Crymogaea'' occasionally uses “Hrímland”)
* Ísafold , ''neu.''
* Ísaland , ''neu.''
*: ''...og flykkjast heim að fögru landi Ísa.''
* Ísland - Iceland's official and most common name
* Jökulmær , ''fem.''—Young woman of the glacier, Iceland
* Klakinn , ''masc''—literally ''the iceberg'' or ''the ice cover''
* Norðurey , ''fem.''— literally meaning "northern island", used in jest in the Westman Islands since Iceland is north of them
* Skerið , ''neu''-literally ''the skerry''
* Snjóland , ''neu.''—Snowland
* Snæland , ''neu.''—the name that the Viking Naddoddr reputedly gave to Iceland in the 9th century meaning "snow land"
* Thule, ''neu.''—some scholars claim Iceland was the land of ThuleStrabo, ''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, hich isthe most northern of the lands around Britain, around which the "summer turning circle" the line of celestial latitude where the sun turns at midsummeris 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 : " hulewhich Pytheas says is a six days’ sail north of Britain, and is near the frozen sea."
* Týli , ''neu.''—Thule
* Þyli , ''neu.''—Thule

Icelanders also have several nicknames for themselves, including ''Frónbúi'' or ''Frónverji'' ("an inhabitant of Frón") and ''Landi'' ("fellow countryman").

In Latin

Iceland has prominently been called by three names in Latin:
* ''Islandia''—directly from Icelandic language "Ísland"
* ''Snelandia''—a Latinization of the more poetic name ''Snæland''
* ''Insula Gardari''—literally meaning "Island of Garðar", compare ''Garðarshólmi''

In Norwegian

* ''Sagaøya''—"Saga Island"

Other foreign languages

*Arabic: ; ''Ayslanda''
* Chinese: ; ; ''Bīngdǎo'',
* Danish, Norwegian, Swedish:
*Dutch:
*English:
*French:
*Finnish:
*German:
* Greenlandic:
*Irish:
*Portuguese:
* Russian: ; ''Islandiya''
*Scottish Gaelic: ,
*Spanish:
*Sanskrit:
* Turkish:

References

External links

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

{{Countries and languages lists

Iceland
Iceland
Icelandic culture