|
Myrkviðr
In Germanic mythology, Myrkviðr (Old Norse "dark wood"Simek (2007:224) or "black forest"Gentry (2002:101–102)) is the name of several European forests. The direct derivatives of the name occur as a place name both in Sweden and Norway. Related forms of the name occur elsewhere in Europe, such as in the Black Forest (''Schwarzwald''), and may thus be a general term for dark and dense forests of ancient Europe. The name was anglicised by Sir Walter Scott (in '' Waverley'') and William Morris (in '' The House of the Wolfings'') and later popularized by J. R. R. Tolkien as " Mirkwood". Etymology The word ''myrkviðr'' is a compound of two words. The first element is ''myrkr'' "dark", which is cognate to, among others, the English adjectives ''mirky'' and '' murky''.Bjorvand and Lindeman (2007:770) The second element is ''viðr'' "wood, forest".Cleasby and Vigfusson (1874:703) Attestations The name is attested as a mythical local name of a forest in the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is any of several great dark forests in novels by Sir Walter Scott and William Morris in the 19th century, and by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 20th century. The critic Tom Shippey explains that the name evoked the excitement of the wildness of Europe's ancient North. At least two distinct Middle-earth forests are named Mirkwood in Tolkien's legendarium. One is in the First Age, when the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand became known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. The more famous Mirkwood was in Wilderland, east of the river Anduin. It had acquired the name Mirkwood after it fell under the evil influence of the Necromancer in his fortress of Dol Guldur; before that it had been known as Greenwood the Great. This Mirkwood features significantly in ''The Hobbit'' and in the film '' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug''. The term ''Mirkwood'' derives from the forest ''Myrkviðr'' of Norse mythology; that forest has been identified by scholars as repr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
