Amazing lecture! I recently visited Skellig Michael and it was an adventure to land there. The Vikings were truly skilled navigators and very brave. My last name (Fruland) is taken from the Kaupang area of Norway from where my ancestors emigrated to America in 1837.
Thanks again for this excellent video. And also for the app mentioned by professor Downham at 52:10, a wonderful tool/ gateway to the Viking Age in the North West. Not least for understanding the background of plenty of place names related to old Norse. Very useful to me, a Norwegian with no academic education on the subject, but interested in history and linguistics. I for instance find the name "Wallasey" interesting. According to the app (and Wikipedia + other sources I've seen) "Wallasey" means «the Welsh people's island». And I'm aware of the area's proximity to Wales. Nevertheless, could it be even «Wallasey» has it's origin in old Norse language; from a combination of «Vollr» and «ey», merged into «Vollsey»? There are basically three reasons why I think this could be right. And I'll emphasize that I'm not suggesting it's all wrong to translate «vollr» into «field», like your app suggests (e.g in the explanation to the origin of «Thingwall»), of course not, but: 1. «Vollr» can also, as I'm sure you're aware of, mean 'embankment'/ fortification. (Like for instance the long mound of soil around the stone circle at Arbor Low. Or around fortresses and castles, outside moats) 2. All the other Norse related place names on the Wirral. Likely provided by Norse settlers. Why would they leave out a rather important area such as Wallasey? 3. The landscape of Wallasey looks like a protective «vollr» (= defensive wall/ embankment) between the ocean and the River Mersey estuary + landscape around the 'poll' inside (which would apply even more in days when Wallasey actually was an island). And that's how Norse people - and others, I'm sure - tended to name places. By the shape of the landscape and/or the function of the place. Furthermore: According to The Norwegian Academy's explanation to this spesific meaning of «vollr» (FYI; the word has four given definitions, to check them out; google "voll - Det Norske Akademis ordbok søk resultater" as RUclips apparently don't like links in the comment section) the origin can be tracked even further back on the timeline, to latin «valum» via Germanic «Wall»; "...via Middle Low German wal 'dam, fortification rampart', Middle High German wal 'fortification rampart, ring wall', from Latin vallum 'fortification'" I hope this explains why I think even the name «Wallasey» likely has it's origin in old Norse language. Again, I'll emphasize that I'm no expert on this stuff. Hence I'm rather curious what those of you who are - and others - might think of it. Feel free to comment! :) Sincerely, Erland Andersen
Great lecture! Thanks for uploading this!
This was so interesting, thank you so much
Great stuff Clare. Cheers from Mercia
Excellent video. Very interesting and well presented info. Thanks. 🙏
Amazing lecture! I recently visited Skellig Michael and it was an adventure to land there. The Vikings were truly skilled navigators and very brave. My last name (Fruland) is taken from the Kaupang area of Norway from where my ancestors emigrated to America in 1837.
Are any of you going to be at the Wirral Viking Festival in May? It would be great to meet you.
Yes and the Regia Anglorum will be there too. Should be good
Talk begins at 6:39
Thanks again for this excellent video. And also for the app mentioned by professor Downham at 52:10, a wonderful tool/ gateway to the Viking Age in the North West. Not least for understanding the background of plenty of place names related to old Norse. Very useful to me, a Norwegian with no academic education on the subject, but interested in history and linguistics.
I for instance find the name "Wallasey" interesting. According to the app (and Wikipedia + other sources I've seen) "Wallasey" means «the Welsh people's island». And I'm aware of the area's proximity to Wales. Nevertheless, could it be even «Wallasey» has it's origin in old Norse language; from a combination of «Vollr» and «ey», merged into «Vollsey»?
There are basically three reasons why I think this could be right. And I'll emphasize that I'm not suggesting it's all wrong to translate «vollr» into «field», like your app suggests (e.g in the explanation to the origin of «Thingwall»), of course not, but:
1. «Vollr» can also, as I'm sure you're aware of, mean 'embankment'/ fortification. (Like for instance the long mound of soil around the stone circle at Arbor Low. Or around fortresses and castles, outside moats)
2. All the other Norse related place names on the Wirral. Likely provided by Norse settlers. Why would they leave out a rather important area such as Wallasey?
3. The landscape of Wallasey looks like a protective «vollr» (= defensive wall/ embankment) between the ocean and the River Mersey estuary + landscape around the 'poll' inside (which would apply even more in days when Wallasey actually was an island). And that's how Norse people - and others, I'm sure - tended to name places. By the shape of the landscape and/or the function of the place.
Furthermore: According to The Norwegian Academy's explanation to this spesific meaning of «vollr» (FYI; the word has four given definitions, to check them out; google "voll - Det Norske Akademis ordbok søk resultater" as RUclips apparently don't like links in the comment section) the origin can be tracked even further back on the timeline, to latin «valum» via Germanic «Wall»; "...via Middle Low German wal 'dam, fortification rampart', Middle High German wal 'fortification rampart, ring wall', from Latin vallum 'fortification'"
I hope this explains why I think even the name «Wallasey» likely has it's origin in old Norse language. Again, I'll emphasize that I'm no expert on this stuff. Hence I'm rather curious what those of you who are - and others - might think of it. Feel free to comment! :)
Sincerely,
Erland Andersen
Are there any Norse sources that list the placename as Vollsey?