Norse Place-Name Questionnaire for Project

[dream soul]

Hi, I'm doing a project for my Scottish Cultural Studies Course, and I wanted to do it on the Norse place-names of Caithness. I need some help with it though, and I was wondering if the lovely people on these forums would help me by filling in the following questionnaire and then posting it back to me as a comment to this thread? Thank you very much to everyone who helps me out!!! :D

Questionnaire on Norse Place-Names

I am doing a course on Scottish Cultural Studies, and for my project I am looking at the Norse place-names of Caithness. It would be a great help if you could please fill-out this questionnaire. Thank you.

1. Name: _________________________________________

2. Age:_______________

3. Do you live in Caithness? _______________________________________

4. How long have you lived in Caithness? ____________________________

5. Please give one Norse place-name: ________________________________

6. Do you know any history or lore about that place-name?
Please detail.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
7. Do you think the Norse place-names of Caithness are an
important part of Caithness’ cultural heritage? Why?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

8. Does a part of you feel Norse because of the place-names
that are Norse in Caithness? Please give details.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________


Thank you for filling out this questionnaire. Please post back to me as a comment to this thread.

[Swannie]

There are a lot of 'ster' ending names in Caithness which are Norse in origin.

If you go to Donald Omand's "Caithness Book" you should get a lot of the information you are looking for.

Good luck:lol:

[Duncansby]

Hi Dream Soul

I've answered your questionnaire and hope it helps. Are you specifically looking for peoples perceptions and attitudes rather than information about norse-placenames?

Anyway good luck with your course. It sounds really interesting.



Questionnaire on Norse Place-Names

I am doing a course on Scottish Cultural Studies, and for my project I am looking at the Norse place-names of Caithness. It would be a great help if you could please fill-out this questionnaire. Thank you.

1. Name: _________________________________________

2. Age:_31_

3. Do you live in Caithness? __Not at the moment

4. How long have you lived in Caithness? _18 years and then on and off __

5. Please give one Norse place-name: _The Swelkie_______________________________

6. Do you know any history or lore about that place-name?
Please detail.
___Whirlpool according to Viking legend caused by sea-witch grinding a salt mill at the bottom of the sea to make the sea salty.

7. Do you think the Norse place-names of Caithness are an
important part of Caithness’ cultural heritage? Why?
__Yes - they can tell us what existed at a site eg. -ster = farm; they contribute towards the areas identity; show how we are different to other areas (and similar to others)_

8. Does a part of you feel Norse because of the place-names
that are Norse in Caithness? Please give details.
__No. I think of the placenames as Caithness place names, not as Norse placenames. Although I do recognise those of Norse origin as being such. I don't think of myself as Norse, I do think of myself as a Caithnessian. I am aware of and acknowledge my Norse heritage but I equally have a Gaelic heritage but I wouldn't consider myself a Gael._____

Thank you for filling out this questionnaire. Please post back to me as a comment to this thread.

[ele16jbj]

Questionnaire on Norse Place-Names

I am doing a course on Scottish Cultural Studies, and for my project I am looking at the Norse place-names of Caithness. It would be a great help if you could please fill-out this questionnaire. Thank you.

1. Name: ____________________Eleanor_____________________

2. Age:_______20________

3. Do you live in Caithness? ______not currently _________________________________

4. How long have you lived in Caithness? _______about 9-10 years_____________________

5. Please give one Norse place-name: ________no idea!________________________

6. Do you know any history or lore about that place-name?
Please detail.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
7. Do you think the Norse place-names of Caithness are an
important part of Caithness’ cultural heritage? Why?
__________________________________________________
___I think they are an important of caithness' cultural heritage as it illustrates the county's history. _______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

8. Does a part of you feel Norse because of the place-names
that are Norse in Caithness? Please give details.
_____No, not really____________________________________________ _
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Thank you for filling out this questionnaire. Please post back to me as a comment to this thread.

[Metalattakk]

Jebus, it's like sticking pins in your eyes. :eek:

[gleeber]

Jebus, it's like sticking pins in your eyes. :eek:
I know! Me too. :lol:

Ive been away from Thurso for a few weeks now and last saturday I was going up an esculator in a shopping centre and about half way up I noticed a few young kids standing at the top and obviously talking about me. As I got to the top one of them asked me if I could take the top of his ribina drink bottle. Sure says I and struggles for few seconds to make any headway with the bottle top. I suddenly realised they were having a laugh and it was a trick bottle. But it wasnt. He assured me it was real and after a few more attempts sure enough off it came, One of the others had the same problem and I made good friends with 4 young english kids for a few minutes
Anyway, thats what this thread feels like. Its a trick being played by a Gael who doesnt understand the Caithnesian psyche, whatever that is although it's similar to the Gaelic one, and is trying to trick us with loaded questions, or its someone studying something between sociology and social psychology and its deadly serious. :confused

[rich]

I wont fill in the questiionaire because I am in the PR business which disqualifys me.
And if is doesn't it certainly should! Anyway I have been out of Caithness for ages.
However....
Have you looked at the Orkney Saga? There is a wonderful translation made by the Reverend Alexander Pope of Reay or one of his offspring - Caithness in the 18th and 19th centuries was an out-relief system for the clergy and they had to appear to be busy!
The Rev. Pope clearly took to his translation work with gusto and his footnotes are classics of wicked doings and clerical hand-wringing (by the Rev. Pope). Pope concentrates on the Orkney and Caithness sections of the Orkney Saga and his main source is an Icelandic history put together by the bard (chronicler?) Torfaeus in the 13th century. (I think that date is just about accurate!
Note that Pope has used Latin for all the names of his vikings rather than Norwegian.
The is most annoying and is clearly an attempt to distance himself from the dreadful doings he is narrrating.
Bit it's rousing great stuff and Pope pays scrupulous attention to place names.
Good luck!

[rich]

Well, here he is - Torfaeus with his history book. This looks like the copy I have. Published in Wick!

http://www.archive.org/stream/ancienthistoryo00torfgoog#page/n6/mode/1up

[David Banks]

Hi, I'm doing a project for my Scottish Cultural Studies Course, and I wanted to do it on the Norse place-names of Caithness. I need some help with it though, and I was wondering if the lovely people on these forums would help me by filling in the following questionnaire and then posting it back to me as a comment to this thread? Thank you very much to everyone who helps me out!!! :D

Questionnaire on Norse Place-Names

I am doing a course on Scottish Cultural Studies, and for my project I am looking at the Norse place-names of Caithness. It would be a great help if you could please fill-out this questionnaire. Thank you.

1. Name: ____________David Banks_____________________________

2. Age:______63_________

3. Do you live in Caithness? ______________no_________________________

4. How long have you lived in Caithness? ____________18 years________________

5. Please give one Norse place-name: ___________Thurso_____________________

6. Do you know any history or lore about that place-name?
Please detail.
___Thor's river (the _"O" means river as I recall it) ______________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
7. Do you think the Norse place-names of Caithness are an
important part of Caithness’ cultural heritage? Why?
__________Yes - see below________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________

8. Does a part of you feel Norse because of the place-names
that are Norse in Caithness? Please give details.
___The name "Magnus" is liberally used in my family tree (many generations from Canisby), so that combined with place names instilled a feeling of the significance of the Norse history in Caithness_________________________________________ ______
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________


Thank you for filling out this questionnaire. Please post back to me as a comment to this thread.


Here is reply

[weeboyagee]

1. Name: Weeboyagee
2. Age: Between 43 and 45
3. Do you live in Caithness? Yes
4. How long have you lived in Caithness? 31 years
5. Please give one Norse place-name: Thrumster
6. Do you know any history or lore about that place-name? "Thrum + buster" meaning "Homestead on the Crest" as far as I am aware, referring to the crest of the hill just above the bay - "Vik", "buster"/"boster"/"bost" all referring to a homestead/or dwelling area - hence the "bost" being a place name in many Gaelic areas and the Gaels use of it in their language - Lybster Gaelic - Liabost
7. Do you think the Norse place-names of Caithness are an important part of Caithness cultural heritage? Why? Yes, given the clear amalgam of the Caithness heritage - from Picts, Norse, Gael to the modern day inhabitant, our heritage (ALL OF IT!) is important.
8. Does a part of you feel Norse because of the place-names that are Norse in Caithness? Please give details. No, Norse names don't make me feel any more Norse than Gaelic place names or English place names make me feel any more a Gael or English. They do make me feel proud to be from Caithness though knowing that the place has such a cracking cultural heritage!

WBG :cool:

[dream soul]

thanks to all who have filled in my questionnaire so far, or left useful comments :D it is much appreciated!!! my project is due in at the end of this week, but any more replies would be welcomed :) and i hope to continue study of All of Caithness' place names afterwards. it's a fascinating subject!! :D