Las Islas del Norte ( escocesas : Northren Isles ; gaélico escocés : Na h-Eileanan a Tuath ; nórdico antiguo : Norðreyjar ; Norn : Nordøjar ) son un par de archipiélagos frente a la costa norte de Escocia continental , que comprende Orkney y Shetland.. El clima es fresco y templado y está muy influenciado por los mares circundantes. Hay un total de 26 islas habitadas. Los paisajes de las fértiles islas agrícolas de Orkney contrastan con las más escarpadas islas Shetland del norte, donde la economía depende más de la pesca y de la riqueza petrolera de los mares circundantes. Pero los dos grupos de islas también tienen mucho en común. Ambos tienen una industria de energía renovable en desarrollo . Ambos tienen una historia picta y nórdica . Ambos fueron absorbidos por el Reino de Escocia en el siglo XV y siguieron siendo parte de él después de la formación del Reino de Gran Bretaña en 1707 y la formación del Reino Unido en 1801.. Y ambos jugaron un papel naval importante durante las guerras mundiales del siglo XX.
Localización | |
---|---|
Referencia de la cuadrícula del sistema operativo | HY99 |
Coordenadas | 59 ° 50'N 2 ° 00'W / 59.833 ° N 2.000 ° WCoordenadas : 59 ° 50'N 2 ° 00'W / 59.833 ° N 2.000 ° W |
Geografía Física | |
Grupo de islas | Islas Británicas |
Área | 2.464 km 2 [1] |
Administración | |
Estado soberano | Reino Unido |
País | Escocia |
Demografía | |
Población | 44,516 [2] |
Densidad de población | 18 / km 2 |
Asentamiento más grande | Kirkwall |
El turismo es importante para ambos archipiélagos y hay conexiones regulares de ferry y aire entre ellos y Escocia continental. Sus distintivas ruinas prehistóricas juegan un papel clave en su atracción para los turistas. La influencia escandinava sigue siendo fuerte, especialmente en el folclore local, y los topónimos de las islas están dominados por su herencia nórdica, aunque algunos pueden conservar elementos preceltas . Ambos grupos de islas tienen culturas locales fuertes, aunque distintas.
Geografía
La frase "Islas del Norte" generalmente se refiere a las islas principales de los archipiélagos Orkney y Shetland. La isla de Stroma , que se encuentra entre la parte continental de Escocia y las Islas Orcadas, es parte de Caithness , por lo que para los fines del gobierno local se encuentra bajo la jurisdicción del área del consejo de las Tierras Altas , en lugar de la de las Islas Orcadas. Sin embargo, es claramente una de las "islas del norte" de Escocia. [3] Fair Isle y Foula son valores atípicos de Shetland, pero normalmente se considerarían parte de Shetland y, por lo tanto, de las Islas del Norte. Del mismo modo, Sule Skerry y Sule Stack , aunque distantes del grupo principal, son parte de Orkney y, por lo tanto, técnicamente entre las Islas del Norte. Sin embargo, las otras islas pequeñas que se encuentran frente a la costa norte de Escocia se encuentran en Highland y, por lo tanto, generalmente no se consideran parte de las Islas del Norte. [4]
Orkney tiene 20 islas habitadas y Shetland tiene 16. [5] [6]
Orkney está situada a 16 kilómetros (10 millas) al norte de la costa de Escocia continental, separada de ella por las aguas del Pentland Firth . La isla más grande de Orkney, conocida como el " continente " tiene un área de 523,25 kilómetros cuadrados (202,03 millas cuadradas), lo que la convierte en la sexta isla escocesa más grande . [7] Su población total en 2001 era 19.245, y su ciudad más grande es Kirkwall . [8] Shetland se encuentra a unos 170 kilómetros (110 millas) al norte de Escocia continental. Cubre un área de 1.468 kilómetros cuadrados (567 millas cuadradas) y su costa tiene 2.702 kilómetros (1.679 millas) de largo. [9] Lerwick , la capital y asentamiento más grande, tiene una población de alrededor de 7.500 habitantes. Aproximadamente la mitad de la población total del archipiélago de 22.000 personas vive dentro de los 16 kilómetros (10 millas) de la ciudad. [10]
Geología
La roca superficial de las Orcadas es casi en su totalidad piedra arenisca roja vieja , en su mayoría de la edad del Devónico medio . [11] Como en el vecino condado continental de Caithness, esta piedra arenisca descansa sobre las rocas metamórficas de la serie Moine . Esto se puede ver en el continente de las Orcadas, donde una estrecha franja de la roca más antigua está expuesta entre Stromness e Inganess, y también en la pequeña isla de Graemsay . [12]
Las rocas volcánicas basálticas del Devónico medio se encuentran en el oeste de Hoy , en Deerness en el este del continente y en Shapinsay . Se ha propuesto una correlación entre los volcanes Hoy y las otras dos exposiciones, pero debido a las diferencias en su composición química, esto sigue siendo incierto. [13] lamprophyre diques de Late Pérmico edad se encuentran en todo Orkney. [14] Las estrías glaciales y la presencia de tiza y pedernal erráticos que se originaron en el lecho del Mar del Norte demuestran la influencia de la acción del hielo en la geomorfología de las islas. La arcilla de roca también es abundante y las morrenas cubren áreas sustanciales. [15]
La geología de Shetland es bastante diferente a la de Orkney. Es extremadamente complejo, con numerosas fallas y ejes de plegado . Las islas Shetland son el puesto avanzado del norte de la orogenia de Caledonia , y hay afloramientos de rocas metamórficas de Lewis , Dalriadan y Moine cuyas historias son similares a las de sus contrapartes en el continente escocés. También hay pequeños depósitos de arenisca roja vieja e intrusiones de granito . La característica geológica más distintiva de las Shetland es la ofiolita , la peridotita y el gabro ultrabásicos en Unst y Fetlar , que son restos del suelo oceánico de Iapetus . [16] Hay sedimentos petrolíferos en los mares circundantes, de los que depende gran parte de la economía de Shetland. [17]
La evidencia geológica muestra que, en algún momento alrededor del 6100 a. C., un tsunami causado por los toboganes de Storegga golpeó las islas del norte (así como gran parte de la costa este de Escocia) y pudo haber creado una ola de hasta 25 metros (82 pies) de altura. en las voces de Shetland, donde las poblaciones modernas son más grandes. [18]
Clima
Las Islas del Norte tienen un clima fresco y templado que es notablemente suave y estable para una latitud tan septentrional , debido a la influencia de los mares circundantes y la Corriente del Golfo . [19] En Shetland, las temperaturas máximas medias son de 5 ° C (41 ° F) en febrero y de 15 ° C (59 ° F) en agosto. Las temperaturas superiores a 21 ° C (70 ° F) son raras. [20] [21] El período sin heladas puede ser tan corto como 3 meses. [22]
La precipitación media anual es de 982 milímetros (38,7 pulgadas) en Orkney [19] y 1.168 milímetros (46,0 pulgadas) en Shetland. [21] Los vientos son una característica clave del clima. En verano, hay brisas casi constantes. En invierno, hay frecuentes vientos fuertes: Orkney tiene un promedio de 52 horas de vendavales al año. [23] El parque eólico de Burradale en Shetland, que opera con cinco turbinas Vestas V47 de 660 kW, alcanzó un récord mundial de 57,9% de capacidad en el transcurso de 2005 debido a los fuertes vientos persistentes. [24]
Las nevadas generalmente se limitan al período de noviembre a febrero y rara vez permanecen en el suelo durante más de un día. Entre abril y agosto cae menos lluvia que en otras épocas del año, pero ningún mes tiene una precipitación media inferior a 50 mm (2,0 pulgadas). [19] [20] [21] En las Shetlands hay 1082 horas de sol brillante al año, en promedio, y los días nublados son comunes. [20]
Para los turistas, una de las fascinaciones de las islas son sus veranos "sin noche". En el día más largo de las Shetland hay más de 19 horas de luz y nunca oscurece por completo. El largo crepúsculo se conoce en las Islas del Norte como la "penumbra a fuego lento". Las noches de invierno son correspondientemente largas, con menos de seis horas de luz diurna en pleno invierno . [25] [26] En esta época del año, la aurora boreal se puede ver ocasionalmente en el horizonte norte durante una actividad auroral moderada. [27]
Prehistoria
There are numerous important prehistoric remains in Orkney, especially from the Neolithic period. Four of these remains comprise the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site (designated as such in 1999). They are: Skara Brae; Maes Howe; the Stones of Stenness; and the Ring of Brodgar.[28] The Knap of Howar Neolithic farmstead on the island of Papa Westray is probably the oldest preserved house in northern Europe. This structure was inhabited for 900 years, beginning around 3700 BC, but it had evidently been built on the site of an even older settlement.[29][30][31] The Shetland Islands are also extremely rich in physical remains from prehistoric eras: They contain a total of over 5,000 archaeological sites.[32] On the island of Fetlar, there is a remarkable dividing wall, dating from the Neolithic period, that at one time extended for 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) across the island. It is known as Funzie Girt.[33][34] But it is the Iron Age that has provided the most outstanding archaeology in Shetland. Numerous brochs were erected during that period. The finest preserved example of these distinctive round towers is the Broch of Mousa.[35] In 2011, a site known as "the Crucible of Iron Age Shetland", which includes the Broch of Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof, joined the UK's "Tentative List" of World Heritage Sites.[36][37]
Historia, cultura y política
Pictish times
The culture that built the brochs is unknown, but by the late Iron Age the Northern Isles had become part of the Pictish kingdom.[38] The most common archaeological relics from that period are symbol stones. One of the best examples of these stones is on the Brough of Birsay: It depicts three warriors with spears and sword scabbards, as well as characteristic Pictish symbols.[39][40] In 1958, a trove of silver metalwork, known as the St Ninian's Isle Treasure, was discovered. The silver bowls, jewellery and other pieces it contains are believed to date from around 800 AD. According to O'Dell (1959), "The treasure is the best survival of Scottish silver metalwork from the period .... [T]he brooches show a variety of typical Pictish forms, with both animal-head and lobed geometrical forms of terminal".[41][42]
Christianity probably arrived in Orkney in the 6th century, and organised church authority emerged in the 8th century. An Ogham–inscribed artefact known as the Buckquoy spindle-whorl was found at a Pictish site on Birsay. There has been controversy about its origin and meaning, but it is now generally considered to be of Irish Christian origin.[43][44]
Norse era
The 8th century was also the time when the Vikings started invading the Scottish seaboard. They brought to the Northern Isles a new culture and a new language;[46] rendering the fate of the existing indigenous peoples uncertain. According to the Orkneyinga Saga, Vikings then made the islands the headquarters of the pirate expeditions they carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. According to some sources, in 875, the Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre ("Harald Fair Hair") annexed the Northern Isles and gifted Orkney and Shetland to Rognvald Eysteinsson as an earldom in recompense for the death of his son in battle in Scotland. (Some scholars believe this story is apocryphal and is based instead on events connected with the later voyages of Magnus III of Norway, known as Magnus Barelegs.)[47]
In 995, King Olaf I of Norway (Olav Tryggvasson) fully Christianised the islands by fiat, when he stopped in South Walls on his way from Ireland to Norway. The king summoned the jarl Sigurd the Stout and said, "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage every island with fire and steel." Unsurprisingly, Sigurd agreed, and the islands became Christian at a stroke.[45] In the early 11th century, they received their own bishop (the Bishop of Orkney).[48]
Annexation by Scotland
In the 14th century, Orkney and Shetland remained a Norwegian province, but Scottish influence was growing. Jon Haraldsson, who was murdered in Thurso in 1231, was the last of an unbroken line of Norse jarls,[49] and thereafter the earls were Scots noblemen of the houses of Angus and St. Clair.[50] In 1468 Shetland was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. As the money was never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland became permanent. In 1470 William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness ceded his title to James III and the following year the Northern Isles were directly annexed to Scotland.[51]
17th, 18th and 19th centuries
From the early 15th century on the Shetlanders had sold their goods through the Hanseatic League of German merchantmen.[52][53] This trade with the North German towns lasted until the 1707 Act of Union when high salt duties prohibited the German merchants from trading with Shetland. Shetland then went into an economic depression as the Scottish and local traders were not as skilled in trading with salted fish. However, some local merchant-lairds took up where the German merchants had left off, and fitted out their own ships to export fish from Shetland to the Continent. For the independent farmer/fishermen of Shetland this had negative consequences, as they now had to fish for these merchant-lairds.[54]
British rule came at a price for many ordinary people as well as traders. The Shetlanders' nautical skills were sought by the Royal Navy: some 3,000 served during the Napoleonic Wars from 1800 to 1815 and press gangs were rife. During this period 120 men were taken from Fetlar alone and only 20 of them returned home. By the late 19th century 90% of all Shetland was owned by just 32 people, and between 1861 and 1881 more than 8,000 Shetlanders emigrated.[55][56] With the passing of the Crofters' Act in 1886 the Liberal prime minister William Gladstone emancipated crofters from the rule of the landlords. The Act enabled those who had effectively been landowners' serfs to become owner-occupiers of their own small farms.[57]
The Orcadian experience was somewhat different. An influx of Scottish entrepreneurs helped to create a diverse and independent community that included farmers, fishermen and merchants that called themselves comunitatis Orcadie and who proved themselves increasingly able to defend their rights against their feudal overlords.[58][59] In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada. The harsh climate of Orkney and the Orcadian reputation for sobriety and their boat-handling skills made them ideal candidates for the rigours of the Canadian north.[60] During this period, burning kelp briefly became a mainstay of the islands' economy. For example, on Shapinsay over 3,048 tonnes (3,000 long tons) of burned seaweed were produced per annum to make soda ash, bringing in £20,000 to the local economy.[61] Agricultural improvements beginning in the 17th century coincided with the enclosure of the commons and in the Victorian era the emergence of large and well-managed farms using a five-shift rotation system and producing high-quality beef cattle.[62] There is little evidence of an Orcadian fishing fleet until the 19th century but it grew rapidly and 700 boats were involved by the 1840s with Stronsay and then later Stromness becoming leading centres of development.[63][Note 1] Many Orcadian seamen became involved in whaling in Arctic waters during the 19th century, although the boats were generally based elsewhere in Britain.[64]
World Wars
Orkney was the site of a naval base at Scapa Flow, which played a major role in World War I. After the Armistice in 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to Scapa Flow while a decision was to be made on its future; however, the German sailors opened the sea-cocks and scuttled all the ships. During World War I the 10th Cruiser Squadron was stationed at Swarbacks Minn in Shetland and during a single year from March 1917 more than 4,500 ships sailed from Lerwick as part of an escorted convoy system. In total, Shetland lost more than 500 men, a higher proportion than any other part of Britain, and there were waves of emigration in the 1920s and 1930s.[65][66]
One month into World War II, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German U-boat at Scapa Flow. As a result barriers were built to close most of the access channels; these had the advantage of creating causeways enabling travellers to go from island to island by road instead of being obliged to rely on ferries. The causeways were constructed by Italian prisoners of war, who also constructed the ornate Italian Chapel.[67] The Scapa Flow base was neglected after the war, eventually closing in 1957.[68]
During World War II a Norwegian naval unit nicknamed the "Shetland Bus" was established by the Special Operations Executive in the autumn of 1940 with a base first at Lunna and later in Scalloway to conduct operations around the coast of Norway. About 30 fishing vessels used by Norwegian refugees were gathered and the Shetland Bus conducted covert operations, carrying intelligence agents, refugees, instructors for the resistance, and military supplies. It made over 200 trips across the sea with Leif Larsen, the most highly decorated allied naval officer of the war, making 52 of them.[69][70]
The problem of a declining population was significant in the post-war years, although in the last decades of the 20th century there was a recovery and life in the islands focused on growing prosperity and the emergence of a relatively classless society.[68]
Tiempos modernos
Politics
Due to their history, the islands have a Norse, rather than a Gaelic flavour, and have historic links with the Faroes, Iceland, and Norway. The similarities of both geography and history are matched by some elements of the current political process. Both Orkney and Shetland are represented in the House of Commons as constituting the Orkney and Shetland constituency, which elects one Member of Parliament (MP), the current incumbent being Alistair Carmichael.[71][72][73] Both are also within the Highlands and Islands electoral region for the Scottish Parliament.
In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 65.4% of the constituency’s electors voted for Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom.[74]
However, there are also two separate constituencies that elect one Member of the Scottish Parliament each for Orkney and Shetland by the first past the post system.[75][76] Orkney and Shetland also have separate local Councils which are dominated by independents, that is they are not members of a political party.[77][78][79]
The Orkney Movement, a political party that supported devolution for Orkney from the rest of Scotland, contested the 1987 general election as the Orkney and Shetland Movement (a coalition of the Orkney movement and its equivalent for Shetland). Their candidate, John Goodlad, came 4th with 3,095 votes, 14.5% of those cast, but the experiment has not been repeated.[80]
Transport
Ferry services link Orkney and Shetland to the rest of Scotland, the main routes being Scrabster harbour, Thurso to Stromness and Aberdeen to Lerwick, both operated by NorthLink Ferries.[81][82] Inter-island ferry services are operated by Orkney Ferries and SIC Ferries, which are operated by the respective local authorities and Northlink also run a Lerwick to Kirkwall service.[82][83] The archipelago is exposed to wind and tide, and there are numerous sites of wrecked ships. Lighthouses are sited as an aid to navigation at various locations.[84]
The main airport in Orkney is at Kirkwall, operated by Highland and Islands Airports. Loganair provides services to the Scottish mainland (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness), as well as to Sumburgh Airport in Shetland. Similar services fly from Sumburgh to the Scottish mainland.[82][85]
Inter-Island flights are available from Kirkwall to several Orkney islands and from the Shetland Mainland to most of the inhabited islands including those from Tingwall Airport. There are frequent charter flights from Aberdeen to Scatsta near Sullom Voe, which are used to transport oilfield workers and this small terminal has the fifth largest number of international passengers in Scotland.[86] The scheduled air service between Westray and Papa Westray is reputedly the shortest in the world at two minutes' duration.[87]
Economics
The very different geologies of the two archipelagos have resulted in dissimilar local economies. In Shetland, the main revenue producers are agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, renewable energy, the petroleum industry (offshore crude oil and natural gas production), the creative industries and tourism.[88] Oil and gas was first landed at Sullom Voe in 1978, and it has subsequently become one of the largest oil terminals in Europe.[89] Taxes from the oil have increased public sector spending in Shetland on social welfare, art, sport, environmental measures and financial development. Three-quarters of the islands' workforce is employed in the service sector[90][91] and Shetland Islands Council alone accounted for 27.9% of output in 2003.[92][93] Fishing remains central to the islands' economy today, with the total catch being 75,767 tonnes (74,570 long tons; 83,519 short tons) in 2009, valued at over £73.2 million.[94]
By contrast, fishing has declined in Orkney since the 19th century and the impact of the oil industry has been much less significant. However, the soil of Orkney is generally very fertile and most of the land is taken up by farms, agriculture being by far the most important sector of the economy and providing employment for a quarter of the workforce.[95] More than 90% of agricultural land is used for grazing for sheep and cattle, with cereal production utilising about 4% (4,200 hectares or 10,000 acres), although woodland occupies only 134 hectares or 330 acres.[96]
Orkney and Shetland have significant wind and marine energy resources, and renewable energy has recently come into prominence. The European Marine Energy Centre is a Scottish Government-backed research facility that has installed a wave testing system at Billia Croo on the Orkney Mainland and a tidal power testing station on the island of Eday.[97] This has been described as "the first of its kind in the world set up to provide developers of wave and tidal energy devices with a purpose-built performance testing facility."[98] Billia Croo also houses an experimental underwater data center run by Microsoft.[99]
Culture
The Northern Isles have a rich folklore. For example, there are many Orcadian tales concerning trows, a form of troll that draws on the islands' Scandinavian connections.[100] Local customs in the past included marriage ceremonies at the Odin Stone that forms part of the Stones of Stenness.[101] The best known literary figures from modern Orkney are the poet Edwin Muir, the poet and novelist George Mackay Brown and the novelist Eric Linklater.[102]
Shetland has a strong tradition of local music. The Forty Fiddlers was formed in the 1950s to promote the traditional fiddle style, which is a vibrant part of local culture today.[103] Notable exponents of Shetland folk music include Aly Bain and the late Tom Anderson and Peerie Willie Johnson. Thomas Fraser was a country musician who never released a commercial recording during his life, but whose work has become popular more than 20 years after his untimely death in 1978.[104]
Language
The Norn language formerly spoken in the islands, a descendant of Old Norse, a language of the Norse people, brought in by the Vikings, became extinct in the 18th or 19th century.[105][106] The local dialects of the Scots language, collectively known as Insular Scots, are highly distinctive and retain strong Norn influences.[107]
Nombres de islas
The etymology of the island names is dominated by Norse influence. There follows a listing of the derivation of all the inhabited islands in the Northern Isles.
Shetland
The oldest version of the modern name Shetland is Hetlandensis recorded in 1190 becoming Hetland in 1431 after various intermediate transformations.[108][109] This then became Hjaltland in the 16th century.[110] As Shetland's Norn was gradually replaced by Scots Hjaltland became Ȝetland. When use of the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter z, hence Zetland, the mispronounced form used to describe the pre-1975 county council. However the earlier name is Innse Chat – the island of the cats (or the cat tribe) as referred to in early Irish literature and it is just possible that this forms part of the Norse name.[108][109] The Cat tribe also occupied parts of the northern Scottish mainland – hence the name of Caithness via the Norse Katanes ("headland of the cat"), and the Gaelic name for Sutherland, Cataibh, meaning "among the Cats".[111][112]
The location of "Thule", first mentioned by Pytheas of Massilia when he visited Britain sometime between 322 and 285 BC[113] is not known for certain. When Tacitus mentioned it in AD 98 it is clear he was referring to Shetland.[114]
Island | Derivation | Language | Meaning | Alternatives |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bressay | Breiðøy | Norse | broad island[115] | |
Bruray | Norse | east isle[116] | Norse: bruarøy – "bridge island"[116] | |
East Burra | Scots/Norse | east broch island[117] | ||
Fair Isle | Frioarøy | Norse | fair island[118] | Norse: feoerøy – "far-off isle".[118] |
Fetlar | Unknown | Pre-Celtic? | Unknown | Norse: fetill – "shoulder-straps"[119] or "fat land".[120] See also Funzie Girt. |
Foula | Fugløy | Norse | bird island[121] | |
Housay | Húsøy | Norse | house isle[116] | |
Shetland Mainland | Hetlandensis | Norse/ Gaelic | island of the cat people?[111] | Perhaps originally from Gaelic: Innse Chat – see above[111] |
Muckle Roe | Rauðey Milkla | Scots/Norse | big red island[117] | |
Papa Stour | Papøy Stóra | Celtic/Norse | big island of the priests[122] | |
Trondra | Norse | boar island[123] | Norse: "Þrondr's isle" or "Þraendir's isle". The first is a personal name, the second a tribal name from the Trondheim area.[123] | |
Unst | Unknown | Pre-Celtic? | Unknown | Norse: omstr – "corn-stack"[119] or ørn-vist – "home of the eagle"[124] |
Vaila | Valøy | Norse | falcon island[125] | Norse: "horse island", "battlefield island" or "round island"[125] |
West Burra | Scots/Norse | west broch island[117] | ||
Whalsay | Hvalsey | Norse | whale island[126] | |
Yell | Unknown | Pre-Celtic? | Unknown | Norse: í Ála – "deep furrow"[119] or Jala – "white island"[127] |
Orkney
Pytheas described Great Britain as being triangular in shape, with a northern tip called Orcas.[113] This may have referred to Dunnet Head, from which Orkney is visible.[128] Writing in the 1st century AD, the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela called the Orkney islands Orcades, as did Tacitus in AD 98[128][129] "Orc" is usually interpreted as a Pictish tribal name meaning "young pig" or "young boar".[130] The old Irish Gaelic name for the islands was Insi Orc ("island of the pigs").[131][132][Note 2] The ogham script on the Buckquoy spindle-whorl is also cited as evidence for the pre-Norse existence of Old Irish in Orkney.[134] The Pictish association with Orkney is lent weight by the Norse name for the Pentland Firth – Pettaland-fjörðr i.e "Pictland Firth.[112]
The Norse retained the earlier root but changed the meaning, providing the only definite example of an adaption of a pre-Norse place name in the Northern Isles. The islands became Orkneyar meaning "seal islands".[135] An alternative name for Orkney is recorded in 1300—Hrossey, meaning "horse isle" and this may also contain a Pictish element of ros meaning "moor" or "plain".[108]
Unlike most of the larger Orkney islands, the derivation of the name "Shapinsay" is not obvious. The final 'ay' is from the Old Norse for island, but the first two syllables are more difficult to interpret. Haswell-Smith (2004) suggests the root may be hjalpandis-øy (helpful island) due to the presence of a good harbour, although anchorages are plentiful in the archipelago.[136] The first written record dates from 1375 in a reference to Scalpandisay, which may suggest a derivation from "judge's island". Another suggestion is "Hyalpandi's island", although no one of that name is known to have been associated with Shapinsay.[137]
Island | Derivation | Language | Meaning | Alternatives |
---|---|---|---|---|
Auskerry | Østr sker | Norse | east skerry[138] | |
Burray | Borgrøy | Norse | broch island[139] | |
Eday | Eidøy | Norse | isthmus island[140] | |
Egilsay | Égillsey | Norse or Gaelic | Egil's island[141] | Possibly from Gaelic eaglais – church island[142] |
Flotta | Flottøy | Norse | flat, grassy isle[143] | |
Gairsay | Gáreksøy | Norse | Gárekr's isle[144] | |
Graemsay | Grims-øy | Norse | Grim's island[145] | |
Holm of Grimbister | Norse | Small and rounded islet of Grim's farm | ||
Hoy | Háøy | Norse | high island[146] | |
Inner Holm | English/Norse | inner rounded islet | ||
North Ronaldsay | Rinansøy | Norse | Uncertain – possibly "Ringa's isle"[147] | |
Orkney Mainland | Orcades | Various | isle(s) of the young pig[130] | See above |
Papa Stronsay | Papey Minni | Norse | priest isle of Stronsay[148] | The Norse name is literally "little priest isle"[148] |
Papa Westray | Papey Meiri | Norse | priest isle of Westray[149] | The Norse name is literally "big priest isle"[149] |
Rousay | Hrólfsøy | Norse | Hrólfs island[150] | |
Sanday | Sandøy | Norse | sand island[151] | |
Shapinsay | Unknown | Possibly "helpful island"[136] | See above | |
South Ronaldsay | Rognvaldsey | Norse | Rognvald's island[139] | |
South Walls | Sooth Was | Scots/Norse | "southern voes" | "Voe" means fjord. Possibly "south bays". |
Stronsay | Possibly Strjónsøy | Norse | good fishing and farming island[152] | |
Westray | Vestrøy | Norse | western island[153] | |
Wyre | Vigr | Norse | spear-like island[154] |
Uninhabited islands
Stroma, from the Norse Straumøy[155] means "current island"[156] or "island in the tidal stream",[155] a reference to the strong currents in the Pentland Firth. The Norse often gave animal names to islands and these have been transferred into English in, for example, the Calf of Flotta and Horse of Copinsay. Brother Isle is an anglicisation of the Norse breiðareøy meaning "broad beach island".[157] The Norse holmr, meaning "a small islet" has become "Holm" in English and there are numerous examples of this use including Corn Holm, Thieves Holm and Little Holm. "Muckle" meaning large or big is one of few Scots words in the island names of the Nordreyar and appears in Muckle Roe and Muckle Flugga in Shetland and Muckle Green Holm and Muckle Skerry in Orkney. Many small islets and skerries have Scots or Insular Scots names such as Da Skerries o da Rokness and Da Buddle Stane in Shetland, and Kirk Rocks in Orkney.
Ver también
- Kingdom of the Isles
Referencias
- Notes
- ^ Coull (2003) quotes the old saying that an Orcadian is a farmer with a boat, in contrast to a Shetlander, who is a fisherman with a croft.[63]
- ^ The proto-Celtic root *φorko-, can mean either pig or salmon, thus giving an alternative of "island(s) of (the) salmon".[133]
- Footnotes
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Clarence G Sinclair: Mell Head, Stroma, Pentland Firth" Archived 6 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Scotland's Places. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Northern Isles" Archived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine. MSN Encarta. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 336–403
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (2003)
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 334, 502
- ^ "Orkney Islands" Vision of Britain. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ^ Shetland Islands Council (2010) p. 4
- ^ "Visit Shetland". Visit.Shetland.org Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- ^ Marshall, J.E.A., & Hewett, A.J. "Devonian" in Evans, D., Graham C., Armour, A., & Bathurst, P. (eds) (2003) The Millennium Atlas: petroleum geology of the central and northern North Sea.
- ^ Hall, Adrian and Brown, John (September 2005) "Basement Geology". Retrieved 10 November 2008.
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- ^ Hall, Adrian and Brown, John (September 2005) "Orkney Landscapes: Permian dykes" Archived 21 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 4 October 2009.
- ^ Brown, John Flett "Geology and Landscape" in Omand (2003) p. 10.
- ^ Gillen (2003) pp. 90–91
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- ^ O'Dell, A. et al (December 1959) "The St Ninian's Isle Silver Hoard". Antiquity 33 No 132.
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- ^ Thomson (2008) p. 24-27
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- ^ Nicolson (1972) p. 44
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- ^ Thompson (2008) pp. 371–72
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 364–65
- ^ Thomson, William P. L. "Agricultural Improvement" in Omand (2003) pp. 93, 99
- ^ a b Coull, James "Fishing" in Omand (2003) pp. 144–55
- ^ Troup, James A. "Stromness" in Omand (2003) p. 238
- ^ Schei (2006) p. 16
- ^ Nicolson (1972) pp. 91, 94–95
- ^ Thomson (2008) pp. 434–36.
- ^ a b Thomson (2008) pp. 439–43.
- ^ "Shetlands-Larsen – Statue/monument" Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Kulturnett Hordaland. (Norwegian.) Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "The Shetland Bus" Archived 23 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine scotsatwar.org.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Alistair Carmichael: MP for Orkney and Shetland" alistaircarmichael.org.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "Candidates and Constituency Assessments". alba.org.uk – "The almanac of Scottish elections and politics". Retrieved 9 February 2010. Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Untouchable Orkney & Shetland Isles " (1 October 2009) www.snptacticalvoting.com Retrieved 9 February 2010. Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Scottish referendum: North east and Northern Isles vote "No"". BBC News. 19 September 2014.
- ^ "Highlands and Islands-Constituencies and members: Orkney Islands". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "Highlands and Islands-Constituencies and members: Shetland Islands". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "Social Work Inspection Agency: Performance Inspection Orkney Islands Council 2006. Chapter 2: Context." The Scottish Government. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ MacMahon, Peter and Walker, Helen (18 May 2007) "Winds of change sweep Scots town halls". Edinburgh. The Scotsman.
- ^ "Political Groups" Shetland Islands Council. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Candidates and Constituency Assessments: Orkney (Highland Region)" alba.org.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2008. Archived 15 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Corporate information: About us". Serco NorthLink Ferries. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ a b c "Travel: To Scotland: Orkney: Getting Here". Visit Scotland. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
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- ^ "Lighthouse Library" Northern Lighthouse Board. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "Sumburgh Airport" Highlands and Islands Airports. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "UK Airport Statistics: 2005 – Annual" Archived 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine Table 10: EU and Other International Terminal Passenger Comparison with Previous Year. (pdf) CAA. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ "Getting Here" Westray and Papa Westray Craft and Tourist Associations. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Economy". move.shetland.org Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ "Asset Portfolio: Sullom Voe Termonal" (pdf) BP. Retrieved 19 March 2011. Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shetland Islands Council (2010) p. 13
- ^ "Shetland's Economy". Visit.Shetland.org. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ Shetland Islands Council (2005) p. 13
- ^ "Public Sector". move.shetland.org. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
- ^ Shetland Islands Council (2010) pp. 16–17
- ^ Chalmers, Jim "Agriculture in Orkney Today" in Omand (2003) p. 127, 133 quoting the Scottish Executive Agricultural Census of 2001 and stating that 80% of the land area is farmed if rough grazing is included.
- ^ "Orkney Economic Review No. 23." (2008) Kirkwall. Orkney Islands Council.
- ^ "European Marine Energy Centre". Retrieved 3 February 2007.
- ^ "Pelamis wave energy project Information sheet" Archived 15 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. (pdf) E.ON Climate and Renewables UK Ltd. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Underwater data centre installed on the seabed off Orkney". The Orcardian. 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "The Trows". Orkneyjar. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ Muir, Tom "Customs and Traditions" in Omand (2003) p. 270
- ^ Drever, David "Orkney Literature" in Omand (2003) p. 257
- ^ "The Forty Fiddlers" Shetlopedia. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ Culshaw, Peter (18 June 2006) " The Tale of Thomas Fraser" guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Insular Scots". Scots Language Centre. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
- ^ Glanville Price, The Languages of Britain (London: Edward Arnold 1984, ISBN 978-0-7131-6452-7), p. 203
- ^ McColl Millar. 2007. Northern and Insular Scots. Edinburgh: University Press Ltd. p.5
- ^ a b c Gammeltoft (2010) p. 21
- ^ a b Sandnes (2010) p. 9
- ^ Gammeltoft (2010) p. 22
- ^ a b c Gammeltoft (2010) p. 9
- ^ a b Watson (1994) p. 30
- ^ a b Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11–13
- ^ Watson (1994) p. 7
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 425
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- ^ a b c Gammeltoft (2010) pp. 19–20
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 471
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 419
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 449
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 434
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 481
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 430
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 452
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 467
- ^ a b "Early Historical References to Orkney" Orkneyjar.com. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ Tacitus (c. 98) Agricola. Chapter 10. "ac simul incognitas ad id tempus insulas, quas Orcadas vocant, invenit domuitque".
- ^ a b Waugh, Doreen J. "Orkney Place-names" in Omand (2003) p. 116
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
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- ^ "Proto-Celtic – English Word List" (pdf) (12 June 2002) University of Wales. p. 101
- ^ Forsyth, Katherine (1995). "The ogham-inscribed spindle-whorl from Buckquoy: evidence for the Irish language in pre-Viking Orkney?". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. ARCHway. 125: 677–96. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
- ^ Gammeltoft (2010) pp. 8–9
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 364
- ^ "Orkney Placenames" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 363
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 354
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 386
- ^ Gammeltoft (2010) p. 16
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 379
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 341
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 367
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- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 343
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 400
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 376
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 397
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 383
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 392
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 370
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 394
- ^ Gammeltoft (2010) p. 18
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 336
- ^ Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 109
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 465
- General references
- Armit, Ian (2006) Scotland's Hidden History. Stroud. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3764-X
- Ballin Smith, B. and Banks, I. (eds) (2002) In the Shadow of the Brochs, the Iron Age in Scotland. Stroud. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-2517-X
- Clarkson, Tim (2008) The Picts: A History. Stroud. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-4392-8
- Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- Gammeltoft, Peder (2010) "Shetland and Orkney Island-Names – A Dynamic Group". Northern Lights, Northern Words. Selected Papers from the FRLSU Conference, Kirkwall 2009, edited by Robert McColl Millar.
- General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- Gillen, Con (2003) Geology and landscapes of Scotland. Harpenden. Terra Publishing. ISBN 1-903544-09-2
- Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-255082-2
- Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- Omand, Donald (ed.) (2003) The Orkney Book. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-254-9
- Nicolson, James R. (1972) Shetland. Newton Abbott. David & Charles.
- Sandnes, Berit (2003) From Starafjall to Starling Hill: An investigation of the formation and development of Old Norse place-names in Orkney. (pdf) Doctoral Dissertation, NTU Trondheim.
- Sandnes, Berit (2010) "Linguistic patterns in the place-names of Norway and the Northern Isles" Northern Lights, Northern Words. Selected Papers from the FRLSU Conference, Kirkwall 2009, edited by Robert McColl Millar.
- Schei, Liv Kjørsvik (2006) The Shetland Isles. Grantown-on-Spey. Colin Baxter Photography. ISBN 978-1-84107-330-9
- Shetland Islands Council (2010) "Shetland in Statistics 2010" (pdf) Economic Development Unit. Lerwick. Retrieved 6 March 2011
- Thomson, William P. L. (2008) The New History of Orkney Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 978-1-84158-696-0
- Turner, Val (1998) Ancient Shetland. London. B. T. Batsford/Historic Scotland. ISBN 0-7134-8000-9
- Wickham-Jones, Caroline (2007) Orkney: A Historical Guide. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-596-3
- Watson, W. J. (1994) The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1-84158-323-5. First published 1926.