TheNorse–Gaels(Old Irish:Gall-Goídil;Irish:Gall-Ghaeil;Scottish Gaelic:Gall-Ghàidheil,'foreigner-Gaels') were a people of mixedGaelicandNorseancestry and culture. They emerged in theViking Age,whenVikingswhosettled in Irelandandin ScotlandbecameGaelicisedand intermarried withGaels.The Norse–Gaels dominated much of theIrish SeaandScottish Searegions from the9thto12th centuries.They founded theKingdom of the Isles(which included theHebridesand theIsle of Man), theKingdom of Dublin,theLordship of Galloway(which is named after them), and briefly (939–944 AD) ruled theKingdom of York.The most powerful Norse–Gaelic dynasty were theUí Ímairor House of Ivar.
Over time, the Norse–Gaels became ever moreGaelicisedand disappeared as a distinct group. However, they left a lasting influence, especially in the Isle of Man andOuter Hebrides,where most placenames are of Norse–Gaelic origin. SeveralScottish clanshave Norse–Gaelic roots, such asClan MacDonald,Clan Gunn,Clan MacDougallandClan MacLeod.The elite mercenary warriors known as thegallowglass(gallóglaigh) emerged from these Norse–Gaelic clans and became an important part of Irish warfare. The Vikinglongshipalso influenced the Gaelicbirlinnandlonga fada,which were used extensively until the 17th century. Norse–Gaelic surnames survive today and includeDoyle,MacIvor,MacAskill,and[Mac]Cotter.
Name
editThe meaning ofGall-Goídilis 'Foreign[er] Gaels' and although it can in theory mean any Gael of foreign origin, it was used of Gaels (i.e. Gaelic-speakers) with some kind of Norse identity.[citation needed]This term is subject to a large range of variations depending on chronological and geographical differences in theGaelic language,e.g. Gall Gaidel, Gall Gaidhel, Gall Gaidheal, Gall Gaedil, Gall Gaedhil, Gall Gaedhel, Gall Goidel, Gall Ghaedheil, etc. The modern term in Irish is Gall-Ghaeil or Gall-Ghaedheil, while the Scottish Gaelic is Gall-Ghàidheil.[1]
The Norse–Gaels often called themselves Ostmen or Austmen, meaning East-men, a name preserved in a corrupted form in theDublinarea known asOxmantownwhich comes from Austmanna-tún (homestead of the Eastmen).[citation needed]In contrast, they called Gaels Vestmenn (West-men) (seeVestmannaeyjarandVestmanna).[citation needed]
Other terms for the Norse–Gaels areNorse-Irish,Hiberno-NorseorHiberno-Scandinavianfor those in Ireland, andNorse-ScotsorScoto-Norsefor those in Scotland.
History
edit
The Norse–Gaels originated inVikingcolonies of Ireland and Scotland, the descendants of intermarriage between Norse immigrants and the Gaels. As early as the 9th century, many colonists (except theNorsewho settled inCumbria) intermarried with nativeGaelsand adopted theGaelic languageas well as many Gaelic customs. Many left their original worship ofNorse godsand converted toChristianity,and this contributed to theGaelicisation.[citation needed]
Gaelicised Scandinavians dominated the region of the Irish Sea until theNormanera of the 12th century. They founded long-lasting kingdoms, such as those ofMann,Dublin,andGalloway,[2]as well as taking control of the Norse colony atYork.
Ireland
editThe Norse are first recorded in Ireland in 795 when they sackedLambay Island.Sporadic raids then continued until 832, after which they began to build fortified settlements throughout the country. Norse raids continued throughout the 10th century, but resistance to them increased. The Norse established independent kingdoms inDublin,Waterford,Wexford,CorkandLimerick.These kingdoms did not survive the subsequent Norman invasions, but the towns continued to grow and prosper.
The term Ostmen was used between the 12th and 14th centuries by the English in Ireland to refer to Norse–Gaelic people living in Ireland. Meaning literally "the men from the east" (i.e. Scandinavia), the term came from theOld Norseword austr or east. The Ostmen were regarded as a separate group from the English and Irish and were accorded privileges and rights to which the Irish were not entitled. They lived in distinct localities; in Dublin they lived outside the city walls on the north bank of theRiver Liffeyin Ostmentown, a name which survives to this day in corrupted form asOxmantown.It was once thought that their settlement had been established by Norse–Gaels who had been forced out of Dublin by the English but this is now known not to be the case. Other groups of Ostmen lived in Limerick and Waterford. Many were merchants or lived a partly rural lifestyle, pursuing fishing, craft-working and cattle raising. Their roles in Ireland's economy made them valuable subjects and the English Crown granted them special legal protections. These eventually fell out of use as the Ostmen assimilated into the English settler community throughout the 13th and 14th centuries.[3]
Scotland
editTheLords of the Isles,whose sway lasted until the 16th century, as well as many other Gaelic rulers of Scotland and Ireland, traced their descent from Norse–Gaelic settlements in northwest Scotland, concentrated mostly in theHebrides.[4]
Clan Gunn(Scottish Gaelic: Na Guinnich) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with lands in northeastern Scotland, including Caithness, Sutherland and, arguably, the Orkney Isles. Clan Gunn is one of the oldest Scottish Clans, being descended from the Norse Jarls of Orkney and the Pictish Mormaers of Caithness.
The Hebrides are to this day known inScottish GaelicasInnse Gall,'the islands of foreigners';[5]the irony of this being that they are one of the last strongholds of Gaelic in Scotland.
The MacLachlan clan name means 'son of the Lakeland' believed to be a name for Norway. It has its Scottish clan home on eastern Loch Fyne under Strathlachlan forest. The name and variations thereof are common from this mid/southern Scottish area to Irish Donegal to the extreme west.
Iceland and the Faroes
editIt is recorded in theLandnámabókthat there werepaparorculdees(Gaelic monks) inIcelandbefore the Norse. This appears to tie in with comments ofDicuiland is given weight by recent archaeological discoveries. Thesettlement of Icelandand theFaroe Islandsby the Norse included many Norse–Gael settlers as well as slaves and servants. They were calledVestmen(Western men), and the name is retained inVestmannain the Faroes and theVestmannaeyjaroff the Icelandic mainland.[citation needed]
A number of Icelandic personal names are of Gaelic origin, includingNjáll,Brjánn,KjartanandKormákur(fromNiall,Brian,MuircheartachandCormac).[6]Patreksfjörður,an Icelandic village, was named afterSaint Patrick.A number of placenames named after the papar exist on Iceland and the Faroes.
According to some circumstantial evidence,Grímur Kamban,seen as the founder of the Norse Faroes, may have been a Norse Gael:[7]
According to the Faereyinga Saga... the first settler in the Faroe Islands was a man named Grímur Kamban –Hann bygdi fyrstr Færeyar,it may have been the land taking of Grímur and his followers that caused the anchorites to leave... the nickname Kamban is probably Gaelic and one interpretation is that the word refers to some physical handicap (the first part of the name originating in the Old Gaeliccambcrooked, as in CampbellCaimbeulCrooked-Mouth and CameronCamshronCrooked Nose), another that it may point to his prowess as a sportsman (presumably ofcamóige / camaigehurley – where the initial syllable also comes fromcamb). Probably he came as a young man to the Faroe Islands by way of Viking Ireland, and local tradition has it that he settled at Funningur in Eysturoy.
Mythology
editHeinrich Zimmer(1891) suggested that theFianna CycleofIrish mythologycame from the heritage of the Norse–Gaels.[8]He suggested the name of the heroicfiannawas an Irish rendering of Old Norsefiandr"enemies", and argued that this became "brave enemies" > "brave warriors".[8]He also noted thatFinn'sThumb of Knowledgeis similar to the Norse taleFáfnismál.[9][10]LinguistRanko Matasović,author of theEtymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic,derives the namefíannafrom reconstructedProto-Celtic*wēnā(atroop),[11]while linguist Kim McCone derives it from Proto-Celtic*wēnnā(wild ones).[12]
Modern names and words
editEven today, many surnames particularly connected with Gaeldom are of Old Norse origin, especially in the Hebrides and Isle of Man. Several Old Norse words also influenced modern Scots English and Scottish Gaelic, such asbairn(child) from the Norsebarn(a word still used in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland).[citation needed]
Surnames
edit| Gaelic | Anglicised form | "Son of-" |
|---|---|---|
| Mac Asgaill | MacAskill,McCaskill,Castell, Caistell | Áskell |
| Mac Amhlaibh (confused with native Gaelic Mac Amhlaidh, Mac Amhalghaidh) |
MacAulay,MacAuliffe,Cowley,Cawley,MacCamley, McCamley, Kewley | Óláf |
| Mac Corcadail | McCorquodale,Clan McCorquodale,Corkill,Corkhill, Corkell,McCorkindale,McCorkle, McQuorkell, McOrkil | Þorketill |
| Mac Coitir | Cotter,MacCotter,Cottier | Óttar |
| Mac DubhGhaill, Ó DubhGhaill, | Doyle, McDowell, MacDougal | Dubgall |
| Mag Fhionnain | Gannon | “the fair” (possibly in reference to someone with Norse ancestry)[13] |
| Mac Ìomhair | MacIver,Clan MacIver,MacIvor,MacGyver,McKeever,etc. | Ívar |
| Mac Raghnall | Crellin,Crennel | Rögnvald |
| Mac Shitrig[14] | MacKitrick, McKittrick | Sigtrygg |
| Mac Leòid | MacLeod | Ljótr[15] |
Forenames
edit| Gaelic | Anglicised form | Norse equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Amhlaibh (confused with native Gaelic Amhlaidh, Amhalghaidh) |
Aulay (Olaf) | Ólaf |
| Goraidh | Gorrie (Godfrey, Godfred), Orree (Isle of Man) | Godfrið |
| Ìomhar | Ivor | Ívar (Ingvar) |
| Raghnall | Ranald (Ronald, Randall, Reginald[16]) | Rögnvald |
| Somhairle | Sorley (or Samuel) | Sumarliði (Somerled) |
| Tormod | Norman | Þormóð |
| Torcuil | Torquil | Torkill, Þorketill |
See also
edit- Caill Tomair,a sacred grove near Dublin targeted byBrian Boruin the year 1000
- Scandinavian York
- Old English (Ireland)
- Clan Donald
- Earl of Orkney
- Faroe Islanders
- Gallowglasses
- Icelanders
- Kings of Dublin
- List of rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles
- Diocese of Sodor and Man
- Galley
- Lord of the Isles
- Lords of Galloway
- Papar
References
edit- ^Clare Downham.Hiberno-Norwegians and Anglo-Danes:anachronistic ethnicities and Viking-Age England.University of Aberdeen.
- ^Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2013).Wales and the Britons, 350–1064.Oxford University Press. p. 573.ISBN9780198217312.
The Gallgaedil of 12th-century Galloway appear to have been predominantly Gaelic-speakers...remained a people separate from the Scots...Their separateness seems to have been established not by language but by their links with Man, Dublin, and theInnsi Gall,the Hebrides: they were part of a Hiberno-Norse Irish-Sea world
- ^Valante, Mary (2008). Snyder, Christopher A. (ed.).Early People of Britain and Ireland: An Encyclopedia, Volume II.Greenwood Publishing. pp. 430–31.ISBN9781846450297.
- ^Bannerman, J.,The Lordship of the Isles,in Scottish Society in the Fifteenth Century, ed. J. M. Brown, 1977.
- ^Hunter, James(2000)Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.Edinburgh. Mainstream.ISBN1840183764.p. 104
- ^Scott, Brian M. (2003)."Old Norse Forms of Early Irish Names".Retrieved22 September2021.
- ^Schei, Liv Kjørsvik &Gunnie Moberg(2003)The Faroe Islands.Birlinn.
- ^abZimmer, Heinrich (1891).Keltische Beiträge III, in: Zeitschrift für deutsches Alterthum und deutsche Litteratur(in German). Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. pp. 15ff.
- ^Scowcroft (1995),p. 154
- ^Scott, Robert D. (1930),The thumb of knowledge in legends of Finn, Sigurd, and Taliesin,New York: Institute of French Studies
- ^Matasović, Ranko(2009). "wēnā".Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic.Brill Academic Publishers. p. 412.
- ^McCone, Kim (2013). "The Celts: questions of nomenclature and identity", inIreland and its Contacts.University of Lausanne.p.26
- ^"Surname Database: Gannon Last Name Origin".The Internet Surname Database.Retrieved29 April2024.
- ^McKittrick Name Meaning and HistoryRetrieved on 23 April 2008
- ^Mcleod Name Meaning and HistoryRetrieved on 23 April 2008
- ^the option favoured by early Scottish sources writing in Latin
Bibliography
edit- Downham, Clare (2009). "Hiberno-Norwegians and Anglo-Danes".Mediaeval Scandinavia.19.University of Aberdeen.ISSN0076-5864.
- Haywood, John (1995).The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings.London: Penguin.ISBN0140513280.
- McDonald, R. Andrew (1997).The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c. 1100 – c. 1336.East Linton: Tuckwell Press.ISBN1898410852.
- Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí (1995).Early Medieval Ireland, 400–1200.London: Longman.ISBN0582015669.
- Oram, Richard (2000).The Lordship of Galloway.Edinburgh: John Donald.ISBN0859765415.
- Scholes, Ron (2000).Yorkshire Dales.Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Landmark.ISBN1901522415.
External links
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Media related toNorse-Gaelsat Wikimedia Commons- Norse History of Clan Gunn of Scotland
