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Maeshowe
Entymology of Maeshowe - discussed with experts
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In response to requests in another forum, I will post here some bits of the email correspondence I've had with experts.

Some background - I had been looking through the index of W.J. Watson's "The History of the Celtic Placenames of Scotland" (as you do), when I noticed that the element "maes-" was defined as meaning a plain or field, derived from the early Celtic "mages-", and related to similar words in Cornish ("mes") and Breton ("meaz"). I have since learned that "maes" is also used in Welsh, described to me by a Welsh speaking friend as a "formal way" to refer to a field. I recalled that there is some confusion about the origin of the name "Maeshowe", largely because no good meaning of the "maes-" element can be found. A number of explanations have been put forward, "Maiden's Howe" etc.., and all of these sound reasonable enough to me if this site was the only one that featured the "maes-" element. But it isn't.

I think it's reasonable enough to assume that the pre-Viking inhabitants of Orkney probably spoke a varient of the "Pictish" language of almost certain Celtic origin (can anybody confirm/disprove this, by the way?). Therefore, I think it is reasonable to assume that the "maes-" element in Orkney placenames is indeed of Celtic origin, and means "field" or "plain". This would certainly fit most of the places where it is found, from a physical description of the surrounding geography. I decided to email a few experts, to see what they thought.

(continued)


Reply | with quote		Posted by Lianachan
22nd April 2005ce
09:44

8 replies:

Entymology of Maeshowe - Part II (Lianachan)
A new response. (Lianachan)
aargh (Lianachan)
Another response (Lianachan)
An excellent resource about "Pictish" (Lianachan)
Re: Pretanike-Britain, Breton, Prythain or Picti? (follow that cow)
Re: Entymology of Maeshowe - discussed with exp... (Pilgrim)
Etymology of Maeshowe: Update & Answer? (Lianachan)

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