Re: finally made it | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

baza Aug 18, 2004 21:15:14

Replying to Kammer

But......

A quick look on the 'net tells me that the Gaelic name for the site we know as Callanish is:

na Fir Bhreign....or Fir Bhreig.....or Na Fir Bhreige.

Trying to Gaelicise a name in Scotland which is derived from Norse seems, well, as I've said, silly. Should all placenames in Scotland derived from Norse be Gaelicised and everyone use the new Gaelic name?

As for the satellite sites which have been given numbers, they do have Gaelic names. Most of us don't speak Gaelic and it's simpler for us to use the numbers.

All over the world people with different languages have different names for the same places. Should the French stop calling London 'Londres'?. Should we stop saying Vienna and call it Wien?

Kammer Aug 19, 2004 08:53:41

Replying to baza

I know of <i>Calanais, Callanish, Callanish I, Classernis, Callernish, and Tursachan Callernish</i> but I've not come across <i>Fir Bhreig</i> before. Having Googled it, it looks like this translates as 'dancing men' or 'false men' in Gaelic.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one Baza. Perhaps my point is as much about politics as it is about etymology. I see exactly what you're saying though, and I sympathise with the frustration that Burl was venting in his article for Brit Arch (I sympathise, but I don't empathise).

:-)#

K x

greywether Aug 19, 2004 09:42:28

Replying to baza

> Most of us don't speak Gaelic and it's simpler for us to use the numbers.

Part of the interest and magic for me of the sites around Callanish was knowing that the Gaelic names meant "hillock at the end of a wall" or "sheiling of the pinnacles".

So much better than using farm names or townlands of even Circle 278!

We don't speak gaelic either but we "borrowed" Moth's approach of personalising them.

Garry and Phillipa for II and III. V was an obvious Harry.

IV was less obvious but, perversely, it became known as Victor.