The Vikings named this sea stack, the Staurr which meant, the stake. Over the passage of time, the name Staurr has become Stoer, and the sea stack is known as the Old Man of Stoer and the surrounding peninsula, the Stoer Peninsula.
Two friends, Karen Darke and Andy Kirkpatrick, recently featured on the BBC Scotland’s Outdoors Show, sea kayaking into the base of the sea stack and then climbing to the top. There is meant to a video clip of their adventure appearing on the BBC Scotland Outdoors Show webpage soon.
This is a great post,it certainly makes good point, really i appreciate this.
Hi Cailean, in Danish Stor means big…… After learning Danish I have come to realize just how much of the English language is derived from Old Norske, the language spoken in much of the viking kingdoms, and has evolved into 3 different languages in Norway, Sweden & Denmark. If you can understand one of these, the other two are faily easy to understand.
Last time I saw the old man of storr was from the other side after a hike along the Trotternish ridge in very Scottish weather…..
all the best for 2008
Mike D (the other Mike Devlin
)
Hi Mike,
So is ‘Staurr’ just a corruption of ’stor’ in your opinion? I’m intrigued now…
Cheers
Cailean
Hi Cailean,
yes I think it is just the pronunciation that makes the difference. I am far from an expert, I learnt Danish about 9 years ago after moving over here for one of those long legged, blonde viking babes, but that is another story……
The Scandinavian languages are, in many ways, very closley assosciated with Gaelic. Child in Danish is Barn, and as far as memory serves me Bairn up in your neck of the woods.
One of my all time heros is Lord Nelson, who, turned a blind eye at the battle of Copenhagen. At that battle, the city of Copenhagen along with the civilian population was fire bombed…. the first time an action against civilians - maybe. The few Danes that know the story call Nelson the first terrorist, until I remind them about the vikings who raped our goats & sheep and then sailed off with our women. Or was it the other way around ???
All the best
MikeD
Thanks Mike. Most informative!!
I still like to think of the Vikings as ‘raiders’…
Now, we need to get some things straightened out here.
The Vikings were mostly peaceful traders who just wanted to mind their own businesses. However, many of them had had difficult childhoods which often led to them being misunderstood.
As for the old man of Stoer, I don’t think it has anything to do with the danish word “stor” for “big”. The old Norse “Staurr” meant something slender and tall, like a stake or a pole. The current Danish word would be “stang”, “stange” in German.
René
The plot thickens and perhaps my original source’s translation of ‘The Stake’ was more correct.
As for Vikings, personally I still look on them as raiders however that’s just my Scottish perspective on matters