List of elements of place names, in Icelandic This is useful if you are reading Icelandic or Norse sagas, to shed light on place names or even character names. Then, when you read that Eirik the Red named his Greenland homestead "Brattahlid", you get a mental picture of a place on a steep hill, and you can smile to yourself in a self-congratulatory way.

It could also be handy if you are making up places on the map for a Nordic fantasy world or role-playing game.


Descriptive elements		Geographic elements
(alphabetical)			(by category)
---------------------- 		-------------------
ar		oar		hús		house
blár		blue		heimili		home
bjarn		bear		holm		homestead
blom		flower		holt		homestead
bratta		steep		thorp		village
dogun		dawn				
dy'r		animal		höll		palace, hall
fridur		peace		vigi		fortress
fugl		bird		jardeign	estate
glathur		glad		hlid		gate
gledi		joy		gardur		wall, fence
grænn		green				
gras		grass		hlada		barn
grjót		rocky		baer		farm
hár		tall		gardir		fence
hestur		horse		vin, hagi	pasture
hey		hay
hrafn		raven
hreindy'r	reindeer	land		land
hross		horse		stada		place
hundur		dog		rik		realm
hvalur		whale		fold		region (valley?)
hveiti		wheat					
hvita		white		hóll		hill
kanína		rabbit		haeth		hill
kyr		cow		brekka		hill
loft		sky		bakki		riverbank
mjolk		milk		hlíd		steep hillside
morgunn		morning		fjall/fell	hill
myrkur		dark		bjarg		rock
ormr		dragon		howe		hill, gravemound
ottar		otter					
raudur		red		holur		hollow
reykjur		smoke		skogur		forest
selur		seal		vellir		plain
sig		victory		heidi		moor
skepna		sheep		slétta		plain
sky'		cloud		wegur, way	road
snjor		snow		dalur		dale, vale
sol		sun		ness		headland, peninsula
stjarna		star		hellir		cave
stór		grand				
svan		swan		sjór		sea
svartur		black		fliot		wide river, rivermouth
thing		meeting		floi		bay
thoka		fog		fjord		inlet
thorskur	codfish		hofn		harbor
tré		tree		vik, vogur	creek, cove
ulf		wolf		bryggja		pier
villtur		wild		sker		rock (in water)
vínber		berry		tjorn		lake, tarn
viska		fish		vatn		lake, water
				foss		waterfall
				straumur	stream
				strand/fjar	beach
				ferja		ferry
				sund		sound, wide bay

Notes:

  • the marks in the Icelandic words are meant to be diacritical marks, not apostrophes.
  • Pronounce "j" as sort of a cross between an i and a y.
  • If you know how to make the letter that looks like a d with a cross, msg me please! Hmm, like this? ð
  • I don't actually know anything about Icelandic, I just gleaned this from a dictionary, so be warned.