Drunnur

Abstract

By about 1900 Dr. Jakob Jakobsen had discovered that quite a number of Celtic words, mostly Gaelic, were to be found in Shetland Norn (see Shetlandsøernes Stednavne, 1901; English edition The Place-Names of Shetland, 1936). He likewise showed that traces of this same influence may be observed in Faroese in his article «Keltisk Indflydelse paa Færoerne» (see Tingakrossur, nr. 1—2, 1902, and Jakob Jakobsen: Greinir og Ritgerðir, Tórshavn, 1957). Here he compares Far. d r u n n u r «end, tailspiece of an animal», otherwise attested in Scandinavian only in Shetl. d r o n n , with Gael. d r o n n which has the same meaning. Now the Faroese use the d r u n n u r (of sheep or cattle) at weddings to recite impromtu verses over and Dr. Jakobsen conjectured that this custom was introduced to the Faroes from the south, though nothing was remembered about the custom in Shetland. The present article refers in detail to the Faroese custom both now and formerly and adduces the fact that in the Scots Gaelic area verses were composed over the d r o n n of sheep or cattle, according to Dwelly this was also a custom at weddings. Thus what Dr. Jakobsen advanced as a conjecture we may now regard as certainty. Finally mention is made of Icel. d r u n n u r in the meaning «hind part of an animal's back» which must surely be the same word. Formally it ressembles Mlrish d r o n d (also written d r o n n ) , though it is more likely that the Icelandic form is due to analogy vith another Iceslandic word or words with — n d —