Korkadalur
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Abstract
On a purely formal basis the name of the valley of Korkadalur on the Faroese island of Mykines can easily be interpreted as deriving from the Faroese word korki m., which in its turn comes from the Gaelic corcur (from Latin purpura). Korki (cf. Norwegian korke) is the name for the lichen used to produce a reddish colour in dying wool. This lichen grows on almost all boulders in the Faroe Islands, and is found in close proximity to all Faroese houses. It is therefore inconceivable that the residents of Mykines should have fetched their korki for dying wool from such an outlying place as Korkadalur. It is suggested here that the first component of the place name derives from another word korki m. which is common to the Celtic languages. This Celtic word, Scottish Gaelic corc, Irish coirce, Cornish ceirch, Breton kerc'h, means »oats« (Avena). Korki meaning »oars« is not otherwise known in the Faroe Islands, but it can have existed at one time, as it is found in a list of poetical names in Snorre's Edda (MS. from c. 1400), while on an 18th century manuscript from the Shetland island of Foula we find the expression Corca coust, which is interpreted as meaning »oat bread«.
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