Runavík, Heiðarnar, Saltangará og onnur bygdarnøvn har á leið / Runavík, Heiðarnar, Saltangará and other village names in the vicinity

Abstract

Úrtak Í greinini viðger høvundurin nøvnini á teim­­um gomlu bygdunum Glyvrum, Toft­um og Nesi og á teimum ungu bygdunum Heiðunum/ Saltangará, Runavík, Saltnesi, Rituvík og Æðu­vík, sum allar eru í einum øki eystan fyri Skálafjørðin í Eysturoynni. Sam­bandið millum gamlar markatals­bygd­ir og yngri niðursetu­bygd­ir í økinum verð­ur lýst. Serligur dentur verður lagdur á at útgreina hvørji landafrøðilig økir nøvnini Runavík, Heiðarnar og Saltang­ará vísa til, og at tolka hesi nøvn. Forliðið í Runa­vík verður tolkað sum annaðhvørt runi k. ‘gøltur’ ella run kv. ‘áarløkur’. Viðvíkjandi navn­inum Saltangará, sum í hvussu er síðan miðskeiðis í 19. øld vanliga hevur verið fatað sum eitt áarnavn og síðan eisini er blivið bygdarnavn, tekur høvundurin undir við Gösta Holm (1992) sum tolkar tað sum eitt upp­runaligt økisnavn, *Salt­handara ‘øki handan fyri Saltnes’. Tað hev­ur verið navn á einum øki í haganum á Toftum, men gjørdist mitt í 19. øld navn á nýggj­ari búseting í haganum hjá Glyvrum, eisini nevnd Glyvraheiðar ella Heið­arnar ‘torv­heiðar hjá Glyvrum’. Navnið Salt­ang­ará er sostatt flutt av Toftum til Glyvrar.

Abstract In this article the author discusses the names of the ancient villages Glyvrar, Toftir and Nes, as well as those of the more recent arrivals Heiðarnar/Saltangará, Runa­vik, Saltnes, Rituvík and Æðuvík, all of which are located in an area east of Skálafjørður on the island of Eysturoy. The relationship between the old-established villages and the newer deve­lop­ments is described. Particular emphasis is placed on determining the geographical areas referred to by the names Runavík, Heiðarnar and Saltangará, and on explaining these names. The first element in Runavík is taken to be either runi m. ‘hog’ or run f. ‘small stream’. As far as Saltangará is concerned, which since the middle of the nineteenth century at least has generally been seen as the name of a stream – and subsequently also used of the new village – the author supports the suggestion of Gösta Holm (1992) that it was originally applied to a whole area: *Salthandara ‘the area beyond Saltnes’. It was once the name of part of the Toftir outfield, but in the middle of the nineteenth century became used of a new settlement in the Glyvrar outfield, also known as Glyvraheiðar or Heiðarnar ‘the Glyvrar peat bogs’. The name Saltangará has thus moved from Toftir to Glyvrar.