Quoting Doug Franklin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 08:53:58 -0600, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Quoting William Robb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > > > > My understanding is that Iceland is about the most inaptly named > > > country in the world. > > > Greenland is perhaps a bit less aptly named.... > > > > Named by the same people, right? > > The way I heard it, which might be urban legend, was that Eric the Red > (IIRC) "discovered" both (from a Euro-centric POV) and named Iceland > and Greenland the opposite of what they "really were" to dissuade other > Europeans from going after Iceland.
I've heard that too, several times. Once from an Icelandic person. It may indeed be an urban legend, but if so, it's THEIR urban legend. (An "official urban legend"?) She did not tell me the name of the relevant Viking, so I can't help you there. Anyone seen or heard from our Icelandic PDMLer lately? ERNR
