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Re: [OM] OT:aussie v greenland: island continent

Subject: Re: [OM] OT:aussie v greenland: island continent
From: RobBurn@xxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 19:50:20 EDT
In a message dated 7/11/2000 7:15:23 PM, lexjenkins@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

<< Hey, Rob, didn't you know the names were deliberate choices?  The 
residents 
of "Iceland" originally named their homeland Bjorkhutinhollarljaend (Land of 
Sirens With Strange Hair and Quavering Vocal Cords Calling Sailors to Their 
Tragic Deaths Upon the Rocks).  Fearing this name would not only fail to 
repel the Vikings, but might actually attract them knowing the Norse 
penchant for offbeat music, they decided to rename the island something 
rather unattractive.  And, as an inside joke, they also renamed the 
neighboring clot of ice, known as Fruzengladjuvchessploeyers, something more 
appealing as a distraction.  Hence Greenland.

Alas, due to an oversight in committee, they failed to mount an effective 
marketing campaign overseas and to change the names on the buoys.  So the 
Norsemen sailed straight for "Iceland", stuck a flag in the first 
Bjorkhutinhollarljaender to greet them, quaffed many ales, did some 
pillaging and promptly had all their gods and goddesses adopted by the 
Greeks and moved to Mount Olympus.  (Obligatory OM content requirement met.)

Lex "Fables To Go" Jenkins >>

Lex:

They should have turned to you for those articles in Encyclopedia Britannica. 
Whoever wrote those articles didn't know any of this stuff.   ;-)   Now we 
know -- "the rest of the story." I didn't know about the Aesir adoption 
either. Moved to Mt Olympus, did they?

Robert (humbled by the awesome "depth" of your Icelandic folklore)

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