The Devil's in the Detail: Diabolical Names in the Icelandic Place-Name Record

Abstract

In this article, Icelandic place­names associated with the Devil or demons are sur­veyed and discussed. 20th­century place­name records (örnefnalýsingar) that are now searchable and accessible online via nafnið.is comprise the primary source materials. Ultimately, the article seeks to show how minor names or microtoponyms can illus­trate ways in which the everyday landscape of Icelanders in past times was marked or inflected informally by religious beliefs or ideas associated with the Devil, or evil spirits of one or another kind, at local, regional and national levels.