THE FAEROE LANGUAGE. 



By J. DYNELEY PRINCE. 



{Read April 20, 1922.) 



The Faeroe Islands (Sheep Islands), consisting of some twenty- 

 one isles, situated nearly half way between Iceland and the Shetlands 

 at the intersection of 7° E. and 62° N., have an area of approxi- 

 mately 511 square miles and a population of over 18,000. The in- 

 habitants are all of Norwegian descent, their settlement dating from 

 about the beginning of the ninth century, when the first emigrant 

 from Norway, Grim Kamban, came to the Faeroes to escape the 

 exactions of the militant Norwegian king, Harald Haarfager. Ac- 

 cording to tradition, there was a colony of Irish and Scottish monks, 

 probably Culdees,^ on Suderoy,- when the first Norsemen arrived. 

 These ascetics were driven out almost immediately and the settlement 

 became exclusively Scandinavian. The islands were transferred from 

 Norway to Denmark in 1386 and Denmark's possession was con- 

 firmed by the Peace of Kiel in 181 5. The Faeroes are now reckoned 

 as an integral part of Denmark, rating as an Amt (governmental dis- 

 trict), with, however, a local parliament (Lagting) consisting of an 

 Amtmand (district governor) and nineteen other members. This 

 body elects one representative to the Upper House (Landting) of the 

 Danish Parliament (Rigsdag), while the Faeroe electors choose by 

 direct vote one representative to the Danish Lower House (Folke- 

 ting). The capital town of the Faeroes is Thorshavn. 



Of late, there has arisen upon the Faeroes a very energetic lin- 

 guistic movement aiming to elevate the local idiom to the rank of a 



^ The Irish name is Cele De " Comrade of God " and seems to have been 

 used to indicate early Gaelic anchorites whose chief establishments were in 

 Scotland during the 12th century. They were undoubtedly in Iceland before 

 the early Norse occupation there in 1000 A.D., whence they fled, leaving no 

 trace save a few place-names (cf. W. Reeves, The Culdees of the British Is- 

 lands (Dublin. 1864) ; W. F. Skene, Celtic Scotland (1876-1880), Vol. II.; W. 

 Beveridge, Makers of the Scottish Church, 1908. See also J. Jamieson, His- 

 torical Account of the Ancient Culdees, 1811). 



- The southern island of the Faeroe group. 



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