- Papar
The Papar (from Irish "pap", "father" or "
pope ") were, according to earlyIceland ic historical sources, a group ofIrish monks that inhabited Iceland at the time of the arrival of theNorsemen . However, no archeological proof of their existence has ever been found.The
Scandinavians began settling in Iceland in the9th Century (874 AD), but the oldest source which mentions the existence of the Papar was only about 250 years later, in the "Íslendingabók " ("Book of the Icelanders"), written between 1122 and 1133. They are also referred to in the "Landnámabók " (the Icelandic Book of Settlements) which mentions that the Norse found Irish priests in Iceland when they arrived, together with bells andcrosier s.An earlier source that could possibly refer to the Papar is the work of
Dicuil , an early9th century (825 AD) Irish monk, which discussed the wandering of "holy men" to the lands of the north. However, it is not known whether Dicuil is speaking about Iceland, as Celtic hermits also settled in other islands of the north such asOrkney (565 AD) andShetland .Several Icelandic toponyms (see
Toponymy ) have been linked to the Papar, including the island ofPapey , but no archeological evidence was found that would link the two names.Another theory is that the two sources were conflated and that
Ari Thorgilsson , the author of "Íslendingabók "also based his history on the writings of Dicuil. The traditional accounts have stated that the "papar" left when the Norse arrived, but it has been theorised that their influence may have helped Christianity spread in these areas."Papar" in the Faroes
There are also several toponyms relating to the papar in the
Faroe islands .Amongst these are Paparøkur near
Vestmanna , and Papurshílsur nearSaksun . Vestmanna itself is short for "Vestmannahøvn", meaning "harbour of the Westmen" or Irish.In
Skúvoy , a certain churchyard also has tombstones which display a possible Celtic origin, or at least influence. [Schei, Liv Kjørsvik & Moberg, Gunnie (2003) "The Faroe Islands". Birlinn.]Some suggest that
Grímur Kamban , may have been responsible for driving them out, despite being a probableNorse-Gael himself::"According to the
Faereyinga Saga ... the first settler in theFaroe Islands was a man named Grímur Kamban - "Hann bygdi fyrstr Færeyar", it may have been the land taking of Grímur and his followers that cauysed the anchorites to leave... the nickname Kamban is probably Gaelic and one interpretation is that the word refers to some physical handicap, another that it may point to his prowess as a sportsman. Probably he came as a young man to the Faroe Islands by way of Viking Ireland, and local tradition has it that he settled atFunningur inEysturoy ." [Schei, Liv Kjørsvik & Moberg, Gunnie (2003) "The Faroe Islands". Birlinn.]"Papar" in the
Northern Isles Joseph Anderson noted that:
:"The two Papeys [of Orkney] , the great and the little (anciently Papey Meiri and Papey Minni), [are] now
Papa Westray andPapa Stronsay ... Fordun in his enumeration of the islands, has a 'Papeay tertia' [third Papey] , which is not now known. There are three islands inShetland called Papey, and both in Orkney and in Shetland, there are severeal districts named Paplay or Papplay, doubtless the same as Papyli ofIceland " [Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) "Introduction to "Orkneyinga Saga". Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9]"Papar" in the Shetland Islands
The
Shetland Islands have many commemorations of the "papar" including the islands of Papa (one of theScalloway Islands , lying north west ofBurra and east ofOxna , connected toWest Head of Papa ),Papa Little andPapa Stour (Great Papa).* Papil,
West Burra "Papar" in the Orkney Islands
The
Orkneys also have many such commemorations:
*Papa Stronsay
*Papa Westray
*Holm of Papay "Papar" in the
Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides have many examples of the "papar", but with the crucial difference that the Norse language died out early in this area, and it is arguable whether
Scottish Gaelic ever died out at all. There are at least three islands originally named "Papey", now spelt "Pabbay" (Gaelic: Pabaigh) in theOuter Hebrides ofScotland :*Pabbay near Barra lying in the
Bishop's Isles
*Pabbay near Harris
*Pabbay,South Uist gbmapping|NF775195Pabay , is in the "Inner" Hebrides, nearSkye .See also
*Culdees
*Celtic Christianity
*Iro-Scottish monks
*Norse-Gaels
*Christianization of Scandinavia References
* Axel Kristinsson, [http://visindavefur.hi.is/svar.asp?id=4802 Is there any tangible proof that there were Irish monks in Iceland before the time of the Viking settlements?]
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