Elblag River
Encyclopedia
The Elbląg is a 14.5 kilometres (9 mi) river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in northwest Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 connecting Lake Drużno with the Vistula Lagoon
Vistula Lagoon
The Vistula Lagoon is a fresh water lagoon on the Baltic Sea separated from Gdańsk Bay by the Vistula Spit. It is sometimes known as the Vistula Bay or Vistula Gulf. The modern German name, Frisches Haff, is derived from an earlier form, Friesisches Haff. Both this term and the earlier Polish...

. The city of Elbląg
Elblag
Elbląg is a city in northern Poland with 127,892 inhabitants . It is the capital of Elbląg County and has been assigned to the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. Before then it was the capital of Elbląg Voivodeship and a county seat in Gdańsk Voivodeship...

 is situated on the river.

Tributaries include:
  • Fiszewka
  • Kumiela
  • Tina

The oldest known mention of the river in the form Ilfing comes from the report of sailor Wulfstan from the end of IX century. The report was included in The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan which was written in Anglo-Saxon in King Alfred's reign.

Etymology

Latest research suggest Scandinavian origin of the name. According to Elbląg museum the elusive Truso
Truso
Truso, situated on Lake Druzno, was an Old Prussian town near the Baltic Sea just east of the Vistula River. It was one of the trading posts on the Amber Road, and is thought to be the antecedent of the city of Elbląg . In the words of Marija Gimbutas, "the name of the town is the earliest known...

settlement was founded and inhabited mostly by Scandinavians. The research by ArcheoHist shows that the name Ilfing was Anglo-Saxon form of a Scandinavian name, which could be reconstructed as Old-Nordic Elfeng, Elfangr or Elfing from Old-Nordic elf-r - meaning "river", and Old-Nordic eng, enge, engi meaning "meadow". Thus the meaning of the river's name would be "River flowing trough boggy meadows".
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK