The average hiking speed is 2 km per hour. This tour will take about 1 hour.

Hórisgøta
Hórisgøta is the old name of a path between Oyrareingir and slættan up at Skeiðsá. From Oyrareingjum and to the top is a tough distance to walk. The stretch is estimated to be 1.5 km. The actual path begins, at about 10 meters height where the road splits between Signabø and Húsini on the Oyrareingjum, and at Skeiðsá we are at an altitude of about 350 meters height. This is equivalent to an incline of 23 meters for every 100 meters forward. A bit further up on the incline the path goes around “Hórisgøtuá” river, which goes underneath the main road, at about 300 meters west of the entrance to the tunnel. From on top, the path goes around “Langareyn” and across “Skeiðsá” river. Here, there are 3 great noticeable stones known as “Ívarssteinar”. This is the spot where the path meets another path, which comes from “Hundsarabotni” and the villages from the west.  How far south the name of “Hórisgøta” path can be used in regards to this path in general is difficult to say. However, where the “Skeiðsá” rive turns to south and runs through “Mannafelsdal” valley and down to “Kaldbaksbotn”, its name changes to “Fjarðará” river.
      In this area there are many local names, which perhaps indicates that there could be an interesting story behind as to how they came to be. It is not possible to definitive prove anything but when many different indications point to the same explanation then it can be said that it is the most plausible explanation.

Skeiðsá
The river changes from ”Skeiðsá” river to “Fjarðará” river up on the plateau. The name: “Skeiðsá” primary connotates the meaning of “a stretch of distance” or “a stretch of time” in the Faroese language. However, it also means to divide or split as in the English language such as: ”Water-shed” or in German: ”scheiden”. And what does this landmark actually divide? It appears, it is a very old way to divide and count fields of land, which were counted up, at the north and the south, so they were nearly evenly distributed.     

Hundsarabotnur
Travelers tale tell a tale about men, who went up onto “Skælingsfjall” mountain. They mentioned “Hundselebund”. Spelled wrong with –l- for –r-. Not just once but three times. If we entertain the idea that these are not spelling mistakes but instead it was the way they pronounced it, at the time, then what does “Hundsel” or something similar actually mean? Phonetic language sound changes from “l” to “r” are not unusual. “Husl” or ”hunsl” can connotate the meaning of ”altar” or ”holy site”. In any case, “Hunsl” is the original old word, which later emerged again in newer versions: Hundsarabotnur, Hundsenni and Hundsá.

Stallur
Another old word for “altar” is “stallr”. The Faroese word ”stallur” means a hill protruding out of a cliffside or a small pad. However, neither fits to the name of a mountain. “Óðin” was also called “Vinur Stalla”. A long story short, “Stallur” could have been a holy site. In this context, it could be related to the Greek word of “stele”, which connotates the meaning of remembrance or gravestone.

Hórisgøta
This is one of the few paths, which has a special name, and is not named after a village. It most likely came from Þorisgøta where Þ- became an H-. Winther[2] has a unique explanation: Hórisgøta came from Hof-ryggs-gøta path or the path around the ridge where a house of spiritual significance or a holy site was located.
      In the so called “Hundabrævinum[3]” letter, which originates from the later half of the 13 century, it is written: “…but no dogs from the south of Þórisgøtu.”. In this case, the name of the path is used more like a well-known landmark. This was, and still is, a normal way of speech in regards to talk about the south of “Hórisgøtu”.

Mannafelsdalur
The story tells a tale about a battle, which took place in this valley between men from the north (norðanmenn) and men from the south (sunnanmenn). If the story is true, then the fighting sides meet on the previously mentioned landmark straight in middle of where “Skeiðsá” river divides the landscape. Dr. Jakobsen[4] believes that this is just a folk legend, which came from outside sources. Regardless of the origin, the legend has found a home in the area at Skeiðsá river.

All this and more in the article, which is mentioned below, indicates that the local names do tell the story of how the land was divided in 2 equally large areas. In addition, it also indicates that the area was considered holy; perhaps from ancient times.

Author:
Rolf Guttesen, 18. sept. 2018

This presentation builds on an article of Fróðskaparriti, 47 bók 1999:

Rolf Guttesen: On the Oldest Territorial Division of the Faeroe Islands, s. 139-152

[1] John West (ed.): The journals of the Stanley Expedition … 1789, vil 3. Tórshavn 1976
[2]  N. Winther: Færøernes Oldtidshistorie. Tórshavn 1985
[3]  J. Jakobsen: Diplomatarium Faeroense, Tórshavn 1985
[4]  J. Jakobsen: Greinir og Ritgerðir. Tórshavbn 195