Hedeby - Naming

Naming

Both in Viking times and in modern European languages, the names and spellings used for Hedeby have been varied and confusing.

• Hedeby is the accepted modern English and Danish spelling.
• Heiðabýr is derived from old Scandinavian sources and is the oldest known name. It comes from heiðr = heathland, and býr = "yard" or "clearing/village/town", thus "heath yard", or "heath town". It is mentioned by Alfred the Great as aet Haethe (at the heath).
  • Heithabyr is an English spelling of the Old Norse name.
• Heidiba is a Latin form.
• Haithabu is the modern German spelling used when referring to the historical settlement, it is also often used in this way in anglophone academic contexts. It is a revival of the Old Norse name, but whereas this language is usually rendered in its Latin spelling, curiously, in this case a transliteration of the spelling on a rune stone has been preferred. This is reflected in the name of the museum now located at the site. Another local rune stone, however, spells it "Hithabu".
• Haddeby is the modern German spelling for the administrative district around the site of the original town.
• Heddeby is also found.

Ancient names for the nearby town of Schleswig are:

• Sliesthorp in the earliest Saxon and Frankish texts.
• Sliaswich in later Saxon and Frankish texts.

It is possible that the two names were used interchangeably for the same settlement, depending on which language was being used. However, the fact that two settlements came into existence very close together creates further difficulties. While the settlement today referred to as Hedeby/Haithabu lies on the south side of the Schlei inlet, the settlement that grew up at around the same time on the north side has had a continuous history of habitation to modern times, and has now grown into the town known as Schleswig and given its name to the surrounding province.