Papar - Papar in The Northern Isles

Papar in The Northern Isles

The 16th century Historia Norwegiæ speculatively identifies the native Picts and Papar that the invading Norse forces discovered when they invaded Orkney in the early ninth century.

Originally those islands were inhabited by Pents and Papes. Of these races, the Pents, only a little taller than pygmies, accomplished miraculous achievements by building towns morning and evenings, but at midday every ounce of strength deserted them and they hid for fear in underground chambers. The Papes were so called on account of the vestments in which they clothed themselves like priests, and for this reason all priests are known as papen in the German tongue. However, as the appearance and letterforms of the books that they left behind them testify, they were from Africa and clove to the Jewish faith.

Joseph Anderson noted that:

The two Papeys, the great and the little (anciently Papey Meiri and Papey Minni), now Papa Westray and Papa Stronsay... Fordun in his enumeration of the islands, has a 'Papeay tertia', which is not now known. There are three islands in Shetland called Papey, and both in Orkney and in Shetland, there are several districts named Paplay or Papplay, doubtless the same as Papyli of Iceland

The Orcadian Papeay tertia might conceivably be Holm of Papa, which lies off Papa Westray.