The origin of the 'Maeshowe' placename

For years, scholars have puzzled over the placename element maes - found not only in Maeshowe, but also attached to a number of sites across Orkney.

The situation is complicated by the existence of the Norse word melr meaning sand. But although this could apply to the shoreside maes- placenames, it doesn't make any sense in relation to Maeshowe.

So for years the Maeshowe placename was generally consigned to the "unknown" bin.

The first plausible suggestion came from Orcadian author Gregor Lamb*, who suggested that "Maeshowe" was simply a corruption of "Tormis' Howe" - the burial mound of someone called Tormis.

Lamb's idea fitted perfectly, given the close proximity of Tormiston - Tormis' tun - to Maeshowe, and the possessive nomenclature of the other mounds in the area.

But what of the other maes- placenames?

The Great Howe

Could the element simply be descriptive?

The Old Norse mestr, is the superlative of mikil, which would mean biggest or greatest. So mest(r) haug(r) would therefore mean the biggest or greatest howe**.

The Maidens' Mound?

But there remains another intriguing possibility.

I stumbled upon a more obvious explanation in a 19th century account of a voyage through Orkney. The book matter-of-factly refers to Maeshowe as the "Maiden's Howe" - a term I had never seen connected to the cairn before.

But it seems that, at one time, the name must have been common enough for this visitor to document it. So what of this maiden?

The Icelandic*** for maiden, or virgin, is maer, the possessive form of which is meyjar.

So, taking the term "maiden's mound", the Old Norse would have been meyjarhaugr, which could have eventually corruption into Maeshowe.

The maiden connection

If Maeshowe does mean the "the Maiden's Mound", who were the maidens in question?

There were no remains found within the chamber when it was excavated and no surviving stories link a maiden or virgin to the Neolithic cairn. There is, however, one rather salacious possibility.

Vague traditions remain of Maeshowe being a "trysting-place" for the young men and women of the parish. This seems to be confirmed by a selection of the runes carved within the chamber.

Aside from the obvious one:

"Þorný f****d. Helgi carved."

We have:

"Ingibjorg, the fair widow, many a woman has gone stooping in here. A great show-off. Erlingr."

Although the English translation of the runes already has a hint of innuendo, the original Norse text is apparently even worse, with distinct sexual undertones.

The Old Norse scholar, Michael Barnes****, has highlighted the "sexually-laden" terms used for the statement. The carving, he says, implies by its use that "visits" to Maeshowe were a regular feature of 12th century Orkney life.

Although the rune-carvers were still referring to the chamber as Orkahowe, it remains a possibility that these trysting visits gradually led to the chamber being known as Maiden's Mound.

Ashes by moonlight

Another intriguing tradition exists that hints at the mound's importance to the young ladies of yesteryear. Little is known about this, save one short sentence recorded by historian and folklorist Ernest Marwick.

".....at one time every young girl within a mile of Maeshowe had to take a kaesy (basket) of ashes to the top of the mound each full moon, empty it there and urinate on the ashes."

The purpose of this monthly ritual is not known, but given that both ashes and urine are known to have been used for divination, I suspect the monthly Maeshowe visits were perhaps another form of peering into the future.

* - Testimony of the Orkneyingar, Gregor Lamb.
** - Personal communication, Duncan Kennedy
*** - Personal communication, Sigurjón Halldórsson.
**** - The Runic Inscriptions of Maeshowe, Orkney. Michael Barnes