![Børvasstindene](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/B%C3%B8rvasstindene.jpg)
A fell (from
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"
[Falk and Torp (2006:161).]) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or
moor
Moor or Moors may refer to:
Nature and ecology
* Moorland, a habitat characterized by low-growing vegetation and acidic soils.
Ethnic and religious groups
* Moors, Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta during ...
-covered hill. The term is most often employed in
Fennoscandia
__NOTOC__
Fennoscandia (Finnish language, Finnish, Swedish language, Swedish and no, Fennoskandia, nocat=1; russian: Фенноскандия, Fennoskandiya) or the Fennoscandian Peninsula is the geographical peninsula in Europe, which includes ...
,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
, parts of
northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...
, and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Etymology
The English word "fell" comes from
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
''fell'' and ''fjall'' (both forms existed).
[ It is cognate with ]Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
''fjeld'', Faroese ''fjall'' and ''fjøll'', Icelandic ''fjall'' and ''fell'', Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
''fjell'' with dialects
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
''fjøll'', ''fjødd'', ''fjedd'', ''fjedl'', ''fjill'', ''fil(l)'', and ''fel'', and Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
''fjäll'', all referring to mountains rising above the alpine tree line.[Bjorvand and Lindeman (2007:270–271).]
British Isles
In northern England, especially in the Lake District
The Lake District, also known as the Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains (or ''fells''), and its associations with William Wordswor ...
and in the Pennine Dales, the word "fell" originally referred to an area of uncultivated high ground used as common grazing
In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
usually on common land
Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect Wood fuel, wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
A person ...
and above the timberline. Today, generally, "fell" refers to the mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
s and hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
s of the Lake District and the Pennine Dales.
Names that originally referred to grazing areas have been applied to these hilltops. This is the case with Seathwaite Fell
Seathwaite Fell is an area of the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It stands above the hamlet of the same name at the head of Borrowdale.
Position of the summit
The fell is very rugged with several small tops along the summit of the ri ...
, for example, which would be the common grazing land used by the farmers of Seathwaite. The fellgate marks the road from a settlement onto the fell (see photograph for example), as is the case with the Seathwaite Fell. In other cases the reverse is true; for instance, the name of Wetherlam
Wetherlam (763 m) is a mountain in the English Lake District. It is the most northerly of the Coniston Fells, the range of fells to the north-west of Coniston village; its north-east slopes descend to Little Langdale.
Topography
Wetherla ...
, in the Coniston Fells
Coniston may refer to:
Australia
* Coniston (Northern Territory), a cattle station
**Coniston massacre, 1928
*Coniston, New South Wales
** Coniston railway station, New South Wales
* Coniston, Tasmania, a town in the Derwent Valley
United Kingd ...
, though understood to refer to the mountain as a whole, strictly speaking refers to the summit; the slopes have names such as Tilberthwaite High Fell, Low Fell and Above Beck Fells.
The word "fell" is also used in the names of various breeds of livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
, bred for life on the uplands, such as Rough Fell sheep, Fell terrier
Fell terrier refers to a regional type of long-legged working terrier, not a specific breed of dog.
Description and purpose
Fell terriers are types of small working terriers developed in the Fell (hilly) country of northern England and ...
s and Fell ponies.
It is also found in many place names across the north of England, often attached to the name of a community; thus the township of Cartmel Fell.
In northern England, there is a Lord of the Fells
Lord of the Fells is a customary title of the Lords of Bowland. The title is thought to have become customary during the high medieval period as a description of the Lords' rugged upland demesne. Bowland Fells, more widely known as the Fore ...
– this ancient aristocratic title being associated with the Lords of Bowland.
Groups of cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
s are a common feature on many fells, often marking the summit – there are fine examples on Wild Boar Fell
Wild Boar Fell is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, on the eastern edge of Cumbria, England. At , it is either the 4th-highest fell in the Yorkshire Dales or the 5th, depending on whether nearby High Seat (2,326 ft) is counte ...
in Mallerstang
Mallerstang is a civil parish in the extreme east of Cumbria, and, geographically, a dale at the head of the upper Eden Valley. Originally part of Westmorland, it lies about south of the nearest town, Kirkby Stephen. Its eastern edge, at Aisg ...
Dale, Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
, and on Nine Standards Rigg just outside Kirkby Stephen
Kirkby Stephen () is a market town and civil parish in Cumbria, North West England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies on the A685, surrounded by sparsely populated hill country, about from the nearest larger towns: Kendal and Penri ...
, Cumbria.
As the most mountainous region of England, the Lake District is the area most closely associated with the sport of fell running, which takes its name from the fells of the district. "Fellwalking" is also the term used locally for the activity known in the rest of Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
as hillwalking
Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much unculti ...
.
The word "fell" also enjoys limited use in Scotland; with, for example, the Campsie Fells in central Scotland, to the north-east of Glasgow. One of the most famous examples of the use of the word "fell" in Scotland is Goat Fell
Goat Fell (marked as Goatfell by the Ordnance Survey; Scottish Gaelic: Gaoda Bheinn) is the highest point on the Isle of Arran. At 874 metres (2,867 ft), it is one of four Corbetts on the island. The mountain, along with nearby Brodic ...
, the highest point on the Isle of Arran
The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...
. Criffel
Criffel is a hill in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. It is high but appears higher because of its great isolation and high prominence. It is a prominent feature in many of the views from ...
and the nearby Long Fell in Galloway may be seen from the northern Lake District of England. Peel Fell
Peel Fell is the highest hill in the Kielder Forest region of England, making it the highest hill for several miles in each direction until the Cheviot Hills to the north-east are reached. Because of this, it has enough relative height to make ...
in the Kielder Forest is on the border between the Scottish Borders to the north and the English county of Northumberland to the south.
Fennoscandia
Norway
In Norway, ''fjell'', in common usage, is generally interpreted as simply a summit or area of greater altitude than a hill, which leads to a great deal of local variation in what is defined as a ''fjell''. Fjell is mostly used about areas above the forest line
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
. Distinct summits can be referred to as ''et fjell'' (a mountain). High plateaus (''vidde'' landscape) such as Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...
are also regarded as fjell. Professor of geography at the University of Bergen, Anders Lundeberg, has summed up the problem by stating, "There simply is no fixed and unambiguous definition of ''fjell''." Ivar Aasen
Ivar Andreas Aasen (; 5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet. He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from va ...
defined ''fjell'' as a "tall ''berg''", primarily referring to a ''berg'' that reaches an altitude where trees don't grow, lower ''berg'' are referred to as "berg", ''ås'' (hill, ridge) or ''hei'' (moor, heathland). The fixed expression ''til fjells'' refers to mountains (or uplands) as a collective rather than a specific location or specific summit (the "s" in ''til fjells'' is an old genitive form remaining only in fixed expressions). According to Ivar Aasen, ''berg'' refers to cliffs, bedrock and notable elevations of the surface underpinned by bedrock; ''berg'' also refers to the substance of bedrock. For all practical purposes, ''fjell'' can be translated as "mountain" and the Norwegian language has no other commonly used word for mountain.
Sweden
In Sweden, ''fjäll'' generally refers to any mountain or upland high enough that forest will not naturally survive at the top, in effect a mountain tundra
In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
. ''Fjäll'' is primarily used to describe mountains in the Nordic countries, but also more generally to describe mountains shaped by massive ice sheets, primarily in Arctic and subarctic regions. There are however dialectal differences in usage, with comparatively low mountains or plateaus, sometimes tree-covered, in Bohuslän
Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...
and Västergötland
Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden.
Väs ...
(e.g. and ) being referred to as "fjäll", similar to how the word is used in Norwegian
Finland
In Finnish, the mountains characteristic of the region of Lapland are called ''tunturi'' (plural: ''tunturit''), i.e. "fell". A ''tunturi'' is a hill high enough that its top is above the tree line
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
and has alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...
. In Finnish, the geographical term ''vuori'' is used for mountains recently uplifted and with jagged terrain featuring permanent glaciers, while ''tunturi'' refers to the old, highly eroded, gently shaped terrain without glaciers, as found in Finland. They are round inselberg
An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain.
In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
s rising from the otherwise flat surroundings. The tree line can be at a rather low altitude, such as 600 m in Enontekiö, owing to the high latitude. The fells in Finnish Lapland form vestiges of the Karelides
The Karelides are an ancient mountain chain located between Eastern Finland and Lapland. It forms the current hill zone of Eastern Finland and Lapland's arctic hills, splitting central Finland. The Karelides formed about 2000 million years ago, wh ...
mountains, formed two billion years ago. The term ''tunturi'' is also generally used to refer to treeless plains at high altitudes in far north regions. The term ''tunturi'', originally a word limited to far-Northern dialects of Finnish and Karelian, is a loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
from Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
, compare Proto-Sami ''*tuontër'', South Sami
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
''doedtere'', Northern Sami
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ...
''duottar'', Inari Sami
Inari may refer to:
Shinto
* Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit
** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari
** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari
* Inari-zushi, a type of sushi
Places
* Inari, ...
''tuodâr'' "uplands, mountains, tundra", Kildin Sami Kildin may refer to:
* Kildin Island
* Kildin class destroyer
* Kildin Sami
* Ostrov (air base)
Ostrov (Russian: ''Веретье'' ("Veret"); also Ostrov-5, Gorokhovka) is a Russian Air Force air base ''tūndâr'', which means "uplands, treeless mountain tract" and is cognate with Finnish ''tanner'' "hard ground". From this Sami word, the word "tundra
In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
" is borrowed, as well, through the Russian language
Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...
. Hills that are over 50 m high, but do not reach the tree line are referred to as ''vaara'', while the general term for hills including hills of 50 m or less is ''mäki''. In place names, however, ''tunturi'', ''vaara'' and ''vuori'' are used inconsistently, e.g. Rukatunturi
Rukatunturi ( fi, Ruka) is a high fell and a ski resort in Kuusamo, Finland. Apart from downhill skiing, there are over 500 km of cross-country skiing tracks. Also snowmobiles can be rented to enjoy some of the area's 600 km of snow ...
is technically a ''vaara'', as it lacks alpine tundra.
Förfjäll
The term ''förfjäll'' (literally "fore-fell") is used in Sweden and Finland to denote mountainous zones lower and less dissected than the fell proper. However, its more pronounced relief, its often higher amount of plateaux, and its coherent valley systems distinguishes the ''förfjäll'' also from the undulating hilly terrain (''bergkullsterräng'') and the plains with residual hills (''bergkullslätt''). Generally, the ''förfjäll'' do not surpass 1000 m ASL. As a geomorphic unit, the ''förfjäll'' extends across Sweden as a 650 km-long and 40 km to 80 km-broad belt from Dalarna
Dalarna () is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in central Sweden. English exonyms for it are Dalecarlia () and the Dales.
Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland
Värmland () also known a ...
in the south to Norrbotten
Norrbotten (), known in English as North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.
Administration
The traditional provinces of Swede ...
in the north.
Scandinavian and English terms
* ''bekkr'' - 'stream' » beck
* ''dalr'' - 'valley' » dale
* ''fors'' - 'waterfall' » force/foss
* ''fjallr'' - 'mountain' (usually a large, flat mountain) » fell
* ''gil'' - 'ravine' » gill/ghyll
* ''haugr'' - 'hill' » howe
* ''pic'' - 'peak' » pike
* ''sætr'' - 'shieling' » side/seat
* ''tjorn'' - 'small lake' » tarn
* ''þveit'' - 'clearing' » thwaite
* ''ness'' - 'headland' » ness
See also
* Fell farming
* Fell Terrier
Fell terrier refers to a regional type of long-legged working terrier, not a specific breed of dog.
Description and purpose
Fell terriers are types of small working terriers developed in the Fell (hilly) country of northern England and ...
* List of fells in the Lake District
This is a list of fells, hills, mountains, groups of mountains and subsidiary summits and tops in the Lake District, England.
Alphabetical list A
*Allen Crags
*Angletarn Pikes
*Ard Crags
*Armboth Fell
*Arnison Crag
*Arthur's Pike
B
*Bakes ...
* List of Wainwrights
Wainwrights are the 214 English peaks (known locally as ''fells'') described in Alfred Wainwright's seven-volume ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'' (1955–66). They all lie within the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumb ...
(the 214 fells described in A. Wainwright's ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'')
* The Outlying Fells of Lakeland
''The Outlying Fells of Lakeland'' is a 1974 book written by Alfred Wainwright dealing with hills in and around the Lake District of England. It differs from Wainwright's '' Pictorial Guides'' in that each of its 56 chapters describes a walk, ...
* List of Birketts
Birketts are the 541 English peaks described in Bill Birkett's 1994 guidebook, ''Complete Lakeland Fells''. The author defined them as all hills within the boundary of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria which are over in height.
Bill ...
(the 541 fells in Bill Birketts ''Complete Lakeland Fells'')
* Middlesex Fells, a rocky highland just north of Boston, Massachusetts
* Snaefell
Snaefell ( on, snjœ-fjall/snjó-fall – snow mountain) – ( gv, Sniaull) is the highest mountain and the only summit higher than on the Isle of Man, at above sea level. The summit is crowned by a railway station, cafe and several communic ...
, Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
* Nunatak
A nunatak (from Inuit ''nunataq'') is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They are also called glacial islands. Examples are natural pyramidal peaks. ...
Notes
References
* Wainwright, A. (2003). "Coniston Old Man" in ''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells
''A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'' is a series of seven books by A. Wainwright, detailing the fells (the local word for hills and mountains) of the Lake District in northwest England. Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, they ...
, Book Four: The Southern Fells'', p. 15. London: Francis Lincoln.
* Bjordvand, Harald; Lindeman, Fredrik Otto (2007). ''Våre arveord''. Novus.
* Falk, Hjalmar; Torp, Alf (2006). ''Etymologisk ordbog over det norske og det danske sprog''. Bjørn Ringstrøms Antikvariat.
{{Mountains of Great Britain and Ireland
Landforms
Mountains