Simonside Hills
Encyclopedia
The Simonside Hills are a hill range in Northumberland
, England near the town of Rothbury
. Most of the hills are around 300 metres (984 ft) to 400 metres (1,312 ft) high and are popular spots for hiker
s in the area. The highest point is Tosson Hill
at 440 metres (1,444 ft).
There are several single pitch rock climbing
crags dotted along the hillside, notably Simonside North Face and Ravensheugh.
is the name of an old Germanic hero from the Volsunga Saga
and the Nibelungenlied
who is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf
. WW Tomlinson, in his Comprehensive Guide To Northumberland (1916), stated that "Simon of mythology was, it seems, a domestic brewer to King Arthur, identical with the German Sigmund, and very fond of killing dragoons". http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidehills.htm This points to the possibility that the Simon of Simonside Hill is the Sigemund mentioned in Beowulf and subsequently Norse and Teutonic myths. It is worth noting that in Scandinavia and Germany, Sigmund is not generally associated with dragon-slaying, his son Sigurd
or Siegfried is. His killing of a dragon was mentioned in Beowulf, however.
An alternative derivation for the name is a corruption of "seaman's sight", because the hills are visible from the North Sea. http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidehills.htm. This is probably false etymology
, however, as the word (ge)sete means seat or settlement and not sight. The Old English word for sight is gesiht http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Sight&searchmode=none and the old English for seaman is sæmannahttp://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Seaman&searchmode=none and thus Seaman's Sight (or "Sæmannas(ge)siht") is unlikely to have become Simundessete in Middle English.
, are said to attack walkers in the hills or lead them astray, especially at night.
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England near the town of Rothbury
Rothbury
Rothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne...
. Most of the hills are around 300 metres (984 ft) to 400 metres (1,312 ft) high and are popular spots for hiker
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
s in the area. The highest point is Tosson Hill
Tosson Hill
Tosson Hill is the highest hill in the Simonside Hills to the south of Rothbury in Northumberland, England. The summit lies about west of Simonside, the best known summit of the Simonside Hills....
at 440 metres (1,444 ft).
There are several single pitch rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
crags dotted along the hillside, notably Simonside North Face and Ravensheugh.
Etymology
In a document dated to 1279 Simonside was called Simundessete. By 1580 the name had become Simontside. The name may be a corruption of Sigemund's seat or Sigemund's settlement. Sigemund or SigmundSigmund
This article is about the mythological hero Sigmund; for other meanings see: Sigmund .In Norse mythology, Sigmund is a hero whose story is told in the Völsunga saga. He and his sister, Signý, are the children of Völsung and his wife Hljod...
is the name of an old Germanic hero from the Volsunga Saga
Volsunga saga
The Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
and the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
who is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
. WW Tomlinson, in his Comprehensive Guide To Northumberland (1916), stated that "Simon of mythology was, it seems, a domestic brewer to King Arthur, identical with the German Sigmund, and very fond of killing dragoons". http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidehills.htm This points to the possibility that the Simon of Simonside Hill is the Sigemund mentioned in Beowulf and subsequently Norse and Teutonic myths. It is worth noting that in Scandinavia and Germany, Sigmund is not generally associated with dragon-slaying, his son Sigurd
Sigurd
Sigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
or Siegfried is. His killing of a dragon was mentioned in Beowulf, however.
An alternative derivation for the name is a corruption of "seaman's sight", because the hills are visible from the North Sea. http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/understanding/historyarchaeology/simonsidehills.htm. This is probably false etymology
False etymology
Folk etymology is change in a word or phrase over time resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one. Unanalyzable borrowings from foreign languages, like asparagus, or old compounds such as samblind which have lost their iconic motivation are...
, however, as the word (ge)sete means seat or settlement and not sight. The Old English word for sight is gesiht http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Sight&searchmode=none and the old English for seaman is sæmannahttp://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Seaman&searchmode=none and thus Seaman's Sight (or "Sæmannas(ge)siht") is unlikely to have become Simundessete in Middle English.
Folklore
In Northumbrian folklore, malicious dwarves, often called duergarDuergar (Folklore)
The Simonside Dwarfs also known as Brownmen, Bogles and Duergar are a race of ugly dwarfs, particularly associated with the Simonside Hills of Northumberland, in northern England...
, are said to attack walkers in the hills or lead them astray, especially at night.