Ormsö / Vormsi - Orme's Island, Estonia
Genealogy Index | Orme in Europe
Estonia's fourth largest island, Vormsi (German: Worms, Swedish: Ormsö), is located between Hiiumaa and the mainland with a total area of 92 square kilometers. It is part of a rural municipality Vormsi Parish. (Source: Wikipedia)
This information was kindly provided by Flemming Rickfors, a Danish gentleman who has retired to Brazil and is currently researching the migration of the Danes.
"As I track the migration route from the Sea of Asov north and then southwest towards Angul, Saxland and Funen, Denmark I very importantly cross the territory of Latvia and Estonia. The route which I call "the Odin path", for reasons that become clear when you look at the map, also includes the island that was originally called Ormsey or 'the island of Ormr'.
The local legend goes that the island was named after the Viking Ormr 'from the Scandinavian Peninsula', i.e. current day Southern Sweden, but then part of the land of the Danes.
The Viking Ormr (ca. 750-840 ACE) is also the source of place names in Scotland and Northern England. As far as I can tell we have no evidence to confirm the legend. However it is clear to me that the naming of the island Ormsey is prior to the attack by Valdemar II of the Danes in June 1219."
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