Help me understand my boat's name - norwegian

[babaluey]

She's a 1967 built wooden hull Ingrid 38. Her name is Pelin, which I am told is Norwegian and is derived from the word for arrow (Pil). This from the seller, who was the 2nd owner and not the namer of the boat. Any Norwegian speakers here who can confirm this, and shed some light on how to pronounce it? The seller was a Canuck, he pronounced it like "peelin". We just say it with a short e, like "pehlin" (rhymes with yellin').

[IdoraKeeper]

Do not speak norsk so cannot translate. Ingrids do attract unusual names though. Mine is named Idora, it suits her. I would think "Arrow" is a good name for an Ingrid especially on a broad reach

[Astrid]

yes, Norwegian nominative definite singular of Pil, which comes from Norse Píll. Pronunciation is peel-en (en as in entrance).
Ásta

[StuM]

Not a Norwegian speaker but:

Google translate doesn't recognise "pelin" as Norwegian.
https://translate.google.com/#no/en/pelin

When asked to detect language, it guessed at Finnish, and translated it as "the game"
https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/pelin

(It show "peli" as just "game" without the "the".)

[babaluey]

Thanks for the replies all, I really appreciate the input. Astrid thanks for the confirmation and pronunciation help. Stu, yeah, I'd tried google translate and came up empty. It's pretty smart but doesn't know all the derivatives of words and idiomatic things - for those you still need a real person who speaks the language. Machines haven't completely made us obsolete yet!

[babaluey]

Hey Idora, I see you are in Port Ludlow. Our boat is in Port Townsend while we finish up re-rigging. Should have her sailing pretty soon, then will bring her down to Olympia where we live. Might see you around - we'll be watching for Ingrids.

[bobmcd625]

My Norwegian wife cannot come up with any better explanation than the "Pilen/Pelen" theory. I speak Norsk reasonably well and have good dictionaries which don't reveal anything for "pelen". So I'd stick with "The Arrow" interpretation. Hope she lives up to her name!

[Groathill]

As a Norwegian I would say the name "Pelin" could be a misspelling of "Pilen", a misplacement of the e and i. "Pilen" means "The Arrow".

[TrentePieds]

No doubt that the spelling in the original message is backasswards. For whatever reason.

Astid - having descended from a bucha left-over Norwegians :-) - has it right. The name is "Pilen" which was quite a common name for boats in days of yore. It translates as "Arrow" which was also a common boat name in Northumbria, Northumbria having been known until recent times as "the Danelaw" - the place where Danish law obtains, i.e. the law of King Canute, he who pretended to be trying to stop the waves.

If the spelling on your transom is "Pelin", I'd suggest that you change to "Pilen" lest you be met with either incomprehension of guffaws from the Scowegian contingent.

TrentePied (Former Danish Person)

PS Norwegian is but a corrupted dialect of Danish ;-)

[normdeeley]

I have some Ingrid posters of Molly Brown ( I think she was called that) plus a model of the bare hull. I think it's one inch to the foot. Plus a wood panel with name plate and lines drawing. One set of plans.Looking to sell all.

[babaluey]

Wow I'm glad I asked - hmm, or not, as now we have to make a decision - leave it as is or change it. Does correcting the spelling qualify as a renaming of the boat, complete with all the attached ritual? Or maybe we should just translate it to English and call her "Arrow". Aaagh! Another boat decision to make!

[rognvald]

"PS Norwegian is but a corrupted dialect of Danish ;-)" TrientePieds

T,
Sorry to disappoint all you Danes, but all the Norsk languages(Swedish, Norweigan, Danish, Icelandic) are a derivation of West Germanic languages. If you have studied the History of Europe, you will know that the entire European continent(with the exception of the Mediterranean Basin) evolved from Central Europe from 20 to 30 Germanic tribes that quickly spread throughout the continent and then North to Scandinavia: the English:Anglo-Saxons; the French: the Franks; the Prussians:Eastern Europe and of course those wonderful quarrelers and storytellers-the Vikings whose seafaring abilities in the 10th Century AD took their sturdy Knarrs to North America and beyond in remarkable feats of navigation without, unbelievably, the use of electronic speed logs or windspeed instruments(sorry, I couldn"t help it!). One of the Roman's great senators and historians, Tacitus, who lived during the 1st Century A.D. wrote an excellent history of those who lived to the North Of Rome entitled "Germania"--and his personal observations of the Germanic people and the reports he codified from travelers to the North is one of the great histories of Western Civilization. Norweigan is but a corrupted dialogue of the Danish?. . . Das ist sicher nicht wahr! (This is certainly not true!) Captain Rognvald--lost in the 21st Century

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by babaluey

Hey Idora, I see you are in Port Ludlow. Our boat is in Port Townsend while we finish up re-rigging. Should have her sailing pretty soon, then will bring her down to Olympia where we live. Might see you around - we'll be watching for Ingrids.

Oh my, Idora was in the yard for six months getting some rot excised. You have my profound sympathy. In my case the work went well but there was no cruising last summer. Much better now..we will be leaving, heading north soon after the 4th. A couple days work to due, load in and go.

We will watch for you

[IdoraKeeper]

Would add that Atkin drew his Ingrid inspiration from Norwegian rescue boats. Just a smaller version with more "fine"ness for better windward performance. A Norwegian name is an excellent idea.

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by Groathill

As a Norwegian I would say the name "Pelin" could be a misspelling of "Pilen", a misplacement of the e and i. "Pilen" means "The Arrow".

Yup, it has to be "Pilen". Pelin has no meaning in Norwegian. I was born and raised over there and and still speak the language although I emigrated to the colonies 30 years ago: Sunshine and palmtrees here, but nobody knows how to boil potatoes.