Heritage Café: The Viking Legacy in the Toponymy of La Hague by Elisabeth Ridel

For nearly 200 years, the Vikings terrorized the world. Appearing unexpectedly from their silent ships, they ravaged all of Western Europe. This is the image passed down to us by the chronicles written by clerics who were their preferred victims. But today, thanks to scientific studies, we have a more objective view of the Viking world. These men from the North were not the barbarians we have been led to believe. They demonstrated real superiority in many areas, even if their existence was short-lived, with the exception of Normandy, which managed to survive and become, by the 11th century, a dynamic, prosperous, and conquering province. Throughout Europe, the Vikings left numerous traces of their unique civilization, in which the sea played a dominant role. This is the case for the place names of La Hague, largely influenced by the legacy of these Norsemen. Elisabeth Ridel, linguist and research engineer at the Maison de la recherche en sciences sociales at the University of Caen, explains this fascinating story.