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The earliest mention of Cumberland
is in 945 AD
when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded that King Edmund overran all Cumberland and let it all to Malcolm
King of Scots
on the condition that he became his ally
both by sea and on land.
The natives of Cumbria and greater Strathclyde are referred to as
Cumbrenses
which is a Latinisation of Old English Cumbras and are also called
wealas
a Saxon word meaning strangers
from which the words Wales and Cornwall are also derived
The ancestors of the Welsh natives of Cumbria built
this mysterious stone circle at Castlerigg for reasons known only to them
These Welsh natives
outnumbered the English even after they took the area
but later became influenced by other invaders
from Scandinavia
Norwegian Vikings
from the Northern islands
settled the lake district near Penrith and left a
linguistic legacy there
a Norse/English creole
was spoken until at least the twelfth century as a result of Viking influence
in the area
The word "fell" is derived from Old Norse fjall
meaning hill
Streams like this are called becks, from Old Norse bekr This waterfall is named Aira Force,
the word force comes from the Old Norse word for waterfall, foss
this great lake is named Ullswater
after the Norse god Ullr
a hunter god of Winter
his name is cognate with Old English wuldor meaning "glory"
he is often depicted on skis
hunting deer by bow and arrow. He is mentioned in the poem Grímnismál
May he have Ull's help, and of all of the gods
who first takes hold of the flame
for worlds fall open to the sons of the Æsir,
when they carry up cauldrons