# Iceberg



## Fyle (Nov 26, 2014)

So, of course, I hit Wikipedia for this... but I could not find what I was looking for. 

I was wondering exactly how old the word iceberg is. So long as ships were able to travel the seas, I am assuming the have been encountering these.

I just imagined the word itself may be too modern for a medieval fantasy.

If anyone knows, or perhaps has a suggestion as to what these would be called, that would be welcomed.

Thanks!


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## Queshire (Nov 26, 2014)

I googled "Iceberg etymology" and it says that Iceberg came around in the late 18th century from the Ijsberg which came frome ijs (ice) and berg (hill)


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## cupiscent (Nov 26, 2014)

Not sure it really matters. Once humans encounter a thing, they name it. So if a group of humans regularly encounter icebergs, they have a name for it, and since _our_ name for it is "iceberg", it makes sense to use that one when telling the story. (I am reminding myself of Neal Stephenson's note in the front of _Anathem_, on how he's using the sensible earth translation of things so that he can just tell the story. Yes. Just like that.)


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## Fyle (Nov 26, 2014)

Queshire said:


> I googled "Iceberg etymology" and it says that Iceberg came around in the late 18th century from the Ijsberg which came frome ijs (ice) and berg (hill)



Ya, that makes sense, I remember reading something like that...

So, i think that puts the actual word out of place.

Thank you so much!

Just hafta go with "ice mountain" or "snow covered sea mountain" or something as the characters in an era closer to 1100-1200 may have called it had they seen one.

Cupiscent * good point too, for the sake of telling the story, some flexibilty can be used...


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## Pythagoras (Nov 27, 2014)

Honestly, I would think "snow covered sea mountain" would be more jarring to the average reader than the use of an anachronistic term like iceberg, unless you're using a descriptive-kenning-esque style for the entire thing. Chances are, if you're writing the perspectives of people from the 1100s-1200s, there are going to be a lot more instances of anachronism than you will ever realize. The world was a much different place back then, and no one today can really, truly fathom it. I suggest just stick to "iceberg" and not worry about it. If a critic ever points it out to you, you can take comfort in knowing that he or she is alone in a vast and uncaring universe consisting of people who actually have something productive to do with their time.

And iceberg is really just a half-baked translation meaning ice-mountain anyway. The meaning is inherent in the name. Who's to say for certain what word sailors were using for these ice-mountains back then? Iceberg is as likely as anything. If you really are losing sleep over this, though, at least stick to the simpler "ice-mountain" over "snow covered sea mountain." Can you imagine how many shipwrecks could be caused by that mouthful? 

"All hands on deck! We're headed directly for that snow-covered-sea-mounta-" *CRASH*


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## Fyle (Nov 27, 2014)

Pythagoras said:


> At least stick to the simpler "ice-mountain" over "snow covered sea mountain." Can you imagine how many shipwrecks could be caused by that mouthful?
> 
> "All hands on deck! We're headed directly for that snow-covered-sea-mounta-" *CRASH*



Of course, that was just playing semantics. That sounds terribly amateurish in actual usage.


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