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From Mosken to Moskenes

Interview with Alf Ragnar Nielssen, University of Bodø, February 2015
 

Mosken gave its name to the Moskenstraumen or Moskenstrøm – which is now I think sometimes called Moskenesstraumen or Moskenesstrøm? It’s not so clear today if it comes from the small inhabited island of Mosken, or…?
–There has been some discussion about that, because with such names, it often happens that the original name is replaced by a more administrative name, during centuries. You have the same with this fjord: everyone says “Saltenfjord”, but the original is “Saltfjord”. And around this Saltfjord the administrative district of Salten has appeared. And then the Salten name, which is so common, goes back and changes the fjord name. And I think it has been the same with the Moskenstraumen, because you have the district of Moskenes, and then Moskenesstrømmen is a newer phenomenon. We historians, we think that Saltfjorden and Moskenstraumen is the right one. At least, the original.