haugr

Haugr is a noun of Old Norse origin, used in Icelandic and other North Germanic languages to denote a mound or hill. In historical and archaeological contexts, haugr specifically refers to a burial mound or tumulus, the earth- or stone-covered grave structures common in the Norse world. The term appears in sagas, inscriptions, and place names, often signaling the presence of a grave site or raised mound in the landscape.

Etymology and cognates: The word is held to originate in Old Norse haugr, with cognates in related North Germanic languages. In English-language scholarship, haugr is commonly translated as burial mound or tumulus, and the term is sometimes linked to the broader family of words for mounds found in Germanic languages, such as howe or hoch in other traditions.

Archaeology and characteristics: Haugr sites range from simple earth mounds to more complex configurations that may include stone settings or chambers beneath the mound. They span a broad temporal range, from the Bronze Age through the Viking Age and into medieval periods in Scandinavia. Excavations have yielded human remains, grave goods, and sometimes constructed burial structures, contributing to understandings of funerary practices and social organization.

Toponymy and modern usage: In Scandinavian toponymy, haugr or its variants function as topographic elements marking hills or mounds, and the term persists in modern Icelandic as a general word for a mound or hill. It remains a standard label in archaeology for tumuli in Norse contexts.

See also: tumulus, barrow, mound, cairn.