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Cuillin
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==Etymology== [[File:Isle of Skye UK relief location map labels.jpg|alt=A map of Skye and the surrounding islands|thumb|upright=1.2|Skye and the surrounding islands, showing the location of the Cuillin.]] There are several theories about the derivation of the name 'Cuillin'. One suggestion is that it comes from the [[Old Norse]] word ''kjölen'', which literally means the [[keel]] of a boat, suggesting a similarity with an upturned [[Viking]] [[longship]]. Peter Drummond, in ''Scottish Hill and Mountain Names'' (1991), noted that this is also a name of the [[Scandinavian Mountains]] and says it can mean 'high rocky mountain'.<ref name="Drummond">{{cite book |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish Hill and Mountain Names |year=1991 |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust |pages=3, 54–55}}</ref> Drummond later considered the [[Irish language|Irish]] placename element ''cuilleann'', meaning 'a steep slope', which is found in mountain names such as [[Slieve Gullion]]. However, he pointed out that the element is rare, and that most mountain names around Skye come from Norse.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish Hill-Names - The Irish Connection |journal=[[Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal]] |date=1997 |volume=36 |issue=188 |page=276 |url=https://simrich.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/SMCJ/Number%20188%20-%20Vol%2036%20-%201997%20Reduced.pdf}}</ref> Another suggestion is that it comes from [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] ''cuilionn'', meaning '[[holly]]', because of the mountains' jagged shape.<ref name="Drummond"/> The name has also been linked to [[Irish mythology|Gaelic mythology]], with the hills being the place where [[Cú Chulainn|Cúchullin]] learnt [[archery]] from the female warrior [[Scáthach]].<ref name=nsa-review>{{cite web |url=https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2017-07/Publication%202010%20-%20SNH%20Commissioned%20Report%20374%20-%20The%20Special%20Qualities%20of%20the%20National%20Scenic%20Areas.pdf |title=The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.374 |publisher=Scottish Natural Heritage |year=2010 |access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>
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