Nerigos

NERIGOSPliny (Plin. Nat. 4.16. s. 30), in speaking of the islands in the north of Britain, says that, according to some, Nerigos was the largest, and that from it people used to sail to Thule. As besides this passage we have no other information, it is impossible, with absolute certainty, to say what island is meant; but as Norway is in Danish still called Norge, and in Swedish Norrige, it is now generally assumed that Nerigos is the modern Norway. the southwestern headland of which, projecting into the sea, might easily lead the ancients to the belief that it was an island. In the same passage Pliny mentions the island of Bergi, which may possibly be only the north-western coast of Norway, the most important commercial town in that part still bearing the name of Bergen. The island of Dumna lastly, which is mentioned along with those spoken of above, has been identified with Dunoen, belonging to the abbey of Drontheim. But all this is very doubtful, as Pliny, besides being very vague, may have blundered here as in other parts of his work; for, according to some, Bergion seems to have been an ancient name of Hibernia or Ireland(P. Mel. 2.5.4); and Dumna is distinctly called by Ptolemy (Ptol. 2.3.31, 8.3.10), an island off the north of Britain. [Comp. ORCADES]