Mirrie dancers

History athin a wird. Da snüds an wups idda vaige o a wird is fascinatin. Da veeve Shaetlan term mirrie dancers fir aurora borealis in a lok o wyes shaas da rich an complex history o dis language. Fokk ir affen mistaen bi writin it "merry dancers" trowe da influence o Standirt English an mak a wrang assumption at mirrie mosst be a local wye o sayin da Standirt English "merry". Becis o dat assumption hit can end up bein mispronounced "merry dancers". Hoosumivver, dat hoids da richt origin o da expression.

Da wird mirr is onnly fun in da former Norn spaekin plaesses an hit's a peerie bit o a mystery. Hit means "tae shak, mirl, dirl, sheen; tae prickle, nyaag". Whar it ultimately comes fae isna kent, bit cognates (relatives) o da wird can be fun in Sw. myllra / Da. & No. myldre 'tae swarm, team', at ging back ti' da aalder forms murle (aalder Da.) / myrla, mjölra (Sw. dials) / mjöllra (Scanian) / mirra, myrra (No. dials) aa wi da meaneen 'tae nip, nyaag, tingle'. Hit's attestit in Danish fae 1510 at da laetest.

So dan, da phenomenon idda sky isna the "blyde dancers" bit da mirlin, glansin, pipperin wye o movin, laek gossamer in jüst a pirr o wind. Hit's caaed da "nordern lichts" trowe aa da Scandinavian languages: norrsken (Sw.), norðurljós (Icel., Far.), nordlys (Da., No.). So hit's fair tae say at Shaetlan an Orcadian, wi da wye dey describe mirlin an birlin trowe da sky, haes da maist poyetic term fir aurora borealis in dis pairt o da wirld.

Hear mair aboot da mirrie dancers in BBC Radio Shetland documentary "Da Mirrie Dancers: A Hunt for the Northern Lights" danicht (1 March) at 6pm.

PS: Athin Scottish Gaelic da naem fir da aurora borealis is jüst as boannie - na-fir chlis 'da yasp/quick/lively men' or 'da yasp eens' (lit. da-men yasp). Da fact at dis expression is translatit noo an agein as "the merry dancers" is laekly trowe contact wi da plaesses at gits mirrie dancers an da assumption at mirrie means "merry".