The Naming of America?

Question

The standard answer refers to, Amerigo Vespucci.

However the name has also been attributed to:

Norsemen sailing to the land Leif had discovered; supported with claims claim that from the beginning of the 11th century, North Atlantic sailors called this place Ommerike (oh-MEH-ric-eh), an Old Norse word meaning "farthest outland."

The name AMERICA or AMERRIQUE in the Mayan language means, a country of perpetually strong wind, or the Land of the Wind, and sometimes the suffix '-ique' and '-ika' can mean not only wind or air but also a spirit that breathes, life itself.

These can be found at: http://www.uhmc.sunysb.edu/surgery/america.html

In defense of the Amerigo Vespuccii theory, http://www.sunysb.edu/libmap/coordinates/seriesb/no4/b4.htm

Waldseemüller and his colleagues recognized Columbus's previous voyages of exploration and discovery, however, honored Amerigo Vespuccii because of his 'purported' four voyages and recognition of a new continent .

Comments Please?

Answer 1

I don't dispute your finding; I question their relevance.

Whatever linguistic similarities you can find in Norse, Mayan, or even Aztec doesn't really matter. The name America came from the map-maker Martin Waldseemuller's 1507 map of the world.

Waldseemuller was impressed with Vespucci's earlier published accounts, and honored him with the naming of the new world. His map was a sensation throughout Europe, and the names he gave simply stuck.

Can there be similarities and coincidences? Sure, why not. But the reason we call it America is because of Vespucci's accounts, Waldseemuller's map, and the general sensation they both caused.

And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. After all, how many Europeans in the early 16th century knew anything about "Old Norse," let alone ancient Mayan?

Cheers, mate.

Answer 2

The old Norse ommerike, however, is simply a slightly corrupted form of the still more ancient Visigothic term amalric.

Despite this the Vikings didn't really share the name or the maps or the land they found. It was rediscovered and Vespucci is where it came from.