The god of war and of champions, Teu, Tiw, or Tyr, has his name conferred upon Tewes-ley, and Tew-ing (the meadow of Tew), and upon Tye-hall and Tye-farm.
Lok appears in Lox-wood, Lox-field, and in Lock-ing.
Seator appears in Satter-leigh, Satter-thwaite, and in Satter-land.
Perhaps local names are indebted to the fairy mythology. Mab, the elf queen, occurs in Mab’s-hill, and the merry Puck in Puck-pool Bay, Poock-burne (Pucke-ridge), Poock-hill, and Pucke-tye. Grim-a, a ghost, hag, or witch, is found in Grims-by, Grims-bury, Grimms-hoo, Grims-how, and in Grims-ditch. It is the safest plan, however, in tracing local names to their origin, to resort to such a mode for their explanation only when we find ourselves unable to offer a more rational etymology—that is to say, one in harmony with their natural or historical associations.
(B) NAMES OF ANIMALS.
The names of animals which enter largely into geographical nomenclature need little explanation; most of them, being familiar, may be easily identified.
Nate, Net (Scandinavian) horned cattle; Neat (English), occurs in Nate-ly, Nat-land, and Nate-ly Scures.
The Wild Boar, in Anglo-Saxon Ever (éofer, ebur, efer), is found in
- Ever-shaw, the wild boar’s field;
- Ever-shot, Evers-holt, the wild boar’s wood;
- Evers-don, the wild boar’s hill;
- Ever-ton, the wild boar’s town or enclosure.
- Ever-leigh, Ever-ley, the wild boar’s meadow.