Basic meaning=shelter |
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Scale carries the basic meaning of "shield" or "protection". Just as scales protect a fish and a shield protects a soldier, so a skull protects a brain and shouting "skoll" before drinking, offered protection to Viking drinkers from swallowing demons as they drank. The term is much in use in most areas populated by Norsemen, such as the coastal areas of Cumbria. In this sense, it meant "sheild", such as a rudimentary shelter used, perhaps as a shepherd's hut. Many sheltered nooks and caves in the Cumbrian Mountains also carry this name. |
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