Die Hölle in den deutschen Weinlagenamen

Abstract

German vineyard names often consist of terms like Berg, Buck/Buckel, Hang, Höhe, Kopf and Kupp to describe hills, slopes or mountains. This essay is concerned with names like Höllenpfad or Geiershöll. The element Höll(e) has nothing to do with Hölle in the sense of ‘underworld’. It derives from the Old High German haldi ‘slope, hill’. In accordance with phonetic laws, haldi develops from heldi > helde > helle into Höll(e). The names of vineyards with Hölle emerge particularly in West Middle German. Terms with Halde trace back to Old High German halda. Such forms occur primarily in the area of Upper German.