Blair Collection > Place names in Strathbogie, with notes historical, antiquarian and descriptive

Names of Hills and Rivers.
from the glen or glens so called, and means the
hill of 'the long glen.' The first syllable, Foud,
certainly comes ixomfada, 'long,' contracted in
place names into fad and fod, both of which
occur in the spellings of Foudlann, though we
have none old enough to determine with certainty
the original form. Gleann, a ' glen,' often loses
the aspirated^ {g^^} in combination, and becomes
laiin, or //;/;/. This loss of gJi is common in
Ireland, and in our own Highlands. Even with-
out aspiration, g occasionally is lost by contrac-
tion, as in Corinacy (^.t'.)- In English the same
change occurs, as in the Christian name Mag-
dalen, contracted into Maudlin. I think this
application of the name to the glen is probably
correct, because, while the hill is without any
strongly marked natural feature, the Glen of
Foudlann has been known to all travellers as the
most difficult and dangerous part of the road
between Aberdeen and Inverness. No doubt it
merited the same evil repute in ancient times, as
there are still traces of old roads over the shoulders
of the hills, most likely used when the lower road
was impassable. It is also apparent that the
name does not apply originally to the hill,
because, natives speak of the hill of Foudlann,
not of The Foudlann, as they do of The
Wisheach, The Melshach, or The Clashmach.
It is also common to speak of the Foudlann
Hills, and the hill-range of Foudlann, and prob-