List of names for the Milky Way

This is a list of the names for the Milky Way in various languages. Some of them derive from myths, which can be found at Milky Way (mythology).

List of name in various languages

* "hard goghi chanaparh" "Straw Thief's Way", from a myth.cite web
last =Toivanen
first =Sampsa
coauthors = Sipilä, Heikki
title =What is the Milky Way called in different languages?
url =http://users.tkk.fi/~stoivane/milkyway/
accessdate = 2007-01-06 ]
* درب التبانة "(Darb Al-Tabana)" means Milky way.
*, from Latin.
*, "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
*, "The Road to Santiago".
* "Gili Ulisvsdanvyi" "The Way the Dog Ran Away", from a myth.
* "Silver River".
* "Milky Way" translated from Latin. Traditionally it was named "Kumova slama" (Godfather's straw)
* "Milky Way" translated from Greek or Latin.
*.
* "Milky Way" translated from Latin.
*, translated from Latin.cite book
last =Macleod
first =Fiona

authorlink =William Sharp
title = Where the forest murmurs
page = Chapter 21: "Milky Way"
publisher = Duffield & Company
date =1911
location =New York
url = http://www.sundown.pair.com/SundownShores/Volume_VI/ForestMurmers/milky%20way.htm ]
* "Way of Birds", from a myth.
* "Way of Birds", from a myth.
* "The Milky Way".
* "Milky Way"
*, "The Deer Jump"
* "Galaxias Kyklos" "Milky Circle", from a myth.
* "The Milky Way".
* "Ganges River of Heaven", from a myth.
* "The Road of the Warriors", from a myth. However this is the historical term, today it is known simply as "Tejút", meaning "Milk Way".
* "The Winter Way."
* "Magical Bima", a character in Sanskrit epic Mahabharata
*, "The Fair Cow's Way", or "Slabhbra Luigh", "Lugh's Chain"
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "amanogawa" "River of Heaven"
* "eunha" "Silver River", from Chinese, or "미리내"(mirinae) in pure Korean. The Milky Way is specifically called "Uri Eunha" ("Our Galaxy").
* "Milky Way", translated from Greek.
*, The Birds' Path
*, The Birds' Path
*,St Anne's road
* "Magical Bima", a character in Sanskrit epic Mahabharata
* "The milky way"
* "The Winter Way" (Nynorsk)
*, "The Road to Santiago" (used in European Portuguese only)
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "The Roman Road", because pilgrims followed it when traveling to Rome.
* "Milky Way", translated from Latin.
* "The Road to Santiago".
* "Winter Street", because it is more visible during the winter in Scandinavia and looks like a snowy street.
* "The way of the white elephant".
* "Road of Straw"
* "Way of Chumak"
* "Silver River", translated from Chinese.
* "Milky Way", translated from the Latin.
* "The Fort of Gwydion" (Gwydion).

Common names

Birds' Path

The name "Birds' Path" is used in several Uralic and Turkic languages and in the Baltic languages.

Milky Way

Many European languages have borrowed, directly or indirectly, the Greek name for the Milky Way, including English and Latin.

Road to Santiago

The Milky Way was traditionally used as a guide by pilgrims traveling to the holy site at Compostela, hence the use of "The Road to Santiago" as a name for the Milky Way. Curiously, "La Voje Ladee" "The Milky Way" was also used to refer to the pilgrimage road. [cite web
title = The Pilgrim's Way: El Camino de Santiago
url = http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/telegraph/04camino/04000001.htm
accessdate = 2007-01-06 ]

Silver River

The Chinese name "Silver River" (銀河) is used throughout East Asia, including Korea and Viẹt Nam. In Japan, "Silver River" (銀河) means galaxies in general.

River of Heaven

The Japanese name for the Milky Way is the "River of Heaven" (天の川).

Straw Way

In a large area from Central Asia to Africa, the name for the Milky Way is related to the word for straw. It has been claimed that this was spread by Arabs who in turned borrowed the word from Armenian. [cite journal
last = Harutyunyan
first =Hayk
title = The Armenian name of the Milky Way
journal = ArAS News
volume =6
publisher = Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS)
date =2003-08-29
url = http://www.aras.am/ARASNEWS/arasnews06.html
accessdate = 2007-01-05 ]

References

See also

* Milky Way galaxy