

How did Disko Island get its name?
Published: 12/06/2020
Reading time: 2 minutes
According to legend, Disko Island was pulled north from the south by two strong kayakers. Moreover, the legend says they used a single strain of hair from a newborn baby. The kayakers were going strong until they reached what is known today as Disko Bay, where a Witch from Ilulissat spotted them and put a curse on them, stopping them from going further north.

Which isn’t too far from reality, Disko Island did indeed come from somewhere else! It’s a volcanic island, much younger than the rest of Greenland, which rose up from the continental split where you now find Iceland. The volcanic soil is rich in nutrients and therefore far greener than the mainland on the same longitude. It also means that the rocks and mountains differ greatly from anywhere else in Greenland.

Disko Island in Greenlandic
In Greenlandic, the island is named Qeqertarsuaq – “The big island”. That means that the word Disko has come from somewhere else. Some say it is because the island is so rounded that the name comes from the Greek word “Diskos”. Like the disc, you throw. Others are sure that it is slang for Discovery Island. There is even an article from 1883 claiming that it is because the mountains with the flat tops look like the Danish desks.

The name seems to have its first appearance on a Dutch map over Spitzbergen.Frst as Dusko, then later as Dicko. The precursor for this seems to have been from Ducke’s coue or Duck’s bay, named after an English explorer and whaler – Marmaduke. It is believed that the name has simply been copied from Spitzbergen to Greenland when whaling became more popular in those waters.
In any case, Disko Island and Disko Bay have stunning natural landscapes, and I wholeheartedly recommend traveling there, even though we’re not quite sure how it got its name.
Read more travel blogs from Lasse Kyed
-
1 to 6 passengers
Ilimanaq Settlement Visit | Private tour | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 6600 DKKSee more -
Whale Watching | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration4 hoursFrom 1100 DKKSee more -
Group pricing
Two-Day Dog Sled Adventure | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration2 daysFrom 9800 DKKSee more -
Boat tour Uummannaq 360°| North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration2 hoursFrom 1600 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)1 To 6 Passengers Included
The Calving Glacier Eqi | Private tour | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration6 hoursFrom 12400 DKKSee more -
1-10 people included
Boat charter | Open Boat | Qasigiannguit | Disko Bay
Tour startsQasigiannguitDuration2 hoursFrom 1600 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)1 To 6 Passengers Included
Private Catch’n’Eat | Qooqqut Nuan | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration6 hoursFrom 14500 DKKSee more -
5.00(11)New tour!
Private Combined Boat & Kayaking tour by the Icefjord | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration3 hoursFrom 1700 DKKSee more -
Best of Ilulissat I 5 days I Disko bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration5 daysFrom 57600 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)
Northern Lights Tour | Kangerlussuaq | West Greenland
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration2 hoursFrom 550 DKKSee more -
Accommodation and tours included!
4 Days of Ice Sheet Camping, Arctic Kayaking, and Glacier BBQs | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration4 daysFrom 9500 DKKSee more -
New Tour!
Private Stand-Up Paddle in Ilulissat Icefjord from the boat | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 hoursFrom 1500 DKKSee more -
Explore the Cultural site of Qilakitsoq | Boat tour | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration3 hoursFrom 1500 DKKSee more -
Nuuk Unveiled: 4-Day Through Greenland’s Capital & Nuuk Icefjord | West Greenland
Tour startsNuukDuration4 daysFrom 15700 DKKSee more -
4.00(1)
The Arctic Sauna Experience | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration1.5 hoursFrom 660 DKKSee more -
A 2-Day Arctic Luxury Escape at Eqi Glacier | West Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 daysFrom 8900 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
Sea Safari | Sisimiut | North Greenland
Tour startsSisimiutDuration2 hoursFrom 1000 DKKSee more -
1 To 6 Passengers Included
Private Deep Sea Fishing Tour | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration3 hoursFrom 7000 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)
Snowshoe Hiking & Sauna experience | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration4.5 hoursFrom 675 DKKSee more