Some mountains are called what you would expect a mountain to be called: Großvenediger. Seekarspitze. Hohe Salve. But there are also some - and quite a lot of them in Tyrol - whose names bring a smile to your lips, a knot to your tongue or even a blush to your face. Here is a personal best-of of the most unusual names of Tyrolean mountain peaks. At the end of the article, we also reveal how the mountains got their names in the first place.
The origin of mountain names such as "Gargglerin" or "Hohe Achsel" raises fascinating questions, particularly from an onomatological perspective, i.e. the study of the origin and meaning of names. Other unusual and remarkable names include, among others: Plumsjoch, Unnütz, Finsterwitzkopf, Fundusfeiler, Innerer Knorrkopf, Mullwitzkogel, Torhelm, Kopfkraxn, Kuchenspitze, Verpeilspitze, Großer Löffler, Hochfrottspitze, Mädelegabel, Großer Krottenkopf and Bettelwurf. These names invite you on a journey into the world of linguistic and geographical peculiarities.
Attention, this category is only suitable for those who are already somewhat familiar with Tyrolean - otherwise there is at least a partial risk of getting your tongue tied in knots:
Bschießer. Zischgeles. Pflerscher Pinggl. Tschirgant. Gigalitz. Patteriol. Muntanitz. Eiblschrofen. Furtschaglspitze. Ochsenälpeleskopf. Zsigmondyspitze. Spritzkarspitze. Hinterreintalschrofen. Falschunggspitze.
Hen. Goshawk. Cockscomb. The Tyrolean mountains are truly animalistic, as the following summit names prove:
Gänsekragen. Oberer Saukopf. Wurmsitzkogel. Beaver Head. Fuchskarspitze. Gamsspitzl. Schafgrübler. Cow disc.
Many peaks also owe their names to locals and the things they associated with the mountain at the time. Before they were climbed and explored in the course of the rise of alpinism in the 19th century, most peaks were considered mysterious places where ghosts might even roam... And there were also many mountains that didn't have a name at the beginning of cartography, which is why explorers and other "specialists" such as hunters, farmers or someone else from the village had to invent one - with - as you have seen - sometimes more than bizarre results.
It remains unclear whether a woman actually lived on the Bösen Weibele. Equally intriguing is the question of what could have motivated the namesake of the "Wilden Pfaff" to name a mountain after a stormy priest. It would be interesting to find out more about the background and the people who were responsible for naming these peaks.
Evil Weibele. Wild Mannele. Christaturm. Daniel. Wild Pfaff. Hinterer Maurerkeeskopf. Karlspitzen. Pfaffenschneide. Rainerhorn. Ralfkopf. Ear tips.
Many peaks have the addition "Großer" or "Hoher" in their name, with some having particularly impressive designations:
Großer Galtenberg. Großer Geiger. Hoher Zahn. Hochglück. Babylonian Tower. High light. Big hatchet.
There are over 600 three-thousand metre peaks in Tyrol, unfortunately it is not possible to say exactly how many there are in total... According to unconfirmed figures, there are around 4.The origin of their names is as varied as the mountains themselves: some have a geographical or geological reference such as "Östliche Karwendelspitze", "Stanser Joch" or the "Kalkkögel", some refer to the position of the sun at a certain point in time - mountains such as the "Zwölferkopf" or the "Mittagskogel" were once used by people as so-called time-telling mountains. Others, such as the "Ahornspitze" or the "Falkengruppe", give an indication of the local flora and fauna.
