Many languages (other than English) require that nouns be either male or female.

Perhaps our multi-lingual friends could offer some insight into whether mountains are male or female in their language.

dadndave wrote:So is Kebnekaise male or female, Lolli?

It's a mighty IT.

(It's not a dead thing. )

Denali = The great One

Sultana (Foraker) = Wife of Denali

Everest = Chomolungma = Mother Goddess of the Snows

Nanda Devi = Bliss Goddess

The Eiger = The Ogre

Cho Oyu = Turqoise Goddess

Dent Du Geant = Tooth of the Giant

Monte Bianco = Mont Blanc

...and so on.


I suspect that gender assignments are directly related to the approachability of a mountain. The further away, inaccessible, and beautiful they are, the likelier the are to be feminine. That's my storty... I'm sticking to it. Regardless of the facts.

That must make Denali male then? (Unless it was a same-sex relationship of course...)

Chalk another one up to the boys team.

CindyAbbott wrote:

WoundedKnee wrote:The word "mountain" is assigned a female gender in at least most of the Latin-based languages. "La montange" in French, "la montanga" in Italian, "la montana" in Spanish, etc. I'd guess that's part of the reason...

That is what I was looking for - thanks!!!!

Not quite so simple, perhaps, if we consider that the female romance-language nouns have then balancing pairs, e.g. 'le mont' and 'il monte'....

Looking for rules here, much less rational ones, may well be a hopeless and endless task.

But committing to mountaineering is rather similar, ain't it.

FortMental wrote:I suspect that gender assignments are directly related to the approachability of a mountain. The further away, inaccessible, and beautiful they are, the likelier the are to be feminine. That's my storty... I'm sticking to it. Regardless of the facts.

NICE!

One way or another, we pay to get on them?

CindyAbbott wrote:

dadndave wrote:Now just look what you've started, Cindy!

I think it's cool and an excellent conversation considering there it could have gone

There is still time.

For thou shallst gaze upon her beauty...
Poetically, overwhelming beautiful things are always feminine aren't they.

phlipdascrip wrote:For thou shallst gaze upon her beauty...
Poetically, overwhelming beautiful things are always feminine aren't they.

Speak for yourself. I was recently mentioned as SP's hottest dude alive.

Bob Sihler wrote:One way or another, we pay to get on them?

Someone finally got it right!

I know for an absolute fact that it all started after they named the Tetons.

Don't forget the humble Mt.Dix (Adirondacks)

...and Nippletop (Adirondacks)

For winter ascents, there's Blue Dick Peak.

In German, it is der Berg (the mountain, masculine). But individual names can be other genders. Das Matterhorn (neuter). Can't think of one off the bat that's feminine, but there's probably one.