stoor worm

English

A depiction of the stoor worm.

Alternative forms

• Stoor Worm
• stoorworm

Etymology

The first element may be stoor, stour (“large, stout”) (cognate to Old Norse stórr), or it may be from Old Norse Storðar-gandr (literally “world-monster”), an alternative name for Jörmungandr, from poetic use of storð to mean "earth", whence storðar men, "earth's necklace", i.e. "sea" (storð more often meant "wood" and storðar-gandr more often meant "wood's bane" i.e. "fire"). The second element is worm (“sea-dragon”).

Noun

stoor worm (plural stoor worms)

1. A giant sea serpent or sea dragon in Orcadian folklore, which had putrid breath, probably an Orkney version of Jörmungandr.
   • 1771, Philosophical Transactions, Giving Some Accompt of the Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World, page 41:

     But with regard to the Stoor Worms (which I have oftener heard called Sea Worms by the Norwegians), those who totally discredited the existence of the Kraakens told told me, they believed them really to exist: […]

   • 2000, Geraldine McCaughrean, The Stones are Hatching, Oxford University Press, USA, →ISBN, page 181:

     Madness, like a Stoor Worm, moved continuously under their feet, making every step they took full of terror. Phelim peered at each face, but could see no one who resembled his dimly remembered father. Besides, it was difficult: […]

   • 2003, Donald Omand, The Orkney Book, Birlinn Publishers:

     The Muckle Mester Stoor Worm was the father of all the terrible stoor worms that lived in the sea - huge sea monsters that destroyed ships and breathed poison over the land.

   • 2014, Tom Muir, Orkney Folk Tales, The History Press, →ISBN:

     Now, I don't suppose that you are familiar with the internal plumbing of a stoor worm, so I had better explain. There was a large tunnel that ran right through the stoor worm, but here and there were smaller tunnels running off the big one […]

Anagrams

• moorworts, rootworms, to-morrows, tomorrows