San SalvatoreWorld's first Freezy Frame

The term “pioda” or “piode” is used in Valsesi to indicate “slabs of rocks” (in Piedmontese also “losa”). In fact, in the Monte Rosa area, the gneissic rocks are often massive, sometimes fractured into regular slabs, used since ancient times as an architectural element (especially as roofing).

Derives from sèṡia s. f. [lat. scient. Sesia, nome di genere, der. del gr. σής “tignola”]. – Common name of lepidoptera (also known as butterflies) of the “sesidi” family, parasites of fruit plants, pear trees and apple trees (in Italian, “sesidi del pero”, “sesidi del melo” etc.). A popular saying about Monte Sesia goes back to the “mountain of fairies and witches”: in fact, the pinnacles, caves and woods give an enchanted atmosphere, and those who know how to capture the magic of nature believe that this pictorial etymology is not entirely false.

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Though the Italian Rosa as well as the French Rose both mean “pink”, the name is a false cognate derived from the Franco-Provençal Valdôtain patois word “rouése”, meaning “glacier”. On old maps as late as 1740, the mountain was named Monte Bosa and even Monte Biosa by the inhabitants of Val Sesia.

Ghiaccaio del Nordend is named after the Nordend peak in the Monte Rosa Massif by Ludwig von der Welden (The Monte Rosa. Vienna 1824, 37f.). This peak is literally situated on the north of the Dufour peak, the highest point of Switzerland (4’634m).

Located in the Italian region of Piedmont, this glacier has its name primarily from the Kleiner Fillarhorn peak; beside it, there is the Grosse Fillarhorn peak. Both peaks are however in the Swiss municipality of Zermatt. Fillar is furthermore the name of an Alp Fillar on Italian territory. Paul Zinsli (in “Südwalser Namengut”, Berne, 1984, p. 301) knows the word but does not give any interpretation. It can be assumed that the Latin adjective “villāris” means “belonging to the estate” (here probably: belonging to the Italian village Macugnaga) (cf. French Etymological Dictionary Vol. 14, p. 456). This interpretation is uncertain.

Located in the Italian region of Piedmont, it probably got its name from the Roffel Horns and the Roffel Pass, which in turn go back to the Roffel Alp in Italian territory. Paul Zinsli (in “Südwalser Namengut”, Berne, 1984, 578f.) attributes “Roffel” (and “Rofal” in his case) to the main “Rufine” lemma which means “earth slippage, mud flow, scree slope”, which then again probably goes back to “rovina” and “ruina”.

The glacier is called Seewjinen Glacier, however in the VSNB database it is referred as the “Seewjinugletscher”. Its name derives from “Ze Seewjinu” (VSNB), Zen Seewjinen (“near the small lakes”), which probably gave the name to the Seewjinenhorn. From the glacier, the Seebach flows into the Saaser Vispa.

The glacier is called Schwarzberggletscher, however in the VSNB database it is referred as the “Schwarzbärggletscher”, in the area of the Swiss municipality of Saas Almagell. The glacier probably got its name from the Schwarzbärgalpe (above the Mattmark reservoir), which probably also gave the Schwarzberghorn its name.

The Strahlhorn peak (in the Swiss municipality of Zermatt) is listed in the database of the VSNB as “ts Straalhore”. At its bottom lies an ice field, which is probably named after the glacier. “Strahl” is usually the dialectal name for a rock crystal or other rare minerals that it has there according to the description. Besides this Strahlhorn, there are several other places named like this in the Upper Wallis region.

Only the Fluchthorn peak (on the Swiss municipality of Saas Almagell) is listed, at the foot of which there is an ice field. In the VSNB file, it appears as “ts Fluchthoru”. On its side is the so-called Fluchtpass. The main lemma “Fluchthoru” only occurs here and is otherwise missing in the Upper Wallis village and field names. An interpretation is therefore not possible for linguists.

The glacier is called Allalingletscher below the peak of Allalinhorn. In the VSNB database, it appears as the “Aleliingletscher” and it belongs to the municipality of Saas Almagell. It is named after the massif Allalin (dial. Alelii with final emphasis, which suggests a pre-German origin), which probably does not originate from the massif but from an alpine pasture. The name gave rise to the so-called Saracen hypothesis, which in the linguists’ opinion is not correct.

The glacier is located near the Allalinhorn peak and belongs to the Swiss municipalities of Saas Almagell and Saas Grund. In linguistic files, it appears as the “Holöübgletscher”. The Holöübbach flows from the glacier into the Saas Vispa. The field name “Holöüb” is otherwise not documented. It probably means ‘the high foliage’, whereby ‘foliage’ is unclear, but probably simply means the foliage (green alder) above the tree line.

The glacier is probably named after Fee, the original name of the Swiss village of Saas Fee. “Fee” is not the German “Fee” (“fairy” in English), but goes back to a Latin word “feta” ‘(female) sheep’. The intervocalic /t/ disappeared early.

This glacier is located between the peaks of Lagginhorn and Fletschhorn in the Swiss municipality of Simplon. Jordan (2006, p. 266 knows it as a holuntrift glacier and makes it a holuntrift.) Our linguist sources know the area “Holutrifft” as the “Holutrift”, a sheep pasture with hollow (Simplon), which is located below the glacier.

It is located between Monte Leone and the Breithorn. For Erich Jordan (in “Orts- und Flurnamen Simplon Süd”, 2006, 294 as Alpjärgletschär), it is located in the Swiss municipality of Zwischbergen above the area “t Alpje, die Alpjen” (name of a larger alpine area)’ (cf Jordan, 2006, p. 265 as Alpjä).