Län

Län (Swedish, IPA: [ˈlɛːn]) and lääni (Finnish, IPA: [ˈlæːni]) refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010.

They are also sometimes used in other countries, especially as a translation of the Russian word oblast. During the period when Finland was a part of the Russian Empire (1809-1917), when Russian was made an official language alongside Swedish, it was synonymous with the word guberniya.

The term

The word literally means fief. The usual English language terms used are separate for the two countries, where Sweden has chosen to translate the term as "county" while Finland prefers "province". With a shared administrative tradition spanning centuries, ending only in 1809, this is a separation by convention, rather than by distinction. The term matches reasonably well the British term "county", but not so well the American term "county" which is usually much smaller in population, more like Swedish "kommun".

Lén

In Irish mythology, Lén was the craftsman of Síd Buidb, the 'sídhe of Bodb'. The son of Ban Bolgach son of Bannach, he was said to reside under a lake near Killarney named Loch Léin after him. The Dindsenchas relate that Loch Léin was where he would make bright vessels for Fand the Long-Haired, the daughter of Flidais. Every night, after finishing his work, it is written that he used to fling his anvil away to a nearby hill called the Indeoin na nDési or 'Anvil of the Dési' and the showers that came from the back of the hill were said to be pearls off his anvil as it was flung. Whether the name Lén can be philologically related to the Romano-Celtic god Lenus is disputable. While the meaning of the name is uncertain, the Old Irish words lén 'defeat, misfortune' and lénaid 'injure, wound' and the Welsh llwyn 'grove, bush, shrub' may offer some basis for comparison.

References

Lün

Lün (Mongolian: Лүн) is a sum of Töv Province in Mongolia. The Tuul River passes just west of the sum center.

Notable natives and residents

External links

References

Coordinates: 47°51′57″N 105°15′16″E / 47.86583°N 105.25444°E / 47.86583; 105.25444