Peaks of the World: Unraveling Mountain Names

The Lore Behind Mountain Names

There are approximately more than a million mountains in the entire world and we humans were only able to name 90% of them, with the remaining 100,000 more remaining unnamed. The origin of mountain names varies depending on the location and the dwellers around it. During ancient times, some tribes share portions of the mountains and will tend to name them depending on their language. Mountain names are often named after their physical appearance, although some mountains were named based on their religion and beliefs— such as Mount Olympus in Greece, the home of the gods.

But mountain name origin does not stop from human observance or spiritual belief. Some mountains were named after real-life iconic people, or fictional people based on folklore or legends. One good example is the Vasco da Gama Peak, named after Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese navigator in the voyage years of the 15th century. The popular Mount Mayon in the Philippines was based on the local legend of Magayon. The term magayon means “beautiful” region’s local language, perfectly describing the appearance of Magayon in the legend, and the stunning symmetrical and almost perfect cone shape of the mountain.

There are also controversial mountain names where the original name of the mountain was erased in history due to conflicts or war. The so-called “Six Grandfathers Mountain”, now called Mount Rushmore, found in South Dakota USA, is a great example. The great granite-walled mountain was first occupied by the local Lakota people. It serves as a place of prayer for the natives of the Great Plains before colonists even occupied the region. In the late 18th century, the Black Hills, to which the mountain is situated, were invaded by Euro-American settlers, creating a war against the indigenous people. IN 1868, the U.S. government signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie to end the conflict, granting the Lakota locals an exclusive right in the entire Black Hills region. However, in 1877, gold was discovered in the region, prompting the greedy senate of the U.S. government to break the treaty and take over the land by force from the Lakota. Settlers, miners, and prospectors began pouring into the region, forcing the indigenous people away from their homes. In 1884, Attorney Charles Rushmore visited the area and made an expensive deal on a tin mine, thus the entire region being renamed after him. Mount Rushmore is famous for the four US presidents’ faces sculpted at the edges of the mountain. With the depleted gold and extracted ore, it stands still as a tourist attraction hiding behind it a bloody history.

Mountain Nicknames

Of all the million named mountains in the world, few have their nicknames. While most mountain names are already stand-alone and easy to recall for most people, there are a few who earned exceptions because of their unique characteristics. Mountain nicknames are used to identify and create a title for the mountain based on their unique description or symbolic effect on humans. Also, since there are mountain names that were renamed for some reason, they can still be associated with their former names instead.

The Savage Mountain

The K2 peak, also known as Mount Godwin Austen and nicknamed the Savage Mountain, is the second-highest peak in the world. It is located in the Karakoram Range, bordering the countries of Pakistan, China, and India. During the first survey exploration at the Karakoram Range, surveyors named every high peak they encountered with the letter “K” followed by a number. The K2 peak itself is not visible on the low lands which is why there is no local name given to it. This mountain earned its nickname for holding the record of the “deadliest” of the highest mountain, killing approximately 1 of every four people who hike the summit.

The Hidden Peak

The Gasherbrum I, also known as “K5” is considered the 11th highest mountain in the world. It is the 5th peak of the Karakoram Mountain Range and is widely known for its moniker, The Hidden Peak because of its extreme remoteness among the other mountain peaks. 

The Killer Mountain

The Nanga Parbat, meaning “naked mountain” , is found in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the westernmost peak of the Himalayan mountain range and owns the record for the second-highest prominence of all the tallest mountains after Mount Everest. It was nicknamed “the killer mountain” for its extremely treacherous climb which causes huge fatalities for aspiring climbers.

A Beautiful Disaster

While this nickname might sound weird at first, it is important to know the reason behind this nickname. The Taal Volcano or simply Mount Taal is one of the lowest volcanoes in the world, towering only at 311 meters. It is a caldera volcano situated in the middle of Taal Lake. It is said that the entire surrounding lake was once the foot of the larger mountain until it erupted violently around 140 Million years ago, forming the caldera and sinking the surrounding regions in water. It is nicknamed a “beautiful disaster” for its formation being caused by violent volcanic activity, creating the very beautiful small volcano in the middle of the lake.