The Soela Strait (Estonian: Soela väin, Swedish: Sele sund) is a strait in Estonia, located between Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.[1]
Geography
The strait connects the Sea of Straits and an open part of the Baltic Sea. The width of the strait is about 6 kilometers (3.7 mi). The islet of Pihlalaid is located in the strait, as well as the smaller islands of Saaparahu, Suurkuiv, and Väikekuiv.
Name
The Soela Strait was attested in historical records as Solavenn in 1254 and Sele Sund in 1798.[2] The origin of the name Soela is unclear. The ethnographer Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Russwurm derived the name of the strait from the Estonian Swedish word söäl 'seal'.[3] The name has also been seen as based on the Low German word sel 'seal', but this may reflect a later clerical folk etymology. There have also been attempts to connect the name with the word sool 'salt', and folklore connects the name of the strait with the word sõel 'sieve'.[2]
References
- ^ "Päring kohanimeandmebaasist. Eesti kohanimed". www.eki.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Soela väin". Dictionary of Estonian Place Names. Tallinn: Eesti Keele Instituut. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ "Eibofolke ehk rootslased Eestimaa randadel ja Ruhnus". 2015. Page 48
58°40′0.001″N 22°31′59.999″E / 58.66666694°N 22.53333306°E / 58.66666694; 22.53333306
