A narwhal is a type of whale that is found in the Arctic circle and is famous for its large tusk that resembles a horn. The word “narwhal” is believed to have originated from either Dutch narwal or Norwegian narhval, but ultimately has its roots in the Old Norse word nahvalr, which translates to “corpse whale”. This name was given due to the belief that the white color of the narwhals resembled that of corpses. Nahvalr is a combination of Old Norse na, meaning “corpse” (from Proto-Germanic nawiz and Proto-Indo-European nehu, also “corpse”) and the noun hvalr, meaning “whale” (derived from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, which originates from the Proto-Indo-European root kalos, describing a specific type of catfish). The popularity of narwhals surged after they became an internet meme in 2009, with Google searches for them reaching their peak in 2015.
