Dievoort


Dievoort or Dietvoort is a place name and a surname. It has many related names.

Place name

Dievoort or Dietvoort in the region of Breda in The Netherlands.

Confusion

It should not be confused with the locality Diervoort, on the border of the municipalities of Nijmegen and Wijchen, where there is a Diervoortseweg, which is a place currently composed only of a large cheese farm, and not a "cluster of houses" anymore as during the fighting that took place there in 1944 and that no monument indicates.

Etymologies

The place name Dievoort, found in the region of Breda is composed of the two words Diet, which means "people",, or to a goddess waters. Thus Jort, formerly Iort, Diort and Divort, would come from the Gaulish Divoritum.
In Celtic mythology, the ford was of great importance as a place of passage or limit, a particular goddess Ritona was dedicated to him. The Celtic custom was that duels between heroes and warriors would take place there as many stories tell. Thus we found many weapons in the old fords in Celtic countries. Moreover, many bronze objects such as axes, spear points, were thrown intact as an offering to the deities of the living waters, mainly in privileged places such as crossings.
Until ancient times the construction of bridges was unknown in Central Europe. They crossed at the rivers' fords, or, when they were too deep or too large by means of boats.

Other places with the same etymology

The names Dievoort or Ditfurth are also found in many surnames :
Famous people with the name Dietfurt or Dievoort or Dievoet etc. include:

In the Antiquity

Heraldry

Bibliographie