라틴어 낱말 "울티마 툴레(ultima Thule: 영어 발음은 얼티머 술리)"는 중세의 지리서에서 사용된 보통 명사인데, 알려진 세계의 경계 너머에 있는 멀리 떨어진 장소를 의미하였다. 때때로 이 낱말은 고유 명사로 사용되어 대문자 U를 사용하여 Ultima Thule로 표기되기도 하였는데, 이 경우 라틴어 낱말 울티마 툴레(Ultima Thule)는 그린란드를 의미하였고 툴레(Thule)는 아이슬란드를 의미하였다.
↑Bostock & Riley (1893) page 352 (on "Chapter 30 (16) – Britannia") assert: "Opinions as to the identity of ancient Thule have been numerous in the extreme." The notes on Book IV of Pliny in an 1829 translation into French by Ajasson de Grandsagne mention six, which are taken word-for-word in translation by Bostock & Riley (their words in quotes): ―
"That Thule is the island of Iceland." Burton (1875) pages 1, 25.
"That it is either the Ferroe Group, or one of those islands." Burton pages 22-23.
"The notion of Ortelius, Farnaby, and Schœnning, that it is identical with Thylemark in Norway." Burton page 25.
"The opinion of Malte Brun, that the continental portion of Denmark is meant thereby, a part of which is to the present day called Thy or Thyland." Fotheringham (1862) page 497.
"The opinion of Rudbeck and of Calstron, borrowed originally from Procopius, that this is a general name for the whole of Scandinavia." Grandsagne (1829) page 338: "L'idée de Rudbeck ... et de Calstron ... due originairement à Procope, qui ... a prononcé nettement que sous ce nom était comprise toute la Scandinavie." The reference is to Procopius Book III No. 4.
"That of Gosselin, who thinks that under this name Mainland, the principal of the Shetland Islands, is meant. The reference to "Gosselin" or elsewhere "M. Gosselin" and his monumental work dating from the time of the French Revolution is much copied even though miscited. No such geographer existed; the "M." must stand for "Monsieur". The Library of Congress catalog cites the work as: Gossellin, Pascal François Joseph ([1798]-1813.). 《Recherches sur la géographie systématique et positive anciens; pour servir de base à l'histoire de la géographie ancienne》. Paris: L'imprimerie de la république [etc.] an VI.다음 날짜 값 확인 필요: |date= (도움말) This four-volume work is rare and inaccessible today. The opinion is said to come from Volume I page 162 under the title "Thulé".
Bostock and Riley continue: "It is by no means impossible that under the name of Thule two or more of these localities may have been meant, by different authors writing at distant periods and under different states of geographical knowledge. It is also pretty generally acknowledged, as Parisot remarks, that the Thule mentioned by Ptolemy is identical with Thylemark in Norway."
