What is "sodor"

Sodor (from Old Norse Súðreyjar meaning "southern islands", i.e. the Hebrides and the Isle of Man) may refer to:

• Kingdom of the Isles, a mediaeval kingdom, natively called Súðreyjar, which later became part of Scotland as a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth, and hence:
  • Diocese of Sodor and Man, a diocese of the Church of England, covering the former kingdom,
  • Bishop of Sodor and Man, its Bishop
• Sodor (fictional island), the setting for the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends series
• Diocese of the Isles, also known as Diocese of Sodor
• Bishop of the Isles, also known as Bishop of Sodor

Sodor is a fictional island located in the Irish Sea, just off the English mainland near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. It is used as the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends television series.