hrafna-blaka

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(-s, -ar), m. raven.

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often spelt hramn, m. [A. S. hræfn; Engl. raven; Germ. rabe; Dan. ravn, etc.; cp. Lat. corvus, Gr. κόραξ]:—a raven, Nj. 119, Grág. ii. 346, Fms. i. 131, Hkr. iii. 11, Stj. 59, Orkn. 28, 38: allit., bíða hunds ok hrafns, Fms. viii. 210: in the sayings, sjaldsénir hvítir hrafnar, white ravens are not seen every day, of a strange appearance; þá er hart þegar einn hrafninn kroppar augun úr öðrum, it is too bad when one raven picks another’s eyes out; Guð borgar fyrir hrafninn, God pays for the raven, perhaps referring to 1 Kings xvii. and Job xxxviii. 41. The raven was a favourite with the Scandinavians, as a bird of augury and of sagacity, víða flýgr hrafn yfir grund, the raven is a far traveller; cp. the wise ravens Huginn and Muninn, the messengers of Odin, Gm., Edda; whence Odin is called hrafn-blætr, m. raven worshipper (Hallfred), and hrafn-áss, m. (Haustl.); hrafna-dróttinn or hrafna-goð, hrafn-stýrandi, a, m. lord or god of ravens; hrafn-freistaðr, m. raven friend, Húsd., Edda 126; cp. also the interesting story of the ravens of Flóki, Landn. 28 (v. l.),—hann fékk at blóti miklu ok blótaði hrafna þrjá, þá er honum skyldu leið vísa. A raven was the traditional war standard of the Danish and Norse vikings and chiefs, see Orkn. ch. 11, Nj. ch. 158, Þorst. Síðu H. ch. 2, as also the A. S. Chroniclers, e. g. the Saxon Chronicle, Asser, A. D. 878, etc. The croaking of ravens was an omen, Fagrsk. ch. 48, Sturl. 9. ch. 19, cp. Háv. 47: when heard in front of a house it betokens death, Landn. 2. ch. 33, Maurer Volksagen 170, 171: the ravens are said to hold a parliament, hrafna-þing; and metaph. a disorderly assembly was called by that name, see Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 616–621. A black horse is called Hrafn, Edda. In popular lore the raven is called krummi, q. v. Botan., hrafna-blaka and hrafna-klukka, u, f. cardamine pratensis, the ladies’ smock or cuckoo-flower, Hjalt. Pr. names of men, Hrafn, Hrafn-kell; of women, Hrefna, Hrafn-hildr: local names, Hrafna-björg, Hrafna-gjá, Hrafna-gil (whence Hrafn-gilingr, a man from H.), Hrafn-hólar, Hrafn-ista (whence Hrafnistu-menn, an old family), etc., Landn.: in poetry a warrior is styled hrafn-fæðir, -gæðir, -gælir, -greddir, -þarfr, = feeder of ravens, etc.: the blood is hrafn-vín, Lex. Poët.: a coward is hrafna-sveltir, m. raven-starver, Bs. i.