tribes

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bœr, or býr, gen. baejar or býjar; gen. biar also occurs, esp. in Norse MSS. of the 14th century, Fb., but is rare and unclassical; pl. -ir, gen. -ja, dat. -jum. In Icel. people say bær; in Norway bö in Swed. and Dan. (always with y) by; the root word being búa, bú: this word is very freq. in local names of towns and villages throughout the whole of Scandinavia; and wherever the Scandinavian tribes settled the name by or bö went along with them. In the map of Northern England the use of this word marks out the limits and extent of the Norse immigration, e. g. the name Kirkby or Kirby; about twenty or thirty such are found in English maps of the Northern and Midland Counties, denoting churches built by the Norse or Danish settlers, as Whitby, Grimsby, etc., cp. Kirkjubær in Icel. In Denmark and Sweden local names ending in -by are almost numberless.

I. a town, village, this is the Norse, Swed., and Dan. notion; þeir brenna býi at köldum kolum, Fms. xi. 122; til bæjarins (of Niðarós), vii. 30; of Bergen, viii. 360, 438; Tunsberg, ix. 361; of the town residence of the earl of Orkney, Nj. 267: allit., borgir ok bæi, castles and towns, Ann. 1349, etc. etc.; baejar-biskup, a town-bishop, Fms. vii. 32; bæjar-prestr, a town-priest, D. N.; bæjar-lögmaðr, a town-justice, id.; bæjar-lýðr, bæjar-lið, bæjar-menn, town’s-people, Fms. viii. 38, 160, 210, Eg. 240, Bs. i. 78; baejar-brenna, the burning of a town, Fms. x. 30; bæjar-bygð, a town-district, viii. 247; bæjar-gjald, a town-rate, N. G. L. i. 328; bæjar-sýsla, a town-office, Fms. vi. 109; bæjar-starf, id., Hkr. iii. 441; bæjar-seta, dwelling in town, Ld. 73, Ísl. ii. 392.

II. a farm, landed estate, this is the Icel. notion, as that country has no towns; bær in Icel. answers to the Germ. ‘hof,’ Norweg. ‘ból,’ Dan. ‘gaard,’ denoting a farm, or farmyard and buildings, or both together; hence the phrase, reisa, göra, setja bæ, efna til bæjar, to build the farmstead, Eb. 10, 26, 254, Ld. 96, 98, Fs. 26, Landn. 126, 127, Eg. 131, Gísl. 8, 28, Bs. i. 26, Þorst. hv. 35; byggja bæ, Bs. i. 60; the phrase, bær heitir…, a farm is called so and so, Ísl. ii. 322, 323, 325, Ann. 1300, Hrafn. 22, Dropl. 5; the allit. phrase, búa á bæ…, Þorst. hv. 37; the passages are numberless, and ‘bær’ has almost become synonymous with ‘house and home;’ and as it specially means ‘the farm-buildings,’ Icel. also say innan-bæjar, in-doors; utan-bæjar, out-of-doors; í bæ, within doors; milii baejar ok stöðuls, K. Þ. K. 78; milli bæja; bæ frá bæ, from house to house; á bæ og af bæ, at home and abroad: things belonging to a bær, bæjar-dyr, the doors of the houses, the chief entrance; bæjar-hurð ( janua); bæjar-veggr, the wall of the houses; bæjar-bust, the gable of the houses; bæjar-lækr, the home-spring, well; bæjar-hlað, the premises; bæjar-stétt, the pavement in the front of the houses; bæjar-leið, a furlong, a short distance as between two ‘bæir;’ bæjar-sund, passage between the houses; bæjar-hús, the home-stead, opp. to fjár-hús, etc., where cattle is kept, or barns and the like; fram-bær, the front part of the houses; torf-bær, timbr-bær, a ‘bær’ built of turf or timber: phrases denoting the ‘bær’ as hearth and home, hér sú Guð í bæ, God be in this house, a form of greeting, cp. Luke x. 5; bæjar-bragr, the customs or life in a house; nema börn hvað á bæ er títt (a proverb).

n. (heathen) god.

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n. pl. [all the Teutonic languages have this word in common; Ulf. guþa, n. pl., Gal. iv. 8; guda, id., John x. 34, 35; and Guþ, m.; A. S. godu, n. pl., and God, m.; O. H. G. Cot: in mod. languages masc.; Engl. God; Germ. Gott; Dan.-Swed. Gud].

A. HISTORICAL REMARKS.—In heathen times this word was neuter, and was used almost exclusively in plur., as were also other words denoting Godhead, e. g. regin or rögn = numina, q. v.; and bönd, höpt, prop. = bonds, and metaph. gods:—this plur. usage seems not to refer to a plurality of gods, but rather, as the Hebrew אלהים, to the majesty and mystery of the Godhead; it points to an earlier and purer faith than that which was current in the later ages of the Scandinavian heathendom; thus the old religious poem Völuspá distinguishes a twofold order of gods,—the heavenly powers (regin or ginn-heilög goð) who had no special names or attributes, and who ruled the world, like the Μοιρα or Αισα of Gr. mythology;—and the common gods who were divided into two tribes, Æsir ( Ases) and Vanir, whose conflict and league are recorded in Vsp. 27, 28, and Edda 47.

II. after the introduction of Christianity, the masculine gender (as in Greek and Latin) superseded the neuter in all Teutonic languages, first in Gothic, then in Old High German and Anglo-Saxon, and lastly in the Scandinavian languages; but neither in Gothic nor in Icel. did the word ever take the masc. inflexive r or s, so that it remains almost unique in form.

2. in Scandinavian the root vowel was altered from o to u (goð to guð), [Swed.-Dan. gud], yet in old poems of the Christian age it is still made to rhyme with o, Goðs, boðnum; Goð, roðnar, Sighvat; as also in the oldest MSS. of the 12th century; sometimes however it is written ḡþ, in which case the root vowel cannot be discerned.

3. in Icel. the pronunciation also underwent a change, and the g in Guð ( God) is now pronounced gw (Gwuð), both in the single word and in those proper names which have become Christian, e. g. Guðmundr pronounced Gwuðmundr, whence the abbreviated form Gvendr or Gvöndr. The old form with o is still retained in obsolete words, as goði, goðorð, vide below, and in local names from the heathen age, as Goð-dalir; so also Gormr (q. v.), which is contracted from Goð-ormr not Guð-ormr. On the other hand, the Saxon and German have kept the root vowel o.

III. in old poems of heathen times it was almost always used without the article; gremdu eigi goð at þér, Ls.; áðr vér heilög goð blótim, Fas. i. (in a verse); ginnheilög Goð, Vsp. passim; goðum ek þat þakka, Am. 53; með goðum, Alm.; in prose, en goð hefna eigi alls þegar, Nj. 132.

2. with the article goð-in, Vsp. 27: freq. in prose, um hvat reiddusk goðin þá er hér brann hraunit er nú stöndu vér á, Bs. i. (Kr. S.) 22; eigi eru undr at goðin reiðisk tölum slíkum, id.; Hallfreðr lastaði eigi goðin, þó aðrir menn hallmælti þeim, Fms. ii. 52; allmikin hug leggr þú á goðin, Fs. 94; eigi munu goðin þessu valda, Nj. 132, passim.

3. very seldom in sing., and only if applied to a single goddess or the like, as Öndor-goðs (gen.), Haustl. 7; Vana-goð, of Freyja, Edda; enu skírleita goði, of the Sun, Gm. 39.

IV. after the introduction of Christianity, the neut. was only used of false gods in sing. as well as in pl., Sólar-goð = Apollo, Orrostu-goð = Mars, Drauma-goð = Morpheus, Bret. (Verel.); and was held up for execration by the missionaries; gör þik eigi svá djarfa, at þú kallir goð hinn hæsta konung er ek trúi á, Fb. i. 371. Yet so strongly did the neut. gender cleave to the popular mind that it remains (Grág. Kb. i. 192) in the oath formula, goð gramt = Goð gramr; and Icel. still say, í Guðanna (pl.) bænum.

2. guðír, masc. pl., as in A. S. gudas, is freq. in eccl. writers, but borrowed from the eccl. Lat.

B. IN COMPDS:

I. with nouns, goða-blót, n. sacrifice to the gods, Fb. i. 35. goða-gremi, f. a term in the heathen oath, wrath of the gods, Eg. 352. goða-heill, f. favour of the gods, Þorst. Síðu H. 9. goða-hús, n. a house of gods, temple, Dropl. 11, Nj. 131, Fb. i. 337. goða-stallar, m. pl. the altar in temples, Fas. i. 454. goða-stúka, u, f. the sanctuary in heathen temples, answering to the choir or sanctuary in churches, Landn. 335 (App.) goða-tala, u, f. in the phrase, í goðatölu, in the tale ( list) of gods, 625. 41. goð-borinn, part. διογενής, god-born, Hkv. 1. 29. goð-brúðr, f. bride of the gods (the goddess Skaði), Edda (in a verse). Goð-dalir, m. pl. a local name, hence Goð-dælir, m. pl. a family, Landn. goð-gá, f. blasphemy against the gods, Nj. 163, Ld. 180. goð-heimr, m. the home of the gods, Stor. 20, cp. Ýt. goð-konungr, m. (cp. Gr. διογενής βασιλεύς), a king,—kings being deemed the offspring of gods, Ýt. goð-kunnigr and goð-kyndr, adj. of the kith of gods, Edda 6, 11, 13. goð-lauss, adj. godless, a nickname, Landn. goð-lax, m. a kind of salmon, Edda (Gl.) goð-leiðr, adj. loathed by the gods, Korm. goð-máligr, adj. skilled in the lore of the gods, Hým. 38. goð-mögn, n. pl. divine powers, deities, Edda 1; biðja til þinna goðmagna, Bret. (Verel.) goð-reið, f. ‘a ride of gods’ through the air, a meteor, thought to forebode great events, Glúm. (in a verse), cp. the Swed. åska. goð-rifi, n. scorn of the gods, Sks. 435. goð-rækr, adj. ‘god-forsaken,’ wicked, 623. 30. goðum-leiðr, adj. = goðleiðr, Landn. (in a verse). goð-vargr, m. a ‘god-worrier,’ sacrilegus, ‘lupus in sanctis,’ Bs. i. 13 (in a verse). goð-vefr, vide guðvefr. goð-vegr, m. the way of the gods, the heaven, the sky, Hdl. 5. Goð-þjóð, f. the abode of the gods, Vsp.:—but Goth. Gut-þjuda = the land of the Goths, by assimilation Goð-þjóð, passim in old poems and the Sagas.

II. with pr. names, originally Goð-, later and mod. Guð-; of men, Guð-brandr, Guð-laugr, Guð-leifr, Guð-mundr, Guð-röðr, Guð-ormr or Gutt-ormr, etc.; of women, Guð-björg, Guð-finna, Guð-laug, Guð-leif, Guð-ný, Guð-ríðr, Guð-rún, etc.; cp. the interesting statement in Eb. (App.) 126 new Ed. (from the Hauks-bók), that men of the olden time used to call their sons and daughters after the gods (Goð-, Þór-, Frey-, Ás-); and it was thought that a double (i. e. a compound) name gave luck and long life, esp. those compounded with the names of gods; menn höfðu mjök þá tvau nöfn, þótti þat likast til langlífis ok heilla, þótt nokkurir fyrirmælti þeim við goðin, þá mundi þat ekki saka, ef þeir ætti eitt nafn, though any one cursed them by the gods it would not hurt if they had ‘one’ name, i. e. if they were the namesakes of the gods, Eb. l. c.;—we read ‘eitt nafn’ for ‘eitt annat nafn’ of the Ed. and MS. In Fb. i. 23, the mythical king Raum is said to have had three sons, Alf, Björn, and Brand; the first was reared by the Finns, and called Finn-Alf; Björn by his mother (a giantess), and called Jötun-Björn; and Brand was given to the gods, and called Goð-Brand (Guð-brandr, whence Guðbrands-dalir, a county in Norway); cp. also Eb. ch. 7.

☞ For the Christian sense of God and its compds vide s. v. Guð.

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(gen. pl. kynja), n.

1) kin, kindred (þar átti hann kyn hálft); danskr at kyni, Danish by extraction; telja kyn sitt til e-s, to claim kindred with;

2) kind, sort, species; ískyldasta kyni, of the most befitting kind; alls kyns, of every kind; hvers kyns, of any kind; margs kyns, of many kinds; þess kyns, of that kind;

3) gender (karl-, kvenn-kyn).

(gen. pl. kynja), n. wonder marvel, portent (þá urðu mörg kyn bæði í draumum ok sýnum).

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n., gen. pl. kynja, dat. kynjum; [akin to kænn, kunna]:—wonder; en eptir þetta kyn þyngisk hönd Drottins yfir …, Stj. 436; þótti mönnum þetta kyn mikil, Sturl.: þá urðu mörg kyn bæði í draumum ok sýnum, Bs. i. 662; þótti þeim þat kynjum sæta, 655 xxvii. 22; mönnum þótti kynjum við bregða, Fms. vi. 95: in mod. usage, það er ekki kyn, ‘tis not to be wondered at.

COMPDS: kynburðr, kynjalauss, kynjalæti, kynjamein, kynjamenn, kynjasótt, kynjavetr.

n., gen. pl. kynja, (but kyna less correct, Greg. 75, Sks. 450 B); [Ulf. kuni = γένος, passim; = φυλή, Luke ii. 36, Philipp. iii. 5; ἐφημερία, Luke i. 8; A. S. cyn; Engl. kin; O. H. G. kunni; Dutch kunne; lost in mod. Germ; Swed.-Dan. kön; Lat. genus; Gr. γένος]:—kin, kindred; þar átti hann kyn hálft, Eg. 288; faðir þeirra hafði kyn átt tveim megin Gautelfar, 72; Danskr, Sænskr at kyni, Danish, Swedish by extraction, Ó. H. passim; e-m kippir í kyn, Fms. ii. 34, Glúm. 346; telja kyn sitt til e-s, Fms. v. 132; ek á kyn á Jamtalandi, Ó. H. 211:—in names of families = a house, Ölvusinga-kyn, the house of the O., Landn.; Mýramanna-kyn, the house of the M., Eg. 770; Vatnsfirðinga-kyn, the house of the W., Ld. 129; Eireks kyn, Eirek’s kin, Ó. H. (in a verse); kyn þjóðar, mankind, Geisli 20, Merl. 2. 29; fíra kyn, lofða kyn, Ýt. 21; gumna kyn, id.; kyn beirna, id.; lýða kyn, id., Edda (in a verse); kyn aldar, id., Harms. 34; gýgjar kyn, giant-kind, Helr. 13; gyldis kyn, wolf-kind, Edda (Ht.); kyn kvenna, womankind, Kormak; karl-kyn, male kind; kvenn-kyn, womankind; jöfra kyn, the royal kin, Ó. H. (in a verse); konunga kyn, royal family, Fms. xi. 406.

2. a tribe; í öllum kynjum ( tribes) Israel, Stj. 342; allra mannligra kyna, Greg. 75.

II. a kind, sort, species; allr fénaðr meðr jöfnu kyni, Stj. 178; með reykelsi ok öllu kyni blóta, 656. A. ii. 14; í skyldasta kyni, of the most befitting kind, Landn. 168; hvalr tvítögr eða lengri eins kyns, Grág. ii. 337; alls kyns, of every kind, Fms. v. 345; annars kyns, of other kinds, viii. 251; hvers kyns, of any kind; engis kyns, of no kind, Stj. 27; margs kyns, of many kinds, Fb. ii. 297; þess kyns, of that kind, Fms. vi. 216.

2. gender; karl-kyn, masculine; kvenn-kyn, feminine, Skálda 185; hvárginligt kyn, neuter, 185; föll, kyn ok nafn, 180; kynja-skipti, change of gender, 185. kyns-maðr, m. a kinsman; frá kynsmönnum Abrahams, 656 B. 2; fyrstr sinna kynsmanna, Eg. 263, 536, Fms. ii. 22.

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1) name; at nafni, by name; í nafni e-s, in one’s name;

2) name, title (hersir at nafni).

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often spelt namn, n.; [Ulf. namo; common to all Teut. languages without the n, which has been preserved in the Norse; Dan. navn; Swed. namn; Lat. nomen; Gr. ὄνομα]:—a name; af hans nafni tók nafn Britannia, Fms. xi. 416; spyrja e-n at nafni, Nj. 6; gefa namn, Grág. i. 101; at nafni, by name, passim; kalla á namn e-s, 623. 24; í nafni e-s, in one’s name, id., passim; skírnar-nafn, a baptismal name; auk-nafn, a nickname. For the ancient ceremony, even of the heathen age, of sprinkling infants with water and giving them a name see the remarks and references given s. v. ausa, (to which add Dropl. 25, ok mun ek ekki við þér sjá, þvíat þú jóst mik vatni.) Proper names were either single as Steinn or compound as Hall-steinn, Þor-steinn, Vé-steinn, Há-steinn, Her-steinn, Gunn-steinn, see Þorst. hv. 46, Eb. 126 new Ed. (Append.); for giving names to infants see Vd. ch. 13, Nj. ch. 14, 59, Ld. ch. 13, Eb. ch. 7, 11, 12, and the Sagas passim. The ancient Teutons and Scandinavians used but one name, for nicknames are rare or of later date, and perh. came into use through contact with foreigners, as with the Gaelic tribes in the west, for in the Landn. such names abound in Icel., though they were afterwards disused; the law makes it a case of outlawry to ‘give names,’ ef maðr gefr manni nafn annat en hann eigi áðr ok varðar fjörbaugs garð, ef hann reiðisk við, Grág. (Kb.) ii. 182, see however nafn-festr below. For illustration see lists of names subjoined to the Editions of the Sagas, Landn., Bs., Fms., Fb. iii, Espól. Annals; a list of nicknames, Fb. iii. 657–663. Worthy of note is the desire of the men of old to live again in a new name, cp. Vd. ch. 3, Fb. ii. 7–9, and many other instances; one who falls short of the man he is named after is said to kafna undir nafni. 2. gramm. a noun, Skálda 180.

II. a name, title; at gipta hana tignara manni fyrir nafns sakir, Fms. i. 157; hersir at nafni, Ld. 8, Ó. H. 106; nafn ok veldi, Eg. 268; keisara-nafn, konungs-n., jarls-n., passim; at nafni, nominally, not really, not well; fontr með búnaði at nafni, Pm. 68, 78.

COMPDS: nafnagipt, nafnaskipti, nafnaskrá.

(söm, samt), a.

1) the same;

the def. form is used both with and without the preceding art. (inn, in, it);

í sama húsi, in the same house;

hann var s. í boðum sinum, the same, unaltered;

svá fór sem samt sé, it turned out the same way;

komast í samt lag, to get into the same condition as before;

with dat., the same as;

kom Guðrún eigi síðan í sömu rekkju Ólafi, into the same bed as Olaf;

it sama, the same, likewise;

2) agreeing, of one mind (hann var s. um yðra ferð);

3) í samt, continuously, = samfast( þrjár nætr í samt).

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adj. [the word is prob. from the Finn, saomi], swarthy, blackish, from the hue of the Finnish tribes; svartar ok sámar í sólviðri, Gsp.; en sáma Svívör, of an ogress, Edda (in a verse):—the name of a dog, Nj.:—the name of a giant, Edda (Gl.), Fas. passim:—a nickname, Fms. ix. 372:—a pr. name, Landn., Hrafn.; and Sæmingr in Yngl. S. ch. 9: the very name is a sign of intermarriage between the Finns and Northmen, see Prof. Munch’s Det Norske Folk’s Historie.

1) turf, sod (höfðu Danir gert borgarvegg af grjóti, torfi ok viðum);

2) turf for fuel, peat; grafa t., to dig peat.

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n. [A. S. and Engl. turf; Dan. törv], a turf, sod; hylja hræ grjóti, torfi, klæðum eðr snæ, Grág. ii. 88; til garðlags torf eðr grjót, 262; torf ok grjót, Nj. 64; toptin var full af torfi ok grjóti, Rd. 274; borgar-vegg af grjóti ok torfi ok viðum, Fms. i. 123; lét konungr bera til viðu ok torf ok fylla díkit, vii. 54; torfs-maðr, a person who runs the gauntlet pelted with sods, N. G. L. i. 253.

2. turf for fuel, peat; geita gættu, grófu torf, dug turf, peat, Rm. 12; hann fann fyrstr manna at skera torf ór jörðu til eldiviðar á Torfnesi á Skotlandi, þvíat íllt var til viðar í Eyjunum, Orkn. 16; skera torf til eldibranda, Grág. ii. 338; elda er rétt at göra ok kljúfa torf til, K. Þ. K. 88; hann stóð í mýri nökkurri ok gróf torf, Njarð. 370; eldi-torf, ‘fuel-turf,’ i. e. peat, Ísl. ii. 112.

B. COMPDS: torfbáss, torfbingr, torffæri, torfgarðr, torfgröf, torfhraukr, torfhrip, torfhús, torfkast, torfkrókr, torfköstr, torfleikr, torfljár, torfmenn, torfmór, torfmýrr, torfnaust, torfskeri, torfskurðr, torfstaða, torfstakkr, torfverk, torfvirki, torfvöllr, torfvölr, torföx.

☞ The passages quoted all refer to Iceland, except two or three to the Orkneys, and one to Norway, viz. torfmenn. In a country bare or stripped of wood, turf plays an important part in husbandry, as sod for buildings and fencing, and as peat for fuel. In the Orkneys the Norse earl Einar got the soubriquet of ‘Turf-Einar’ ( Torf-Einarr) for having taught the Norsemen to dig peat (having probably learnt it himself from the Gaelic tribes in Scotland); the place was hence called Torf-nes, Orkn. The digging of peat in the poem Rigsmál is one of the many proofs of the birthplace of that poem. The only passage referring to Norway is that cited under torfmenn, a peat-man (see B), unless the legislator here specially had in mind the Norsemen of the Orkneys who, at that time, were an integral part of the Norse kingdom, without a special code of laws.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) sing. husband (vildi hón ver sínum vinna ofrhefndir);

2) pl., verar, men (þú ert æ vísastr vera).

adv. compar. worse; vánu v., worse than expected.

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m. [Ulf. wair = ἀνήρ; A. S., Hel., and O. H. G. wer = a man; Lat. vir; the derivation from verja suggested in Edda 107 is fanciful]:—a man:

1. sing. a husband; Sifjar verr = Thor, Hým. 3, 15, Þkv. 24, Grett. (in a verse); þótt varðir fái sér vers, Ls. 33; þar sitr Sigyn um sínum ver (dat.), Vsp. 39; vildi hón ver sínum vinna ofr-hefndir, Am. 72; hvern myndir þú kjósa þér at ver? Kormak; sof hjá ver þínum, id.; vön vers, Skv. 3. 9; leiða annarrar ver, 40; ganga með veri, to marry, Gkv. 2. 27; vörðr né verr, [ nor] ward nor husband, 3. 3; verr spákonu, the husband of a wise woman, Kormak; lirla veri sínum, to sing lullaby for her husband, Fms. vi. 251 (in a verse); vör ok gröm at veri, jealousy for her husband, Ls. 54; frum-ver, one’s wedded husband, Skv. 3. 59: in prose used in law phrases or sayings, svá er mörg við ver sinn vær at varla sér hón af honum nær, Skálda (Thórodd); til er hón kemr í vers hvílu, Grág. ii. 183; verr hennar, 89.

2. in plur. verar, men; þar er vágu verar, Ls. 46; firðar ok fírar ok verar heita landvarnar-menn, Edda 107; sleit vargr vera, Vsp.; vápn-dauða vera, Gm. 8, Sdm. 33; þú ert æ vísastr vera, Vþm. 55; vera týr, the lord of men, i. e. Odin, Gm. 3; verr peim vera enginn, none of men can ward them off, Gsp.; megut þeim varða verar, id.

3. in compds; ver-bróðir, ver-faðir, ver-fang, ver-gjarn, ver-lauss, ver-liðar, ver-öld, ver-sæll, ver-úlfr, ver-þjóð, qq. v., of which only veröld is a prose word, all the rest being poetical and obsolete.

4. plur. verjar; skip-verjar, shipmen; suffixed to pr. names of people, mostly of counties or small tribes, Man-verjar, the Manx-men, Fms. vii. (in a verse); Hvin-verjar, Odda-verjar, Gaul-verjar, Dal-verjar, Skarð-verjar, Sturl., Landn.; Vík-verjar, the men of the county Wík in Norway: Róm-verjar, the Romans: in mod. usage, Spán-verjar, the Spanish; Þjóð-verjar, the Germans: this was a freq. usage in old Teut. names, in Lat. rendered by -varii; it remains in the Engl. Cant-er-bury (A. S. Cant-wara) = the burgh of the men of Kent.

II. in the inflex. - eri or - ari, see Gramm. p. xxxii, col. i.

III. in pr. names, Ver-mundr, Rand-verr.

compar. worse, and verst, superl. worst, answering to ílla; [Ulf. wairs; A. S. wyrs: Engl. worse; Scot. waur; Swed. värr]: líka verst við e-n, Landn. 287; þykki mér þat verst, Eb. 170; hann var einna verst til Gunnars, Nj. 38; þeir hafa verr ( behave worse) er trygðum slitu, Mkv.; verr en ílla, worse than bad, i. e. exceedingly bad, Sturl. iii. 31; vánu verr, worse than expected, see ván.

f. freebooting voyage, piracy, (hann var í v. á sumrum ok fekk sér fjár); liggja í víkingu ok hernaði, to be engaged in freebooting expedition and warfare; fara í v., to go out on a freebooting expedition.

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f. a freebooting voyage, piracy; see víkingr. In heathen days it was usual for young men of distinction, before settling down, to make a warlike expedition to foreign parts, this voyage was called ‘víking,’ and was part of a man’s education like the grand tour in modern times; hence the saying in the old Saga,—‘when I was young and on my voyage (víking), but now I am old and decrepit;’ so a son begs his father to give him a ‘langskip,’ that he may set out on a ‘víking,’ cp. the scene of the young Egil and his mother Bera, and the reference Fms. i. 69; see B. The custom was common among Teutonic tribes, and is mentioned by Caesar B.G. vi. ch. 23 (latrocinia nullam habent infamiam, quae extra fines cujusque civitatis fiunt, sqq.), only there it is a foray on land; (cp. the mod. American filibustering.)

B. REFERENCES illustrating this word: Leifr fór í hernað í vestr-víking, Landn. 32; Ólafr inn hvíti herjaði í vestr-víking ok vann Dyflinni, 108; Geirmundr heljar-skinn var herkonungr, hann herjaði í vestr-víking, 121; hann kom út síð landnáma-tíðar, hann hafði verit í vestr-víking ok haft ór vestr-víking þræla Írska, 133; Ánn varð missáttr við Harald konung inn hárfagra, hann fór því ór landi í vestr-víking, 140; Ingimundr var víkingr mikill ok herjaði í vestr-víking jafnan, 174; Ævarr fór til Íslands ór víkingu, ok synir hans, 185; Björn var á sumrum í vestr-víking en á vetrum með Öndótti, Eyvindr fór þá í vestr-víking, 204; þá var Þorsteinn son Ásgríms í víkingu, en Þorgeirr annarr son hans var tíu vetra, 292; hann var í víking á sumrum ok fékk sér fjár, Hkr. i. 171; Hjörleifr konungr féll í víkingu, Fas. ii. 35; leggjask í víking ok hernað, Fms. xi. 73; fara í víking, Eg. 260; Grímr, þeir vóru í vestr-víking, ok drápu í Suðreyjum Ásbjörn jarl skerja-blesa, ok tóku þar at herfangi Ólöfu konu hans, Grímr fór til Íslands, Landn. 314; þá er ek var ungr ok í víkingu … en nú hálfu síðr at ek em gamall ok örvasi, Glúm. 337; ek vil senda yðr austr til Svíþjóðar á fund tins bezta vinar míns, er nú er kallaðr Hákon gamli, við vórum lengi báðir samt í víking, var með okkr inn kærasti félagskapr, ok áttum einn sjóð, Fms. i. 69; en er hann var á unga aldri, lá hann í víkingu ok hernaði, Eg. (begin.); Björn var farmaðr mikill, var stundum í víking en stundum í kaupferðum, 154; er mér þat nær skapi, sagði hann, at þú fáir mér langskip ok þar lið með, ok fara ek í víking (the words of a son to his father), 157: of an expedition in the East (in the Baltic), þeir fóru um sumarit í víking í Austrveg, fóru heim at hausti ok höfðu aflat fjár mikils … skip þat höfðu þeir fengit um sumarit í víking, Eg. 170, 171; Björn var nú í víkingu at afla sér fjár ok frægðar, Bjarn. 13: the word occurs also on Swed. Runic stones, sá varð dauðr í vestr-vegum í víkingu, Baut. 962: þá lögðusk sumir menn út í víking ok á herskip, ok mörg endemi tóku menn þá til önnur þau er nú mundi ódæmi þykkja ef menn henti slíkt, Bs. i. 62 (referring to Iceland of A. D. 1056–1180): one of the last instances on record is Sturl. i. 152,—hann hafði verit útan nokkura vctr ok verit í víkingu, referring to A. D. 1195: in the Orkneys, among the Norsemen, the viking-life lasted till the 13th century, if not longer.

m., one of the names of Thor, Edda 14, 28, but not found in the poems themselves; the öku- is not to be derived from aka, but is rather of Finnish origin, Ukko being the thunder-god of the Chudic tribes.