(be+believed)

1. an uttered opinion; mun ek nú segja yðr hvat mitt á. er, Nj. 189, Sturl. i. 65 C; Ed. atkvæði (better): a command, Stj. 312, 208; með ákvæðum, expressly, Sks. 235: cp. atkvæði.

2. in popular tales and superstition it is specially used of spells or charms: cp. Lat. fatum from fari; cp. also atkvæði: the mod. use prefers ákvæði in this sense, hence ákvæða-skáld, n. a spell-skald, a poet whose words have a magical power, also called kraptaskald; v. Ísl. Þjóðs. I, where many such poets are mentioned; indeed any poet of mark was believed to possess the power to spell-bind with his verses; cp. The tales about Orpheus.

COMPDS: ákvæðisteigr, ákvæðisverk.

s, m. bear’s warmth, the vital warmth of an ice-bear; it was believed in Icel. (vide Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 610) that a child born on the hide of an ice-bear would be proof against frost and cold; people hardy against cold are therefore said ‘to have bear’s warmth’ (bjarnyl), vide Háv. 39.

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(dey; dó, dóum; dáinn), v. to die (deyr fé, deyja frændr); hann dó af eitri, ór sárum, he died of poison, from wounds; á deyjanda degi, on one’s dying day, on one’s deathbed of a limb (dó fótleggrinn allr); of inanimate things, dáinn arfr, an inheritance left to the heir.

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pret. dó, 2nd pers. dótt, later dóst, pl. dó, mod. dóu; part. dáinn; pres. dey, 2nd pers. deyr (in mod. familiar use deyrð): pret. subj. dæi; in the south of Icel. people say dæði, inserting a spurious ð; old poems with neg. suffix, deyr-at, dó-at; a weak pret. form deyði ( died) occurs in the Ann. 1400–1430, and was much used in biographies of later centuries, but is borrowed from Dan. döde, unclassical and unknown in the spoken tongue; Icel. always say dó: [the root is akin to dá, q. v., Gr. θάνατος, etc.; Ulf. uses a part. divans, by which he sometimes renders the Gr. θνητός, φθαρτός; undivans = αθάνατος, αφθαρτος; undivanei = αθανασία; but the Gr. θνήσκειν he renders not by divan but by ga-sviltan; Hel. uses dôjan, but rarely; the A. S. seems not to know the word, but uses sviltan, whereas in Icel. svelta means to starve, die of hanger; the Engl. perhaps borrowed the verb to die from the Scandin., whereas to starve (used by Chaucer = Germ. sterben) now means to die of hunger or cold]:—to die: deyr fé, deyja frændr, Hm. 76; hann dó af eitri, 623. 27; er þat sögn manna, af hón hafi af því dáit, Korm. 164; hann dó ór sárum, Fs. 120; þeir dó allir, Landn. 294; dó þar undir ellifu naut, Bs. i. 320; hann dó litlu síðarr, Fms. i. 108; þat áttu eptir sem erfiðast er, ok þat er at d., Nj. 56: betra er at d. með sæmð en lifa með skömm, Orkn. 28: the proverb, deyja verðr hverr inn sinn, omnes una manet nox: the allit. phrase, á deyjanda degi, Ld. 106, Grág. ii. 207, Hkr. iii. 50: eccl., dauða deyja, Gen. iii. 3, Matth. xv. 4, ‘let him die the death,’ Engl. A. V.; d. góðum, illum dauða, to die a good, bad death, etc.: it sometimes has in it a curious sense of motion, hann kaus at d. í Mælifell, Landn. 192; þeir Selþórir frændr dó í Þórisbjörg, 78; trúði at hann mundi deyja í fjallit, Eb. 7 new Ed., v. l., where it means to die (i. e. pass by death) into the fell, i. e. they believed that after death they would pass into the fell; cp. hinnig deyja ór Helju halir, Vþm. 43.

β. medic. to die, of a limb, Pr. 239.

γ. of inanimate things; dáinn arfr, a law phrase, a dead inheritance, i. e. left to the heir, Gþl. 263; hence dánar-fé, dánar-arfr, q. v.

1) half-past three o’clock, p. m. (var þat nær e. dags);

2) time of three hours (þá er þógn hafði verit nær hálfa e.).

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eykð, f. three or half-past three o’clock P. M.; many commentaries have been written upon this word, as by Pal Vídalín Skýr., Finn Johnson in H. E. i. 153 sqq. note 6, and in Horologium, etc. The time of eykð is clearly defined in K. Þ. K. 92 as the time when the sun has past two parts of the ‘útsuðr’ (q. v.) and has one part left, that is to say, half-past three o’clock P. M.: it thus nearly coincides with the eccl. Lat. nona (three o’clock P. M.); and both eykt and nona are therefore used indiscriminately in some passages. Sunset at the time of ‘eykð’ is opposed to sunrise at the time of ‘dagmál,’ q. v. In Norway ‘ykt’ means a luncheon taken about half-past three o’clock. But the passage in Edda—that autumn ends and winter begins at sunset at the time of eykt—confounded the commentators, who believed it to refer to the conventional Icel. winter, which (in the old style) begins with the middle of October, and lasts six months. In the latitude of Reykholt—the residence of Snorri—the sun at this time sets about half-past four. Upon this statement the commentators have based their reasoning both in regard to dagmál and eykt, placing the eykt at half-past four P. M. and dagmál at half-past seven A. M., although this contradicts the definition of these terms in the law. The passage in Edda probably came from a foreign source, and refers not to the Icel. winter but to the astronomical winter, viz. the winter solstice or the shortest day; for sunset at half-past three is suited not to Icel., but to the latitude of Scotland and the southern parts of Scandinavia. The word is also curious from its bearing upon the discovery of America by the ancients, vide Fb. l. c. This sense ( half-past three) is now obsolete in Icel., but eykt is in freq. use in the sense of trihorium, a time of three hours; whereas in the oldest Sagas no passage has been found bearing this sense,—the Bs. i. 385, 446, and Hem. l. c. are of the 13th and 14th centuries. In Norway ykt is freq. used metaph. of all the four meal times in the day, morning-ykt, midday-ykt, afternoon-ykt (or ykt proper), and even-ykt. In old MSS. (Grág., K. Þ. K., Hem., Heið. S.) this word is always spelt eykð or eykþ, shewing the root to be ‘auk’ with the fem. inflex. added; it probably first meant the eke-meal, answering to Engl. lunch, and thence came to mean the time of day at which this meal was taken. The eccl. law dilates upon the word, as the Sabbath was to begin at ‘hora nona;’ hence the phrase, eykt-helgr dagr (vide below). The word can have no relation to átta, eight, or átt, plaga coeli. At present Icel. say, at eykta-mótum, adv. at great intervals, once an eykt, once in three hours.

I. half-past three; þá er eykð er útsuðrs-átt er deild í þriðjunga, ok hefir sól gengna tvá hluti en einn ógenginn, K. Þ. K. 92; net skal öll upp taka fyrir eykð, 90; helgan dag eptir eykð, 88; ef þeir hafa unnit á eykð, 94; enda skal hann undan honum hafa boðit fyrir miðjan dag en hinn skal hafa kosit at eykþ, Grág. i. 198; ok á maðr kost at stefna fyrir eykþ ef vill, 395; í þat mund dags er tók út eyktina, Fms. xi. 136; eptir eykt dags, rendering of the Lat. ‘vix decima parte diei reliqua,’ Róm. 313; þeir gengu til eyktar, ok höfðu farit árla morguns, en er nón var dags, etc., Fs. 176; at eykð dags þá kómu heim húskarlar Barða. Ísl. ii. 329; nú vættir mik at þar komi þér nær eykð dags, 345; var þat nær eykð dags, 349; var hón at veraldligu verki þangat til er kom eykð, þá fór hón til bænar sinnar at nóni, Hom. (St.) 59.

COMPDS: eykðarhelgr, eyktarstaðr, eykðartíð.

II. trihorium; en er liðin var nær ein eykt dags, Bs. i. 446; at þat mundi verit hafa meir en hálf eykt, er hann vissi ekki til sín, 385; þessi flaug vanst um eina eykð dags, Hem. (Hb.)

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n. a grip, grasp; upp-grip, plenty to take, abundance; á-grip, q. v.; yfir-grip, compass: medic. spots on the skin, believed to be the finger-prints or marks of goblins or demons, Fél.

(gen. -s, dat. hamri, pl. hamrar), m.

1) hammer; hann gerði hamar yfir, he made the sign of the hammer over it;

2) back of an axe;

3) crag, precipice (þar stendr hamarr mikill fyrir þeim); þrítugur hamarr, a crag thirty fathoms high.

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m., dat. hamri, pl. hamrar, [A. S. hamor; Engl. hammer; O. H. G. hamar; Germ. and Dan. hammer; Swed. hammare]:—a hammer; h. töng, steði, Edda 9, Vkv. 18, Landn. 212 (in a verse); the thunderbolt was in the northern mythology represented as a hammer,—the hammer Mjölnir, Edda (Sksm.) 15, 26, 28–30, 58, 70, passim, Þkv. passim, Hbl. 47; hann (the idol) var merkðr eptir Þór ok hefir hamar í hendi, Ó. H. 108, O. T. 44; Þrúð-hamarr, the mighty hammer, Ls. 57, 59, 61, 63: the hammer was the holy sign with the heathens, answering to the cross of the Christians, hann görði hamar yfir, he made the sign of the hammer over it, Fms. i. 35; Þórr tók hamarinn Mjölni ok brá upp ok vígði hafr-stökurnar, Edda 28, cp. also Þkv. 30, where the bride and bridegroom were to be marked with the holy sign; hence Þórs-hamarr = the character RUNE which occurs on a few of the earliest heathen Runic stones (e. g. Thorsen, pp. 17, 329), cp. also Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 446; this RUNE is evidently an imitation of the thunderbolt.

β. the back of an axe, Eg. 769.

COMPDS: hamargangr, hamarshögg, hamarsmuðr, hamarskalli, hamarskapt, hamarspor.

II. metaph. a hammer-shaped crag, a crag standing out like an anvil; þar stendr hamarr mikill fyrir þeim, Bs. i. 601; þeir leggja skip sín millum hamra tveggja, Grett. 83, Fas. iii. 257; þrítugr, fertugr … hamarr, a crag thirty, forty … fathoms high, i. 159: so in the saying, kljúfa þrítugan hamarinn til e-s, to split a thirty fathoms’ rock, to make great efforts, to make Herculean efforts in a thing, metaph. from cutting roads through rocks: in pl. hamrar, crags; fluga-hamrar, sjávar-hamrar, sea-crags; ogres were believed to live in crags, hence the phrase, sem genginn út úr hömrum, i. e. looking as wild as a crag-ogre, svá ílliligr sem genginn sé út ór sjávar-hömrum, Nj. 182.

COMPDS: ( hamar- and hamra-), hamar-tröll, n. a crag-ogre, Grett. (in a verse). hamar-dalr, m. a ravine, Karl. 292. hamar-gnípa, u, f. the peak of a crag, Stj. 134, Fms. v. 323, Þorf. Karl. 414. hamar-klettr, m. a crag (isolated), Fms. ii. 92, Nj. 264, v. l. hamar-klif, n. a craggy cliff, Gísl. 137. hamar-rifa, u, f. a rift in a crag, Fb. iii. 447. hamar-skarð and hamra-skarð, n. a scaur, cleft or ravine, Grett. 132, Gísl. 51, Grág. i. 17. hamar-skúti, a, m. a jutting crag, Nj. 264; gjá-h., q. v.: esp. freq. in local names in Icel. and Norway, Hamarr, Hamrar, Hamra-endar, Hamars-á: in compds, Smá-hamrar, Ein-hamarr, a single crag, Gísl., etc., vide Landn., Fms. xii, Fb. iii.

2. a kind of mark on sheeps’ ears, prob. of heathen origin, denoting the holy mark of the hammer of Thor: cutting the top of the ear thus UNCERTAIN is called hamar, whence hamar-skora, u, f. a cleft hamar UNCERTAIN; cp. the ditty of Stef. Ól., Hamarinn mér í greipar gékk | það gæfu-markið fína, and hamar-skoru og gloppu-gat | görðu í hægra eyra.

3. a kind of fish, Edda (Gl.): prop. a false reading for humarr (q. v.), a lobster.

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1) guardian spirit;

2) luck, good fortune.

* * *

u, f. luck, fortune; prop. in a personal sense, a guardian spirit, answering to the guardian angel of Christians; derived from hamr, for the guardian spirits of men—and every man had his hamingja—were believed to take the shape sometimes of animals, sometimes and more commonly of human beings, esp. that of women; but they were themselves supernatural beings; that the hamingjur were giant-females proceeding from the great Norns—who were the hamingjur of the world—is borne out by the passage in Vþm. 48, 49. Hamingja and fylgja or fylgju-kona (Hallfred S. ch. 11) seem to be nearly synonymous, as also gæfa, gipta, auðna, heill; but hamingja is the most personal word, and was almost symbolical of family relationship. At the hour of death the hamingja left the dying person and passed into a dear son, daughter, or beloved kinsman; cp. Hallfr. S. ch. 11, and esp. the charming tale in Glúm. ch. 9. One might also impart one’s own good luck to another, hence the phrase leggja sína hamingju með e-m, almost answering to the Christian, ‘to give one’s blessing to another.’ Examples: sögðusk mundu leggja til með honum hamingju sína, Ld. 74; h. ok gæfa, Fms. vi. 165; þú en ústöðuga h., Al. 23; h. konungsins, 22; ok mun kona sjá hans h. vera er fjöllum hærra gékk, Glúm. 345; etja hamingju við e-n, Fb. ii. 65; ok reyna hvat hamingjan vill unna þér, Fs. 4; vilnask ( hope) at h. mun fylgja, 23; vera má at þat sé til h. várrar ættar, 11; langæligar nytjar munu menn hafa hans hamingju, Bs. i. 229; forlög ekki forðumst ill | fram kemr það hamingjan vill, Úlf. 3. 69; meiri í hreysti en hamingju, Gullþ. 21; sigri eðr hamingju manns þessa, Fs. 10. It is still used in Icel. almost as Heaven, Providence; það má Hamingjan vita, God knows; eg vildi Hamingjan gæfi, would to Heaven! Guð og Hamingjan, God and Good Luck; treysta Guði og Hamingjunni; eiga undir Hamingjunni, to run the risk; and in similar phrases.

COMPDS: hamingjudrjúgr, hamingjuhjól, hamingjuhlutr, hamingjulauss, hamingjuleysi, hamingjumaðr, hamingjumikill, hamingjumót, hamingjuraun, hamingjusamligr, hamingjuskipti, hamingjuskortr, hamingjutjón.

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(gen. handar, dat. hendi; pl. hendr), f.

1) hand;

taka hendi á e-u, to touch with the hand;

hafa e-t í hendi, to hold in the hand;

drepa hendi við e-u, to refuse;

halda hendi yfir e-m, to protect one;

taka e-n höndum, to seize, capture;

bera hönd fyrir höfuð sér, to defend oneself;

eiga hendr sínar at verja, to act in self defence;

láta e-t hendi firr, to let go out of one’s hands, to lose;

taka í hönd e-m, to join hands with one;

eiga e-t jöfnum höndum, to own in equal shares;

sverja sér af hendi, to forswear;

af hendi e-s, on one’s behalf, on the part of (af hendi landsmanna);

at hendi, as adv. in turn;

hverr at hendi, each in turn;

felast á hendi e-m, to be under one’s protection;

hvat er þér á höndum, what hast thou in hand?;

ef honum væri ekki á höndum, if he had nothing in hand, if his hands were free;

eiga e-t fyrir hendi (höndum), to have in hand (duty, business, engagement);

vera í hendi, to be at hand, at one’s disposal;

hafa vel (illa) í höndum, to behave well (badly);

hafa e-t með höndum, to have in hand, manage, discharge;

hljóta e-t undan hendi e-s, from one, at one’s hand;

á hönd, á hendr, against (lýsa vígi á hönd e-m);

snúa vanda á hendr e-m, to throw the responsibility on one;

fœrast e-t á hendr, to undertake;

ganga (drífa) á hönd e-m, to submit to one;

bjargast á sínar hendr, by one’s own handiwork;

selja, gefa, fá e-t í hönd (hendr) e-m, to give into one’s hands, hand over;

búa e-t í hendr e-m, to make it ready for one;

kalla til e-s í hendr e-m, to lay claim to a thing at the hands of another;

þá sömu nótt, er fór í hönd, the following night;

veðr óx í hönd, the wind rose higher and higher;

vera hœgt um hönd, to be easy in hand;

til handa e-m, into one’s hands;

ganga til handa e-m, to put oneself in another’s hands, submit to him;

ef þat berr þér til handa, if it befalls thee;

þá skömrn kýs ek mér eigi til handa, I will not have that shame at my door;

biðja konu til handa e-m, on one’s behalf, for him;

2) the arm and hand, the arm (höndin gekk af axlarliðnum; hann hefir á hœgri hendi hring fyrir ofan ölnboga);

var eigi djúpara en þeim tók undir hendr, the water just reached to their armpits;

3) hand, side;

á hœgri (vinstri) hönd, on the right (left) hand, side;

á hvára hönd, on either hand;

minnar (yðvarrar) handar, for my (your) part;

4) kind, sort;

allra handa árgœzka, great abundance of all things.

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f., gen. handar, dat. hendi, acc. hönd, pl. hendr, mod. proncd. höndur, gen. handa; [Goth. handus; A. S. and Engl. hand; O. H. G. hant; Germ. hand; Dan. haand; Swed. hand]:—a hand; beit höndina þar er nú heitir úlfliðr, Edda 17; armleggir, handleggir ok hendr, Anecd. 6; kné eðr hendi, Grág. ii. 8; ganga á höndum, Fms. vi. 5; með hendi sinni, K. Þ. K. 5 new Ed.; taka hendi á e-u, to touch with the hand, Fms. x. 110; taka höndum um háls e-m, Nj. 10; hvítri hendi, Hallfred; hafa e-t í hendi, to hold in hand, wield, Eg. 297, Nj. 84, 97, 255; hrjóta ór hendi e-m, Fms. xi. 141; hafa fingrgull á hendi, Nj. 146; handar-högg, Fms. xi. 126, Fas. ii. 459; sjá ekki handa sinna skil (deili), not to be able to see one’s hands, of a dense fog.

2. the arm and hand, the arm, like Gr. χείρ, Nj. 160, 253; á hendi heitir alnbogi, Edda 110; hendr til axla, Fas. i. 160; leggir handa ok fóta, Magn. 532; hönd fyrir ofan úlnlið, Nj. 84; hafa hring á hendi, of an arm-ring, Nj. 131; hring á hægri hendi fyrir ofan ölnboga, Fms. iv. 383:—the arm and arm-pit, ná, taka undir hönd ( arm-pit) e-m, Gþl. 380; var eigi djúpara en þeim tók undir hendr, the water reached to their arm-pits, Ld. 78; taka undir hönd sér, to take hold under one’s arms, Eg. 237, Nj. 200; sjá undir hönd e-m, Fas. ii. 558; renna undir hendr e-m, to backspan one, Háv. 40, 41; þykkr undir hönd, stout, Ld. 272.

3. metaph. handwriting, hand; rita góða hönd, to write a good hand; snar-hönd, running hand, italics.

II. the hand, side; hægri hönd, the right hand; vinstri hönd, the left hand; á hvára hönd, on either hand, each side, Landn. 215; á vinstri hönd, Nj. 196; á hægri hönd; á tvær hendr, on both hands or sides, Ísl. ii. 368, Fas. i. 384; á báðar hendr, Grág.; hvat sem á aðra hönd ber, whatsoever may happen; á aðra hönd … en á aðra, Ld. 46; til hvárigrar handara, Fms. x. 313; til annarrar handar, Nj. 50, 97; til sinnar handar hvárr, 140; til beggja handa, Eg. 65; til ýmsa handa, Bs. i. 750; þver-hönd, a hand’s breadth; örv-hönd.

III. sayings and phrases referring to the hand:

1. sayings; sjálfs hönd er hollust, one’s own hand is best, i. e. if you want to have a thing well done, do it yourself, Glúm. 332, Ó. H. 157; blíð er bætandi hönd, blessed is the mending hand; gjörn er hönd á venju, Grett. 150, Nj. (in a verse), and Edda (Ht. 26); margar hendr vinna létt verk; fiplar hönd á feigu tafli; betri ein kráka í hendi en tvær á skógi, Ld. 96; skamma stund verðr hönd höggvi fegin, see högg.

2. phrases; drepa hendi við, to refuse, Nj. 71; halda hendi yfir e-m, to hold one’s hand over, protect, 266, Fbr. 22, Anecd. 14; taka e-n höndum, to take hold with the hands, seize, capture, Fms. x. 314, Nj. 265, passim; eiga hendr sínar at verja, to act in self-defence, 84, 223; hefja handa, to lift the hands, stir for action, 65, Ld. 262; bera hönd fyrir höfuð sér, to put one’s hand before one’s head, stand on one’s guard, defend oneself; vera í hers höndum, óvina höndum, to be in a state of war, exposed to rapine; vera í góðum höndum, vina-höndum, góðra manna höndum, to be in good hands, among friends.

β. læknis-hendr, ‘leech hands,’ healing hands; pains and sickness were believed to give way to the magical touch of a person gifted with such hands, Sdm. 4, Magn. S. Góða ch. 36 (Fms. vi. 73), cp. Rafns S. ch. 2; hönd full, a handful, Fms. ii. 302, vi. 38, viii. 306; fullar hendr fjár, hands full of gold:—kasta hendinni til e-s, to huddle a thing up; með harðri hendi, with hard hand, harshly, rudely; með hangandi hendi, with drooping hand, slothfully; fegins hendi, with glad hand, joyfully; sitja auðum höndum, to sit with empty hands, sit idle; but með tómar hendr, empty-handed, portionless, Thom.:—láta hendr standa fram úr ermum, to work briskly; víkja hendi til e-s (handar-vik), to move the hand to do a thing; það er ekki í tveim höndum að hafa við e-n, of double handed (i. e. faltering) half measures, when the one hand undoes what the other has done; kann ek þat sjá at ekki má í tveim höndum hafa við slíka menn, Band. 3; láta hönd selja hendi, of a ready bargain; láta e-t ganga hendi firr, to let go out of one’s hands, lose, Ld. 202; ok lét sér eigi hendi firr ganga, and never lost sight of him, 656 ii. 4; e-m fallask hendr, to be discomfited, lose one’s head (see falla); leggja görva hönd á allt, to be a ready hand, adept in everything, Thom. 300 (see göra F. 2); taka í hönd e-m, to join hands, Nj. 3; takask í hendr, to join, shake hands, Grág. ii. 80; leggja hendr saman, id., Gþl. 18,—of shaking hands as symbolical of a bargain, see the compds hand-lag, hand-festi, handa-band; eiga, taka, jöfnum höndum, to own, take with even hands, i. e. in equal shares, Grág. i. 171, ii. 66, Hkr. i. 318; vinna jöfnum höndum, to work even-handed, to help one another; e-m eru mislagðar hendr, one’s hands are amiss, when bad work is done by one from whom better was expected; honum hafa verið mislagðar hendr, etc.

B. Metaph. usages:

I. dat., sverja sér af hendi, to forswear, Fms. vii. 176; færa af höndum sér, to dismiss, Grág. i. 248; hefjask af höndum e-m, Fms. xi. 59:—af hendi e-s, on one’s behalf, part, Landn. 154; af hendi Hákonar, Fms. i. 20, iv. 118; af hendi landsmanna, ix. 359; af sinni hendi, of one’s own hand, for one’s own part, Grág. i. 392; reiða, greiða, gjalda, inna af hendi or höndum, to discharge, pay off, Fms. vii. 230, Nj. 146, 190, 232, 239, 257, 281, Grág. i. 82, ii. 374; selja, láta af hendi (höndum), to part with, dismiss, Nj. 186, 231, Fms. vii. 173, Rb. 12; líða af hendi, to pass, of time, Ísl. ii. 144, Fms. iv. 83: koma, bera at hendi, to happen, Nj. 71, 177: at hendi, as adv. in turn; hvern at hendi, each in turn, Fms. i. 150: þar næst Gunnarr, þá Loðinn, þá hverr at hendi, Nj. 140; hverr segir at hendi þat er frá honum hefir stolit verit, Mar.: felask á hendi e-m, to be under one’s charge, protection, Nj. 201, Bs. i. 167, 173. vera e-m á hendi, id., Fms. vii. 243; vera bundinn á hendi e-m, Sturl. i. 57: hafa e-t á höndum (hendi), to have a thing in hand, of duty, business to be done, Grág. i. 38; eiga ferð á höndum, Ld. 72; hvat er þér á höndum, what hast thou in hand? for what art thou concerned, distressed? Nj. 133, Ld. 270; ella eru þér stórir hlutir á höndum, Fms. vii. 30; ef honum væri ekki á höndum, if he had nothing in hand, if his hands were free, Ld. 42: eiga e-t fyrir hendi (höndum), to have in hand (duty, business, engagement), Fas. ii. 557; farvegr langr fyrir hendi, Fms. xi. 316; tveir kostir fyrir höndum, Nj. 264, Grág. i. 279; hafa sýslu fyrir höndum, Ísl. ii. 344; eiga vandræði fyrir höndum, Ld. 4; eiga gott fyrir höndum, Hkr. iii. 254: vera í hendi, to be at hand, within reach, at one’s disposal, in one’s power; hann er eigi í hendi, Fms. vi. 213; þat er eigi í hendi, ‘tis no easy matter, v. l.; hafa raun ( evidence) í hendi, Bs. i. 708; hafa ráð e-s í hendi sér, Ld. 174, Fas. i. 260; hafa vel, ílla í höndum, to behave well, badly, Ísl. ii. 387, Eg. 158; varð honum þat vel í höndum, 50: hafa e-t með höndum (fé, auðæfi, embætti, etc.), to have in hand, manage, discharge, Grág. ii. 389, Greg. 25, Stj. 248, Hkr. iii. 131; to design, hafa ráð, stórræði með höndum, 623. 51: hljóta undan hendi e-s, from one, at one’s hands, Fas. i. 365: undir höndum, eigi lítill undir höndum, not a small man to handle, Fms. vii. 17; vera undir höndum e-m, to be under or in one’s hands, under one’s protection, in one’s power, Sks. 337, Fms. i. 7, 13; sitja undir hendi e-m, Hkr. i. 166,—um hendr, Fms. iv. 71, is prob. an error = undir hendi.

2. absol., annarri hendi, on the other hand, Fms. vii. 158; en annarri hendi vildu þeir gjarna veita konungi hlýðni, ix. 258.

II. acc., with prepp.; á hönd, á hendr, against; höfða sök, lýsa vígi (etc.) á hönd e-m, to make a suit … against, Grág. i. 19, Nj. 86, 87, 98, 99, 101, 110, 120, 230; hyggja e-t á hendr e-m, to lay a thing to a person’s charge, Hom. 115; reynask á hendr e-m, to have a charge brought home to one, Fms. xi. 76; snúa vanda á hendr e-m, to throw the responsibility upon …, Nj. 215; færa, segja stríð á hendr e-m, to wage, declare war against one; fara geystr á hendr e-m, to rage against, Fms. vii. 230; færask e-t á hendr, to undertake, Nj. 126; ganga á hönd e-m, to vex one, 625. 33; sótt elnar á hendr e-m, Eg. 126; leggja e-t á hendr e-m, to lay ( a burden) on one’s hands, Fms. xi. 98; in a good sense, ganga á hönd, to pay homage to, submit, Ó. H. 184; dreif allt fólk á hönd honum, submitted to him, filled his ranks, Fms. i. 21; bjargask á sínar hendr, by one’s own handwork, Vápn. 28; (for at hönd, Grág. i. 135, read á hönd): selja, fá, gefa e-t í hönd, hendr e-m, to give into one’s hands, hand over; selja sök í hönd e-m (handsöl), Grág. ii. 80, Nj. 4, 98, 112, 186; so, halda e-u í hönd e-m, Ísl. ii. 232, Fms. vii. 274; búa í hendr e-m, to make it ready for one, Ld. 130; veiði berr í hendr e-m, Nj. 252; kalla til e-s í hendr e-m, to lay claim to a thing at the hands of another, Ld. 300, Eg. 350, Fms. iv. 222, ix. 424; þegar í hönd, offhand, immediately, Bs. i; þá sömu nótt er fór í hönd, the following night, Fms. viii. 397, Glúm. 341; gjalda í hönd, to pay in cash, Vm. 16; veðr óx í hönd, the wind rose higher and higher, Fb. i. 432: undir jafna hönd, equally, Sturl. iii. 243; standa óbrigðiliga undir jafna hönd, Dipl. v. 26: væra hægt um hönd, to be easy in hand, Nj. 25; þegar eg vil er hægt um hönd, heima á Fróni að vera, Núm. 1. 10; but mér er e-t um hönd, it is awkward, costs trouble: hafa við hönd sér, to keep at hand, Fms. x. 264; tóku konur manna ok dætr ok höfðu við hönd sér viku, Grett. 97; hafa e-t við höndina, to have it at hand.

III. gen., with prepp.; til handa e-m, into one’s hands; fara Guði til handa, to go into God’s hands, Blas. 51; ganga til handa e-m, to put oneself in another’s hands, submit to him, Rb. 404, Eg. 12, Fms. vii. 234, Fas. ii. 522; ef þat berr þér til handa, if it befalls thee, i. 135; þá skömm kýs ek mér eigi til handa, I will not have that shame at my door, Nj. 191: for one, on one’s behalf, biðja konu til handa e-m, 120, 180, Grág. i. 353; í þeirri bæn er hann orti oss til handa, for its, for our use, our sake, 655 i. 2; hann hélt fénu til handa Þrándi, Landn. 214, Nj. 151; safnar konungr liði (til) handa Oddi, Fas. ii. 553; til handa Þorkatli, Fs.

β. dropping the prep. til; mikit fé handa honum, Rd. 195 (late MSS.): whence, handa has become an adverb with dat., handa e-m, for one, Lat. alicui, which is freq. in mod. usage.

2. adverbial; allra handa, Dan. allehaande, of every kind; allra handa árgæzka, Edda (pref.); allra handa ganganda fé, Þórð. 51 new Ed.; fjögurra handa, of a fourfold kind, H. E. i. 525.

3. absol., minnar handar, for my part, Ísl. ii. 356; yðvarrar handar, for your part, Fms. ix. 498; hvárrar-tveggju handar, on either hand, Skálda 164; innan handar, within one’s hands, easy, Ld. 112; þótti þeim innan handar falla at taka land þetta hjá sér sjálfum, 210.

C. COMPDS:

I. plur., handa-afl, n., Edda, = handafl, p. 237. handa-band, n. a joining or shaking of hands, as a law term = handlag, Dipl. i. 11, iv. 2, Vígl. 23; in plur., Bs. (Laur. S.); heilsa, kveðja með handabandi. handa-festi, f. a hold for the hands, Fms. ii. 276. handa-gangr, m. grasping after a thing with all hands, Fas. iii. 345. handa-görvi, f. ‘hand-gear,’ gloves, Sd. 143, Fbr. 139. handa-hóf, n., in the phrase, af handahófi, at random. handa-kenning, f. hand touching, Eluc. 20. handa-klapp, n. a clapping of hands, Skálda 174. handa-læti, n. pl. gestures with the arms, Sks. 116. handar-mál, n., in the phrase, at handarmáli, in heaps; var þá drepit lið hans at handarmáli, Fas. i. 41. handa-saumr, m. tight gloves, Bs. ii. 10. handa-síðr, adj. = handsíðr. handa-skil, n. pl., in the phrase, sjá ekki h., not to see one’s own hands, as in the dark, in a dense fog. handa-skol, n. pl. maladroitness; það er allt í handaskolum. handa-skömm, f. shameful work, a scandal; það er mesta h.! handa-staðr, m. the print of the hands. Fas. i. 285. handa-tak, n., -tekt, f., -tekja, u, f. a taking of hands, as a bargain, Háv. 42, H. E. ii. 194, D. N. i. 398. handa-tæki, n. pl. a laying hold, a fight, Bs. i. (Laur. S.): a pledging of hands, Dipl. ii. 6, D. N. passim. handa-upphald, n. a lifting the arms, Stj. 296. handa-verk, n. pl. one’s handiwork, doings, N. G. L. i. 76, Fms. vii. 295, Stj. 198; í handaverkum eða bókfræði, 46; handaverk manna, men’s handiwork, Blas. 47; Guðs h.; ek em þín h., Sks. 610; hans h., Fms. viii. 406.

II. sing., handar-bak, n. the back of the hand, Sdm. 7. handar-gagn, n. a being ready to the hand; leggja e-t til handargagns, to lay it so as to be ready at hand, Hkr. ii, 158, 249. handar-grip, n. a measure, = spönn, Karl. 481. handar-hald, proncd. handarald, n. a handle, Fas. ii. 355. handar-jaðarr, m. the hand’s edge; in the phrase, vera undir handar-jaðri e-s, to be in one’s hands, in one’s power, Fær. 201. handar-kriki, a, m. ‘hand’s-creek,’ the arm-pit, Eg. 396, Fms. vi. 348, Sturl. ii. 37. handar-mein, n. a sore in the hand, Bs. i. 115, 187, Sturl. ii. 177. handar-stúfr, m. a ‘hand-stump,’ stump of the arm, the hand being hacked off, Fms. x. 258, xi. 119. handar-vani, a, m. maimed in hand, Hm. 70, Matth. xviii. 8. handar-veif, n., í handarveifi, in a ‘wave of the hand,’ in a moment. handar-vik, n. the hands’ reach, movement, work; lítið handarvik, a small work. handar-væni, a, m. want of hands (?), Hm. 72.

☞ For the compds in hand- see pp. 237, 238.

f. a death-cry, a piercing, piteous sound, believed to come from departed spirits, exposed infants, Bárð. 3 new Ed.: in mod. usage called

1) changeling;

2) idiot (inn mesti s. ok afglapi).

* * *

m. a changeling (Germ. wechselbalg), an idiot, believed to have been substituted for the right child by fairies, Sks. 296, Fms. xi. 56, 445, Fas. ii. 341, Mar., Stj. 475; for the popular superstition see Maurer’s Volksagen.

2. gramm. = semi-vocalis, the letters i and u, Skálda 170.

* * *

1) a monstrous, evil-disposed being, not belonging to the human race (hann var mikill sem t.); t. hafi þik, or þína vini, the trolls take thee, or thy friends;

2) a human being having the nature of a troll.

* * *

n., the later but erroneous form is tröll; the rhymes require it to be troll; thus, troll and ollu, Fms. vi. 339; troll and kollr, Sturl. ii. 136 (a ditty); troll and sollinn, Rekst., Landn. 212 (in a verse); and so spelt in old vellums, trollz, Vsp. (Kb.) 39; in later vellums tröll, Mar. 1055; and so rhymed, tröll, öll, Mkv.: [Dan.-Swed. trold; Low Germ. droll, whence the mod. Dan. drollen; cp. also trylla and Dan. trylde = to charm, bewitch]

A. A giant, fiend, demon, a generic term. The heathen creed knew of no ‘devil’ but the troll; in mod. Dan. trold includes any ghosts, goblins, imps, and puny spirits, whereas the old Icel. troll conveys the notion of huge creatures, giants, Titans, mostly in an evil, but also in a good sense; Þórr var farinn í Austrveg at berja troll, Edda; þar mátti engi maðr úti vera fyrir trolla-gangs sakir ok meinvætta, Ó. H. 187; et mat þinn, troll, Fas. iii. 178; trolla þing, ii. 131; trolla-þáttr, Fms. x. 330; maðr mikill sem troll, Eg. 408; hann var mikill vexti sem troll, Gísl. 132; hár sem tröll að líta, Ülf. 7. 13.

2. a werewolf, one possessed by trolls or demons, = eigi einhamr, cp. hamr, hamramr; ef konu er tryllska kennd í héraði þá skal hón hafa til sex kvenna vitni at hón er eigi tryllsk, sykn saka ef þat fæsk, en ef hón fær þat eigi, fari brott or héraði með fjár-hluti sína, eigi veldr hón því sjólf at hón er troll, N. G. L. i. 351 (Maurer’s Bekehrung ii. 418, foot-note), see kveklriða and Eb. ch. 16; mun Geirríð, trollit, þar komit, G. that troll! Eb. 96, cp. the Dan. din lede trold; troll, er þik bíta eigi járn, troll whom no steel can wound! Ísl. ii. 364; þá þykki mér troll er þú bersk svá at af þér er fotrinn—nei, segir Þorbjörn, eigi er þat trollskapr at maðr þoli sár, 365; fjölkunnig ok mikit troll. Þiðr. 22; Sóti var mikit tröll í lífinu, Ísl. ii. 42; kosti ok skeri troll þetta, this fiendish monster, Eb. 116 new Ed. v. l.; trolli líkari ertú enn manni, þik bita engi járn, Háv. 56; mikit troll ertú, Búi, sagði hann, Ísl. ii. 451, Finnb. 264; þótti líkari atgangr hans trollum enn mönnum, 340; fordæðu-skap ok úti-setu at vekja troll upp (to ‘wake up a troll,’ raise a ghost) at fremja heiðni með því, N. G. L. i. 19.

3. phrases; at tröll standi fyrir dyrum, a troll standing before the door, so that one cannot get in, Fbr. 57; troll milli húss ok heima, Fms. viii. 41, cp. the Engl. ‘between the devil and the deep sea;’ troll brutu hrís í hæla þeim, trolls brake fagots on their heels, beat them on their heels, pursued them like furies, Sighvat; glápa eins og troll á himna-ríki, to gaze like a troll on the heavens (to gaze in amazement): in swearing, troll hafi þik! Fms. vi. 216; troll hafi líf! Korm. (in a verse); troll hafi þik allan ok svá gull þitt! 188; hón bað troll hafa hann allan, Art. 5; troll hafi þá skikkju! Lv. 48; troll (traull) hafi þína vini! Nj. 52; troll hafi þitt hól! 258; troll vísi yðr til búrs! Bs. i. 601; þykki mér því betr er fyrr taka troll við þér, the sooner the trolls take thee the better! Band. 37 new Ed., Fs. 53; þú munt fara í trolla-hendr í sumar! Ld. 230, Fms. v. 183; þú munt fara allr í trollindr (= trolla hendr), Band. (MS.); munu troll toga, yðr tungu ór höfði, the evil one stretches your tongue, some evil demon speaks through your mouth, Fb. i. 507; honum þótti helzt troll toga tungu ór höfði honum er hann mælti slíkt, Rd. 276; þú ert fól, ok mjök toga troll tungu ór höfði þér, Karl. 534; the verse in Korm. 210 is corrupt; trautt man ek trúa þér, troll, kvað Höskollr, Sturl. ii. 136, from an ancient ballad. In one single instance the trolls, strange to say, play a good part, viz. as being grateful and faithful; trolls and giants were the old dwellers on the earth, whom the gods drove out and extirpated, replacing them by man, yet a few remained haunting lonely places in wildernesses and mountains; these trolls, if they meet with a good turn from man, are said to remain thankful for ever, and shew their gratitude; hence the phrases, tryggr sem tröll, faithful as a troll; and trygða-tröll, hann er mesta trygða-tröll, a faithful soul, faithful person; trölla-trygð, ‘trolls-trust,’ faithfulness to death; troll eru í trygðum bezt is a saying; these milder notions chiefly apply to giantesses (troll-konur), for the troll-carles are seldom well spoken of: for trolls and giants as the older dwellers on earth, see the interesting tale in Ólafs S. Trygg. by Odd, ch. 55, 56 (Fms. x. 328–332).

II. metaph. usages, a destroyer, enemy of; þess hlutar alls er troll sem þat má fyrir fara, Edda ii. 513; bryn-tröll, q. v.

III. in local names; Trolla-botnar = the Polar Bay, between Greenland and Norway, believed to be peopled by trolls, A.A.; Trolla-dingja, Trolla-gata, Trolla-háls, Trolla-kirkja, Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 142: [cp. Troll-hættan in Sweden.]

B. COMPDS: trollagangr, trollagrös, trollshamr, trollsháttr, trollahlað, trollsliga, trollsligr, trollslæti, trollasaga, trollaslagr, trollaurt, trollaþáttr, trollaþing.

* * *

(gen. trú), f. = trú; svá njóta ek trú minnar, þat veit trúa mín, in good sooth, upon my word.

(trúi, trúða, trúat), v.

1) to believe, with dat. (mundir þú t. fyrirburð þessum, ef Njáll segði þér?);

2) in a religious sense, to believe; t. á e-n, to believe in (t. á einn guð);

3) to believe in, trust (meyjar orðum skýli manngi t.).

* * *

trúi (monosyll. trý, Str. 46, l. 17), pret. trúði; subj. trýði (thus rhymed, lýði, trýði, Bs. ii. 308, in a poem of A. D. 1540, but the mod. form is tryði with a short vowel); imperat. trú, trúðu; part. trúað: [Ulf. trauan = πεποιθέναι; A. S. treowian; Engl. trow; Germ. trauen; Dan.-Swed. troe, tro]:—to trow, believe; seg þú frá, Njáll, segir Gunnarr, þvíat allir munu því trúa, Nj. 51; mundir þú trúa fyrirburð þessum ef Njáll segði þér eða ek?—Trúa munda ek, segir hann, ef Njáll segði, þvíat þat er sagt, at hann ljúgi aldri, 119; henni var trúað sem góðri konu, Sks. 457; trúa megit þér mér þar um, at …, Fms. ii. 241; vilið þér mér ei til þess trúa, sem talað hefig um búskap lands, Bb. 3. 100; mant þú trúa mér bezt til órræða um þitt mál, Nj. 12; engu öðru því er mér er til trúat, 112; ek trúi honum til þess bezt allra manna, Eg. 34: imperat. as adv., tíminn líðr, trúðu mér, trow once! forsooth! a ditty; trú mér til, depend on it! trúi-eg, I trow, Skíða R. 34, 35; eg trú ‘ann sé dáinn, freq. in mod. usage.

2. in a religious sense, to believe, with dat., or trúa á e-n, to believe in; þeir trúðu seint upprisu hans, Greg. 14; trúa á mátt sinn ok megin, Landn.; æ trúði Óttarr á Ásynjur, Hdl.; á sik þau trúðu, Sól.; þeim er eigi trúðu Guði, Hom. 51; er á Guð trúðu, 625. 70; skulu allir vera Kristnir hér á landi ok trúa á einn Guð, Nj. 164; trúðu þeir því at þeir dæi í hólana, they believed that they were to die into (i. e. go after death to) these hills, Landn. 111.

II. to trust; vin þann er þú vel trúir, … ef þú átt annan þanns þú ílla trúir, Hm. 43–45; akri ársánum skyli engi trúa, 87; meyjar orðum skyli manngi trúa, 83; véla þik í trygð ef þú trúir, Sdm. 7; ef þú hug trúir, if thou hast heart to do it, Hým. 17; trúa magni, trust on his strength, Fas. i. 438 (in a verse); nótt verðr feginn sá er nesti trúir, Hm. 73; trúðir vel jöxlum, Am. 80; Hlenni mælti at þú skyldir eigi trúa þeim, Glúm. 369.

* * *

(gen. pl. tungna), f.

1) tongue; skœðar tungur, evil tongues; hafa tungu fyrir e-m, to have a tongue for a person, be the spokesman; gæti hann, að honum vefist eigi tungan um höfuð, let him take heed that his tongue do not twist a noose for his own neck;

2) tongue, language (þá skiptust tungur í Englandi, er Vilhjálmr bastarðr vann England); dönsk t., the Danish (Norse) tongue;

3) tongue of land (Ö. nam tungu alla milli Hvítar ok Reykjadalsár).

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u, f., gen. pl. tungna; [Goth. tuggo; common to all Teut. languages; cp. Lat. lingua]:—a tongue, Sól. 44, Grág. ii 11, passim: metaph. usages, hraðmælt tunga, Hm. 28; skæðar tungur, evil tongues, Nj. 264; hafa tungu fyrir e-m, to have tongue for a person, be the spokesman, Fms. vi. 223; harðr í tungu, Hallfred; skáldskapr var honum svá tiltækr, at hann kvað af tungu fram sem annað mál, Ó. H. 171; hann sá eld mikinn í tungna líkjum, Hom. 91; lof-tunga, ‘praise-tongue,’ flatterer, a nickname.

2. sayings; tunga er höfuðs-bani, ‘tongue is head’s bane,’ is the ruin of a man, Hm. 72; e-t leikr á tveim tungum, N. G. L. i. 211 (see leika II. 4); tungan leikr við tanna sar, the tongue touches sores of the teeth, Mkv.; hann hefir tönn og tungu á öllu, of a ready tongue; gæti hann, at honum vefisk eigi tungan um hófuð, let him beware lest his tongue winds round his head, i. e. let him beware of loose talk, (a long tongue being = inconsiderate tongue that works evil), Nj. 160, Þorst. Síðu H. 178; also, e-m vefsk tunga um tönn, to be disconcerted: a person endowed with poetical gifts is believed to have a tongue longer than other men (the tongue-tip reaching to the nostrils), Ísl. Þjóðs. ii. 557; to this refers the legend of Hallbjörn hali, síðan togar hann á honum tunguna, ok kvað vísu þessa, then be stretched his tongue and said, Fb. i. 215; on the other hand, of words spoken in an evil hour, it is said that fiends have stretched (pulled) a man’s tongue, troll toga tungu ór höfði e-m (see troll): in nursery talk, swearing is said to leave a black spot on the tongue, blótaðu ekki, það kemr svartr blettr á tunguna á þér!

II. a tongue, language; Dönsk tunga, the Danish (Norse) tongue, see Danskr; tungan er vér köllum Norrænu, Fms. xi. 412; vitr maðr ok kunni margar tungur, 298; þar eru tungur sjau ok tuttugu, 414; hverega tungu er maðr skal ríta annarrar tungu stöfum, þá verðr sumra stafa vant, af því at eigi finnsk þat hljóð í tungunni sem stafirnir hafa þeir er af ganga, … nú eptir þeirra dæmum, alls vér erum einnar tungu, … or vóru teknir þeir (stafir) er eigi gegna atkvæðum várrar tungu, Thorodd; ein var þá tunga á Englandi, sem í Noregi ok í Danmörku, en þá skiptusk tungur í Englandi er Vilhjálmr bastarðr vann England, Ísl. ii. 221; Danskir, Sœnskir eða Norrænir ór þeirra konunga veldi þriggja er vár tunga er … af öllum tungum öðrum enn af Danskri tungu, Grág. ii. 72; tungna-grein, tungna-skipti, division of tongues, Stj.

III. metaph. of tongue-formed things, a tongue of land at the meeting of two rivers (= Gr. μεσοποταμία); í tungu einni milli gilja tveggja, Valla L. 223, Sd. 141; Önundr nam tungu alla milli Hvítár ok Reykjadalsár, Landn. 60; frá Flókadalsár-ósi til Reykja-dalsár-óss, ok tungu þá alla er þar var á milli, Eg. 186; very freq. in Icel, local names, Tunga, Tungur, Tungna-jökull, Tungna-fell, Tungu-á, Tungu-heiðr, Hróars-tunga, Biskups-tungur, Stafholts-tungur, Skaptár-tunga, Landn., map of Icel.: Tungu-goði, a, m. a nickname: Tungu-menn, m. pl. men from T., Landn., Sturl.

2. the tongue of a balance, in tungu-pundari; in the poets, a sword is slíðr-tunga, hjalta-tunga, slither-tongue, hilt-tongue, and the like, Lex. Poët.

B. COMPDS: tungubragð, tungufimi, tunguhapt, tunguhvass, tungulauss, tungumjúkr, tunguníð, tungupundari, tungurætr, tungnaskipti, tunguskorinn, tunguskæði, tunguskæðr, tungusnjallr, tungusótt, tungusætr, tunguvarp.

m. young-person, youth.

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m., mod. unglingr, [Dan. yngling; Germ. jüngling], a young person, youth, Karl. 152.

II. prob. from a different root, the pr. name of a mythical family, believed to be descended from Odin, to which the kings of Norway traced back their pedigree, Edda, Hdl., Hkr. i. 16, 24, Íb. (fine); Ynglinga tal, the pedigree of the. Ynglings, a poem, Hkr. i; see List of Authors: Ynglinga-saga, the Saga of the Y., see Hkr. (the name of this Saga is not found in old vellums; in Hkr. (pref.) it is called ‘æfi Ynglinga;’ cp. the Ingaevones of Tacitus).

a, m. a (fabulous) trout with inverted fins; such fish are by the vulgar believed to be found in mountain lakes, and to be poisonous, see Ísl. Þjóðs.