Christian by name

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(að), v.

1) to call, shout, cry (kallaði konungr ok bað létta af);

2) to call, summon by a call, send for (um kveldit kallaði konungr Áslák);

3) to say (sumir menn kalla, at eigi sé sakleysi í);

at kalla, so to say, nominally;

sáttir at kalla, nominally reconciled;

4) kalla sér e-t, to claim for oneself (konungr kallaði sér allar Orkneyjar);

5) to call, name (Mörðr hét maðr, er kallaðr var gígja);

6) refl., kallast, to say of oneself;

konungr kallaðist hann reynt hafa at góðum dreng, the king said that he had found him a good and brave fellow;

7) with preps.:

kalla at e-m, to call to one;

kalla á e-n, to call to one (Flosi gekk þá at durum ok kallaði á Njál); to call on, invoke (kallaði hann á guð ok hinn helga Ólaf);

kalla á e-t, to lay claim to (Snækollr kallaði á bú nökkur þar í eyjunum);

kalla eptir, to protest;

kalla e-n eptir e-m, to call or name after;

kalla til e-s, to call to, invoke (kalla til guðs); to lay claim to, to claim, demand (Snorri kallaði þá til brynju sinnar);

kalla til e-s við e-n, í hendr e-m, to claim a thing from one.

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að, with neg. suff., pres. kalliga, I call not, Gkv. 3. 8; kallar-a, Akv. 37; [an A. S. ceallian occurs once in the poem Byrnoth, and hilde-calla in Exodus, but in both instances the word is Danish; the word however occurs in O. H. G. challon, mid. H. G. kalle, but only in the sense to talk loud, and it is lost in mod. Germ.]:—to call, cry, shout; hver er sá karl karla er kallar um váginn? Hbl. 2; kallaði konungr ok bað létta af, Eg. 92; þá kölluðu allir ok mæltu, 623. 26; bónda-múgrinn æpti ok kallaði, Fms. i. 21; kalla hátt, Sturl. ii. 203; ek em rödd kallanda í eyðimörk, φϊνη βοωντος εν τη ερήμω, 625. 90; kalla kaldri röddu, Akv. 2: of the raven’s cry, hrafn hátt kallaði, Bkv. 11; hann kallaði þegar, bað þá eigi flýja, Fms. viii. 142; Þórir kallaði út á skipit, Ó. H. 136; þá lét hann kalla skip frá skipi, 182; þá kallaði Erlingr ok hét á lið sitt, id.

2. to call, send for; síðan lét konungr kalla bændr, ok sagði at hann vill eiga tal við þá, Ó. H. 109; gékk hann til húsþings síns ok lét þangat kalla menn Svía-kouungs, 45; um kveldit kallaði konungr Áslák, Fms. vii. 161; konungr lét kalla til sín þá bræðr, Eg. 73: eccl., til þess er Guð kallaði hann af heiminum, Fms. ix. 383.

II. to say, call; þat kalla menn at …, people say that …, Fms. x. 277; Svíþjóð ena miklu kalla sumir eigi minni en …, Hkr. 5; at blótmenn kalla eigi, at …, Fagrsk. 18; en ef lands-dróttinn kallar svá, at …, N. G. L. i. 249; þér kallit guð ykkarn margar jartegnir göra, O. H. L. 108; kalla ek betra spurt en úviss at vera, Sks.; sumir menn kalla at eigi sé sakleysi í, þótt …, Ld. 64; þótt þeir kalli fé þetta með sínum föngum, 76.

2. at kalla, so to say, nominally, not really; sáttir at kalla, nominally on good terms, Fms. vii. 246; ok vóru þá sáttir at kalla, Ó. H. 112, Gullþ. 66; létu sér líka þessa tilskipan at kalla, Ísl. ii. 355; þóat menn væri skírðir ok Kristnir at kalla, Eb. 274; Helgi var Kristinn at kalla ( Christian by name) ok þó blandinn mjök í trúnni, Fms. i. 251; greri yfir at kalla, Fs. 67; menn héldusk at kalla, ok gengu á land, Fb. ii. 73; þóat þeir hefði líf at kalla, Stj. 436.

3. to assert; skal þess at bíða, ok kalla hann rjúfa sætt á yðr, Nj. 102; eru synir þínir heima? þat má kalla, segir hón, Fær. 264.

III. with prepp.; kalla á, to call on; hann kallaði á Karla, Ó. H. 136; Höskuldr kallar á hana, farðú hingat til min! segir hann, Nj. 2: to call on, invoke, þá kallaði hann á Guð ok hinn helga Ólaf konung, Ó. H. 242; kallaði hann þá til fulltings ser á Bárð, Bárð. 16. 13 new Ed.: to lay claim to, Snækollr kallaði á bú nokkur þar í eyjunum, Fms. ix. 423:—kalla eptir, to protest; en Kolbeinn kallar eptir ok vill eigi biskups dóm, Sturl. ii. 4:—kalla til e-s, to lay claim to (til-kall, a claim), to claim, demand; þótti nú sem dælst mundi til at kalla, Eg. 264, Fms. ix. 327; þessar eignir er hann kallaði áðr til, x. 414; kallaði hón til alls þess er aðrir áttu í nánd, Nj. 18; hann kallaði til fjár í hendr þeim, Ld. 300: to invoke, Bárð. 173:—kalla aptr, to recall, revoke, N. G. L. iii. 150, H. E. i. 477.

IV. to claim for oneself; kalla sér e-t; konungr kallaði sér allar Orkneyjar, Fms. i. 201; ok kallaði sér þá landit allt, vii. 180; at jarl kalli sér þat, Fs. 132; ef menn skil á, ok kallar annarr sér, en annarr almenning …, hann er jörð þá kallar sér, Gþl. 451; kallaði Grímr hersir konungi allan arf hans, Landn. 213.

V. to call, name; kölluðu Karl, Rm. 18; skal þar kirkju kalla er hann vill, K. Þ. K. 42; köllum karl inn skegglausa, Nj. 67; Mörðr hét maðr er kallaðr var gigja, 1; Einarr er þá var kallaðr Skjaldmeyjar-Einar, Fms. xi. 127; þessir menn vóru kallaðir skírðir, baptized nominally, called Christians, Ísl. ii. 399; Þórr sá er kallaðr er Ása-Þórr, Edda: ok má þat kalla hátta-fall, Skálda 210; þeir taka hann ok kalla njósnar-mann, Sturl. ii. 247; ef maðr kallar annan mann tröllriðu, N. G. L. ii. 326. VI. reflex, to call, tell, say of oneself; kallask sumir hafa látið fé, Ó. H. 58; hón talði upp harma sína þá er hón kallaðisk hafa fengit af Ólafi konungi, 191; konungr kallaðisk hann reynt hafa at góðum dreng, Ld. 60, Geisli 2.

2. recipr., kallask á, to shout to one another; er okkr þá alhægt at kallask á fyrir tíðindum, Fas. ii. 65, Skálda 210.

3. pass. (rare), to be called; speki hans kallask sonr hans, Eluc. 4; er at réttu má kallask postuli Norðmanna, Fms. x. 371; þat er kallat, it is said, 656 C. 1; ok vísar svá til í sögu Bjarnar, at þeir kallaðisk jafnir at íþróttum, Grett. 133, cp. Bjarn. 38,—þeir lögðusk ofan eptir ánni, ok vóru ‘kallaðir’ jafnsterkir menn.

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.

m., a proper name, John.

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m. (Jónn, Fb.), a pr. name, contraction of the older dissyllabic Jóann, John, Johannes, see Íb. 17: of the same origin are Jóhann, Jóhannes, Jens, which have come into use since the Reformation, whereas Jón or Jóan appears in Icel. at the middle of the 11th century, and soon afterwards became so popular that in the K. Á. (of 1276) it is made to serve for M. M. (N. or M.) in the baptismal formula, as also in the law formula, yfir höfði Jóni, against M. M., see Njála. Jóns-bók, f. John’s book, the code of laws of 1281, named after John the lawyer (lögmaðr), who brought the book from Norway to Icel., Ann. 1281, Árna S.

II. St. John Baptist’s Day (June 24) is in the northern countries a kind of midsummer Yule, and was in Norway and Sweden celebrated with bonfires, dances, and merriment; and tales of fairies and goblins of every kind are connected with St. John’s eve in summer as well as with Yule-eve in winter. The name of the feast varies,—Jóns-dagr, m., Jóns-messa, u, f., Jónsvöku-dagr, m. the day, mass of St. John = the 24th of June; Jóns-nótt, f., Jóns-vaka, u, f., St. John’s eve, ‘John’s-wake,’ Rb. 530, Sturl. iii. 59, N. G. L. i. 340, 343, Fms. viii. 357, ix. 7: Jónsvöku-skeið, Fms. x. 49: Jónsvöku-leyti, id. In Norway the feast is at present called Jonsoka = Jónsvaka, and the fires Jonsoku-brising (cp. the Brisinga-men of the Edda). The origin of this feast is no doubt heathen, being a worship of light and the sun, which has since been adapted to a Christian name and the Christian calendar. For the fairy tales connected with this feast, see Ísl. Þjóðs., which tales again call to mind Shakspeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: Jónsmessu-öl, n. ale brewed for St. John’s day, N. G. L. i. 137; þá var sumar-tíð ok hátíð mikil Jónsvöku-nótt, Bær. 17. 2. Jóns-dagr, Jóns-messa are also used to signify the day or mass of the Icel. bishop John (died A. D. 1121), April 23 and March 3, see Bs.: Jóns-höfuð, Jóns-skript, f. the head, tablet of St. John, B. K., Vm., etc.: Jóns-stúka, u, f. chapel of St. John, Sturl. i. 125.

m. indecl. sir, master (esp. used of priests, sometimes of knights).

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m. indecl.; though so spelt, it is by old people in Icel. sounded sera, commonly, however, and less correctly séra, [a Romance word borrowed from the French]:— sirrah (a word now only used contemptuously), sir, master; the word is in Art. S. used as an address to a knight, Síra Ivent, etc.; but this saga is a translation from the French. In Norway and Icel. the word appears at the end of the 13th century (Arna S., Hák. S. Gamla, Ann. after 1260, Laur. S.), and is then used of priests only, as it is in Icel. at the present day a recognised title of a priest, and with the Christian name only, so that a clergyman is never named without this title,—Síra Hallgrímr, Síra Þorkell; thus in the ditty, Síra Ólafr á Söndum, | sálina og vísur kvað; Síra Hallgrímr hagr | á hróðrar smíðið var; hann Síra Jón, etc.; cp. Old Engl. sir, used of priests, with the Christian name only, as Sir Hugh, etc., in Shakespeare.

a. white (hvítt silfr); h. á hár, white-haired.

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adj. [Ulf. hweits = λευκός; A. S. hwít; Engl. white; Hel. huît; O. H. G. hwîz; Germ. weiss; Swed. hvit; Dan. hvid]:—white; hvít skinn, white fur, 4. 24; h. motr, a white cap, Ld. 188; h. skjöldr, a white shield, Fms. x. 347; hit hvíta feldarins, Fbr. 148; hvítt blóm, white blossom, 4. 24; hvítt hold, white flesh (skin), id.; hvít hönd, a white band, Hallfred; h. háls, a white neck, of a lady, Rm.; h. hestr, a white horse, Fms. ix. 527; hvítr á har, white-haired, vi. 130; h. maðr ( fair of hue) ok vænn í andliti, x. 420; hvítan mann ok huglausan, Ld. 232; hvít mörk, white money, of pure silver, opp. to grátt ( grey) silver, B. K. 95; hvítr matr, white meat, i. e. milk, curds, and the like, opp. to flesh, in the eccl. law, K. Þ. K. 126; hvítr dögurðr, a white day meal, Sighvat; hvíta-matr, id, K. Þ. K. 102; mjall-hvítr, fann-h., snjó-h., drift-h., white as driven snow; al-h., white allover.

B. Eccl. use of the word white:

I. at the introduction of Christianity, neophytes in the week after their baptism used to wear white garments, called hvíta-váðir, f. pl. white weeds, as a symbol of baptism cleansing from sin and being a new birth; a neophyte was called hvít-váðungr, m. a ‘ white-weedling,’ one dressed in white weeds, Niðrst. 111: the Sagas contain many touching episodes of neophytes, esp. such as were baptized in old age, and died whilst in the white weeds; þat er sögn flestra manna at Kjartan hafi þann dag görzt handgenginn Ólafi konungi er hann var færðr ór hvíta-váðum ok þeir Bolli báðir, Ld. ch. 40; síðan hafði konungr þá í boði sínu ok veitti þeim ena virðuligustu veizlu meðan þeir vóru í hvítaváðum, ok lét kenna þeim heilög fræði, Fms. i. 230; Glúmr (Víga-Glúm) var biskupaðr í banasótt af Kol biskupi ok andaðisk í hvítaváðum, Glúm. 397; Bárðr tók sótt litlu síðar enn hann var skírðr ok andaðisk í hvítaváðum, Fms. ii. 153; Ólafr á Haukagili var skírðr ok andaðisk í hvítaváðum, Fs. (Vd.) 77; var Tóki síðan skírðr af hirðbiskupi Ólafs konungs, ok andaðisk í hvítaváðum, Fb. ii. 138; síðan andaðisk Gestr í hvítaváðum, Bárð. (sub fin.) Sweden, but above all Gothland, remained in great part heathen throughout the whole of the 11th century, after the neighbouring countries Denmark and Norway had become Christian, and so we find in Sweden Runic stones referring to Swedes who had died in the white weeds, some abroad and some at home; sem varð dauðr íhvítaváðum í Danmörku, Baut. 435; hann varð dauðr í Danmörku í hvítaváðum, 610; þeir dó í hvítaváðum, 68; sem dó í hvítaváðum, 271; hann varð dauðr í hvítaváðum, 223, 497. Churches when consecrated used to be dressed out with white; var Kjartan at Borg grafinn, þá var kirkja nyvígð ok í hvítaváðum, Ld. 230.

II. the white garments gave rise to new words and phrases amongst the first generation of northern Christians:

1. Hvíta-Kristr, m. ‘ White-Christ,’ was the favourite name of Christ; hafa láti mik heitan Hvíta-Kristr at viti eld, ef…, Sighvat; another poet (Edda 91) uses the word; and in prose, dugi þú mér, Hvíta-Kristr, help thou me, White-Christ! Fs. 101; ok þeir er þann sið hafa taka nafn af þeim Guði er þeir trúa á, ok kallaðr er Hvíta-Kristr ok því heita þeir Kristnir, mér er ok sagt at H. sé svá miskunsamr, at …, Fms. i. 295; en ef ek skal á guð nacquat trúa, hvat er mér þá verra at ek trúa á Hvíta-Krist en á annat guð? Ó. H. 204; Arnljótr svarar, heyrt hefi ek getið Hvíta-Krists, en ekki er mér kunnigt um athöfn hans eða hvar hann ræðr fyrir, 211; en þó trúi ek á Hvíta-Krist, Fb. ii. 137.

2. the great festivals, Yule (see Ld. ch. 40), Easter and Pentecost, but especially the two latter, were the great seasons for christening; in the Roman Catholic church especially Easter, whence in Roman usage the first Sunday after Easter was called Dominica in Albis; but in the northern churches, perhaps owing to the cold weather at Easter time, Pentecost, as the birthday of the church, seems to have been specially appointed for christening and for ordination, see Hungrv. ch. 2, Thom. 318; hence the following week was termed the Holy Week (Helga Vika). Hence; Pentecost derived its name from the white garments, and was called Hvíta-dagar, the White days, i. e. Whitsun-week; frá Páskadegi inum fýrsta skulu vera vikur sjau til Drottins-dags í Hvítadögum; Drottinsdag í Hvítadögum skulu vér halda sem hinn fyrsta Páskadag, K. Þ. K. 102; þváttdag fyrir Hvítadaga = Saturday next before Whitsunday, 126, 128; Páskadag inn fyrsta ok Uppstigningar-dag ok Drottinsdag í Hvítadögum, 112; þá Imbrudaga er um Hvítadaga verða, 120; vóru afteknir tveir dagar í Hvítadögum, Bs. i. 420; um várit á Hvítadögum, Orkn. 438: Hvítadaga-vika, u, f. White-day week = Whitsun-week, K. Þ. K. 126: in sing., þeir kómu at Hvítadegi (= Whitsunday) til Björgynjar, Fms. x. 63, v. 1.: Hvítadaga-helgi, f. the White-day feast, Whitsuntide, Fms. viii. 373, xi. 339, Sturl. iii. 206: Hvítadaga-hríð, a snow storm during the White days, Ann. 1330: Hvít-Drottins-dagr, m. the White Lord’s day, i. e. Whitsunday, the northern Dominica in Albis, Rb. 484, Fms. vii. 156, Bs. i. 62, where it refers to the 20th of May, 1056, on which day Isleif the first bishop of Iceland was consecrated. The name that at last prevailed was Hvíta-sunna, u, f. Whitsun, i. e. White-sun, D. N. ii. 263, 403: Hvítasunni-dagr, m. Whitsuday, Fb. ii. 546, Fms. viii. 63, v. l.: Hvítasunnudags-vika, u, f. Whitsun-week, Fb. ii. 546; Páskaviku, ok Hvítasunnudagsviku, ok þrjár vikur fyrir Jónsvöku, ok svá fyrir Michials-messu, N. G. L. i. 150; hvítasunnudagshátíð, Thom. 318. As the English was the mother-church of that of Norway and Iceland, the Icelandic eccl. phrases are derived from the English language. See Bingham’s Origg. s. vv. White Garments, and Dominica in Albis, where however no reference is given to Icel. writers. In modern Denmark and Norway the old name has been displaced by Pindse, i. e. Pfingsten, derived from the Greek word, whereas in Icel., as in Engl., only the name Hvítasunna is known, ☞ In Denmark the people make a practice of thronging to the woods on Whitsun morning to see the rising of the sun, and returning with green branches in their hands, the trees being just in bud at that season.

C. COMPDS: hvítabjörn, hvítadagar, hvítagnípa, hvítalogn, hvítamatr, Hvítasunna, hvítaváðir, hvítavalr, hvítarmr, hvítbránn, hvítbrúnn, hvítdreki, Hvítdrottinsdagr, hvítfaldaðr, hvítfjaðraðr, hvítflekkóttr, hvítfyrsa, hvítfyssi, hvíthaddaðr, hvíthárr, hvítjarpr, hvítklæddr, hvítmelingar, hvítröndóttr, hvítskeggjaðr, hvítskinn, hvítváðungr.

II. as pr. names, Hvítr, Engl. White, Dan. Hvid, Landn.; esp. as a surname, Hvíti, the White, Óláfr Hvíti, Þorsteinn Hvíti, Landn.: Hvít-beinn, m. White-hone, a nickname, Landn.; as also Hvíta-skáld, Hvíta-ský, Hvíta-leðr, Hvíta-kollr, Landn.: in local names, Hvíta-býr, Whitby; Hvíta-nes, Hvíta-dalr, Landn.; Hvít-á, the White-water, a name of several Icel. rivers flowing from glaciers, Hvítár-vellir, Hvítár-síða, Landn.; Hvítramanna-land, White-men’s-land, old name of the southern part of the present United States, Landn.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) opinion, judgement (dómr um dauðan hvern);

2) judicial decision, decree, judgement, sentence; stríðr dómr, a severe judgement; réttlátr í dómum, impartial as judge; segja upp dóm, to pronounce (pass) sentence;

3) court (of judicature), the body of judges; ganga í dóm, to go into court, take one’s seat in court; setja dóm, to set the court, to let the judges take their seats; sitja í dómi, to sit in judgement or in court; nefna dóm, to nominate (appoint) the judges; sœkja mál í dóm, to prosecute a lawsuit in court; hleypa upp dómi, to break up the court by force; bera fé í dóm, to bribe the court; ryðja dóm, to challenge the court; mál ferr í dóm, a case goes into court;

4) state, condition; heiðinn dómr, heathenism; kristinn dómr, the Christian faith;

5) heilagr dómr, helgir dómar, relic, relics;

6) in compds., -dom, -head, -hood (guðdómr, Godhead, manndómr, manhood, konungdómr, kingdom, &c.).

* * *

m. [Goth. dôms, which occurs once, but not in Ulf., who only uses the word in compds, and renders κρίσις and κριτής by siaua; A. S. dôm; Engl. doom and the termin. -dom; O. H. G. tom; known in Germ. only from the termin. - tum (-thum)].

I. a court of judgment, the body of judges, or the ‘court’ itself; the Icel. law of the Commonwealth distinguishes between several bodies of judges; in parliament there were Fjórðungs-dómar, ‘Quarter Courts,’ one for each of the political quarters of the country, Breiðfirðinga-d. or Vestfirðinga-d. for the West, Rangæinga-d. for the South, Eyfirðinga-d. or Norðlendinga-d. for the North, and Austfirðinga-d. for the East; these courts were instituted by Thord Gellir A. D. 964: at a later date a fifth High Court, called Fimtar-domr, the Fifth Court, was erected about A. D. 1004; vide Nj. ch. 98, Íb. ch. 8, Grág., esp. Þ. Þ. in the first chapters, and many passages in the Sagas, esp. Nj., Sturl.; and of mod. authors, Konrad Maurer in his essay, Die Entstehung des Icel. Staates, Ed. 1852, Dasent’s Introd. to Burnt Njal;—the treatise of Maurer is an indispensable guide in matters of the Fimtar-dómr. There are other courts on record, e. g. dyra-dómr, a court at the door of the defendant, vide Eb. ch. 18 and N. G. L.; nú skal dóm setja fyrir durum verjanda, en eigi á bak húsi; hann (viz. the plaintiff) skal setja dóm sinn eigi nær húsi en svá, at verjandi (the defender) megi setja sinn dóm milli dura ok dóms hans ok aka hlassi viðar milli dóms ok dura (vide dæma), N. G. L. i. 22: technical law-phrases as to the courts, setja dóm, to set the court, let the judges take their seats; dómar fara út, the courts ‘fare out,’ i. e. open; færa út dóm, dóma-útfærsla, i. e. the opening of the courts, Grág. i. 27,—the judges went out in a body in procession and took their seats; ryðja dóm, to challenge the court, Nj.; ganga at dómi, to go into court; nefna dóm, to name the judges (dóm-nefna); sitja í dómi, to sit in court; mál ferr í dóm, a case goes into court; hleypa upp dómi, to break up the court by force; bera fé í dóm, to bribe the court; dóms-afglapan, vide afglapan;—for all these phrases, vide Grág., Þ. Þ. in the first chapters, Nj., esp. ch. 140 sqq., Eg. ch. 57, N. G. L. i, Gþl. This sense is now almost obsolete, but it remains in the Manx demster and Scot. doomster.

II. doom, judgment, sentence, and this may be the original sense; dóms-atkvæði, dóms-orð, and dóms-uppsaga mean doom, sentence, as pronounced by the presiding judge, Nj., H. E. ii. 115, Sks. 159, Band. 6, Grág. i. 3, 83; dóma-dagr, doomsday, the day of judgment; Norna-dómr, the doom of the Norns, their weird, fate, Ýt. 23, Fm. 11; skapa-dómr, id.

β. judgment, opinion.

III. denoting state, condition, age, in words such as heiðin-dómr, Kristin-dómr, the heathen, Christian age, faith; konung-dómr, a kingdom; biskups-dómr, a bishopric, etc.; hefja ór heiðnum dómi, to lift out of heathendom, baptize, Sighvat.

2. helgir dómar, relics, Bs., H. E., Grág. ii. 165, Fms. i. 230, v. 143, Gpl. 70:—but helgidómr, Old Engl. halidom, Germ. heiligthum: leyndr d., mystery, μυστήριον of the N. T.; leynda dóma himnaríkis, Matth. xiii. 11; þenna leyndan dóm, Rom. xi. 25; sjáið, að eg segi yðr leyndan dóm, 1 Cor. xv. 51.

3. in many compds = Engl. -dom, -hood, -head; Guð-dómr, Godhead; mann-dómr, manhood,

* * *

(ber; bar, bárum; borinn), v.

I.

1) to bear, carry, convey (bar B. biskup í börum suðr í Hvamm);

bera (farm) af skipi, to unload a ship;

bera (mat) af borði, to take (the meat) off the table;

bera e-t á hesti, to carry on horseback;

2) to wear (bera klæði, vápn, kórónu);

bera œgishjálm, to inspire fear and awe;

3) to bear, produce, yield (jörðin berr gras; tré bera aldin, epli);

4) to bear, give birth to, esp. of sheep and cows;

kýr hafði borit kálf, had calved;

absol., ván at hón mundi bera, that the cow would calve;

the pp. is used of men; hann hafði verit blindr borinn, born blind;

verða borinn í þenna heim, to be born into this world;

þann sóma, sem ek em til borinn, born to;

borinn e-m, frá e-m (rare), born of;

Nótt var Nörvi borin, was the daughter of N.;

borinn Sigmundi, son of S.;

5) bera e-n afli, ofrafli, ofrliði, ofrmagni, ofríki, to bear one down, overcome, oppress, one by odds or superior force;

bera e-n ráðum, to overrule one;

bera e-n málum, to bear one down (wrongfully) in a lawsuit;

bera e-n sök, to charge one with a fault;

bera e-n bjóri, to make drunk with beer;

verða bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise;

borinn verkjum, overcome by pains;

þess er borin ván, there is no hope, all hope is gone;

borinn baugum, bribed; cf. bera fé á e-n, to bribe one;

6) to lear, be capable of bearing (of a ship, horse, vehicle);

þeir hlóðu bæði skipin sem borð báru, with as much as they could carry;

fig., to sustain, support (svá mikill mannfjöldi, at landit fekk eigi borit);

of persons, to bear up against, endure, support (grief, sorrow, etc.);

absol., bar hann drengiliga, he bore it manfully;

similarly, bera (harm) af sér, berast vel (illa, lítt) af;

bar hon sköruliga af sér, she bore up bravely;

hversu berst Auðr af um bróðurdauðann, how does she bear it?

hon berst af lítt, she is much cast down;

bera sik vel upp, to bear well up against;

7) bera e-t á, e-n á hendr e-m, to charge or tax one with (eigi erum vér þess valdir, er þú berr á oss);

bera (kvið) á e-n, to give a verdict against, declare guilty (í annat sinn báru þeir á Flosa kviðinn);

bera af e-m (kviðinn), to give a verdict for;

bera e-t af sér, to deny having done a thing;

bera or bera vitni, vætti, to bear witness, testify;

bera or bera um e-t, to give a verdict in a case;

bera e-n sannan at sök, to prove guilty by evidence;

bera e-n undan sök, to acquit;

bera í sundr frændsemi þeirra, to prove (by evidence) that they are not relations;

bera e-m vel (illa) söguna, to give a favourable (unfavourable) account of one;

refl. (pass.), berast, to be proved by evidence (þótt þér berist þat faðerni, er þú segir);

8) to set forth, report, tell;

bera e-m kveðju (orð, orðsending), to bring one a greeting, compliments (word, message);

bera or bera fram erindi sín fyrir e-n, to state (tell) one’s errand or to plead one’s case before one;

bera e-m njósn, to apprise one;

bera e-t upp, to produce, mention, tell;

bera upp gátu, to give (propound) a riddle;

bera upp erindi sín, to state one’s errand;

bera saman ráð sín, to consult together;

eyddist það ráð, er þeir báru saman, which they had designed;

9) to keep, hold, bear, of a title (bera jarlnafn, konnungsnafn);

bera (eigi) giptu, gæfu, hammingju, auðnu til e-s, (not) to have the good fortune to do a thing (bar hann enga gæfu til at þjóna þér);

bera vit, skyn, kunnáttu á e-t, to have knowledge of, uniderstanding about;

vel viti borinn, endowed with a good understanding;

bera hug, áræði, þor, traust til e-s, to have courage, confidence to do a thing;

bera áhyggju fyrir e-u, to be concerned about;

bera ást, elsku, hatr til e-s, to bear affection, love, hatred to;

10) to bear off or away, carry off (some gain);

bera sigr af e-m, af e-u, to carry off the victory from or in;

hann hafði borit sigr af tveim orustum, he had been victorious in two battles;

bera hærra (lægra) hlut to get the best (the worst) of it;

bera efra (hærra) skjöld, to gain the victory;

bera hátt (lágt) höfuðit, to bear the head high (low), to be in high (low) spirits;

bera halann bratt, lágt, to cock up or let fall the tail, to be in high or low spirits;

11) with preps.:

bera af e-m, to surpass;

en þó bar Bolli af, surpassed all the rest;

bera af sér högg, lag to ward off, parry a blow or thrust;

bera eld at, to set fire to;

bera fjötur (bönd) at e-m, to put fetters (bonds) on one;

bera vápn á e-n, to attack one with sharp weapons;

bera á or í, to smear, anoint (bera vatn í augu sér, bera tjöru í höfuð sér);

bera e-t til, to apply to, to try if it fits (bera til hvern lykil af öðrum at portinu);

bera e-t um, to wind round;

þá bar hann þá festi um sik, made it fast round his body;

bera um með e-n, to bear with, have patience with;

bera út barn, to expose a child;

12) refl., berast mikit (lítit) á, to bear oneself proudly (humbly);

láta af berast, to die;

láta fyrir berast e-s staðar, to stay, remain in a place (for shelter);

berast e-t fyrir, to design a thing (barst hann þat fyrir at sjá aldregi konur);

at njósna um, hvat hann bærist fyrir, to inquire into what he was about;

berast vápn á, to attack one another;

berast at or til, to happen;

þat barst at (happened) á einhverju sumri;

ef svá harðliga kann til at berast, if that misfortune does happen;

berast í móti, to happen, occur;

hefir þetta vel í móti borizt, it is a happy coincidence;

berast við, to be prevented;

ok nú lét almáttugr guð við berast kirkjubrunann, prevented, stopped the burning of the church;

II. impers., denoting a sort of passive or involuntary motion;

1) with acc., it bears or carries one to a place;

alla berr at sama brunni, all come to the same well (end);

bar hann (acc.) þá ofan gegnt Ösuri, he happened to come down just opposite to Ö.;

esp. of ships and sailors; berr oss (acc.) til Íslands eða annarra landa, we drift to Iceland or other countries;

þá (acc.) bar suðr í haf, they were carried out southwards;

Skarpheðin (acc.) bar nú at þeim, S. came suddenly upon them;

ef hann (acc.) skyldi bera þar at, if he should happen to come there;

e-n berr yfir, one is borne onwards, of a bird flying, a man riding;

hann (acc.) bar skjótt yfir, it passed quickly (of a flying meteor);

2) followed by preps.:

Gunnar sér, at rauðan kyrtil bar við glugginn, that a red kirtle passed before the window;

hvergi bar skugga (acc.) á, there was nowhere a shadow;

e-t berr fram (hátt), is prominent;

Ólafr konungr stóð í lyptingu ok bar hann (acc.) hátt mjök, stood out conspicuously;

e-t berr á milli, comes between;

leiti (acc.) bar á milli, a hill hid the prospect;

fig. e-m berr e-t á milli, they are at variance about a thing;

mart (acc.) berr nú fyrir augu mér, many things come now before my eyes;

veiði (acc.) berr í hendr e-m, game falls to one’s lot;

e-t berr undan, goes amiss, fails;

bera saman, to coincide;

bar nöfn þeirra saman, they had the same name;

fig., with dat.; bar öllum sögum vel saman, all the stories agreed well together;

fund várn bar saman, we met;

3) bera at, til, við, at hendi, til handa, to befall, happen, with dat. of the person;

svá bar at einn vetr, it happened one winter;

þó at þetta vandræði (acc.) hafi nú borit oss (dat.) at hendi, has befallen us;

bar honum svá til, it so befell him;

þat bar við (it so happened), at Högni kom;

raun (acc.) berr á, it is proved by fact;

4) of time, to fall upon;

ef þing (acc.) berr á hina helgu viku, if the parliament falls in the holy week;

bera í móti, to coincide, happen exactly at the same time;

5) denoting cause;

e-t berr til, causes a thing;

konungr spurði, hvat til bæri úgleði hans, what was the cause of his grief;

ætluðu þat þá allir, at þat mundi til bera, that that was the reason;

berr e-m nauðsyn til e-s, one is obliged to do a thing;

6) e-t berr undir e-n, falls to a person’s lot;

hon á arf at taka, þegar er undir hana berr, in her turn;

e-t berr frá, is surpassing;

er sagt, at þat (acc.) bæri frá, hvé vel þeir mæltu, it was extraordinary how well they spoke;

7) e-t berr bráðum, happens of a sudden;

e-t berr stóru, stórum (stœrrum), it amounts to much (more), it matters a great deal (more), it is of great (greater) importance;

8) absol. or with an adv., vel, illa, with infin.;

e-m berr (vel, illa) at gera e-t, it becomes, beseems one (well, ill) to do a thing (berr yðr vel, herra, at sjá sannindi á þessu máli);

used absol., berr vel, illa, it is beseeming, proper, fit, or unbeseeming, improper, unfit (þat þykkir eigi illa bera, at).

(að), v. to make bare (hon beraði likam sinn).

f. she-bear, = birna.

* * *

u, f.

I. [björn], a she-bear, Lat. ursa; the primitive root ‘ber’ remains only in this word (cp. berserkr and berfjall), björn (q. v.) being the masc. in use, Landn. 176, Fas. i. 367, Vkv. 9: in many Icel. local names, Beru-fjörðr, -vík, from Polar bears; fem. names, Bera, Hallbera, etc., Landn.

II. a shield, poët., the proverb, baugr er á beru sæmstr, to a shield fits best a baugr (q. v.), Lex. Poët., Edda (Gl.); hence names of poems Beru-drápa, Eg.

bar, báru, borit, pres. berr,—poët. forms with the suffixed negative; 3rd pers. sing. pres. Indic. berrat, Hm. 10; 3rd pers. sing. pret. barat, Vellekla; 1st pers. sing. barkak, Eb. 62 (in a verse); barkat ek, Hs. 8; 2nd pers. sing. bartattu; 3rd pers. pl. bárut, etc., v. Lex. Poët. [Gr. φέρειν; Lat. ferre; Ulf. bairan; A. S. beran; Germ. gebären; Engl. bear; Swed. bära; Dan. bære].

A. Lat. ferre, portare:

I. prop. with a sense of motion, to bear, carry, by means of the body, of animals, of vehicles, etc., with acc., Egil tók mjöðdrekku eina mikla, ok bar undir hendi sér, Eg. 237; bar hann heim hrís, Rm. 9; konungr lét bera inn kistur tvær, báru tveir menn hverja, Eg. 310; bera farm af skipi, to unload a ship, Ld. 32; bera (farm) á skip, to load a ship, Nj. 182; tóku alla ösku ok báru á á ( amnem) út, 623, 36; ok bar þat ( carried it) í kerald, 43, K. Þ. K. 92; b. mat á borð, í stofu, to put the meat on table, in the oven; b. mat af borði, to take it off table, Eb. 36, 266, Nj. 75, Fms. ix. 219, etc.

2. Lat. gestare, ferre, denoting to wear clothes, to carry weapons; skikkja dýr er konungr hafði borit, Eg. 318; b. kórónu, to wear the crown, Fms. x. 16; atgeir, Nj. 119; vápn, 209: metaph., b. ægishjálm, to inspire fear and awe; b. merki, to carry the flag in a battle, Nj. 274, Orkn. 28, 30, 38, Fms. v. 64, vi. 413; bera fram merki, to advance, move in a battle, vi. 406.

3. b. e-t á hesti (áburðr), to carry on horseback; Auðunn bar mat á hesti, Grett. 107; ok bar hrís á hesti, 76 new Ed.; þeir báru á sjau hestum, 98 new Ed.

II. without a sense of motion:

1. to give birth to; [the root of barn, bairn; byrja, incipere; burðr, partus; and burr, filius: cp. Lat. parĕre; also Gr. φέρειν, Lat. ferre, of child-bearing.] In Icel. prose, old as well as mod., ‘ala’ and ‘fæða’ are used of women; but ‘bera,’ of cows and sheep; hence sauðburðr, casting of lambs, kýrburðr; a cow is snembær, siðbær, Jólabær, calves early, late, at Yule time, etc.; var ekki ván at hon ( the cow) mundi b. fyr en um várit, Bs. i. 193, 194; kýr hafði borit kálf, Bjarn. 32; bar hvárrtveggi sauðrinn sinn burð, Stj. 178: the participle borinn is used of men in a great many compds in a general sense, aptrborinn, árborinn, endrborinn, frjálsborinn, goðborinn, höldborinn, hersborinn, konungborinn, óðalborinn, samborinn, sundrborinn, velborinn, úborinn, þrælborinn, etc.; also out of compds, mun ek eigi upp gefa þann sóma, sem ek em til borinn, … entitled to by inheritance, Ld. 102; hann hafði blindr verit borinn, born blind, Nj. 152, Hdl. 34, 42, Vsp. 2: esp. borinn e-m, born of one, Rm. 39, Hdl. 12, 23, 27, Hðm. 2, Gs. 9, Vþm. 25, Stor. 16, Vkv. 15; borinn frá e-m, Hdl. 24: the other tenses are in theol. Prose used of Christ, hans blezaða son er virðist at láta berast hingað í heim af sinni blezaðri móður, Fms. i. 281; otherwise only in poetry, eina dóttur (acc.) berr álfröðull (viz. the sun, regarded as the mother), Vþm. 47; hann Gjálp um bar, hann Greip um bar …, Hdl. 36: borit (sup.), Hkv. 1. 1.

β. of trees, flowers; b. ávöxt, blóm …, to bear fruit, flower … (freq.); bar aldinviðrinn tvennan blóma, Fms. ix. 265; cp. the phrase, bera sitt barr, v. barr.

2. denoting to load, with acc. of the person and dat. of the thing:

α. in prop. sense; hann hafði borit sik mjök vápnum, he had loaded himself with arms, i. e. wore heavy armour, Sturl. iii. 250.

β. but mostly in a metaph. sense; b. e-n ofrafli, ofrmagni, ofrliði, ofríki, magni, to bear one down, to overcome, oppress one, by odds or superior force, Grág. i. 101, ii. 195, Nj. 80, Hkr. ii. 371, Gþl. 474, Stj. 512, Fms. iii. 175 (in the last passage a dat. pers. badly); b. e-n ráðum, to overrule one, Nj. 198, Ld. 296; b. e-n málum, to bearhim down (wrongfully) in a lawsuit, Nj. 151; b. e-n bjóri, to make drunk, Vkv. 26: medic., borinn verkjum, sótt, Bjarn. 68, Og. 5; bölvi, Gg. 2: borne down, feeling heavy pains; þess er borin ván, no hope, all hope is gone, Ld. 250; borinn sök, charged with a cause, Fms. v. 324, H. E. i. 561; bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise, Fms. iv. 111; b. fé, gull á e-n, to bring one a fee, gold, i. e. to bribe one, Nj. 62; borinn baugum, bribed, Alvm. 5; always in a bad sense, cp. the law phrase, b. fé í dóm, to bribe a court, Grág., Nj. 240.

3. to bear, support, sustain, Lat. sustinere, lolerare, ferre:

α. properly, of a ship, horse, vehicle, to bear, be capable of bearing; þeir hlóðu bæði skipin sem borð báru, all that they could carry, Eb. 302;—a ship ‘berr’ ( carries) such and such a weight; but ‘tekr’ ( takes) denotes a measure of fluids.

β. metaph. to sustain, support; dreif þannig svá mikill mannfjöldi at landit fékk eigi borit, Hkr. i. 56; but metaph. to bear up against, endure, support grief, sorrow, etc., sýndist öllum at Guð hefði nær ætlað hvat hann mundi b. mega, Bs. i. 139; biðr hann friðar ok þykist ekki mega b. reiði hans, Fms. iii. 80: the phrase, b. harm sinn í hljóði, to suffer silently; b. svívirðing, x. 333: absol., þótti honum mikit víg Kjartans, en þó bar hann drengilega, he bore it manfully, Ld. 226; er þat úvizka, at b. eigi slíkt, not to bear or put up with, Glúm. 327; b. harm, to grieve, Fms. xi. 425: in the phrases, b. sik, b. af sér, berask, berask vel (illa, lítt), to bear oneself, to bear up against misfortune; Guðrúnu þótti mikit fráfall Þorkels, en þó bar hon sköruliga af sér, she bore her bravely up, Ld. 326–328; lézt hafa spurt at ekkjan bæri vel af sér harmana, Eb. 88; berask af; hversu bersk Auðr af um bróðurdauðann? (how does she bear it?); hón bersk af lítt ( she is much borne down) ok þykir mikit, Gísl. 24; niun oss vandara gört en öðrum at vér berim oss vel (Lat. fortiter ferre), Nj. 197; engi maðr hefði þar jamvel borit sik, none bad borne himself so boldly, Sturl. iii. 132; b. sik vel upp, to bear well up against, bear a stout heart, Hrafn. 17; b. sik beiskliga ( sorely), Stj. 143; b. sik lítt, to be downcast, Fms. ii. 61; b. sik at göra e-t, to do one’s best, try a thing.

III. in law terms or modes of procedure:

1. bera járn, the ordeal of bearing hot iron in the hand, cp. járnburðr, skírsla. This custom was introduced into Scandinavia together with Christianity from Germany and England, and superseded the old heathen ordeals ‘hólmganga,’ and ‘ganga undir jarðarmen,’ v. this word. In Norway, during the civil wars, it was esp. used in proof of paternity of the various pretenders to the crown, Fms. vii. 164, 200, ix. Hák. S. ch. 14, 41–45, viii. (Sverr. S.) ch. 150, xi. (Jómsv. S.) ch. 11, Grett. ch. 41, cp. N. G. L. i. 145, 389. Trial by ordeal was abolished in Norway A. D. 1247. In Icel. It was very rarely mentioned, vide however Lv. ch. 23 (paternity), twice or thrice in the Sturl. i. 56, 65, 147, and Grág. i. 341, 361; it seems to have been very seldom used there, (the passage in Grett. S. l. c. refers to Norway.)

2. bera út (hence útburðr, q. v.), to expose children; on this heathen custom, vide Grimm R. A. In heathen Icel., as in other parts of heathen Scandinavia, it was a lawful act, but seldom exercised; the chief passages on record are, Gunnl. S. ch. 3 (ok þat var þá siðvandi nokkurr, er land var allt alheiðit, at þeir menn er félitlir vórn, en stóð ómegð mjök til handa létu út bera börn sín, ok þótti þó illa gört ávalt), Fs. Vd. ch. 37, Harð. S. ch. 8, Rd. ch. 7, Landn. v. ch. 6, Finnb. ch. 2, Þorst. Uxaf. ch. 4, Hervar. S. ch. 4, Fas. i. 547 (a romance); cp. Jómsv. S. ch. 1. On the introduction of Christianity into Icel. A. D. 1000, it was resolved that, in regard to eating of horse-flesh and exposure of children, the old laws should remain in force, Íb. ch. 9; as Grimm remarks, the exposure must take place immediately after birth, before the child had tasted food of any kind whatever, and before it was besprinkled with water (ausa vatni) or shown to the father, who had to fix its name; exposure, after any of these acts, was murder, cp. the story of Liafburga told by Grimm R. A.); v. Also a Latin essay at the end of the Gunnl. S. (Ed. 1775). The Christian Jus Eccl. put an end to this heathen barbarism by stating at its very beginning, ala skal barn hvert er borit verðr, i. e. all children, if not of monstrous shape, shall be brought up, N. G. L. i. 339, 363.

β. b. út (now more usual, hefja út, Am. 100), to carry out for burial; vera erfðr ok tit borinn, Odd. 20; var hann heygðr, ok út borinn at fornum sið, Fb. i. 123; b. á bál, to place (the body and treasures) upon the pile, the mode of burying in the old heathen time, Fas. i. 487 (in a verse); var hon borin á bálit ok slegit í eldi, Edda 38.

B. Various and metaph. cases.

I. denoting motion:

1. ‘bera’ is in the Grág. the standing law term for delivery of a verdict by a jury (búar), either ‘bera’ absol. or adding kvið ( verdict); bera á e-n, or b. kvið á e-n, to give a verdict against, declare guilty; bera af e-m, or b. af e-m kviðinn, to give a verdict for; or generally, bera, or b. um e-t, to give a verdict in a case; bera, or b. vitni, vætti, also simply means to testify, to witness, Nj. 111, cp. kviðburðr ( delivering of verdict), vitnisburðr ( bearing witness), Grág. ii. 28; eigi eigu búar ( jurors) enn at b. um þat hvat lög eru á landi hér, the jurors have not to give verdict in (to decide) what is law in the country, cp. the Engl. maxim, that jurors have only to decide the question of evidence, not of law, Grág. (Kb.) ch. 85; eigi eru búar skildir at b. um hvatvetna; um engi mál eigu þeir at skilja, þau er erlendis ( abroad) hafa görzt, id.; the form in delivering the verdict—höfum vér ( the jurors), orðit á eitt sáttir, berum á kviðburðinn, berum hann sannan at sökinni, Nj. 238, Grág. i. 49, 22, 138, etc.; í annat sinn báru þeir á Flosa kviðinn, id.; b. annattveggja af eðr á; b. undan, to discharge, Nj. 135; b. kvið í hag ( for), Grág. i. 55; b. lýsingar vætti, Nj. 87; b. vitni ok vætti, 28, 43, 44; b. ljúgvitni, to bear false witness, Grág. i. 28; b. orð, to bear witness to a speech, 43; bera frændsemi sundr, to prove that they are not relations, N. G. L. i. 147: reflex., berask ór vætti, to prove that oneself is wrongly summoned to bear witness or to give a verdict, 44: berask in a pass. sense, to be proved by evidence, ef vanefni b. þess manns er á hönd var lýst, Grág. i. 257; nema jafnmæli berisk, 229; þótt þér berisk þat faðerni er þú segir, Fms. vii. 164; hann kvaðst ætla, at honum mundi berask, that he would be able to get evidence for, Fs. 46.

β. gener. and not as a law term; b. á, b. á hendr, to charge; b. e-n undan, to discharge, Fs. 95; eigi erum vér þessa valdir er þú berr á oss, Nj. 238, Ld. 206, Fms. iv. 380, xi. 251, Th. 78; b. e-m á brýnn, to throw in one’s face, to accuse, Greg. 51; b. af sér, to deny; eigi mun ek af mér b., at… ( non diffitebor), Nj. 271; b. e-m gott vitni, to give one a good…, 11; b. e-m vel (illa) söguna, to bear favourable (unfavourable) witness of one, 271.

2. to bear by word of mouth, report, tell, Lat. referre; either absol. or adding kveðju, orð, orðsending, eyrindi, boð, sögu, njósn, frétt…, or by adding a prep., b. fram, frá, upp, fyrir; b. kveðju, to bring a greeting, compliment, Eg. 127; b. erindi (sín) fyrir e-n, to plead one’s case before one, or to tell one’s errand, 472, 473; b. njósn, to apprise, Nj. 131; b. fram, to deliver (a speech), talaði jungherra Magnús hit fyrsta erindi (M. made his first speech in public), ok fanst mönnum mikit um hversu úbernsliga fram var borit, Fms. x. 53; (in mod. usage, b. fram denotes gramm. to pronounce, hence ‘framburðr,’ pronunciation); mun ek þat nú fram b., I shall now tell, produce it, Ld. 256, Eg. 37; b. frá, to attest, relate with emphasis; má þat frá b., Dropl. 21; b. upp, to produce, mention, tell, þótt slík lygi sé upp borin fyrir hann, though such a lie be told him, Eg. 59; þær (viz. charges) urðu engar upp bornar ( produced) við Rút, Nj. 11; berr Sigtryggr þegar upp erindi sín (cp. Germ. ojfenbaren), 271, Ld. 256; b. upp gátu, to give (propound) a riddle, Stj. 411, Fas. i. 464; b. fyrir, to plead as an excuse; b. saman ráð sín, or the like, to consult, Nj. 91; eyddist þat ráð, er þeir báru saman, which they had designed, Post. 656 A. ii; b. til skripta, to confess (eccl.), of auricular confession, Hom. 124, 655 xx.

II. in a metaphorical or circumlocutory sense, and without any sense of motion, to keep, hold, bear, of a title; b. nafn, to bear a name, esp. as honour or distinction; tignar nafn, haulds nafn, jarls nafn, lends manns nafn, konungs nafn, bónda nafn, Fms. i. 17, vi. 278, xi. 44, Gþl. 106: in a more metaph. sense, denoting endowments, luck, disposition, or the like, b. (ekki) gæfu, hamingju, auðnu til e-s, to enjoy (enjoy not) good or bad luck, etc.; at Þórólfr mundi eigi allsendis gæfu til b. um vináttu við Harald, Eg. 75, 112, 473, Fms. iv. 164, i. 218; úhamingju, 219; b. vit, skyn, kunnáttu á (yfir) e-t, to bring wit, knowledge, etc., to bear upon a thing, xi. 438, Band. 7; hence vel (illa) viti borinn, well (ill) endowed with wit, Eg. 51; vel hyggjandi borinn, well endowed with reason, Grág. ii; b. hug, traust, áræði, þor, til e-s, to have courage, confidence … to do a thing, Gullþ. 47, Fms. ix. 220, Band. 7; b. áhyggju, önn fyrir, to care, be concerned about, Fms. x. 318; b. ást, elsku til e-s, to bear affection, love to one; b. hatr, to hate: b. svört augu, to have dark eyes, poët., Korm. (in a verse); b. snart hjarta, Hom. 5; vant er þat af sjá hvar hvergi berr hjarta sitt, where he keeps his heart, Orkn. 474; b. gott hjarta, to bear a proud heart, Lex. Poët., etc. etc.; b. skyndi at um e-t, to make speed with a thing, Lat. festinare, Fms. viii. 57.

2. with some sense of motion, to bear off or away, carry off, gain, in such phrases as, b. sigr af e-m, af e-u, to carry off the victory from or in …; hann hafði borit sigr af tveim orrustum, er frægstar hafa verit, he had borne off the victory in two battles, Fms. xi. 186; bera banaorð af e-m, to slay one in a fight, to be the victor; Þorr berr banaorð af Miðgarðsormi, Edda 42, Fms. x. 400: it seems properly to mean, to bear off the fame of having killed a man; verðat svá rík sköp, at Regin skyli mitt banorð bera, Fm. 39; b. hærra, lægra hlut, ‘to bear off the higher or the lower lot,’ i. e. to get the best or the worst of it, or the metaphor is taken from a sortilege, Fms. ii. 268, i. 59, vi. 412; b. efra, hærra skjöld, to carry the highest shield, to get the victory, x. 394, Lex. Poët.; b. hátt (lágt) höfuðit, to bear the head high (low), i. e. to be in high or low spirits, Nj. 91; but also, b. halann bratt (lágt), to cock up or let fall the tail (metaph. from cattle), to be in an exultant or low mood: sundry phrases, as, b. bein, to rest the bones, be buried; far þú til Íslands, þar mun þér auðið verða beinin at b., Grett. 91 A; en þó hygg ek at þú munir hér b. beinin í Norðrálfunni, Orkn. 142; b. fyrir borð, to throw overboard, metaph. to oppress; verðr Þórhalli nú fyrir borð borinn, Th. was defied, set at naught, Fær. 234; b. brjóst fyrir e-m, to be the breast-shield, protection of one, Fms. vii. 263: also, b. hönd fyrir höfuð sér, metaph. to put one’s hand before one’s head, i. e. to defend oneself; b. ægishjálm yfir e-m, to keep one in awe and submission, Fm. 16, vide A. I. 2.

III. connected with prepp., b. af, and (rarely) yfir (cp. afburðr, yfirburðr), to excel, surpass; eigi sá hvárttveggja féit er af öðrum berr, who gets the best of it, Nj. 15; en þó bar Bolli af, B. surpassed all the rest, Ld. 330; þat mannval bar eigi minnr af öðrum mönnum um fríðleik, afi ok fræknleik, en Ormrinn Langi af öðrum skipum, Fms. ii. 252; at hinn útlendi skal yfir b. ( outdo) þann sem Enskir kalla meistara, xi. 431: b. til, to apply, try if it fits; en er þeir báru til (viz. shoes to the hoof of a horse), þá var sem hæfði hestinum, ix. 55; bera til hvern lykil at öðrum at portinu, Thom. 141; b. e-t við, to try it on (hence viðburðr, experiment, effort): b. um, to wind round, as a cable round a pole or the like, Nj. 115; þá bar hann þá festi um sik, made it fast round his body, Fms. ix. 219; ‘b. e-t undir e-n’ is to consult one, ellipt., b. undir dóm e-s; ‘b. e-t fyrir’ is to feign, use as excuse: b. á, í, to smear, anoint; b. vatn í augu sér, Rb. 354; b. tjöru í höfuð sér, Nj. 181, Hom. 70, 73, cp. áburðr; b. gull, silfr, á, to ornament with gold or silver, Ld. 114, Finnb. 258: is now also used = to dung, b. á völl; b. vápn á e-n, to attack one with sharp weapons, Eg. 583, Fms. xi. 334: b. eld at, to set fire to, Nj. 122; b. fjötur (bönd) at e-m, to put fetters (bonds) on one, Fms. x. 172, Hm. 150: metaph. reflex., bönd berask at e-m, a law term, the evidence bears against one; b. af sér, to parry off; Gyrðr berr af sér lagit, G. parries the thrust off, Fms. x. 421; cp. A. II. 3. β.

IV. reflex., berask mikit á (cp. áburðr), to bear oneself proudly, or b. lítið á, to bear oneself humbly; hann var hinn kátasti ok barst á mikit, Fms. ii. 68, viii. 219, Eb. 258; b. lítið á, Clem. 35; láta af berask, to die; Óttarr vill skipa til um fjárfar sitt áðr hann láti af b., Fms. ii. 12: berask fyrir, to abide in a place as an asylum, seek shelter; hér munu vit láta fyrir b., Fas. iii. 471; berask e-t fyrir, to design a thing, be busy about, barsk hann þat fyrir at sjá aldregi konur, Greg. 53; at njósna um hvat hann bærist fyrir, to inquire into what he was about, Fms. iv. 184, Vígl. 19.

β. recipr. in the phrase, berask banaspjót eptir, to seek for one another’s life, Glúm. 354: b. vápn á, of a mutual attack with sharp weapons, Fms. viii. 53.

γ. pass., sár berask á e-n, of one in the heat of battle beginning to get wounds and give way, Nj.:—berask við, to be prevented, not to do; ok nú lét Almáttugr Guð við berast kirkjubrunnann, stopped, prevented the burning of the church, Fms. v. 144; en mér þætti gott ef við bærist, svá at hón kæmi eigi til þín, vi. 210, vii. 219; ok var þá búit at hann mundi þegar láta hamarinn skjanna honum, en hann lét þat við berask, he bethought himself and did not, Edda 35; því at mönnum þótti sem þannig mundi helzt úhæfa við berask, that mischief would thus be best prevented, Sturl. ii. 6, iii. 80.

C. IMPERS.:—with a sort of passive sense, both in a loc. and temp. sense, and gener. denotes an involuntary, passive motion, happening suddenly or by chance:

I. with acc. it bears or carries one to a place, i. e. one happens to come; the proverb, alla (acc.) berr at sama brunni, all come to the same well (end), Lat. omnes una manet nox; bar hann þá ofan gegnt Özuri, he happened to come in his course just opposite to Ö., Lat. delatus est, Dropl. 25: esp. of ships or sailors; nú berr svá til ( happens) herra, at vér komum eigi fram ferðinni, berr oss (acc.) til Íslands eðr annara landa, it bore us to I., i. e. if we drive or drift thither, Fms. iv. 176; þá (acc. pl.) bar suðr í haf, they drifted southwards, Nj. 124.

β. as a cricketing term, in the phrase, berr (bar) út knöttinn, the ball rolls out, Gísl. 26, cp. p. 110 where it is transit.; berr Gísli ok út knöttinn, vide Vígl. ch. 11, Grett. ch. 17, Vd. ch. 37, Hallfr. S. ch. 2.

γ. Skarpheðin (acc.) bar nú at þeim, Sk. came suddenly upon them, Nj. 144; bar at Hróaldi þegar allan skjöldinn, the shield was dashed against H.’s body, 198; ok skyldu sæta honum, ef hann (acc.) bæri þar at, if he should per chance come, shew himself there, Orkn. 406; e-n berr yfir, it bears one, i. e. one is borne onwards, as a bird flying, a man riding; þóttist vita, at hann (acc.) mundi fljótara yfir bera ef hann riði en gengi, that he would get on more fleetly riding than walking, Hrafn. 7; hann (acc.) bar skjótt yfir, he passed quickly, of a flying meteor, Nj. 194; e-n berr undan, escapes.

2. also with acc. followed by prepp. við, saman, jafnframt, hjá, of bodies coinciding or covering one another: loc., er jafnframt ber jaðrana tungls ok sólar, if the orb of the moon and sun cover each other, Rb. 34; þat kann vera stundum, at tunglit (acc.) berr jafht á millum vár ok sólar (i. e. in a moon eclipse), 108; ber nokkut jaðar (acc.) þess hjá sólar jaðri, 34; Gunnarr sér at rauðan kyrtil (acc.) bar við glugginn, G. sees that a red kirtle passed before the window, Nj. 114; bar fyrir utan þat skip vápnaburð (acc.) heiðingja (gen. pl.), the missiles of the heathens passed over the ship without hurting them, flew too high, Fms. vii. 232; hvergi bar skugga (acc.) á, nowhere a shadow, all bright, Nj. 118; þangat sem helzt mátti nokkut yfir þá skugga bera af skóginum, where they were shadowed (hidden) by the trees, Fms. x. 239; e-t berr fram (hátt), a body is prominent, Lat. eminet; Ólafr konungr stóð í lyptingunni, bar hann (acc.) hátt mjök, king O. stood out conspicuously, ii. 308; b. yfir, þótti mjök bera hljóð (acc.) þar yfir er Ólafr sat, the sound was heard over there where O. sat, Sturl. i. 21; b. á milli, something comes between; leiti (acc.) bar á milli, a hill hid the prospect, Nj. 263: metaph., e-m berr e-t á milli, they come to dissent, 13, v. 1.; b. fyrir augu (hence fyrirburðr, vision), of a vision or the like; mart (acc.) berr nú fyrir augu mér, ek sé …, many things come now before my eyes, 104; hann mundi allt þat er fyrir hann hafði borit, i. e. all the dream, 195; eina nótt berr fyrir hann í svefni mikla sýn, Fms. i. 137, Rd. 290; veiði (acc.) berr í hendr e-m (a metaphor from hunting), sport falls to one’s lot; hér bæri veiði í hendr nú, here would be a game, Nj. 252; e-t berr undan (a metaphor from fishing, hunting term), when one misses one’s opportunity; vel væri þá … at þá veiði (acc.) bæri eigi undan, that this game should not go amiss, 69; en ef þetta (acc.) berr undan, if this breaks down, 63; hon bað hann þá drepa einhvern manna hans, heldr en allt (acc.) bæri undan, rather than that all should go amiss, Eg. 258: absol., þyki mér illa, ef undan berr, if I miss it, Nj. 155; viljum vér ekki at undan beri at…, we will by no means miss it…, Fms. viii. 309, v. 1. The passage Bs. i. 416 (en fjárhlutr sá er átt hafði Ari, bar undan Guðmundi) is hardly correct, fjárhlut þann would run better, cp. bera undir, as a law term, below.

II. adding prepp.; b. við, at, til, at hendi, at móti, til handa …, to befall, happen, Lat. accidere, occurrere, with dat. of the person, (v. atburðr, viðburðr, tilburðr); engi hlut skyldi þann at b., no such thing should happen as…, Fms. xi. 76; svá bar at einn vetr, it befell, x. 201; þat hefir nú víst at hendi borit, er…, Nj. 174; þó þetta vandræði (acc.) hafi nú borit oss (dat.) at hendi, Eg. 7; b. til handa, id., Sks. 327; bar honum svá til, so it befell him, Fms. xi. 425; at honum bæri engan váðaligan hlut til á veginum, that nothing dangerous should befall him on the way, Stj. 212; bæri þat þá svá við, at hann ryfi, it then perchance might happen, that …, 102; þat bar við at Högni kom, 169, 172, 82; raun (acc.) berr á, it is proved by the fact, event, Fms. ix. 474, x. 185.

2. temp., e-t berr á, it happens to fall on …; ef þing (acc.) ber á hina helgu viku, if the parliament falls on the holy week (Whitsun), Grág. i. 106; ef Crucis messu (acc.) berr á Drottins dag, Rb. 44; berr hana (viz. Petrs messu, June 29) aldrei svá optarr á öldinni, 78; þat er nú berr oss næst, what has occurred of late, Sturl. iii. 182: b. í móti, to happen exactly at a time; þetta (acc.) bar í móti at þenna sama dag andaðist Brandr biskup, Bs. i. 468; b. saman, id.; bar þat saman, at pá var Gunnarr at segja brennusöguna, just when G. was about telling the story, Nj. 269.

3. metaph. of agreement or separation; en þat (acc.) þykir mjök saman b. ok þessi frásögn, Fms. x. 276: with dat., bar öllum sögum vel saman, all the records agreed well together, Nj. 100, v. l.; berr nú enn í sundr með þeim, Bjarna ok Þorkatli at sinni, B. and Th. missed each other, Vápn. 25.

4. denoting cause; e-t (acc.) berr til …, causes a thing; ætluðu þat þá allir, at þat mundi til bera, that that was the reason, Nj. 75; at þat beri til skilnaðar okkars, that this will make us to part (divorce), 261; konungr spurði, hvat til bæri úgleði hans, what was the cause of his grief? Fms. vi. 355; þat berr til tunglhlaups, Rb. 32.

β. meiri ván at brátt beri þat (acc.) til bóta, at herviliga steypi hans ríki, i. e. there will soon come help (revenge), Fms. x. 264; fjórir eru þeir hlutir er menn (acc.) berr í ætt á landi hér, there are four cases under which people may be adopted, Grág. i. 361.

γ. e-t berr undir e-n, falls to a person’s lot; hon á arf at taka þegar er undir hana berr, in her turn, 179; mikla erfð (acc.) bar undir hana, Mar. (Fr.); berr yfir, of surpassing, Bs. ii. 121, 158; b. frá, id. (fráburðr); herðimikill svá at þat (acc.) bar frá því sem aðrir menn, Eg. 305; er sagt, at þat bæri frá hve vel þeir mæltu, it was extraordinary how well they did speak, Jb. 11; bar þat mest frá hversu illa hann var limaðr, but above all, how…, Ó. H. 74.

5. with adverbial nouns in a dat. form; e-t berr bráðum, happens of a sudden; berr þetta (acc.) nú allbráðum, Fms. xi. 139; cp. vera bráðum borinn, to be taken by surprise (above); berr stórum, stærrum, it matters a great deal; ætla ek stærrum b. hin lagabrotin (acc.), they are much more important, matter more, vii. 305; var þat góðr kostr, svá at stórum bar, xi. 50; hefir oss orðit svá mikil vanhyggja, at stóru berr, an enormous blunder, Gísl. 51; svá langa leið, at stóru bar, Fas. i. 116; þat berr stórum, hversu mér þóknast vel þeirra athæfi, it amounts to a great deal, my liking their service, i. e. I do greatly like, Fms. ii. 37; eigi berr þat allsmám hversu vel mér líkar, in no small degree do I like, x. 296.

β. with dat., it is fitting, becoming; svá mikit sem landeiganda (dat.) berr til at hafa eptir lögum, what he is legally entitled to, Dipl. iii. 10; berr til handa, it falls to one’s lot, v. above, Grág. i. 93.

III. answering to Lat. oportet, absolutely or with an adverb, vel, illa, with infinit.; e-m berr, it beseems, becomes one; berr þat ekki né stendr þvílíkum höfuðfeðr, at falsa, Stj. 132; berr yðr (dat.) vel, herra, at sjá sannindi á þessu máli, Fms. ix. 326; sagði, at þat bar eigi Kristnum mönnum, at særa Guð, x. 22; þá siðu at mér beri vel, Sks. 353 B: used absol., berr vel, illa, it is beseeming, proper, fit, unbeseeming, unfit, improper; athæfi þat er vel beri fyrir konungs augliti, 282; þat þykir ok eigi illa bera, at maðr hafi svart skinn til hosna, i. e. it suits pretty well, 301: in case of a pers. pron. in acc. or dat. being added, the sentence becomes personal in order to avoid doubling the impers. sentence, e. g. e-m berr skylda (not skyldu) til, one is bound by duty; veit ek eigi hver skylda (nom.) yðr (acc.) ber til þess at láta jarl einn ráða, Fms. i. 52: also leaving the dat. out, skylda berr til at vera forsjámaðr með honum, vii. 280; eigi berr hér til úviska mín, it is not that I am not knowing, Nj. 135.

IV. when the reflex. inflexion is added to the verb, the noun loses its impers. character and is turned from acc. into nom., e. g. þar (þat?) mun hugrinn minn mest hafa fyrir borizt, this is what I suspected, fancied, Lv. 34; cp. hugarburðr, fancy, and e-t berr fyrir e-n (above, C. I. 2); hefir þetta (nom.) vel í móti borizt, a happy coincidence, Nj. 104; ef svá harðliga kann til at berask, if the misfortunes do happen, Gþl. 55; barsk sú úhamingja (nom.) til á Íslandi, that mischief happened (no doubt the passage is thus to be emended), Bs. i. 78, but bar þá úhamingju …; þat (nom.) barsk at, happened, Fms. x. 253; fundir várir (nom.) hafa at borizt nokkurum sinnum, vii. 256; þat barsk at á einhverju sumri, Eg. 154; bærist at um síðir at allr þingheimrinn berðist, 765, cp. berast við, berask fyrir above (B. V.): berast, absol., means to be shaken, knocked about; var þess ván, at fylkingar mundu berast í hergöngunni, that they would be brought into some confusion, Fms. v. 74; Hrólfr gékk at ramliga, ok barst Atli (was shaken, gave away) fyrir orku sakir, þar til er hann féll. Fas. iii. 253; barst Jökull allr fyrir orku sakir (of two wrestling), Ísl. ii. 467, Fms. iii. 189: vide B. IV.

D. In mod. usage the strong bera—bar is also used in impersonal phrases, denoting to let a thing be seen, shew, but almost always with a negative preceding, e. g. ekki bar (ber) á því, it could ( can) not be seen; að á engu bæri, láta ekki á bera ( to keep tight), etc. All these phrases are no doubt alterations from the weak verb bera, að, nudare, and never occur in old writers; we have not met with any instance previous to the Reformation; the use is certainly of late date, and affords a rare instance of weak verbs turning into strong; the reverse is more freq. the case.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) spear;

2) the point of an anvil (nefsteði).

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m. [A. S. gâr; Hel. gêr; O. H. G. keir, whence kesja, q. v.; cp. also Lat. gaesum, a Teut.-Lat. word]:—a spear, Edda 41, Fms. i. 177, Hm. 15, 37, Hkv. 1. 15, Hbl. 40; Odin is represented wielding a geir, called Gungnir, as are also the Valkyrjur; marka sik geirs-oddi, to mark oneself in the breast with a spear’s point, so as to make blood flow, was a heathen rite whereby warriors on their death-bed devoted themselves to Odin; it was the common belief that a man who died a natural death was not admitted into Valhalla after death; this rite is only mentioned in mythical Sagas such as Yngl. S. ch. 10; cp. also Gautr. S. ch. 7.—þá stakk Starkaðr sprotanum á konungi ok mælti, nú gef ek þik Óðni: the origin of this rite is in Hm., where Odin himself is represented as hanging on the tree Yggdrasil ‘wounded with a spear and given to Odin, myself to myself;’ some trace it to a Christian origin, which is not very likely. Again, the cruel blóðörn (q. v.) is no doubt connected with this kind of sacrifice to Odin.

II. a pr. name, and also in many compds, Sig-geirr, Þór-geirr, Ás-geirr, Vé-geirr ( the holy spear), and Geir-hildr, Geir-ríðr, Geir-mundr, Geir-laug, Geir-röðr, and many others, vide Landn. Geira, u, f. a pr. name, Landn.

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(indecl. in sing.; pl. herrar), m. master, lord.

(að), v. to confer the title ‘herra’ upon a person.

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m. (herri, a, m., Clem. 36), irreg. and indecl. in sing., pl. reg. herrar, [derived from herr, as dróttinn from drótt, þjóðan from þjóð; Germ. herr; Dan. herre, etc.]:—gener. a lord, master, Fms. i. 218, x. 45, 159, xi. 381; in olden times herra was used in addressing a king or earl, as Fr. sire, Engl. sir, see the Sagas passim:

I. as a title; in A. D. 1277 knights and barons were created in Norway, to whom the title of Herra was given; Herra Rafn, Herra Þorvarðr, Herra Sturla, etc., Árna S., Laur. S., Ann. passim: the bishops and abbots were also so styled, e. g. Herra Arngrímr (an abbot), Bs. ii. After the Reformation, Herra became an integral part of the style of bishops, as Sira of priests, Herra Guðbrandr, Herra Þorlákr, Herra Oddr, etc., and can only be applied to the Christian name; cp. the ditty in which the old woman addresses the bishop bv Sira, and is rebuked for her rudeness, Sælir verið þér, Sira minn, | sagða eg við Biskupinn; | ansaði mér þá aptr hinn, | þú áttir að kall’ ‘ann Herra þinn. In mod. usage Herra is often applied to any person whatever, but only in writing; for in conversation the Icel. has no equivalent to the Engl. Mr. or Germ. Herr, and a person is simply addressed by his name or other title, Sira if a clergyman, and the like. In the N. T. dróttinn, herra, and lávarðr (from Engl.) are used indiscriminately.

II. COMPDS: herradómr, herradæmi, herraliga, herraligr, herramaðr, herramannliga, herramannligr, herranafn, herrasamligr, herrasæti.

n. a family name, i. e. a (Christian) name usual in a family; hví léztu sveininn Magnús heita? ekki er þat várt æ., Ó. H. 123.

and önd-urðr, adj. standing face to face; öndurðr horfir þú við í dag—Öndurðir skulu ernir klóask (a saying), Ó. H. 183 (and the verse of Sighvat).

2. fronting, in front of; í öndurða fylking, the front of the rank, Ó. H. 217; (öndverðr, Fms. v. 13, 79, l. c.); í öndurðri fylkingu, Mork. 208; í öndverðu höfði, Pr. 430; frá öndverðu til ofanverðs, from top to bottom, Hom. 118; ofanvert heldr enn öndvert þat merki, Rb. 102; öndurt fylki, Vellekla; Öndurt nes (mod. Öndurðar-nes), a local name, Landn. 87, 315; hann bjó á Öndurðri-Eyri (also a local name), 92, Eb. 8 new Ed.

II. of time, in the earlier, former part of a period, opp. to ofanverðr; öndurt sumar, Sighvat; óttu alla ok öndurðan dag, Am. 50; öndverðar nætr ok ofanverðar, Bs. i. 431; öndvert ár, the spring-time, Fms. ix. (in a verse); öndverðan vetr, i. 21, Eb. 21 new Ed., Eg. 188; var kyrt öndvert þingit, Ld. 290, Nj. 63; goðar allir skolu koma til þings öndverðs, Grág. i. 100, 130; öndverðrar Kristni, in the early Christian age, Stj.; í öndorðri Kristni, Hom. 137; öndverða öld, öndurða æfi sína, Ver. 25; af öndverðu, from the outset, K. Á. 104: sagði frá öndverðu ok til ofanverðs, from beginning to end, Hom.; fyrir öndverðu, at the outset, Grág. i. 80, 323, 394, Finnb. 342.

1) sacrifice, sacrificial feast or banquet (efna, efla blót);

2) idol worship in general;

3) idol, = blœti( öll blót braut hann niðr);

4) swearing, cursing.

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n. [Ulf. renders λατρεία and σέβασμα by blutinassus, cp. also A. S. compd words such as blôtmônad]:—gener. worship, and worship including sacrifice, spec. a sacrificial feast or banquet, used freq. in pl. when in general sense; the feasts were, esp. the three great annual feasts, when the winter set in (Oct.), at Yule time and mid-winter (Dec. or Jan.), and when the summer began (April), Ó. H. ch. 94–96, Hkr. i. 139 sqq., Hák. S. G. ch. xvi sqq., and the verse of Kormak, Hafit maðr ask né eski, id., Hkr. (Ó. T.) i. 272, Fms. x. (Ó. T.) ch. 50, Fas. (Hervar. S.) i. 531, 512. Hervar. S. the last chapter, Eb. ch. 10, Eg. 257, Fb. i. 22; at Uppsölum vóru blót svá mikil í þann tíma, at hvergi hafa verit meiri á Norðrlöndum, Fas. i. 255; þann vetr fékk Ingólfr at blóti miklu ok leitaði sér heilla um forlög sín, Landn. 33, cp. Hým. 1, Vsp. 62; þar vóru áðr blót ok hörgar, Bs. i. 20 (Kr. S.), Fms. i. 131, Eb. 4; there are mentioned álfa-blót, dísa-blót, etc.

2. blót, or more correctly blœti, n. an idol, amulet, engi maðr skal hafa í húsum sínum, stalla, vit eðr blót (blœti) … nú ef blot (blœti) er funnit í húsi láslausu, mat-blót ( dough idol) eðr leir-blót ( clay idol) gört í mannslíki af leiri eðr deigi, þá …, N. G. L. i. 383, 389; cp. Fs. (Hallfr. S.) 97.

II. metaph. in Christian times the name of the heathen worship became odious, and blót came to mean swearing, cursing, freq. in Sturl. and Bs., and in mod. usage, Sturl. ii. 106, 152, iii. 101, Fs. (Vd.) 36, Gísl. The terms for swearing in the heathen times were ‘troll, gramir,’ etc., q. v.

* * *

(gef; gaf, gáfum; gefinn), v.

1) to give (gefa e-m e-t);

hann gaf þeim góðar gjafar, he gave them good gifts;

gefa e-m ráð, to give one advice;

gefa hljóð, to give a hearing;

gefa e-m sök, e-t at sök, to lay to one’s charge, to bring a charge against one;

gefa slög, to deal blows;

gefa e-m drekka, to give one to drink;

impers., e-m gefr byr (byri), one gets a fair wind (gaf þeim byr ok sigla þeir í haf);

absol., gaf þeim vel, they got a fair wind;

ef fœri gefr á, if you get a chance;

ef yðr (dat.) gefr eigi missýi í þessu máli, if you are not mistaken in this matter;

þat gaf öllum vel skilja, it was clear for all to understand;

2) to give, grant;

gefa heimleyfi, to grant furlough;

gefa e-m grið, to grant quarter or pardon to one;

gefa e-m líf, to grant one his life;

3) to give in matrimony (ek var ung gefin Njáli);

4) to give fodder to cattle, to feed (gefa göltum, nautum, kúm, hestum);

5) gefa staðar, to stop;

lét hann þá staðar gefa róðrinn, he stopped rowing;

6) e-m er e-t svá gefit, or svá gefit um e-t, one is so and so disposed, thinks so and so of a thing (ef þér er þetta svá gefit sem þú segir);

7) with preps.:

gefa sér litit (mikit) af (or at) e-u, to take little (much) notice of;

gefa á e-t, to pour water on;

fig. to press on (gefr Ormr þá á);

gefa e-m til e-s, to give in return for a thing (gefa fé til sátta);

impers., honum hafði vel gefit til (had good luck) um hefndina;

gefa sér mikit (lítit) um e-t, to take great (little) interest in (= gefa sér mikit, lítit, af or at e-u);

gefa sér fátt um e-t, to take coldly, take little notice of;

gefa e-t upp, to give up (gefa upp alla mótstöðu);

gefa sik upp, to surrender;

gefa upp gamalmenni, to give old people up, let them starve;

gefa upp leiguna, to remit the rent;

gefa upp sakir, to remit offences;

upp gefinn, exhausted;

gefa e-t við e-u, to give in payment for;

gefa sik við, to give in (þat er líkara, at ek gefa mik við);

8) refl., gefast.

* * *

pret. gaf, 2nd pers. gaft, mod. gafst, pl. gáfu; pres. gef; pret. subj. gæfi; part. gefinn; with neg. suff. gef-at, gaft-attu, Fm. 7; mid. form gáfumk ( dabat or dabant mihi, nobis), Stor. 23, Bragi, Edda: [Goth. giban = διδόναι; A. S. gifan; Engl. give; Dutch geven; O. H. G. gepan; Germ. geben; Swed. gifva; Dan. give.]

A. To give, with acc. of the thing, dat. of the person; g. gjafar, to give gifts, Fm. 7, Fms. vii. 40, Nj. 29, Hm. 48; mikit eitt skala manni gefa, 51; hann kvaðsk eingin yxn eiga þau áðr at honum þætti honum gefandi (gerundial, worth giving to him), Rd. 256; hann gaf stórgjafir öllu stórmenni, Ld. 114; hann gaf þeim góðar gjafir at skilnaði, Gísl. 9; Rútr gaf henni hundrað álna, Nj. 7; viltú g. mér þá, 73, 75, 281, passim.

II. to give in payment, to pay; gefa vildim vit þér fé til, we will give thee money for it, Nj. 75; yðr væri mikit gefanda (gerundial) til, at þér hefðit ekki íllt átt við Gunnar, you would have given a great deal not to have provoked Gunnar, 98; ek mun g. þér til Guðrúnu dóttur mína ok féit allt, id.: to lay out, hann gaf sumt verðit þegar í hönd, Gísl. 12; gefa e-t við e-u, to pay for a thing; at þér gefit mjök margra Kristinna manna líf við yðvarri þrályndi, that you will cause the loss of many Christian lives with your stubbornness, Fms. iv. 195; þat er líkara at ek gefa mikit við, Nj. 53; gefa sik við e-u, to give oneself to a thing, attend to, be busy about, mod.: gefa í milli, to discount; hygg at hvat þú gefr í milli tveggja systra, Fms. iv. 195 (hence milli-gjöf, discount).

III. in special sense, to give in matrimony; Njáll bað konu til handa Högna ok var hon honum gefin, Nj. 120; Vígdís var meir gefin til fjár en brautargengis, V. had been more wedded to the money than to her advancement, Ld. 26; segir at dóttir þeirra muni eigi betr verða gefin, 114:—gefa saman, to betroth, Fms. x. 381:—in mod. sense to marry, of the clergyman.

2. to give as a dowry, portion; búum þeim er Sveinn hafði gefit til hennar, Fms. x. 310 (hence til-gjöf, dowry); eigi skal ok í klæðum meira heiman gefask með konu en þriðjungr (hence heiman-gjöf, dowry), Gþl. 212:—so also, gefa í erfðir, to give as inheritance, Bs. i. 285:—gefa ölmusu, to give alms, Bs. passim; gefa fátækum, to give to the poor, passim.

IV. to give, grant; hann gaf honum vald yfir öllu landi, Fms. i. 18; gefa heimleyfi, to grant ‘home-leave,’ furlough, ix. 474; gefa orlof, ii. 64; gefa grið, to grant a truce to one, pardon, Nj. 165, Fms. ix. 479; gefa e-m líf, to grant one his life, 470.

V. in various phrases; gefa e-m nafn, to give one a name, Nj. 91, Fms. i. 23, Grág. ii. 146; gefa þakkir, to give thanks, Fms. i. 231; gefa e-m tillæti, to indulge one, Nj. 169; gefa e-m rúm, to give place to one, Fms. ii. 254, vi. 195; gefa ráð, to give counsel, advice, Nj. 75, 78; gefa góð orð, to give good words, answer gently; gefa e-m stór orð, to give one big words, Fms. v. 158; gefa slög, to deal blows, ix. 313; gefa gaum at, to give heed to, Nj. 57, Eg. 551; gefa hljóð, to give a hearing, in public speaking, Nj. 230; gefa tóm, to give time, leisure, 98; gefa ró reiði, to calm one’s wrath, 175:—gefa e-m sök, to bring a charge against, complain of, 82; ok gaf ek þó hjálminum enga sök á því, I did not like the helmet less for that, Ld. 128; at eigi sé mælt, at þú gefir dauðum sök, that thou bringest a charge against a dead man (which was unlawful), Nj. 82; en hvártki okkat gefr þat öðru at sök, neither of us likes the other the less for that, 52; ekki gef ek þér þat at sök þótt þú sér engi bleyðimaðr, 54; engi þorði þó sakir á at gefa, none durst complain, Al. 123; Sigurðr jarl bað konung eigi gefa Þrændum þetta at sök, Fms. i. 57; gefa kæru upp á e-n, to give in a complaint against one, Dipl. ii. 13.

2. gefa sér um …, to give oneself trouble about, take interest in, mostly followed by a noun; gefa sér fátt um e-t, to take coolly; gefa sér mikit um, to take great interest in; Þorfinnr lét gefa honum mat, en gaf sér lítið at honum, but else took little notice of him, Grett. 96; ekki er þess getið, at hann gæfi sér mikit um, that he shewed great interest, Fms. i. 289; mun ek mér ok ekki um þetta gefa, I will let this pass, not take offence at it, Boll. 354; en ef til mín kæmi tveir eða þrír, þá, gaf ek mér ekki um, then I took no notice of it, Fms. ii. 151; konungr gaf sér fátt um þat, Fb. i. 261; hann þóttisk vita hvat keisaranum mislíkaði ok gaf sér þó ekki um at sinni, Fms. vi. 71; ok gáfu sér ekki um viðbúnaðinn, vii. 87; so also, Skúli gaf sér litið at hvat biskup sagði, S. troubled himself little at what the bishop said, Bs. i. 873:—akin is the mod. phrase, eg gef ekki um það, I do not want it; gefðu ekki um það, do not care for it, mind it not; eg gaf ekki um að sjá það, I did not want to see it, etc.

3. gefa staðar, to stop; lét hann þá staðar gefa róðrinn, he stopped rowing, Fms. vi. 384; konungr gaf staðar ok hlýddi til frásagnar þeirra, viii. 400; ok þá er sá íss gaf staðar ok rann eigi, Edda 3; ok þeir gefa eigi stað ferðinni fyrr en þeir kómu norðr, 151 (pref.); svá at staðar gaf (MS. naf) höndin við sporðinn, 40.

VI. to give out, deal out; hón bað gefa sér drekka, bade give him to drink, Eg. 604: to give a dose, gefa e-m eitr, Al. 156:—absol. to give fodder to cattle, gefa göltum, Hkv. 2. 37; gefa nautum, kúm, hestum, Sturl. ii. 42, Gísl. 28:—gefa á, to dash over, of sea-water, cp. ágjöf: to pour water on, var gluggr á ofninum syá at útan mátti á gefa, Eb. 134; síðan lét hann gefa útan á baðit í glugg, 136; gefa á ker, to fill a goblet, Clar.: metaph. to press on, gefr Ormr þá á, Fb. i. 530 (in wrestling).

VII. with prepp., fyrir-gefa, to forgive, freq. in mod. usage, but scarcely found in old writers; so also gefa til, cp. Dan. tilgive, D. N., vide Safn i. 96, (rare and obsolete):—gefa upp, to give up; gefa upp gamalmenni, to give old people up, let them starve, Fms. ii. 225; gefa upp föður eða móður, 227; bændr báðu hann gefa upp eyna, Grett. 145: to remit, en þó vil ek nú upp gefa þér alla leiguna, Nj. 128; gaf honum upp reiði sína, Fms. x. 3, 6; ok gefit oss upp stórsakir, ii. 33; Brján konungr gaf upp þrysvar útlögum sínum inar sömu sakir, Nj. 269: absol., hvárt vilit þér gefa honum upp, pardon him, 205; gefa upp alla mótstöðu, to give up all resistance, Fms. ix. 322; gefa sik upp, to give oneself up, surrender, i. 198; þá gefum vér upp várn stað, 104; gefa upp ríki, konungdóm, to give up the kingdom, abdicate, resign, x. 4, xi. 392: to give up, hand over to one, Magnús konungr gaf honum upp Finnferðina með slíkum skildaga, vii. 135; ek vil gefa ykkr upp búit at Varmalæk, Nj. 25; allir hafa þat skaplyndi at gefa þat fyrst upp er stolit er, 76: to give up, leave off, gefa upp leik, to give up playing, Fas. iii. 530; gefa upp horn, Fms. vi. 241: to exhaust, empty, upp ætlu vér nú gefnar gersimar yðrar, vii. 197.

B. IMPERS., a naut. term; e-m gefr byri, byr (acc. pl. or sing.), one gets a fair wind; gaf þeim byr ok sigla þeir í haf, Nj. 4; gaf þeim vel byri, 138; er þeir vóru búnir ok byr gaf, Eg. 99: so also absol. with or without dat. of the person, gaf kaupmönnum burt af Grænlandi, the sailors got a wind off Greenland, so as to sail from it, Fb. iii. 454; því at eigi gaf suðr lengra, Fms. ii. 185; gaf þeim vel, ix. 268; gaf honum ílla, x. 4; gaf honum eigi austan, Nj. 63: so in the saying, svo gefr hverjum sem hann er góðr.

2. in other phrases, to get a chance; ef færi (acc.) gefr á, if you get a chance, Nj. 266; halda njósnum, nær bezt gæfi færi á honum, to keep a look-out, when there was best chance to get at him, 113; til þess gefr nú vel ok hógliga, ‘tis a fair and easy opportunity for that, Al. 156; mæltu menn at honum hafði vel gefit til ( had good luck) um hefndina, Fms. vii. 230; ef yðr (dat.) gefr eigi missýni í þessu máli, if you are not mistaken in this matter, Fbr. 32; gaf þeim glámsýni (q. v.) er til vóru komnir, Sturl. i. 179, Stj. 401; þá gaf mér sýn, then I beheld (in a vision), Fms. vii. 163; þat gaf öllum vel skilja, it was clear for all to understand, it lay open to all, vi. 70; e-m gefr á að líta, one can see, i. e. it is open and evident.

C. REFLEX., gefask vel (ílla), to shew oneself, prove good ( bad); það sé ván at þú gefisk honum eigi vel, er þú gefsk öllum öðrum mönnum ílla, Nj. 32; eigi deilir litr kosti ef þú gefsk vel, 78; hversu gafsk Björn þér, Kári, 265; opt hafa mér vel gefisk yður ráð, your counsels have often proved good to me, Ld. 252; hefir þeim þat ok aldri vel gefisk ( it has never turned out well) í þessu landi, Fms. vii. 22; ílla gefask ílls ráð, a saying, Nj. 20; hétu allir góðu um at gefask vel (i. e. to fight manfully), Fms. vii. 262:—to happen, turn out, come to pass, sem síðan gafsk, x. 416; svá honum gafsk, so it turned out for him, Sl. 20; ok svá gæfisk, ef eigi hefði Guð þá sína miskun til sent, and so it would have come to pass, unless …, Fms. x. 395:—gefsk mér svá, it seems to me so, methinks it is so, Karl. 290, 308 (vide A. V. 2. above); þat allsheri at undri gefsk, to all people it is a wonder, Ad. 18; e-m er e-t svá gefit, to be so and so disposed, to think so and so of a thing; ef þér er þetta svá gefit sem þú segir, Fms. v. 236; svá er mér gefit, son minn, at ek em þér fegin orðin, Ó. H. 33; sagði hann at svá mundi jarli gefit, Fms. ix. 244; en svá ætla ek flestum lendum mönnum gefit, at eigi munu skiljask frá Skúla jarli, 429, v. l.; þyki mér ok sem svá muni flestum gefit, at fé sé fjörvi firr, Ld. 266; en þat mun þó mestu um stýra hversu Þórdísi er um gefit, 302; síðan talaði konungr þetta mál við systur sína, ok spurði hversu henni væri um þetta gefit, Fms. ii. 221: of the gifts of nature, mikill máttr er gefinn goðum várum, Nj. 132; ok er þat mál manna, at henni hafi allt verit ílla gefit þat er henni var sjálfrátt, i. e. that she was a bad woman in everything of her own making (but well gifted by nature), 268; ok svá er sagt at honum hafi flestir hlutir höfðinglegast gefnir verit, 254.

2. with prepp., gefask upp, to give up, give in, surrender, Nj. 64, 124, Eg. 79: mod. to lose one’s breath: upp gefinn, upset; eigi þykjumk ek upp gefinn þó at ek sjá smávofur, Grett. 112; eigi þyki mér vit upp gefnir, ef vit veitumk at, 131; en þó at þeir feðgar sé ríkir menn, þá eru vér þó ekki upp gefnir fyrir þeim, Fb. ii. 195: in mod. usage, exhausted, having lost one’s breath, eg er uppgefinn; also of a horse, hann gafsk upp, harm er stað-uppgefinn:—e-m gefsk yfir, to do wrong, commit a fault, fail; þat mæla menn at þessi hlutr hafi konunginum yfir gefisk helzt, Fms. xi. 283; ef göfgum mönnum gáfusk stórir hlutir yfir, if the noble gave gross offence, did evil things, Bs. i. 107; engi er svá vitr at eigi gefisk yfir nokkut sinn, Karl. 451:—to give oneself to one, gefask Kristi, N. G. L. i. 339; gefsk þú hánum þá í dag með Guði, Nj. 157; gefask á vald e-s, to give oneself into another’s power, Fms. ix. 479.

II. recipr. to give to one another; gefask gjöfum, Bret. 48; gáfusk þeir gjöfum áðr þeir skildu, Bs. i. 274.

III. part. gefinn, given to a thing, in a spiritual sense, devout; g. fyrir bækr, lestr, smíðar, etc., given to books, reading, workmanship, etc.

a. wroth, angry (gramr e-m).

(-s, -ir), m. king, warrior.

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adj. [mid. H. G. gram; Dan. gram; gramr and grimmr (q. v.) are kindred words from a lost strong verb, grimman, gramm]:—wrath, esp. of the gods, in the heathen oath formula, sé mér goð holl ef ek satt segi, gröm ef ek lýg, whence the Christian, Guð sé mér hollr ef ek satt segi, gramr ef ek lýg, N. G. L. ii. 397, 398, (cp. the Engl. so help me God); goð gramt, Grág. i. 357: esp. in poetry, gramr er yðr Óðinn, Fas. i. 501; mér skyli Freyr gramr, Fs. 95; Dönum vóru goð gröm, Fms. vi. 385.

II. gramir or gröm, n. pl. used as subst., fiends, demons; deili gröm við þik, Hkv. Hund. 1. 40; taki nú allir (allar MS.) gramir við honum! (a curse), Fs. 147; gramir munu taka þik, segir hann, er þú gengr til banans, Mork. 43; farþú nú, þars þik hafi allan gramir, Hbl. (fine); mik taki hár gálgi ok allir gramir ef ek lýg, Fas. i. 214; hence gramendr, f. pl., qs. grama hendr: farið ér í svá gramendr allir! Dropl. 23, (vide tröll, tröllendr); glama með grömum, Hm. 30.

III. in poetry, gramr means a king, warrior, Edda 104, Hkr. i. 25, Lex. Poët.: name of a mythical sword, Edda.

n. a (Christian) name usual in a family.