above

(gen. -s or -jar, pl. -ir), m.

1) the skin (of a quadruped) taken off whole (cf. kálfsbelgr, kattbelgr, hafrbelgr, otrbelgr);

2) skin-bag, skin-case (draga belg á or yfir hofuð e-m);

3) bellows (smiðju-belgr).

* * *

jar, m. pl. ir, [Lat. follis; Ulf. balgs = ασκός; A. S. bälg; Dutch balg; Engl. belly]:—the skin, taken off whole (of a quadruped; hamr is the skin of a bird, hams that of a snake), nauts-belgr, katt-belgr,otrs-belgr, melrakka-belgr, hafr-belgr, Grág. i. 500, 501, Fas. ii. 516 (of a bear), Edda 73 (otter): they were used as bags, in which to carry flour (mjölbelgr), butter (smjörbelgr), liquids (vínbelgr), curds (skyrbelgr), herbs (jafnabelgr), or the like, (bulgos Galli sacculos scorteos appellant, Festus); í laupum eða belgjum, Gþl. 492, cp. Grett. 107, and the funny taunt in Fms. xi. 157—verið get ek hafa nökkura þá er þaðan munu hafa borið raufóttara belginn (i. e. more of scars and wounds) en svá sem þú hefir borit, því at mér þykir sjá bezt til fallinn at geyma í hveitimjöl, the rebuke of a lady to her sweetheart on his having fled out of battle with whole skin fit to keep flour in it, cp. also Nj.141.

2. bellows (smiðju-belgr), Edda 70, Þiðr. 91.

3. the curved part of a letter of the alphabet, Skálda 177.

II. metaph., letibelgr, a lazy fellow, Fél. 12. 53: belgr also denotes a withered, dry old man (with a skin like parchment), with the notion of wisdom, cp. the proverb, opt ór skörpum belg skilin orð koma, and, a little above, opt er gott þat er gamlir kveða, Hm. 135; böl vantú bróðir er þú þann belg leystir, opt ór þeim (þurrum?) belg böll ráð koma, … deep schemes often come out of an old skin, Hðm. 27: the proverb, hafa skal ráð þó ór refsbelg komi, take good advice, even if coming from an old fox-skin! Gullþ. ch. 18. People say in Icel. lesa, tala, læra í belg, to read, talk, learn in a bag, to read or talk on foolishly, or to learn by rote; cp. the tale about the orðabelgr, Ísl. Þjóðs. ii. 479; cp. Asbjörnsen, Norse Tales, New Coll. Chr. 1856.

2. botan. gluma, Hjalt.

(-jar, -jar), f.

1) mortal wound (ben, ef at bana verðr);

2) small bleeding wound; also of the wound produced by letting blood.

n. wound = ben, f.

* * *

jar, f. pl. jar (neut., N. G. L. i. 387; stór ben, acc. pl. n., Gísl. (in a verse), v. bani above.

I. a wound; as a law term, esp. a mortal wound (cp. bani); thus defined, skal ILLEGIBLE lýsa, en ben ef at bana verðr, Grág. ii. 18, 29, 70; benjar á hinum dauða manni, 28; svá skal nefna vátta at sárum sem at benjum, 30; and in the compds, benja-lýsing, f. a sort of coroner’s inquest upon a slain man, Grág. ii. 29; benja-váttr, m. a sort of coroner’s jury, defined in Grág. ii. 28—þeir eigu at bera, hve margar benjar eru, they have to give a verdict how many mortal wounds there are; en búakviðr ( the jury) hverir sannir eru at; benja-vætti, n. the verdict of a benjaváttr, Grág. id.

II. yet commonly ‘ben’ means a small bleeding wound; þeirri blóðgri ben, er Otkell veitti mér áverka, Nj. 87, Sd. 139, Fs. 144, in the last passage, however, of a mortal wound. It is now medic. the wound produced by letting blood. In old poetry it is used in a great many compds.

s, m., pl. ir: [the etymology of this word has been much contested; some—upon the authority of Snorri, hans menn fóru ‘brynjulausir,’ Hkr. i. 11—derive it from ‘berr’ ( bare) and ‘serkr’ [cp. sark, Scot. for shirt]; but this etymology is inadmissible, because ‘serkr’ is a subst. not an adj.: others derive it from ‘berr’ (Germ. bär = ursus), which is greatly to be preferred, for in olden ages athletes and champions used to wear hides of bears, wolves, and reindeer (as skins of lions in the south), hence the names Bjálfi, Bjarnhéðinn, Úlfhéðinn, (héðinn, pellis,)—‘pellibus aut parvis rhenonum tegimentis utuntur,’ Caes. Bell. Gall. vi. 22: even the old poets understood the name so, as may be seen in the poem of Hornklofi (beginning of 10th century), a dialogue between a Valkyrja and a raven, where the Valkyrja says, at berserkja reiðu vil ek þik spyrja, to which the raven replies, Úlfhéðnar heita, they are called Wolfcoats, cp. the Vd. ch. 9; þeir berserkir er Úlfhéðnar vóru kallaðir, þeir höfðu vargstakka ( coats of wild beasts) fyrir brynjur, Fs. 17]:—a ‘bear-sark,’ ‘bear-coat,’ i. e. a wild warrior or champion of the heathen age; twelve berserkers are mentioned as the chief followers of several kings of antiquity, e. g. of the Dan. king Rolf Krake, Edda 82; a Swed. king, Gautr. S. Fas. iii. 36; king Adils, Hrólf. Kr. S. ch. 16 sqq.; Harald Hárfagri, Eg. ch. 9, Grett. ch. 2, Vd. l. c. (Hornklofi, v. above); the twelve sons of Arngrim, Hervar. S. ch. 3–5, Hdl. 22, 23; the two berserkers sent as a present by king Eric at Upsala to earl Hakon of Norway, and by him presented to an Icel. nobleman, Eb. ch. 25. In battle the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy, called berserks-gangr (furor bersercicus, cp. the phrase, ganga berserksgang), when they howled like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth and gnawed the iron rim of their shields; during these fits they were, according to popular belief, proof against steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy; but when the fever abated they were weak and tame. A graphical description of the ‘furor bersercicus’ is found in the Sagas, Yngl. S. ch. 6, Hervar. S. l. c., Eg. ch. 27, 67, Grett. ch. 42, Eb. ch. 25, Nj. ch. 104, Kristni S. ch. 2, 8 (Vd. ch. 46); cp. also a passage in the poem of Hornklofi | grenjuðu berserkir, | guðr var þeim á sinnum, | emjaðu Úlfhéðnar | ok ísarn gniiðu—which lines recall to the mind Roman descriptions of the Cimbric war-cry. In the Icel. Jus Eccles. the berserksgangr, as connected with the heathen age, is liable to the lesser outlawry, K. Þ. K. 78; it is mentioned as a sort of possession in Vd. ch. 37, and as healed by a vow to God. In the Dropl. S. Major (in MS.) it is medically described as a disease (v. the whole extract in the essay ‘De furore Bersercico,’ Kristni S. old Ed. in cake); but this Saga is modern, probably of the first part of the 17th century. The description of these champions has a rather mythical character. A somewhat different sort of berserker is also recorded in Norway as existing in gangs of professional bullies, roaming about from house to house, challenging husbandmen to ‘holmgang’ ( duel), extorting ransom (leysa sik af hólmi), and, in case of victory, carrying off wives, sisters, or daughters; but in most cases the damsel is happily rescued by some travelling Icelander, who fights and kills the berserker. The most curious passages are Glúm, ch. 4, 6, Gísl. ch. 1 (cp. Sir Edm. Head’s and Mr. Dasent’s remarks in the prefaces), Grett. ch. 21, 42, Eg. ch. 67, Flóam. S. ch. 15, 17; according to Grett. ch. 21, these banditti were made outlaws by earl Eric, A. D. 1012. It is worth noticing that no berserker is described as a native of Icel.; the historians are anxious to state that those who appeared in Icel. (Nj., Eb., Kr. S. l. c.) were born Norse (or Swedes), and they were looked upon with fear and execration. That men of the heathen age were taken with fits of the ‘furor athleticus’ is recorded in the case of Thorir in the Vd., the old Kveldulf in Eg., and proved by the fact that the law set a penalty upon it. Berserkr now and then occurs as a nickname, Glúm. 378. The author of the Yngl. S. attributes the berserksgangr to Odin and his followers, but this is a sheer misinterpretation, or perhaps the whole passage is a rude paraphrase of Hm. 149 sqq. In the old Hbl. 37 berserkr and giant are used synonymously. The berserkers are the representatives of mere brute force, and it therefore sounds almost blasphemous, when the Norse Barl. S. speaks of Guðs berserkr (a ‘bear-coat’ or champion of God), (Jesus Kristr gleymdi eigi hólmgöngu sins berserks), 54, 197. With the introduction of Christianity this championship disappeared altogether.

* * *

(-s, -ar), m.

1) bishop;

2) the Jewish high-priest.

* * *

m., in very old MSS. spelt with y and o (byskop), but commonly in the MSS. contracted ‘bp̅,’ so that the spelling is doubtful; but biscop (with i) occurs Bs. i. 356, byscop in the old fragm. i. 391–394; biskup is the common form in the Edd. and at present, vide Bs. i. ii, Sturl. S., Íb. [Gr. επίσκοπος; A. S. biscop; Engl. bishop; Germ. bischof]:—a bishop. Icel. had two sees, one at Skalholt, erected A. D. 1056; the other at Hólar, in the North, erected A. D. 1106. They were united at the end of the last century, and the see removed to Reykjavik. Biographies of ten of the bishops of the 11th to the 14th century are contained in the Bs., published 1858, and of the later bishops in the Biskupa Annálar (from A. D. 1606), published in Safn til Sögu Íslands, vol. i. and Bs. ii, and cp. farther the Biskupaæfi, by the Icel. historian Jón Halldórsson (died A. D. 1736), and the Hist. Eccl. (H. E.). by Finn Jonsson (Finnus Johannæus, son of the above-mentioned Jón Halldórsson). During two hundred years of the commonwealth till the middle of the 13th century, the bishops of Skalholt and Hólar were elected by the people or by the magnates, usually (at least the bishops of Skalholt) in parliament and in the lögrétta (the legislative council), vide the Hungrv. ch. 2 (valinn til b. af allri alþýðu á Íslandi), ch. 5, 7, 13, 16, Sturl. 2, ch. 26, Kristni S. ch. 12, Íb. ch. 10, Þorl. S. ch. 9, Páls. S. ch. 2, Guðm. S. ch. 40, Jóns S. ch. 7 (þá kaus Gizurr biskup Jón prest Ögmundarson með samþykki allra lærðra manna ok úlærðra í Norðlendinga fjórðungi). Magnús Gizurarson (died A. D. 1237) was the last popularly elected bishop of Skalholt; bishop Gudmund (died A. D. 1237) the last of Hólar; after that time bishops were imposed by the king of Norway or the archbishop.

COMPDS: biskupabúningr, biskupafundr, biskupaþáttr, biskupaþing, biskupsbrunnr, biskupsbúr, biskupsdómr, biskupsdóttir, biskupsdæmi, biskupsefni, biskupsfrændi, biskupsgarðr, biskupsgisting, biskupskjör, biskupskosning, biskupslauss, biskupsmaðr, biskupsmark, biskupsmágr, biskupsmessa, biskupsmítr, biskupsnafn, biskupsríki, biskupssekt, biskupsskattr, biskupsskip, biskupsskrúði, biskupssonr, biskupsstafr, biskupsstofa, biskupsstóll, biskupssýsla, biskupstign, biskupstíund, biskupstíundarmál, biskupsvatn, biskupsveldi, biskupsvígsla.

f. serving for food and clothing, Hrafn. 6; cp. bjargræði (above).

* * *

(að and -ta), v.

1) to flutter, wave (of the leaves of a tree);

2) with dat., blaka vængjunum, to flap the wings;

3) with acc., blaka e-n, to give one a slap.

1) veil (cf. silkiblaka);

2) fan.

* * *

að, to slap, Ann. 1394.

2. neut. to wave, flutter, of the wings of birds, b. vaengjum, to flutter with the wings, Stj. 74: of the leaves on a tree moved by a soft breeze, lauf viðarins blakaðu hægliga, Barl. 161; austan blakar laufið á þann linda, Fornkv. 129; blakir mér þari um hnakka, Fms. vi. 376 (in a verse). In mod. usage, blakta, að or t, is freq. used of leaves, of the flaring of a light, ljós blaktir á skari, the flame flutters on the wick; hence metaph., öndin blaktir á skari, Snót 128; blaktir önd á brjósti, 121: the phrase, blaktir ekki hár á höfði, not a hair moves on one’s head.

u, f. a veil of silk, Fas. iii. 337; a pan, Mar. 153: now also = blaðka, v. above s. v. blað.

1) soft (blautr sem silkiræma); blautr fiskr, fresh fish, opp. to ‘harðr fiskr’; frá blautu barns beini, from very babyhood;

2) effeminate, timorous, weak (fár er gamall harðr, ef hann er í bernsku blautr);

3) wet, soaked (þar vóru vellir blautir, því at regn höfðu verit).

* * *

adj. [A. S. bleât = miser; Germ. blozs = nudus; Scot. blait = nudus (Jamieson); Dan. blöd; Swed. blödig = soft; the Dan. and Swed. blott, blotted, = stripped, are borrowed from Germ.; Ivar Aasen distinguishes between blaú = shy, and blaut = wet, damp; blauðr and blautr are no doubt only variations of the same word].

I. soft, Lat. mollis, in a good sense; this sense of the word remains only in a few compds, v. above, and in a few phrases, e. g. frá blautu barns beini, from babyhood, Fms. iii. 155, Magn. 522, Al. 71; b. fiskr, fresh ( soft) fish, Bs. i. 853, opp. to harðr ( dried) fiskr; in Swed., however, it means soaked fish: in poetry, b. sæing, a soft bed, Gísl. (in a verse): of stuffs, but only in less classical writers or translated romances; b. purpuri, Bret. 32; lerépt, Sks. 400 A; dúnn, Mart. 126; blautir vindar, soft breezes, Sks. 214 B: a single exception is, Edda 19, fjöturinn var sléttr ok b. sem silkiræma, soft and smooth as silk lace.

2. = blauðr, faint, imbecile; blautir menn, Al. 34, Fas. i. 161: a paraphrasis of blauðr in Fm. 6.

II. but commonly metaph. = soaked, wet, miry, [cp. Swed. blöt, and the phrase, lägga sit hufuud í blöt, to beat one’s brains: cp. also bleyta, mud; bloti, thaw; blotna, to melt]; þar vóru vellir blautir, því at regn höfðu verit, Eg. 528; keldur blautar, 266; þeir fengu ekki blautt um Valbjarnar-völlu, Bs. i. 509, etc.; cp. Scot. and North. E. soft road, soft weather, = wet, Scott’s Black Dwarf, ch. 3 note.

n., in the phrase, taka sér borðfæri, = ganga til borðs, vide above, Grág. ii. 119.

(-ar, -ir), f.

1) a small dome-shaped hill;

2) stronghold, fortification, castle;

3) fortified town, city.

* * *

ar, f., pl. ir, [Ulf. baurgs = πόλις, and once Nehem. vii.

2. = arx, castellum; A. S. burg, burh, byrig, = urbs and arx; Engl. borough and burgh; O. H. G. puruc, purc; late Lat. burgus; Ital. borgo; Fr. bourg; cp. Gr. πύργος; the radical sense appears in byrgja, to enclose; cp. also berg, a hill, and bjarga, to save, defend. Borg thus partly answers to town (properly an enclosure); and also includes the notion of Lat. arx, Gr. ακρόπολις, a castle. Old towns were usually built around a hill, which was specially a burg; the name is very freq. in old Teut. names of towns.]

I. a small dome-shaped hill, hence the Icel. names of farms built near to such hills, v. Landn. (Gl.) Hel. once uses the word in this sense, 81; v. the Glossary of Schmeller; brann þá Borgarhraun, þar var bærinn sem nú er borgin (viz. the volcanic hill Eld-borg), Landn. 78; göngum upp á borgina ( the hill) ok tölum þar, Ísl. ii. 216; er borgin er við kend, Landn. 127; Borgar-holt, -hraun, -dalr, -höfn, -fjörðr, -lækr, -sandr; Arnarbælis-borg, Eld-borg (above) in the west of Icel. It may be questioned, whether those names are derived simply from the hill on which they stand (berg, bjarg), or whether such hills took their name from old fortifications built upon them: the latter is more likely, but no information is on record, and at present ‘borg’ only conveys the notion of a ‘hill;’ cp. hólar, borgir og hæðir, all synonymous, Núm. 2. 99.

II. a wall, fortification, castle; en fyrir innan á jörðunni görðu þeir borg ( wall) umhverfis fyrir ófriði jötna … ok kölluðu þá borg Miðgarð, Edda 6; cp. also the tale of the giant, 25, 26; borg Ása, Vsp. 28; þeir höfðu gört steinvegg fyrir framan hellismunnann, ok höfðu sér þat allt fyrir borg (shelter, fortification), Fms. vii. 81; hann let göra b. á sunnanverðu Morhæfi ( Murrey), Orkn. 10, 310, 312, 396, Fms. i. 124, xi. 393, Eg. 160; the famous Moussaburg in Shetland, cp. Orkn. 398.

III. a city, esp. a great one, as London, Hkr. ii. 10; Lisbon, iii. 234; York, 156; Dublin, Nj. 274; Constantinople, Fms. vii. 94; Nineveh, Sks. 592; Zion, Hom. 107, etc. This sense of the word, however, is borrowed from the South-Teut. or Engl. In Scandin. unfortified towns have -bæ or -by as a suffix; and the termin. -by marks towns founded by the Danes in North. E.

COMPDS: borgararmr, borgargreifi, borgargörð, borgarhlið, borgarhreysi, borgarklettr, borgarkona, borgarlið, borgarlím, borgarlýðr, borgarmaðr, borgarmúgr, borgarmúrr, borgarsiðr, borgarsmíð, borgarstaðr, borgarveggr, Borgarþing, borgaskipan.

(gen. bógar, dat. bœgi; pl. bœgir, acc. bógu), m. shoulder (of an animal).

* * *

m., old acc. pl. bógu, Nj. 95, Fms. v. 163, etc.: mod. bóga; old dat. bægi, Hlt., Vkv. 31, Stj. 249, [A. S. bôg; Dan. boug; Engl. bow of a ship; and in Old Engl. bowres are the muscles of the shoulder]:— the shoulder of an animal, (armr of a man); á hinum hægra bæginum, Stj. 249; ek hjó varginn í sundr fyrir aptan bóguna, Nj. l. c., Fms. l. c.; lær uxans tvau ok báða bógana, the shoulder-piece of the ox (the Ob. bóguna), Edda 45; cp. bœgsli or bæxli, the shoulder of a whale or dragon, v. Lex. Poët.:— the bow of a ship, v. bóglína above.

2. mod. metaph. of the side of a person or thing; á hinn, þann bóginn, on this, on that side; á báða bóga, on both sides, etc.

n. the business of wooing, Ld. 92. As to wooing and courtship in old times, cp. Ld. ch. 7, 23, 68, Nj. ch. 2, 9, 13, 27, 33, 98, Gunnl. S. ch. 5, 9, Hænsa Þ. S. ch. 10, Glúm. ch. 11, Lv. ch. 5, Harð. S. ch. 3, Eb. ch. 28, 41, Vd. ch. 3, 12, Korm S. ch. 7, Gísl. 9, Hallfr. S. ch. 4, Bs. i. 53–56 (the story of bishop Ísleif), Þorl. S. ch. 5, Sturl. i. 197, 198, 200, 206–208 (the two sisters there), etc. The meeting of the parliament, where people from all parts of the island were gathered together, was a golden opportunity for ‘bónorð’ (v. the passages above).

n.; lemja e-n til b. = til óbóta above, Grett. 154.

(bregð; brá, brugðum; brugðinn), v. with dat.

1) to cause to move (quickly);

bregða sverði, knífi, to draw a sword, knife;

bregða fingri, hendi í e-t, to put (thrust) the finger, hand, into;

hón brá hárinu undir belti sér, she put (fastened) her hair under her belt;

bregða kaðli um e-t, to pass a rope round a thing;

bregða augum sundr, to open the eyes;

bregða e-m á eintal, to take one apart;

bregða sér sjúkum, to feign illness;

2) to deviate from, disregard (vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum);

3) to alter, change;

bregða lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale;

bregða e-m í e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape (þú brátt þér í merar líki);

4) to break up, leave off, give up;

bregða tjöldum, to strike the tents;

bregða samvist, to leave off living together;

bregða ráðahag, to break off an engagement (wedding);

bregða boði, to countermand a feast;

bregða sýslu, to leave off working;

bregða svefni, blundi, to awake;

bregða tali, to break off talking;

bregða orrustu, kaupi, to break off a battle, bargain;

5) to break (bregða trúnaði, heiti, sáttmáli);

6) bregða e-m e-u, to upbraid, reproach one with a thing (Kálfr brá mér því í dag);

7) with prepp.,

bregða e-m á loft, to lift one aloft;

bregða e-u á, to give out, pretend (hann brá á því, at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar);

absol., bregða á e-t, to begin (suddenly) doing a thing;

bregða á leik, to begin playing or sporting;

Kimbi brá á gaman, took it playfully, laughed at it;

þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing;

hestrinn brá á leik, broke into play, ran away;

hönd bregðr á venju, is ready for its old work;

þá brá Ingimundr til útanferðar, I. started to go abroad;

bregða e-u undan, to put it out of the way, to hide it;

bregða upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand;

bregða e-u við, to ward off with (bregða við skildi); fig. to put forth as an example, to praise, wonder at (þínum drengskap skal ek við bregða);

absol., bregða við, to start off, set about a thing without delay;

brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went;

8) refl., bregðast;

9) impers., e-u bregðr, it ceases, fails;

svá hart, at nyt bregði (to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail to give milk;

veðráttu brá eigi, there was no change in the weather;

of a sudden appearance, kláða brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids began to itch;

þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, then from L. there burst flashes of light;

ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye;

with preps., bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of other seals;

e-m bregðr í brún, one is amazed, startled (nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök);

e-m bregðr til e-s, one person takes after, resembles another;

en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father;

þat er mælt, at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of a man;

e-m bregðr við e-t = e-m bregðr í brún;

brá þeim mjök við, er þeir sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much when they saw him come in;

en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, this news most affected M.’s nurse.

* * *

pret. sing. brá, 2nd pers. brátt, later brást; pl. brugðu, sup. brugðit; pres. bregð; pret. subj. brygði: reflex, (sk, z, st), pret. brásk, bráz, or brást, pl. brugðusk, etc.: poët. with the neg. suff. brá-at, brásk-at, Orkn. 78, Fms. vi. 51.

A. ACT. WITH DAT.

I. [A. S. bregdan, brædan; Old Engl. and Scot. to brade or braid; cp. bragð throughout]:—to move swiftly:

1. of a weapon, to draw, brandish; b. sverði, to draw the sword, Gísl. 55, Nj. 28, Ld. 222, Korm. 82 sqq., Fms. i. 44, ii. 306, vi. 313, Eg. 306, 505; sverð brugðit, a drawn sword, 746; cp. the alliterative phrase in Old Engl. Ballads, ‘the bright browne (= brugðinn) sword:’ absol., bregð (imperat.), Korm. l. c.: b. knífi, to slash with a knife, Am. 59; b. flötu sverði, to turn it round in the band, Fms. vii. 157; saxi, Bs. i. 629: even of a thrust, b. spjóti, Glúm. 344.

2. of the limbs or parts of the body, to move quickly; b. hendi, fingri, K. Þ. K. 10, Fms. vi. 122; b. augum sundr, to open the eyes, iii. 57, cp. ‘he bradde open his eyen two,’ Engl. Ballads; b. fótum, Nj. 253; b. fæti, in wrestling; b. grönum, to draw up the lips, 199, Fms. v. 220.

3. of other objects; b. skipi, to turn the ship (rare), Fms. viii. 145, Eb. 324; b. e-m á eintal, einmæli, to take one apart, Fms. vi. 11, Ölk. 35; b. sér sjúkum, to feign sickness, Fagrsk. ch. 51; bregða sér in mod. usage means to make a short visit, go or come for a moment; eg brá mér snöggvast til …, etc.

4. adding prepp.; b. upp; b. upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand, Fms. i. 167; b. upp glófa, 206, Eb. 326: b. e-m á lopt, to lift aloft, Eg. 122, Nj. 108; b. e-u undan, to put a thing out of the way, to hide it, Fas. i. 6; undir, Sturl. ii. 221, Ld. 222, Eb. 230: b. e-u við (b. við skildi), to ward off with …, Vápn. 5; but chiefly metaph. to put forth as an example, to laud, wonder at, etc.; þínum drengskap skal ek við b., Nj. 18; þessum mun ek við b. Áslaugar órunum, Fas. i. 257; nú mun ek því við b. ( I will speak loud), at ek hefi eigi fyr náð við þik at tala, Lv. 53: b. e-u á, to give out, pretend; hann brá á því at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar, Sturl. iii. 197, Fms. viii. 59, x. 322. β. to deviate from, disregard; vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum, Fær. 50, Nj. 13, 109, Ísl. ii. 198, Grág. i. 359; b. af marki, to alter the mark, 397.

5. to turn, alter, change; b. lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale, etc., Fms. ii. 7, Vígl. 24; b. sér við e-t, to alter one’s mien, shew signs of pain, emotion, or the like, Nj. 116; b. e-m í (or b. á sik) e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape, Bret. 13; at þú brátt þér í merar líki, Ölk. 37; hann brá á sik ýmissa dýra líki, Edda (pref.) 149.

II. to break up or off, leave off, give up; b. búi, to give up one’s household, Grág. i. 153, Eg. 116, 704; b. tjöldum, to break up, strike the tents, Fms. iv. 302; b. samvist, to part, leave off living together, ii. 295; b. ráðahag, to break off an engagement, esp. wedding, 11; b. boði, to countermand a feast, 194; b. kaupi, to break off a bargain, Nj. 51, Rd. 251; b. sýslu, to leave off working, Fms. vi. 349; b. svefni, blundi, to awake, Sdm. 2; smátt bregðr slíkt svefni mínum, Lv. 53; b. tali, to break off talking, Vápn. 22; b. orustu, to break off the battle, Bret.: esp. freq. in poetry, b. hungri, föstu, sulti, to break or quell the hunger (of the wolf); b. gleði; b. lífi, fjörvi, to put to death, etc., Lex. Poët.

2. to break faith, promise, or the like; b. máli, Grág. i. 148; trúnaði, Nj. 141; brugðið var öllu sáttmáli, Hkr. ii. 121; b. heiti, Alvm. 3: absol., ef bóandi bregðr við griðmann ( breaks a bargain), Grág. i. 153.

3. reflex., bregðask e-m (or absol.), to deceive, fail, in faith or friendship; Gunnarr kvaðsk aldri skyldu b. Njáli né sonum hans, Nj. 57; bregðsk þú oss nú eigi, do not deceive us, Fms. vi. 17; vant er þó at vita hverir mér eru trúir ef feðrnir b., ii. 11; en þeim brásk framhlaupit, i. e. they failed in the onslaught, vii. 298; þat mun eigi bregðask, that cannot fail, Fas. ii. 526, Rb. 50; fáir munu þeir, at einörð sinni haldi, er slíkir brugðusk við oss, Fms. v. 36, Grett. 26 new Ed.

III. [A. S. brædan, to braid, braider], to ‘braid,’ knot, bind, the band, string being in dat.; hann bregðr í fiskinn öðrum enda, he braided the one end in the fish, Finnb. 220; hón brá hárinu undir belli sér, she braided her hair under her belt; (hann) brá ( untied) brókabelti sínu, Fas. i. 47; er þeir höfðu brugðið kaðli um, wound a cable round it, Fms. x. 53; hefir strengrinn brugðizk líttat af fótum honum, the rope had loosened off his feet, xi. 152: but also simply and with acc., b. bragð, to braid a braid, knit a knot, Eg. (in a verse); b. ráð, to weave a plot, (cp. Gr. ράπτειν, Lat. suere), Edda (in a verse); in the proper sense flétta and ríða, q. v., are more usual.

2. in wrestling; b. e-m, the antagonist in dat., the trick in acc., b. e-m bragð (hæl-krók, sveiflu, etc.)

3. recipr., of mutual strife; bregðask brögðum, to play one another tricks; b. brigzlum, to scold one another, Grág. ii. 146; b. frumhlaupum, of mutual aggression, 13, 48; bregðask um e-t, to contest a thing, 66, cp. i. 34.

4. part., brugðinn við e-t, acquainted with a thing; munuð þit brátt brugðnir við meira, i. e. you will soon have greater matters to deal with, Fs. 84; hann er við hvárttveggja b., he is well versed in both, Gísl. 51.

IV. metaph. to upbraid, blame, with dat. of the person and thing; fár bregðr hinu betra, ef hann veit hit verra (a proverb), Nj. 227; Þórðr blígr brá honum því ( Thord threw it in his face), á Þórsnesþingi, at …, Landn. 101; Kálfr brá mér því í dag, Fms. vi. 105; b. e-m brizglum, Nj. 227.

B. NEUT. OR ABSOL. without a case, of swift, sudden motion.

I. b. á e-t, as, b. á leik, gaman, etc., to start or begin sporting, playing; Kimbi brá á gaman, K. took it playfully, i. e. laughed at it, Landn. 101; b. á gamanmál, Fms. xi. 151; þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing, Ld. 220; bregðr hann (viz. the horse) á leik, the horse broke into play, ran away, Fms. xi. 280; Glúmr svaraði vel en brá þó á sitt ráð, Glum gave a gentle answer, but went on in his own way, Nj. 26, Fas. i. 250: the phrase, hönd bregðr á venju, the hand is ready for its old work, Edda (Ht.) verse 26, cp. Nj. ch. 78 (in a verse).

2. b. við, to start off, set about a thing without delay, at a moment’s notice, may in Engl. often be rendered by at once or the like; brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went, Fms. i. 158; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok varð þeim mjök við felmt, i. e. they took to their heels in a great fright, Nj. 105; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok fara þaðan, 107; bregðr hon við ok hleypr, Grett. 25 new Ed., Bjarn. 60; hrossit bregðr nú við hart, id.; en er Ólafr spurði, at Þorsteinn hafði skjótt við brugðit, ok hafði mikit fjölmenni, Ld. 228.

β. b. til e-s, þá brá Ingimundr til utanferðar, Ingimund started to go abroad, Sturl. i. 117; b. til Grænlands ferðar, Fb. i. 430.

II. reflex, to make a sudden motion with the body; Rútr brásk skjótt við undan högginu, Nj. 28, 129; b. við fast, to turn sharply, 58, 97; bregðsk (= bregðr) jarl nú við skjótt ok ferr, the earl started at once, Fms. xi. 11; hann brásk aldregi við ( he remained motionless) er þeir píndu hann, heldr en þeir lysti á stokk eðr stein, vii. 227.

2. metaph. and of a circumlocutory character; eigi þætti mér ráðið, hvárt ek munda svá skjótt á boð brugðisk hafa, ef …, I am not sure whether I should have been so hasty in bidding you, if …, Ísl. ii. 156; bregðask á beina við e-n, to shew hospitality towards, Fms. viii. 59, cp. bregða sér above.

β. b. yfir, to exceed; heyra þeir svá mikinn gný at yfir brásk, they heard an awful crash, Mag. 6; þá brásk þat þó yfir jafnan ( it surpassed) er konungr talaði, Fms. x. 322, yet these last two instances may be better read ‘barst,’ vide bera C. IV; bregðask úkunnr, reiðr … við e-t, to be startled at the novelty of a thing, v. 258; b. reiðr við, to get excited, angry at a thing, etc.

C. IMPERS.

I. the phrase, e-m bregðr við e-t, of strong emotions, fear, anger, or the like; brá þeim mjök við, er þau sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much, when they saw him come in, Nj. 68; Flosa brá svá við, at hann var í andliti stundum sem blóð, 177; en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, i. e. this news most affected Melkorka’s nurse, Ld. 82; aldri hefi ek mannsblóð séð, ok veit ek eigi hve mér bregðr við, I wot not how it will touch me, Nj. 59; brá honum svá við, at hann gerði fölvan í andliti … ok þann veg brá honum opt síðan ( he was oft since then taken in such fits), þá er vígahugr var á honum, Glúm. 342; en við höggit brá Glæsi svá at …, Eb. 324; Þorkell spurði ef honum hefði brugðit nokkut við þessa sýslu.—Ekki sjám vér þér brugðit hafa við þetta, en þó sýndist mér þér áðr brugðit, Fms. xi. 148.

β. bregða í brún, to be amazed, shocked, Fms. i. 214; þá brá Guðrúnu mjök í brún um atburð þenna allan saman, Ld. 326, Nj. 14; þat hlægir mik at þeim mun í brún b., 239; nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök ( people were very much startled), því at margir höfðu áðr enga frétt af haft, Band. 7.

II. with prepp. við, til, í, af; of appearances, kynligu, undarliga bregðr við, it has a weird look, looks uncanny, of visions, dreams, or the like; en þó bregðr nú kynligu við, undan þykir mér nú gaflaðit hvárt-tveggja undan húsinu, Ísl. ii. 352, Nj. 62, 197, Gísl. 83; nú bregðr undrum við, id., Fms. i. 292.

III. e-m bregðr til e-s, one person turns out like another, cp. the Danish ‘at slægte en paa;’ þat er mælt at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of the man, Nj. 64; en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father, Hkr. iii. 223; er þat líkast, at þér bregði meir í þræla ættina en Þveræinga, it is too likely, that thou wilt show thyself rather to be kith and kin to the thrall’s house than to that of Thweræingar, Fb. i. 434; b. til bernsku, to be childish, Al. 3.

β. bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of any other seals, Sks. 41 new Ed. (afbrigði).

IV. to cease; e-u bregðr, it ceases; svá hart … at nyt (dat.) bregði, ( to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail ( to give milk), Grág. ii. 231; þessu tali bregðr aldri (= þetta tal bregzk aldri), this calculation can never fail, Rb. 536; veðráttu (dat.) brá eigi, there was no change in the weather, Grett. 91; skini sólar brá, the sun grew dim, Geisü 19; fjörvi feigra brá, the life of the ‘feys’ came to an end (poët.), Fms. vi. 316 (in a verse); brá föstu, hungri, úlfs, ara, the hunger of wolf and eagle was abated, is a freq. phrase with the poets.

V. of a sudden appearance; kláða (dat.) brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids itched, Fms. v. 96: of light passing swiftly by, þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, Hkv. 1. 15; ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye; mey brá mér fyrir hvarma steina, a maid passed before my eyes, Snót 117; þar við ugg (dat.) at þrjótum brá, i. e. the rogues were taken by fear, 170.

v. above.

v. above.

(gen., dat., and acc. bróður, pl. brœðr), m.

1) brother;

2) friar.

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gen. dat. acc. bróður; pl. nom. acc. bræðr, gen. bræðra, dat. bræðrum: in mod. common usage irregular forms occur, as gen. sing. bróðurs; nom. sing., and gen. dat. acc. are also sometimes confounded, esp. in keeping the nom. form bróðir through all cases, or even the reverse (but rarely) in taking bróður as a nom.; another irregularity is acc. pl. with the article, bræður-nar instead of bræður-na, which latter form only survives in writing, the former in speaking. There is besides an obsolete poetical monosyllabic form brœðr, in nom. dat. acc. sing. and nom. acc. pl.; gen. sing. bræðrs; cp. such rhymes as brœðr—œðri, in a verse of Einar Skúlason (died about 1170); bræðr (dat.) Sinfjötla, Hkv. 2. 8, as nom. sing., Fagrsk. 54, v. l. (in a verse), etc., cp. Lex. Poët. This form is very rare in prose, vide however Nj., Lat. Vers. Johnsonius, 204, 333, v. 1., and a few times in Stj., e. g. síns bræðr, sinn bræðr, 160; it seems to be a Norse form, but occurs now and then in Icel. poetry even of the 15th century, e. g. bræðr nom. sing. rhymes with ræðr, Skáld H. 3. 11, G. H. M. ii. 482, but is quite strange to the spoken language: [Gr. φράτηρ; Lat. frāter; Goth. brôþar; A. S. brôðar; Engl. brother; Germ. bruder; Swed.-Dan. broder, pl. brödre]:—a brother: proverbs referring to this word—saman er bræðra eign bezt at sjá, Gísl. 17; einginn or annars bróðir í leik; móður-bræðrum verða menn líkastir, Bs. i. 134: a distinction is made between b. samfeðri or sammæðri, a brother having the same father or mother, Grág. i. 170 sqq.: in mod. usage more usual al-bróðir, brother on both sides; hálf-bróðir, a half-brother; b. skilgetinn, frater germanus móður-bróðir, a mother’s brother; föður-bróðir, a father’s brother, uncle; afa-bróðir, a grand-uncle on the father’s side; ömmu bróðir, a grand-uncle on the mother’s side; tengda-bróðir, a brother-in-law: in familiar talk an uncle is called ‘brother,’ and an aunt ‘sister.’ The ties of brotherhood were most sacred with the old Scandinavians; a brotherless man was a sort of orphan, cp. the proverb, berr er hverr á baki nema sér bróður eigi; to revenge a brother’s slaughter was a sacred duty; nú tóku þeir þetta fastmælum, at hvárr þeirra skal hefna annars eðr eptir mæla, svá sem þeir sé sambornir bræðr, Bjarn. 58: the word bróðurbani signifies a deadly foe, with whom there can be no truce, Hm. 88, Sdm. 35, Skm. 16, Hdl. 28; instances from the Sagas, Dropl. S. (in fine), Heiðarv. S. ch. 22 sqq., Grett. S. ch. 50. 92 sqq., E ch. 23, Ld. ch. 53 sqq., etc. The same feeling extended to foster-brotherhood, after the rite of blending blood has been performed; see the graphical descriptions in Fbr. S. (the latter part of the Saga), Gísl. ch. 14 sqq., etc. The universal peace of Fróði in the mythical age is thus described, that ‘no one will draw the sword even if he finds his brother’s slayer bound,’ Gs. verse 6; of the slaughter preceding and foreboding the Ragnarök ( the end of the world) it is said, that brothers will fight and put one another to death, Vsp. 46.

II. metaph.:

1. in a heathen sense; fóst-bróðir, foster-brother, q. v.; eið-bróðir, svara-bróðir, ‘oath-brother;’ leik-bróðir, play-brother, play-fellow: concerning foster-brothership, v. esp. Gísl. ii, Fbr., Fas. iii. 375 sqq., Hervar. S., Nj. 39, Ls. 9, the phrase, blanda blóði saman.

2. in a Christian sense, brother, brethren, N. T., H. E., Bs.

β. a brother, friar; Svörtu-bræðr, Blackfriars; Berfættu-bræðr, q. v.; Kórs-bræðr, Fratres Canonici, Bs., etc.

COMPDS:

I. sing., bróður-arfr, m. a brother’s inheritance, Orkn. 96, Fms. ix. 444. bróður-bani, a, m. a brother’s bane, fratricide, Ld. 236, Fms. iii. 21, vide above. bróðiir-baugr, m. weregild due to the brother, N. G. L. i. 74. bróður-blóð, n. a brother’s blood, Stj. 42. Gen. iv. 10. bróður-bætr, f. pl. weregild for a brother, Lv. 89. bróður-dauði, a, m. a brother’s death, Gísl. 24. bróður-deild, f. = bróðurhluti, Fr. bróður-dóttir, f. a brother’s daughter, niece, Grág. i. 170, Nj. 177; bróðurdóttur son, a brother’s son, N. G. L. i. 76. bróður-dráp, n. the slaying of a brother, Stj. 43, Fms. v. 290. bróður-gildr, adj. equal in right (inheritance) to a brother, Fr. bróður-gjöld, n. pl. = bróður-bætr, Eg. 312. bróður-hefnd, f. revenge for the slaying of a brother, Sturl. ii. 68. bróður-hluti, a, m. the share (as to weregild or inheritance) of a brother, Grág. ii. 175. bróður-kona, u, f. a brother’s wife, K. Á. 142. bróöur-kván, f. id., N. G. L. i. 170. bróður-lóð, n. a brother’s share of inheritance. bróður-son, m. a brother’s son, nephew, Nj. 122, Grág. i. 171, Gþl. 239, 240; bróðursona-baugr, Grág. ii. 179.

II. pl., bræðra-bani, v. bróðurbani, Fbr. 165. bræðra-búr, n. a friar’s bower in a monastery, Dipl. v. 18. bræðra-börn, n. pl. cousins (agnate), Gþl. 245. bræðra-dætr, f. pl. nieces(of brothers), Gþl. 246. bræðra-eign, f. property of brothers, Gísl. 17. bræðra-garðr, m. a ‘brothers-yard,’ monastery, D. N. bræðra-lag, n. fellowship of brethren, in heathen sense = fóstbræðralag, Hkr. iii. 300; of friars, H. E., D. I.; brotherhood, Pass. 9. 6. bræðra-mark, n. astron., the Gemini, Pr. 477. bræðra-skáli, a, m. an apartment for friars, Vm. 109. bræðra-skipti, n. division of inheritance among brothers, Hkr. iii. 52, Fas. i. 512. bræðra-synir, m. pl. cousins (of brothers), Gþl. 53.

f. the Burning-age, i. e. the heathen time when the dead were burnt, preceding the Hauga-öld ( Cairn-age) according to Snorri, Hkr. pref.; at vér munim hafna átrúnaði várum þeim er feðr várir hafa haft fyrir oss, ok allt foreldri, fyrst um Bruna-öld, ok síðan um Hauga-öld, i. 141: the ‘Burning-age’ is in Scandin. pre-historical; relics are only found in the mythological time (v. above s. v. bál) and in law phrases and old sayings, such as branderfð, q. v., til brands ok báls, v. brandr: ‘brendr’ is synonymous to ‘dead’ in the old Hm.; at kveldi skal dag leyfa, konu er brend er, praise no wife till she is ‘burnt’ (i. e. buried), 70; and blindr er betri en brendr sé, nýtr mangi nás, better to be blind than burnt, i. e. better blind than dead and buried, 80; but it does not follow that burning was used at the time when the poem was composed; the saving had become proverbial.

(pl. brýnn), f.

1) brow, the projecting edge of a cliff or hill (cf. fjalls, heiðar, isbrún);

2) eyebrow; láta síga brýnn á nef fyrir brár, ofan fyrir augum, setja síða brún hleypa brúnum, to kni tthe brows lypta brúnum, hefja upp brún, to lift the eyebrows, become cheerful, brighten up; also impers., hefr em upp brún, one brightens up; lypti þá mjök brúnum manna, therfaces brightened up; em bregðr í brún, one is amazed.

(pl. brúnir), f. a kind of stuff.

* * *

f., old pl. brýnn, mod. brýr; the old form remains in the phrase, bera e-m e-t á brýn (qs. Brýnn):— eye-brow (brá = eye-lid), Fms. xi. 274; kom ( the blow) á brúnina, ok hljóp hón ofan fyrir augat…. bindr upp brúnina, Þorst. St. 49; ór brúnunum ofan nefið, Ísl. ii. 368; skegg ok brýnn, Stj. 318; brá eðr brúna. Edda 109.

β. in reference to frames of mind; to lift the eye-brows denoting a pleasurable state; to drop them, a moody frame; in phrases, bregða í brún ; (brýnn?), to be amazed, v. bregða; lypta brúnum, to lift the eye-brows, to be glad, cheerful, Fs. 18: hóf þá upp brún (impers.), their faces cleared, Bs. i. 637, Eg. 55; síga lætr þú brýnn fyrir brár, cp. the Engl. to knit the brows, Hkv. Hjörv. 19; er hann sá at Þórr lét siga brýnnar ofan fyrir augun, Edda 28; hleypa brúnum. id., Eg. 305, hence létt-brýnn. glad; þung-brynn, moody; brún-ölvi, id.; hafa brögð undir brúnum, to look uncanny, Band.; vera (so and so) undir brún at líta, to look so and so, esp. in an uncanny sense, Nj. 55, Orkn. 284; bera e-m e-t á brýnn (vide bera B. 1. β), Greg. 51, Rd. 241.

II. metaph. the brow of a fell, moor, etc. (fjalls-brún, heiðar-brún, veggjar-brún); is-brún, the edge of ice; á framanverðri brúninni, efstu brúninni, on the mountain edge, Sturl. i. 84: the first beam of day in the sky (dags-brún), litil brún af degi; lands-brún, the ‘lands-brow,’ i. e. the first sight of a mountain above the water.

COMPDS: brúnabein, brúnamikill, brúnasíðr, brúnaskurðr.

f. a kind of stuff or tapestry (for. word), Vm. 24, 31, 146, 177, Pm. 25, Bs. i. 762.

m. a cottager, answering to ‘husmand’ in Norway, or búandi bóndi in Icel., Nj. 236, Grág. i. 294; vide bóndi above.

= búsbúhlutr above.