bygðr

(gen. völu; pl. völur), f. prophetess, sibyl, wise woman, witch (fóru þá um landit spákonur, er kallaðar vóru völur).

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u, f., also spelt völfa, gen. völu, pl. völur; völfu. or also völfur or voluur; gen. pl. does not occur; the nom. Vala is erroneous: [the etymology as well as the origin of this word is uncertain; but may not the Norse Völva and the Gr. σίβυλλα be relations? the identity in sense at least is very striking; the Gr. word first occurs in Aristoph., and then in Plato; may it not have been adopted from some Scythian tribe, for a word like this, if Greek, could hardly fail to occur in Homer? in völva an initial s, we suppose, has been lost (qs. svölva); in the Greek the ĭ would be an inserted vowel]:—a prophetess, sibyl, wise woman; völva, seiðkona, spákona (qq. v.) are synonymous. The ancient Sagas contain many remarkable records of the heathen wise-women or sibyls, who were held in honour and reverence; at the great feasts and sacrifices in the autumn, the völva (often a woman of rank) went with her troop of maidens through the country, where she, so to say, crowned the feast; she was seated on a high seat (seiðhjallr) in the hall, where she wrought her spells and sang her ‘weird-songs’ (varðlokur), after which the guests went past her one by one, and she told each his fate, or whatever else one wanted to know, e. g. the course of the coming winter and the like. The former part of the Völuspá is evidently conceived as the inspired song of a völva, seated on her high seat, and addressing Odin, while the gods listen to her words; and the latter part of the poem appears to be a kind of necromancy, or the raising of a dead völva, as also is the lay Vegtamskviða; sú kona var þar í bygð er Þorbjörg hét, ok var kölluð lítil völva, hón hafði áttar sér níu systr, ok vóru allar spákonur, en hón var ein þá á lífi, þat var háttr Þorbjargar um vetrum, at hón fór á veizlur ok buðu þeir menn henni mest heim er forvitni var á at vita forlög sín eða árferð, Þorf. Karl. Names of such wise women, Gróa völva, Edda; Heimlaug völva, Gullþ.; Heiðr völva, Landn. 173; Huldr völva, Yngl. S., Hkr. i. 21; to which add the ‘Weleda’ of Tacitus: class. passages are Þorf. S. ch. 3 (exceedingly interesting), Örvar-Odds S. ch. 3 (Fas. ii. 506), Vd. ch. 10: völu vél-spá, Vsp.; eru völfur allar frá Víðólfi, Hdl.; völva ok vís kona. Vtkv.; þá kom til völva sú er Gróa hét, Edda 58; var á því landi spákona sú er sagði fyrir örlög manna, … þeir fara til móts við völunna, Fb. ii. 28; ek fór í skóg til þín í völvu líki, Fas. i. 135; þóttusk menn vita at þar mundi verst hafa völu-leiði, Ld. 328; þá reið Óðinn fyrir austan dyrr þar er hann vissi völu leiði, Vtkv.; úrsvöl Gýmis völva, of Rán the goddess, Edda (in a verse); at hás völva valdi því bölvi, Kormak; in a bad sense, völva and skollvis kona, Hkv. 1. 34; Tacitus (Germ. ch. 8, 46, and Hist. iv. 61, 65, v. 22, 24) speaks of these practices, as also does Plutarch, Caesar ch. 19,— τα μαντεύματα των ἱερων γυναικων.

COMPDS: Völuspá, Völvustaðir.

1) assembly, meeting;

esp. for purposes of legislation, a parliament;

slíta þingi, segja þing laust, to dissolve a meeting;

2) parish;

3) district, county, shire;

vera í þingi goða, to be in the district of such and such a goði, to be his liegeman, in his jurisdiction;

4) interview, of lovers;

vera í þingum við konu, to have a love intrigue with a woman (þat var talat, at Þorbjórn væri í þingum við Þórdísi);

5) in pl. things articles, valuables (síðan tók hón þing sín, en Þorsteinn tók hornin).

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n. [no Goth. þigg is recorded; A. S. and Hel. þing; Engl. thing; O. H. G., Germ., and Dutch ding; Dan.-Swed. ting.]

A. A thing, Lat. res. In the Icel. this sense of the word is almost unknown, although in full use in mod. Dan.-Swed. ting, where it may come from a later Germ. influence.

II. in plur. articles, objects, things, esp. with the notion of costly articles: þeir rannsaka allan hans reiðing ok allan hans klæðnað ok þing, articles, Sturl. iii. 295; þau þing (articles, inventories) er hann keypti kirkjunni innan sik, Vm. 20; þessi þing gaf Herra Vilkin kirkjunni í Klofa,—messu-klæði, kaleik, etc., 26.

2. valuables, jewels (esp. of a married lady), the law often speaks of the ‘þing’ and the ‘heimanfylgja;’ ef maðr fær konu at lands-lögum réttum … þá skulu lúkask henni þing sín ok heimanfylgja, Gþl. 231; hann hafði ór undir-heimum þau þing at eigi munu slík í Noregi, Fms. iii. 178; siðan tók hón þing sín, 195; eptir samkvámu ( marriage) þeirra þá veitti Sveinn konungr áhald þingum þeim er ját vóru ok skilat með systur hans, x. 394; maðr skal skilja þing með frændkonu sinni ok svá heiman-fylgju, N. G. L. ii; skal Ólafr lúka Geirlaugu þing sín, svá mikil sem hón fær löglig vitni til, D. N. i. 108; þinga-veð, a security for a lady’s paraphernalia, D. N. passim.

B. As a law phrase [see Þingvöllr]:

I. an assembly, meeting, a general term for any public meeting, esp. for purposes of legislation, a parliament, including courts of law; in this sense þing is a standard word throughout all Scandinavian countries (cp. the Tyn-wald, or meeting-place of the Manx parliament): technical phrases, blása til þings, kveðja þings, stefna þing, setja þing, kenna þing (N. G. L. i. 63); helga þing, heyja þing, eiga þing; slíta þingi, segja þing laust, to dissolve a meeting, see the verbs: so also a þing ‘er fast’ when sitting, ‘er laust’ when dissolved (fastr I. γ, lauss II. 7); Dróttins-dag hinn fyrra í þingi, ríða af þingi, ríða á þing, til þings, vera um nótt af þingi, öndvert þing, ofanvert þing, Grág. i. 24, 25; nú eru þar þing ( parliaments) tvau á einum þingvelli, ok skulu þeir þá fara um þau þing bæði (in local sense), 127; um várit tóku bændr af þingit ok vildu eigi hafa, Vápn. 22; hann hafði tekit af Vöðla-þing, skyldi þar eigi sóknar-þing heita, Sturl. i. 141: in countless instances in the Sagas and the Grág., esp. the Nj. passim, Íb. ch. 7, Gísl. 54–57, Glúm. ch. 24, 27, Eb. ch. 9, 10, 56, Lv. ch. 4, 15–17: other kinds of assemblies in Icel. were Leiðar-þing, also called Þriðja-þing, Grág. i. 148; or Leið, q. v.; hreppstjórnar-þing (see p. 284); manntals-þing; in Norway, bygða-þing, D. N. ii. 330; hús-þing, vápna-þing, refsi-þing, v. sub vocc.:—eccl. a council, H. E. i. 457, Ann. 1274; þing í Nicea, 415. 14.

2. a parish (opp. to a benefice); in Iceland this word is still used of those parishes whose priest does not reside by the church, no manse being appointed as his fixed residence; such a parish is called þing or þinga-brauð (and he is called þinga-prestr, q. v.), as opp. to a ‘beneficium,’ Grág. i. 471, K. Þ. K. 30, 70, K. Á. passim; bóndi er skyldr at ala presti hest til allra nauðsynja í þingin, Vm. 73; tíundir af hverjum bónda í þingunum, 96, Bs. i. 330, H. E. ii. 48, 85, 128.

3. an interview, of lovers, H. E. i. 244; þat var talat at Þorbjörn væri í þingum við Þórdísi, Gísl. 5; nær þú á þingi mant nenna Njarðar syni, Skm. 38; man-þing, laun-þing.

II. loc. a district, county, shire, a þing-community, like lög (sec p. 369, col. 2, B. II); a ‘þing’ was the political division of a country; hence the law phrase, vera í þingi með goða, to be in the district of such and such a godi, to be his liegeman, cp. þingfesti; or, segjask or þingi, see the Grág., Nj., and Sagas, passim; full goðorð ok forn þing, Grág. i. 15; í því þingi eðr um þau þing, 85. In later times Icel. was politically divided into twelve or thirteen counties. In old days every community or ‘law’ had its own assembly or parliament, whence the double sense of ‘lög’ as well as of ‘þing.’

C. HISTORICAL REMARKS.—In Norway the later political division and constitution of the country dates from king Hacon the Good and his counsellors Thorleif the Wise and earl Sigurd. As king Harold Fairhair was the conqueror of Norway, so was his son Hacon her legislator as also the founder of her constitution, and of her political division into ‘þings;’ for this is the true meaning of the classical passage,—hann (king Hacon) lasgði mikinn hug á laga-setning í Noregi, hann setti Gulaþings-lög ok Frostaþings-lög, ok Heiðsævis-lög fyrst at upphafi, en áðr höfðu sér hverir fylkis-menn lög, Ó. H. 9; in Hkr. l. c. the passage runs thus—hann setti Gulaþings-lög með ráði Þorleifs spaka, ok hann setti Frostaþings-lög með ráði Sigurðar jarls ok annara Þrænda þeirra er vitrastir vóru, en Heiðsævis-lög hafði sett Hálfdan svarti, sem fyrr er ritað, Hkr. 349 new Ed.; the account in Eg. ch. 57, therefore, although no doubt true in substance, is, as is so often the case in the Sagas, an anachronism; for in the reign of Eric ‘Bloodaxe,’ there were only isolated fylkis-þing, and no Gula-þing. In later times St. Olave added a fourth þing, Borgar-þing, to the three old ones of king Hacon (those of Gula, Frosta, and Heiðsævi); and as he became a saint, he got the name of legislator in the popular tradition, the credit of it was taken from Hacon, the right man; yet Sighvat the poet speaks, in his Bersöglis-vísur, of the laws of king Hacon the foster-son of Athelstan. Distinction is therefore to be made between the ancient ‘county’ þing and the later ‘united’ þing, called lög-þing (Maurer’s ‘ding-bund’); also almennilegt þing or almanna-þing, D. N. ii. 265, iii. 277; fjórðunga þing, ii. 282; alþingi, alls-herjar-þing. The former in Norway was called fylkis-þing, or county þing; in Icel. vár-þing, héraðs-þing, fjórðungs-þing (cp. A. S. scîrgemot, a shiremote). Many of the old pre-Haconian fylkis-þing or shiremotes seem to have continued long afterwards, at least in name, although their importance was much reduced; such we believe were the Hauga-þing (the old fylkis-þing of the county Westfold), Fms. viii. 245, Fb. ii. 446, iii. 24; as also Þróndarness-þing, Arnarheims-þing, Kefleyjar-þing, Mork. 179.

II. in Iceland the united þing or parliament was called Al-þingi; for its connection with the legislation of king Hacon, see Íb. ch. 2–5 (the chronology seems to be confused): again, the earlier Icel. spring þings (vár-þing), also called héraðs-þing ( county þing) or fjórðunga-þing ( quarter þing), answer to the Norse fylkis-þing; such were the Þórness-þing, Eb., Landn., Gísl., Sturl.; Kjalarness-þing, Landn. (App.); Þverár-þing, Íb.; also called Þingness-þing, Sturl. ii. 94; Húnavatns-þing, Vd.; Vöðla-þing, Lv., Band.; Skaptafells-þing, Nj.; Árness-þing, Flóam. S.; þingskála-þing, Nj.; Hegraness-þing, Glúm., Lv., Grett.; Múla-þing (two of that name), Jb. (begin.), cp. Grág. i. 127; Þorskafjarðar-þing, Gísl., Landn.; Þingeyjar-þing, Jb.; further, Krakalækjar-þing, Dropl. (vellum, see Ny Fél. xxi. 125); Sunnudals-þing, Vápn.; þing við Vallna-laug, Lv.; þing í Straumfirði, Eb.; Hvalseyrar-þing, Gísl.; or þing í Dýrafirði, Sturl.; Fjósatungu-þing, Lv.

III. in Sweden the chief þings named were Uppsala-þing, Ó. H.; and Mora-þing (wrongly called Múla-þing, Ó. H. l. c., in all the numerous vellum MSS. of this Saga; the Icelandic chronicler or the transcriber probably had in mind the Icel. þing of that name).

IV. in Denmark, Vebjarga-þing, Knytl. S.; Íseyrar-þing, Jómsv. S.

V. in the Faroe Islands, the þing in Þórshöfn, Fær.: in Greenland, the þing in Garðar, Fbr.

VI. freq. in Icel. local names, Þing-völlr, Þing-vellir (plur.) = Tingwall, in Shetland; Þing-nes, Þing-eyrar, Þing-ey, Þing-eyri (sing.); Þing-múli, Þing-skálar, etc., Landn., map of Icel.; Þing-holt (near Reykjavik).

D. COMPDS: þingsafglöpun, þingsboð, þingabrauð, þingadeild, þingadómr, þingakvöð, þingaprestr, þingasaga, þingatollr, þingaþáttr.

m. a person present at an assembly, a member of parliament; þeir gengu til lögbergs ok aðrir þingmenn, Nj. 15; þingmenn ok dómarinn, Gþl. 172, Bs. i. 755 (the members of the alþing), and passim (see þingfesti); þingmanna dagleið, a day’s journey for a man travelling to the parliament, Jb. 10.

2. a liegeman belonging to this or that þing- community; a franklin is said to be the ‘þingmaðr’ of such and such a priest (goði); þar sátu þingmenn Rúnólfs í hverju húsi, Bs. i. 20; hann var þ. Styrmis frá Ásgeirsá, Band, (begin.); ek spyr goða alla hverr sér kenni N.M. at þingmanni eða þriðjungs-manni, Grág. (Kb.) i. 40; þeir vóru þingmenn Þorgeirs goða, Lv. (begin.); Guðmundr (the priest) var því vanr, at ríða norðr um héruð á várin ok hitta þingmenn sína, ok ráða um héraðs-stjórn, 17; þingmenn Geitis, Vápn. 19; sendir Geitir orð þingmönnum sínum, 15, Eg. 724, passim; ef goði vill segja þingmann sinn brott or þingi við sik, Grág. i. 165, Nj. 261, Sturl. ii. 35, passim; see þingfesti. þingmanna-leið, f. a day’s journey for a þingmaðr, see the remarks s. v. þingför and þingfarar-kaup; but used in Icel. as a general measure of distance, answering to about twenty Engl. miles; distances on land are still measured so in Icel., e. g. a mountain is a þingmanna-leið milli bygða, cp. Hrafn. 11; see the map of Icel., where one ‘þingmanna-leið’ (or Icel. mile) is put at five geographical miles.

1) an isolated farm;

2) in foreign countries, a thorp or village (Írar hlaupa saman í eitt þorp);

3) an open, unsheltered place (hrørnar þöll, sú er stendr þorpi á).

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n. [Ulf. þaurp = ἀγρός, once in Nehem. v. 16; A. S. and Hel. þorp; Old Engl. thorp; O. H. G. and Germ. dorf; Lat. turba is taken to be the same word: this word, we think, was originally applied to the cottages of the poorer peasantry crowded together in a hamlet, instead of each house standing in its own enclosure, like the ‘tún’ or ‘bær’ or ‘garðr’ of the ‘búandi,’ hence þorpari = a churl (see below); the etymological sense being a crowd, throng, as seen in þyrpast, þyrping (qq. v.), as also in Lat. turba]:

I. a hamlet, village, rarely of an isolated farm; fóru þau um kveldit í annat þorp skamt þaðan, … Þorsteinn hét þar bóndi, Hkr. i. 189 (in East-Norway), Fms. x. 219; margir vóru búendr þar í þorpinu, Ó. H. 151; til Níðaróss, þar var þorp nokkut sett ok kaupstaðr, Fms. x. 294; um þorp ok um bæi (Scotland), Orkn. 78; in Edda 108, þorp ef þrír eru, …

2. when used of foreign countries it means a thorp or village; borgir, kastalar, þorp, Fms. vii. 94; þorp ok tún, Sks. 631; Írar hlaupa saman í eitt þorp, Ld. 78; borg eða þorp, Stj. 96, 183; þar (in Frisland) varð brátt fyrir þeim þorp eitt ok bygðu þar margir bændr, Eg. 528: Lat. villa is rendered ‘þorp,’ Róm. 132, Hom. (St.), (= Matt. xxii. 5); þorpin stóðu á bryggjunum ok mikit fjölmenni í þeim þorpum (of London), O. H. L. ch. 10: metaph., þrætu-þorp, the abode of quarrel, i. e. the mouth, Fms. vi. (in a verse).

3. the word occurs twice in poets in the same sense as in the Goth., a land; hrörnar þöll sú er stendr þorpi á, hlýrat henni börkr né barr, Hm. 49 (here ‘þorp’ seems to mean a field, fenced place, or garden, as opp. to the ‘wood’); þrjár þjóðár falla þorp yfir meyja Mögþrasis, three great rivers fall over the field of the Norns, Vþm. 49.

II. very freq. as the second compd of Dan. local names, as -trup, or - rup dropping the t, Hos-trup, Kra-rup, Kolde-rup, Vins-trup, Sverd- rup; but in early Dan. - torp or -thorp, thus Bukke- thorp, Thume- thorp, Ny- thorp = mod. Dan. Nyrup, and in many names of places, see Dipl. Thorkel. passim; so also Engl. - thorp and Germ. -dorf: in Norway such local names are rare, in Iceland still more so, yet a Þorpar, f. pl., occurs in western Iceland, in Stranda-sýsla, called ‘í Þorpum.’ The reason is that in flat countries cottages lie closer together than in a mountainous country.

I) adv.

1) yet, though, nevertheless, still (þeir vóru síð búnir ok sigldu þó í haf);

2) connected with other particles; ok þó, and besides, and even, to boot (í Nóregi er lítil bygð ok þó sundrlaus); mörgum mönnum ófróðum ok þó óvitrum, ill-informed and unwise as well; er þó, since yet, considering that (kvazt hjá bóndum skyldu vera, er þó buðu þeir honum svá góða kosti);

3) conj., þó at, contracted þót, þótt, although, even though, with subj. (hann rengdi til augum, þó at úskygn væri); halda máttu þessu sæti, þótt hón komi sjalf til, though she comes herself into the hall; dropping the ‘at’; þó þú sért lítillar ættar, although thou art of low extraction.

II) from þvá.

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conj. [Goth. þau or þau-h = ἄν, ni-þau = οὐκ ἄν; A. S. þeah; Engl. though; O. H. G. doh; Germ. doch; Dan. dog; the Icel. being a contracted form; this particle was originally pronominal, the h being a suffix; see Grimm’s Gramm. iii. 176, 177.]

A. Though, yet, but yet, nevertheless; hefir mér þó tvennt um sýnzt, … en þó hefi ek í einum stað á stofnat, Nj. 3; þeir vóru síð búnir, ok sigldu þó á haf, 281; en þó vil ek mik eigi frá kjósa, Fms. vi. 10; ok fengit þó minna hlut, vii. 256; en ef eigi náir þeim, þá er þó rétt, at…, Grág. i. 207; svá þó ( yet so) at biskup væri skaðlauss, Dipl. v. 2; en ef þeir setja lík niðr þó at hváru, nevertheless, N. G. L. i. 347; eigi var skegglauss Þorvaldr bóndi þinn, ok réttú þó honum bana, Nj. 52; ok vartú þó vetri ellri, Fms. vii. 119.

II. connected with other particles:

1. er þó, ‘as though,’ considering that, yet after all, or the like; er þó hafði hann tekit við Birni, Eg. 166; er þér þreytið þetta mál þó svá mjök, Fms. vii. 169; er þó buðu þeir honum svá góða kosti, ix. 398; þú hrópar sonu Njáls ok sjálfan hann er þó er mest vert, Nj. 68: dropping the particle ‘er,’ þó hefir hann at sjálfvilja sínum farit þingat á fund yðvarn, Eg. 424; biðja vil ek henni friðar, þó hefir hón mitt traust sótt, Mork. 204; fari á land heiðit, þó vill hann eigi Kristinn vera, N. G. L. i. 341; eigi mun ek drepa þik, þó biðr þú miskunnar, Sks. 740.

2. ok þó, and even; en Símon læzk Guð vera, er hann er maðr ok þó íllr, S. says he is a god, being a man, and even a bad one. Post. 656 C. 28; mörgum mönnum ófróðum ok þó óvitrum, ill-informed and unwise to boot, Bs. i. 59; sagði þeim öngan frama at drepa fá menn ok þó áðr ílla leikna, Fms. ix. 47; væri þat mönnum skyldugt ok þó nauðsynligt, Sks. 45 B; rjúf aldri sætt … ok þó sízt á þvi máíi, Nj. 85.

B. þó-at, and contr. þótt, although, even though:

I. separated, þo … at, þó er rétt at nýta, at hann sé fyrr skorinn, it is still right …, even though, even in case that …, K. Þ. K. 134.

II. þó at, although; heimsku mæla skaltu, þó at þú vel hvat vitir, thou speakest vain, ‘although thou knowest all well,’ Em. 3; hann rengði til augum, þó at úskygn væri, Fms. ii. 59; þeir máttu eigi vita hvárt hann var á lífi eðr eigi, þó at hann færi þaðan vetr-gamall, i. 185; at oss Íslendingum kippi á kyn, þó at vér gangim heldr fyrir blíðu en stríðu, ii. 34: somewhat irregular is the usage in, munu vér því eigi várkynna öðrum, þó at hér skatyrðisk, we will not excuse others for using bad words, Ísl. ii. 384; eigi vanntú framarr en þú áttir, þó at þú hefndir föður þíns, thou didst not more than what was right when thou didst avenge thy father, Sd. 190.

2. dropping the ‘at;’ en Sverri studdi hvárki fé né frændr þó (at) hann kæmi ungr ok einmana ok öllum ókunnigr inn í landit (coming as he did young, etc.), Fms. viii. 3; eigi met ek þat til óvirðingar þó ek fóstra honum barn, vi. 5; þó þeir sé svá miök þrengðir at, although they be so oppressed that …, Hom. 38; þó þú sért lítillar ættar, Fms. vi. 10; þó ek gefi yðr frjálsa, id.

III. contracted þótt = þóat, although; with subj., þótt hón hafi …, Grág. i. 228; varðar þat skóggang, þótt þat verði fjörbaugs-garð, ef þat færi eitt saman, ii. 10; halda máttú þessu sæti, þótt hón komi sjálf til, Nj. 6; þetta væri at vísu lög, þótt fáir kunni, 237: þó ( yet still) hafa húsfreyjur verit góðar, þótt ( although) eigi hafi staðit í mannráðum, 53 (repeating the particle þó); er ek hirði aldri þótt drepizk, 85; en létir hann eigi gjalda, þótt hann hefndi bróður síns, Eg. 174; at Eríkr konungr léti sér óþokka í, þótt Hákon konungr léti brenna Vermaland, that king H. had burned W., Fms. x. 27; engi maðr skal banna för fjörbaugs-manni, þótt fé eigi at þeim, Grág. i. 90:—special usages, at hann væri at vísu mestr laga-maðr, þótt reyna þyrfti, even if that should be tried, Nj. 237; nær ætla ek þat lögum Íra, þótt þeir kalli fé þetta vágrek, Ld. 76.

2. as a Latinism with no verb following; gef þú mér þó at óverðugri, da mihi quamvis indignae, Stj.; dreifðum vér guðs úvini þótt með drápi ranglátra, Már.

3. ef tveir menn eigu bú saman ok hafa þeir öngan griðimann ok er þótt ( nevertheless) réttr annarr þeirra í kvöð, Grág. ii. 44; better þó (but this is very rare); skorti þar eigi mjólk, þótt hann hefði vitað hvers við þurfti, as if he had known, Finnb. 234.

4. suffixing -tú (i. e. thou), although thou; ekki fer ek at, þóttú hafir svelt þik til fjár, Nj. 18; muntú þykkja röskr maðr, þóttú hafir ratað í stórvirki þetta, 257.

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prep. with dat.

1) out of, from; tekinn ór jörðu, taken out of the earth; vakna ór svefni, to wake out of sleep; Ísland bygðist ór Noregi, from Norway; ór Mön, from the Isle of Man; er þá bar ór hafi, from the sea; spyrja ór kaupstefnu, to ask news from the market; hús ór húsi, from house to house; ráðast ór hernaði, to leave off freebooting;

2) denoting the substance of which a thing is made, of, out of; ór Ymis holdi var jörð um sköpuð, out of Y.’s flesh the earth was made, hjölt ór gulli, a golden hilt;

3) out of, from among (þessir féllu ór liði Haralds);

4) denoting cause; deyja ór sárum, sótt, to die of wounds, sickness;

5) beyond; svá mikill snjór, at þat var ór dœnum, beyond exaniple, unexampled; ór hófi, beyond measure; þurru mjök vinsældir hans ór því sem vóru, his popularily dwindled from what it had been;

6) ór því, after (nú skal segja, hvat gørðist ór því F. var í burtu farinn);

7) absol., hann skar ór spjótit, he cut the spear clean through.

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f., gen. örvar; dat. öru, Grág. ii. 19, and later ör; pl. örvar, örva, örum; also spelt with f, örfar, etc.: [A. S. aruwe; Engl. arrow; the word may be akin to örr, adj. = the swift]:—an arrow; örina, annarri ör, … ör liggr þar úti, ok er sú af þeirra örum, … örunum, … ör (acc.), Nj. 96, 115, Hkr. i. 241; örvar þrjár, … örvunum (sic), Fas. i. 511, 541, and passim.

2. metaph. a summons to a meeting, by the sending out an arrow (like the Gaelic ‘fiery cross’), both in war and peace, but originally as a war-token (her-ör); skera örvar upp, Js. 37; skera ör, 41; nema ör eða maðr stefni honum þing, 42: also of a warrant (cp. Germ. steck-brief), summoning a person to appear; the law phrases are, leggja örvar á e-n, to lay an arrow upon, i. e. to summon by a warrant; fylgja örum, to follow the arrow, i. e. to answer a summons; sá skal örum fylgja er fyrstr var á lagðr, N. G. L. i. 60; örvar þrjár … ein ör at dauðum manni, önnur at sárum …, allir skulu þeir örvar bera en engi fella, … sá skal örum fylgja er á eru lagðar … nú ef örvar taka hann ok sækir eigi þing, þá berr hann á baki sök, 270.

II. in poët. compds, ör-bragð, ör-drif, ör-veðr, = a shower of shafts; ör-sæti = a shield; ör-rjóðr, ör-slöngvir, = a warrior.

B. COMPDS: örvarboð, örvadrífa, örvaflug, örvarhúnn, örvamalr, örvamælir, örvaroddr, örvarskapt, örvarskot, örvarskurðr, örvarþing.

1) not continuous, scattered (lítil bygð ok sundrlaus); fara sundrlaust, to go in loose order;

2) not bound together, opp. to samfastr; sundrlaus orð, prose.

(sœki, sótta, sóttr), v.

1) to seek (hann ætlar at s. sér kirkjuvið ok siglir þegar á haf); þangat sœkir þik engi, no one will seek thee thither; s. heilræði ok traust at e-m, to seek good counsel and help from one; s. um liðveizlu við e-n, to call on one for support;

2) to go to fetch (B. átti erendi yfir fjörð at s. skjöldu sína ok vápn); s. e-t í e-n stað or til e-s staðar, to go to a place to fetch a thing (s. grös upp í hlíð, vatn til lœkjar);

3) to visit, come to (enn aldna jötun ek sótta); s. e-n heim, to come to see one, visit one in his home; s. þing, to attend or frequent á þing; s. e-n at liðveizlu, um liðveizlu, to call on one for support;

4) to attack, assail (s. e-n með vápnum; þessir munu s. oss með eldi); s. e-n heim, to fall upon one in his house (Gunnar sóttu heim þeir höfðingjar, er …);

5) to catch, overtake (nú fiðr hann geldingaflokk ok fær eigi sótt);

6) to overcome, master (munu þeir mik aldri fá sótt, meðan ek kem boganum við); to carry, take (eigi mun eyin sótt verða);

7) to pursue; þeir sækja ferðina knáliga, they push on doughtily; s. fast róðrinn (sundit), to pull (swim) hard;

8) to prosecute, in a lawsuit (s. e-n sökum, s. e-n til fullra laga); sótti K. til lands at Móeiðarhváli, K. laid claim to the land at M.; s. sök, mál, to carry on a suit; skalt þú s. þær sakir báðar, both these suits thou shall take up; s. mál til laga, to follow up a suit at law;

9) to pass over (býðr þeim at s. fjallit norðr í bygð); var áin all-ill at s., the river was very bad to cross;

10) absol. to proceed, go, advance (þeir stíga af hestunum ok sœkja upp á hólinn); er hann sótti langt austr, when he had advanced far eastward; s. á fund e-s, to go to see one; s. at, s. á, to attack (s. á borg); to urge the matter, insist (Þ. sótti á því meirr, en G. fór undan); s. eptir e-m, to pursue (Egill sótti þá eptir þeim); s. fram, to advance, go forward, in battle (E. sótti þá fram ok hjó til beggja handa); s. til e-s staðar, to frequent a place (til Túnsbergs sóttu mjök kaupmenn);

11) refl., sœkjast, to advance, of a work in hand (en er á leið vetrinn, sóttist mjök borgargørðin); to be passed, of a road or distance; nú er meir en hálf-sótt, more than half-way; sóttist þeim seint skip þeira Hrúts, they were slow in boarding Hrut’s ship; þeir ætla, at þeim muni illa s. at vinna oss, they think it will be a hard struggle to master us; recipr., to seek one another sœkjast sér um líkir, birds of a feather flock together; to attack one another, fight (þeir nafnar sóttust lengi).