description

* * *

1) lighting, illumination;

2) daybreak, dawn;

3) declaration, publication;

4) bans of marriage.

* * *

f. light, illumination, K. Á. 100.

2. the daybreak, dawn; í lysing þessa dags, Hom. 80; hann andaðisk þann sama morgun í lýsing, Fms. ii. 195: bíða lýsingar, iv. 151, ix. 46.

II. metaph. declaration, publication, Grág. i. 18, Nj. 110, Gþl. 307.

2. the bans of marriage, K. Á. 110, Bs. i. 742. COMPBS: lýsingar-skeið, n. the time of daybreak, Fms. viii. 337. lýsingar-váttr, m. a witness to a declaration, a law term, Nj. 233. lýsingar-vætti, n. an attestation to a lýsing, Nj. 87.

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.

1) poetry, = skáldskapr;

2) the best, foremost (Ása bragr = Thor; bragr kvenna); most eloquent.

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ar, m. [akin to bragð, braga, bragi, etc.]

I. best, foremost; b. kvenna, best of women, Skv. 2. 15; Ása b., best of Ases, Skm. 34; b. karla eðr kvenna, Edda 17: only used in poetry or poët. language, cp. the A. S. brego ( princeps) Egypta, Norðmanna, Israelita, Gumena, Engla, etc.:—hence the compd bragar-full or braga-full, n. a toasting cup, to be drunk esp. at funeral feasts; it seems properly to mean the king’s toast (cp. Bragi = princeps), i. e. the toast in the memory of the deceased king or earl, which was to be drunk first; the heir to the throne rose to drink this toast, and while doing so put his feet on the footstool of his seat and made a solemn vow (stíga á stokk ok strengja heit); he then for the first time took his father’s seat, and the other guests in their turn made similar vows. For a graphic description of this heathen sacred custom, vide Yngl. S. Hkr. i. 49, Hervar. S. Fas. i. 417 and 515, Hkv. Hjörv. 32, Ragn. S. Fas. i. 345. It is likely that the b. was mostly used at funeral banquets, though the passages in the Ragn. and Hervar. S. (cp. also Hænsaþ. S. ch. 12) seem to imply its use at other festivals, as weddings; cp. also the description of the funeral banquet, Hkr. i. 231, where ‘minni hans’ ( the toast of the dead king) answers to bragarfull; cp. also the funeral banquet recorded in Jómsvik. S., where the Danish king Sweyn made the vow ‘at bragarfulli’ to conquer England within three winters. This is said to have been the prelude to the great Danish invasion A. D. 994, Fagrsk. 44, and Hkr. to l. c. The best MSS. prefer the reading bragar- (from bragr, princeps), not braga-.

II. nearly like Lat. mos, a fashion, habit of life, in compds as, bæjar-bragr, heimilis-bragr, híbýla-bragr, house life; sveitar-bragr, country life; bónda-bragr, yeoman life; héraðs-bragr, lands-bragr, etc. Icel. say good or bad bæjarbragr, Bb. I. 15.

III. poetry; gefr hann (viz. Odin) brag skáldum, Hdl. 5, Edda 17: in mod. usage chiefly melody or metre.

COMPDS: bragarbót, bragarfræði, bragarlaun, bragarmál.

f. (milit.) a riding at, a charge of horse, Fms. vi. 417, in the description of the battle at Stamford Bridge: Hkr. iii. 162 has áreið, but some MSS. atreið, vii. 57. β. the act of riding at or over, Nj. 21; esp. in the translation of French romances of tilting in tournaments, Str. (freq.)

COMPD: atreiðaráss.

u, f. [drekka á], prop. a drinking to, pledging, esp. used n the phrase, at sitja fyrir ádrykkju e-s;—a custom of the olden time. The master of the house, for instance, chose one of his guests as his ‘cup-fellow,’ seated him over against himself in the hall, drank to him, and then sent the cup across the hall to him, so that they both drank of it by turns. This was deemed a mark of honour. Thus, Egill at fyrir ádrykkju Arinbjarnar, Egil sale over against Arinbjorn as his cup-mate, Eg. 253; skal hann sitja fyrir á. minni í kveld, in the pretty story of king Harold and the blind skald Stuf, Fms. vi. 391; cp. annat öndvegi var á hinn æðra pall gegnt konungi, skyldi þar itja hinn æðsti ráðgjafi (the king’s highest councillor) konungs fyrir hans á. ok þótti þat mest virðing at sitja fyrir konungs á., 439; sat Gizurr fyrir á. konungs innarr enn lendir menn, Bs. i. 19. See also the description of the banquet in Flugumyri on the 19th Oct. in the year 1253,—drukku þeir af einu silfrkeri ok mintust við jafnan um daginn þá er hvorr drakk til annars, Sturl. iii. 183.

COMPD: ádrykkjuker.

1) fire;

slá bál = drepa eld;

2) flame, blaze;

gera bál, to make a blaze;

3) pyre, funeral pile;

bera e-n á bál, to carry to the pyre;

stíga á bál, to mount the pyre.

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n. [old Scot. bale, i. e. a beacon-fagot, Lay of Last Minstrel 3. 27 note].

I. a flame, Nj. 199, Ld. 100, Stj. 45 (freq.)

II. Lat. rogus, a pyre, funeral pile; hlaða b., rogum struere, Eb. 314, 264; Fms. v. 328, esp. for burning dead bodies; a funeral pile in the old heathendom, til brands eðr báls, an old law term, ad urnam, N. G. L. i. 50: the phrase, vega e-n á bal, or, bera á bal, to carry to the pyre, Vkv. 14, cp. Vþm. 54, Fas. i. (Hervar. S.) 487; graphical description of those funerals, vide Edda 37, 38 (Baldrsbrenna), Fas. i. (Völs. S.) 204; cp. 333, Hkr. Yngl. S. ch. 27; cp. also the funeral of the mythical king Sigurd Ring, recorded by Arngrim Lærde in his Supplementum ad Compendium Hist. Norv. MS. (composed A. D. 1597), probably taken from a lost leaf of Skjöldunga Saga (Sögubrot), and mentioned by Munch, Norske Folks Hist. i. 274: mod. of a foaming wind, wrath, etc.—bálviðri, n. and balhvass, bálreiðr, adj., etc.

* * *

1) bud;

2) point of time (í þetta brum).

* * *

I. neut. a bud, Lat. gemma; þá hit fyrsta tók brum at þrútna um várit á öllum aldinviði til laufs, Sks. 105; af bruminu, Bs. ii. 165; birki-brum, a birch-bud, Eyvind (in a verse), Lex. Poët.

II. metaph. and masc. spring, only in the phrase, öndverðan brum (acc.), in the early spring time, Sighvat (in a verse); í öndverðan brum þinna daga, Bs. ii. 7.

β. a moment, in the phrase, í þenna (sama) brum; í þenna brum kom Hringr Dagsson, in the description of the battle at Stiklastað, Ó. H. 218, cp. Fms. v. 81 (where v. l. tíma); ‘í þessu bruni,’ Fms. ix. 24. is certainly a misspelling for ‘í þenna brum:’ cp. also the compd word nýa-brum, novelty, newfangledness.

f. a ‘bridegroom’s ride;’ at weddings the bridegroom, as the host, had to meet his guests (boðsmenn) a quarter of a mile from his house; here he entertained them in tents, where they remained and enjoyed themselves till evening; when darkness began to set in, the party rode home in a procession drawn up two and two; this was called brúðguma-reið. The last bridegroom’s ride on record in Icel. was that of Eggert Olafsson, just a hundred years ago, at his wedding at Reykholt in the autumn of 1767 A. D. A minute description of this last Icel. b. exists in a MS. (in the possession of Maurer, in Munich). An interesting treatise upon the wedding feasts in Icel. in the Middle Ages, down to the 18th century, is among the Icel. MSS. in the Bodleian Library, no. 130.

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(á, átta, áttr), v.

1) to own, possess (Starkaðr átti hest góðan);

2) to have (eiga börn, föður, móður, vin);

eiga konu, to have her for wife;

hann átti Gró, he was married to G.;

hann gekk at eiga Þóru, he took Th. for his wife, he married Th.;

enga vil ek þessa eiga, I will not marry any of these;

eiga heima, to have a home, to live (þeir áttu heima austr í Mörk);

eiga sér e-t = eiga e-t (Höskuldr átti sér dóttur, er Hallgerðr hét);

eiga ván e-s, to have hope of a thing, to reckon upon;

eiga hlut at or í e-u, to have a share in a thing, to be concerned in;

eiga vald á e-u, to have within one’s power;

3) to be under obligation, be obliged, have to do a thing;

tólf menn, þeir er fylgð áttu með konungi, who were bound to attend the king’s person;

á ek þar fyrir at sjá, I am bound (I have) to see to that;

átti Hrútr för í Vestfjorðu, H. had to go to the V.;

4) to have a right (claim) to, be entitled to (eiga högg ok höfn í skóginum);

eiga mál í e-m, to have a charge against one;

eiga rétt á sér, to have a (personal) claim to redress;

5) to keep, hold;

eiga fund, þing, samkvámu, stefnu, to hold a meeting;

eiga kaupstefnu, to hod a market;

eiga orrustu við e-n, to fight a battle with one;

eiga högg við e-n, to exchange blows with one;

eiga illt við e-n, to quarrel with;

eiga tal (or mál) við e-n, to speak, converse with one;

6) as an auxiliary with pp. = hafa (þat er við áttum mælt);

eiga skilit, to have stipulated;

7) to have to (skal Þ. eigi at því eiga at spotta);

eiga hendr sínar it verja, to have to act in self-defence;

eiga um vandræði at halda, to be in a strait;

8) eiga e-m e-t, to owe to one (mun æ, hvat þú átt þeim er veitir);

9) to be the person denoted by a thing;

þat muntu ætla, at ek mun eiga hinn bleika uxann, that the fawn-coloured ox means me;

10) with preps.:

eiga e-t at e-m, to have something due from one, to expect from one (þat vil ek eiga at þér, at þú segir mér frá ferð þinni);

to deserve from one (ok á ek annat at þér);

þeir er mikit þóttust at sér eiga, had much in their power;

eiga e-t eptir, to have to do yet, to have left undone (þat áttu eptir, er erfiðast er, en þat er at deyja);

to leave behind one (andaðist ok átti eptir tvá sonu vaxna);

eiga e-t saman, to own in common;

eiga skap saman, to agree well, be of one mind;

eigi veit ek, hvárt við eigum heill saman, whether we shall live happy together;

eiga saman, to quarrel, = eiga deild saman;

eiga um við e-n, to have to deal with (við brögðótta áttu nú um);

þar sem við vini mína er um at eiga, where my friends are concerned;

eiga e-t undir e-m, to have in another’s hands;

Njáll átti mikit fé undir Starkaði ok í Sandgili, N. had much money out at interest with St. and at Sandgil, er sá eigi vel staddr, er líf sitt á undir þinum trúnaði, whose life depends on thy good faith;

eiga mikit (lítit) undir sér, to have much (little) in one’s power;

far þú við marga menn, svá at þú eigir allt undir þér, that the whole matter rests in thy own hands;

hann sá, at hann átti ekki undir sér, that he had no influence;

eiga við e-n, to have to do with, fight with (brátt fundu þeir, at þeir áttu þar ekki við sinn maka);

ekki á ek þetta við þik, this is no business between thee and me;

eiga gott (illt) við e-n, to be on good (bad) terms with one;

eiga við konu, to have intercourse with, = eiga lag (samræði) við konu;

recipr., eigast við, to deal with one another; fight, quarrel;

eigast við deildir, to be engaged in strife;

áttust þeir höggvaskipti við, they exchanged blows with one another.

1) possession;

kasta sinni eigu, leggja sína eigu, í e-t, to take possession of;

2) property.

* * *

pret. átti; pret. subj. ætti, pres. eigi; pres. ind. á, 2nd pers. átt (irreg. eigr, Dipl. v. 24), pl. eigum, 3rd pers. pl. old form eigu, mod. eiga; imperat. eig and eigðu; sup. átt; with suffixed neg. pres. ind. 1st pers. á’k-at, 2nd pers. átt-attu; pret. subj. ættim-a: [Gr. ἔχω; Goth. aigan; A. S. âgan; Hel. êgan; O. H. G. eigan; Swed. äga; Dan. eje; Engl. to owe and own, of which the former etymologically answers to ‘eiga,’ the latter to ‘eigna’]:—to have, possess.

A. ACT.

I. denoting ownership, to possess:

1. in a proper sense; allt þat góz sem þeir eiga eðr eigandi verða, D. N. i. 80; hann eigr hálfa jörðina, Dipl. v. 24; Björn hljóp þá á skútu er hann átti, Eb. 6; Starkaðr átti hest góðan, Nj. 89; þau áttu gnótt í búi, 257; hón á allan arf eptir mik, 3; átti hón auð fjár, Ld. 20; ef annarr maðr ferr með goðorð en sá er á, Grág. i. 159; annat vápnit, ok á þat Þorbjörn, en Þorgautr á þetta, Ísl. ii. 341; eignir þær er faðir hans hafði átt, Eb. 4; í ríki því er Dana konungar höfðu átt þar lengi, Fms. xi. 301, Rb. 494, Eb. 54, 118, 256, 328, Sturl. ii. 60, Eg. 118; e. saman, to own in common, Grág. i. 199; ef tveir menn eigo bú saman, ii. 44; e. skuld (at e-m), to be in debt, Engl. to owe; en ef hann átti engar skuldir, if he owed no debts, i. 128; þar til átti honum ( owed him) meistari Þorgeirr ok þá mörk, D. N. iv. 288 (Fr.); e. fé undir e-m, to be one’s creditor, Nj. 101; in mod. usage, e. fé hjá e-m, or ellipt., e. hjá e-m.

2. in a special sense;

α. eiga konu, to have her to wife; hann átti Gró, Eb. 16; hann átti Ynghvildi, 3; Þorgerðr er (acc.) átti Vigfúss, … Geirríðr er (acc.) átti Þórólfr, 18; hann gékk at eiga Þóru, he married Thora, id.; Þuríði hafði hann áðr átta, Thorida had been his first wife, 42; enga vil ek þessa e., I will not marry any of these, Nj. 22; Björn átti þá konu er Valgerðr hét, 213, 257; faðir Hróðnýjar er átti Þorsteinn, Landn. 90; Ásdísi átti síðar Skúli, S. was A.’s second husband, 88; Þorgerðr er átti Önundr sjóni, 89; Vigdís er átti Þorbjörn enn digri, 87; Árnþrúðr er átti Þórir hersir, 66; Húngerð er átti Svertingr, 6l, 86, and in numberless passages: old writers hardly ever say that the wife owns her husband—the passages in Edda 109 (vide elja) and Nj. 52 (til lítils kemr mér at eiga hinn vaskasta mann á Íslandi) are extraordinary—owing to the primitive notion of the husband’s ‘jus possessionis’ (cp. brúðkaup); but in mod. usage ‘eiga’ is used indiscriminately of both wife and husband; Icel. even say, in a recipr. sense, eigast, to own one another, to be married: þau áttust, they married; hann vildi ekki at þau ættist, hann bannaði þeim að eigast, he forbade them to marry:—to the ancients such a phrase was almost unknown, and occurs for the first time in K. Á. 114.

β. eiga börn, to have children, of both parents; áttu þau Jófriðr tíu börn, J. and her husband had ten bairns, Eg. 708; hann átti dóttur eina er Unnr hét, Nj. 1; þau Þorsteinn ok Unnr áttu son er Steinn hét, Eb. 10, Nj. 91, 257; áttu þau Þórhildr þrjá sonu, 30; e. móður, föður, to have a mother, father, Eb. 98; vænti ek ok, at þú eigir illan föður, id.

γ. the phrase, e. heima, to have a home; þeir áttu heima austr í Mörk, Nj. 55; því at ek tek eigi heim í kveld, þar sem ek á heima út á Íslandi, 275; in mod. usage = to live, abide, in regard to place, cp. the questions put to a stranger, hvað heitir maðrinn? hvar áttu heima? used in a wider sense than búa.

δ. eiga sér, to have, cp. ‘havde sig’ in Dan. ballads; Höskuldr átti sér dóttur er Hallgerðr hét, Nj. 3; ef hann á sér í vá veru, Hm. 25, (freq. in mod. use.)

3. without strict notion of possession; e. vini, óvini, to have friends, enemies, Nj. 101; hverja liðveizlu skal ek þar e. er þú ert, what help can I reckon upon from thee? 100; e. ván e-s, to have hope of a thing, to reckon upon, 210; e. til, to have left; ekki eigu it annat til ( there is nothing left for you) nema at biðja postulann. Jóh. 623. 22: in mod. usage e. til means to own, to have left; hann á ekkert til, he is void of means, needy; eiga góða kosti fjár, to be in good circumstances, Ísl. ii. 322; e. vald á e-u, to have within one’s power, Nj. 265; the phrase, e. hlut at e-u, or e. hlut í e-u, to have a share, be concerned with; eptir þat átti hann hlut at við mótstöðumenn Gunnars, 101, 120; þar er þú ættir hlut at, where thou wast concerned, 119; mik uggir at hér muni eigi gæfu-menn hlut í e., 179: hence ellipt., e. í e-u, to be engaged in, chiefly of strife, adversity, or the like; thus, e. í stríði, fátaekt, baráttu, to live, be deep in struggle, want, battle, etc.

II. denoting duty, right, due, obligation:

1. to be bound, etc.; þeir menn er fylgð áttu með konungi, the men who owed following to (i. e. were bound to attend) the king’s person, Fms. vii. 240; á ek þar fyrir at sjá, I am bound to see to that, Eg. 318; Tylptar-kviðr átti um at skilja, Eb. 48; þeir spurðu hvárt Njáli þætti nokkut e. at lýsa vígsök Gunnars, Nj. 117; nú áttu, Sigvaldi, now is thy turn, now ought thou, Fms. xi. 109, Fs. 121; menn eigu ( men ought) at spyrja at þingfesti, Grág. i. 19; þá á þann kvið einskis meta, that verdict ought to be void, 59; ef sá maðr á ( owns) fé út hér er ómagann á ( who ought) fram at færa, 270; nú hafa þeir menn jammarga sem þeir eigu, as many as they ought to have, ii. 270; tíunda á maðr fé sitt, … þá á hann þat at tíunda, … þá á hann at gefa sálugjafir, i. 202:—‘eiga’ and ‘skal’ are often in the law used indiscriminately, but properly ‘ought’ states the moral, ‘shall’ the legal obligation,—elska skalt þú föður þinn og móður, þú skalt ekki stela, where ‘átt’ would be misplaced; sometimes it is merely permissive, gefa á maðr vingjafir at sér lifanda, ef hann vill, a man ‘may’ whilst in life bequeath to his friends, if he will, id.; maðr á at gefa barni sínu laungetnu tólf aura, ef hann vill, fyrir ráð skaparfa sinna, en eigi meira nema erfingjar lofi, a man ‘may’ bequeath to the amount of twelve ounces to his illegitimate child without leave of the lawful heir, etc., 203; ef þat á til at vilja, if that is to happen, Fas. i. 11.

2. denoting claim, right, to own, be entitled to, chiefly in law phrases; e. dóm, sakir, to own the case, i. e. be the lawful prosecutor; ok á sá þeirra sakir, er …, Grág. i. 10; eðr eigu þeir eigi at lögum, or if they be not entitled to it, 94; e. mál á e-m, to have a charge against one, Nj. 105; e. rétt á e-u, to own a right; sá sem rétt á á henni, who has a right to her, K. Á. 16; þeir sögðu at þeim þótti slíkr maðr mikinn rétt á sér e., such a man had a strong personal claim to redress, Nj. 105; hence the phrase, eiga öngan rétt á sér, if one cannot claim redress for personal injury; þá eigu þeir eigi rétt á sér, then they have no claim to redress whatever, Grág. i. 261; e. sök, saka-staði á e-u, to have a charge against; þat er hann átti öngva sök á, Nj. 130; saka-staði þá er hann þótti á eiga, 166; kalla Vermund eigi ( not) eiga at selja sik, said V. had no right to sell them, Eb. 116: hence in mod. usage, eiga denotes what is fit and right, þú átt ekki að göra það, you ought not; eg ætti ekki, I ought not: in old writers eiga is seldom strictly used in this sense, but denotes the legal rather than the moral right.

β. eiga fé at e-m (mod. e. hjá e-m), to be one’s creditor, Grág. i. 90, 405, Band. 1 C: metaph. to deserve from one, ok áttu annat at mér, Nj. 113; e. gjafir at e-m, 213; in a bad sense, kváðusk mikit e. at Þráni, they had much against Thrain, 138.

γ. the law phrase, e. útkvæmt, fært, to have the right to return, of a temporary exile, Nj. 251: at hann skyli eigi e. fært út hingat, Grág. i. 119; ok á eigi þingreitt, is not allowed to go to the parliament, ii. 17; e. vígt, Grág., etc.

III. denoting dealings or transactions between men (in a meeting, fight, trade, or the like), to keep, hold; þætti mér ráðliga at vér ættim einn fimtardóm, Nj. 150; e. orrustu við e-n, to fight a battle, Fms. i. 5, Eg. 7; e. högg við e-n, to exchange blows, 297; e. vápna-viðskipti, id., Fms. ii. 17; eiga handsöl at e-u, to shake hands, make a bargain, x. 248; e. ráð við e-n, to consult, hold a conference with, Nj. 127; e. tal við e-n, to speak, converse with one, 129; e. mál við e-n, id., Grág. i. 10; e. fund, to hold a meeting, Nj. 158; e. þing, samkvámu, stefnu, to hold a meeting, Eg. 271; þetta haust áttu menn rétt (a kind of meeting) fjölmenna, Eb. 106; e. kaupstefnu, to hold a market, exchange, 56; e. féránsdóm, Grág. i. 94; e. gott saman, to live well together, in peace and goodwill, Ld. 38; e. illt við e-n, to deal ill with, quarrel with, Nj. 98; e. búisifjar, q. v., of intercourse with neighbours, Njarð. 366; e. drykkju við e-n, to be one’s ‘cup-mate,’ Eg. 253; e. við e-n, to deal with one; ekki á ek þetta við þik, this is no business between thee and me, Nj. 93; gott vilda ek við alla menn e., I would live in goodwill with all, 47; e. við e-n, to fight one; eigum vér ekki við þá elligar (in a hostile sense), else let us not provoke them, 42; eðr hvárt vili it Helgi e. við Lýting einn eðr bræðr hans báða, 154; brátt fundu þeir, at þeir áttu þar eigi við sinn maka, Ld. 64; Glúmr kvað hann ekki þurfa at e. við sik, G. said he had no need to meddle with him, Glúm. 338; e. um að vera, to be concerned; ekki er við menn um at e., Nj. 97; þar sem við vini mína er um at e., where my friends are concerned, 52; við færi er þá um at e., ef Kári er einn, there are fewer to deal with, to fight, if K. be alone, 254; við brögðótta áttu nú um, Fms. v. 263; ætla ek at oss mun léttara falla at e. um við Svein einn, iv. 80; Sveinn svarar, at þeir áttu við ofrefli um at e., that they had to deal with odds, 165.

β. almost as an auxiliary verb; e. skilt (skilit), to have stipulated; hafa gripina svá sem hann átti skill, Fms. vi. 160; þat átta ek skilit við þik, ii. 93; sem Hrani átti skilt, iv. 31; e. mælt, of oral agreement; sem vit áttum mælt með okkr, xi. 40; þá vil ek þat mælt e., 124: in mod. usage e. skilit means to deserve, eg á ekki þetta skilit af hér, etc.

γ. sometimes used much like geta; við því átti Búi eigi gert, B. could not guard against that, Fms. i. 117, cp. xi. 109:—also, e. bágt, to be in a strait, poor, sickly; e. heimilt, to have at one’s disposal, Eb. 254.

IV. to have to do; skal Þorleifr eigi ( not) e. at því at spotta, Eb. 224; e. hendr sínar at verja, to have to defend one’s own hands, to act in self-defence, Nj. 47; e. e-m varlaunað, to stand in debt to one, 181; e. um vandræði at halda, to be in a strait, Eb. 108; e. erindi, to have an errand to run, 250; en er þeir áttu um þetta at tala, when they had to talk, were talking, of this, Stj. 391; e. ríkis at gæta, to have the care of the kingdom, Nj. 126; en þó á ek hverki at telja við þik mægðir né frændsemi, i. e. I am no relation to thee, 213; ok ætti þeir við annan at deila fyrst, 111; e. mikið at vinna, to be much engaged, hard at work, 97; e. e-t eptir, to have left a thing undone, 56; e. för, ferð, to have a journey to take, 11, 12; hann átti þar fé at heimta, 261; e. eptir mikit at mæla, 88.

2. metaph. in the phrases, e. mikit (lítið) ‘at’ ser, or ‘undir’ sér, to have much (or little) in one’s power; margir menn, þeir er mikit þóttusk at sér e., Sturl. i. 64; far þú við marga menn, svá at þú eigir allt undir þér, go with many men, so that thou hast the whole matter in thy hands, Ld. 250; en ávalt átta ek nokkuð undir mér, Vígl. 33; kann vera at hann eigi mikit undir sér, Fas. i. 37; eigum heldr undir oss ( better keep it in our own hands), en ganga í greipar þeim mæðginum, Fs. 37; sem þeir, er ekki eigu undir sér, who are helpless and weak, Þorst. St. 55; e. þykisk hann nokkut undir sér, i. e. he bears himself very proudly, Grett. 122; þetta ráð vil ek undir sonum mínum e., I will leave the matter in my sons’ hands, Valla L. 202; e. líf sitt undir e-m, to have one’s life in another’s hands, Grett. 154; mun ek nú senda eptir mönnum, ok e. eigi undir ójöfnuði hans, and trust him not, 110: hence in mod. usage, e. undir e-u, to risk; eg þori ekki að e. undir því, I dare not risk it: e. saman, to have or own in common; the saying, það á ekki saman nema nafnið, it has nothing but the name in common; rautt gull ok bleikt gull á ekki saman nema nafn eitt, Fms. v. 346: the proverb, þeygi á saman gamalt og ungt, Úlf. 3. 44; e. skap saman, to agree well; kemr þú þér því vel við Hallgerði, at it eigit meir skap saman, you are quite of one mind, Nj. 66; eigi veit ek hvárt við eigum heill saman, I know not whether we shall have luck, i. e. whether we shall live happy, together, 3.

β. to deal with one another (sam-eign); er vér skulum svá miklu úgæfu saman e., that we are to have so much mischief between us, Nj. 201; e. e-t yfir höfði, to have a thing hanging over one’s head, Sks. 742.

V. to agree with, to fit, to suit one:

1. with acc., það á ekki við mig, it suits me not, it agrees not with me.

2. with dat., medic. to agree, heal, the sickness in dat., thus the proverb, margt á við mörgu, cp. ‘similia similibus curantur,’ Vidal. ii. 109.

3. absol. to apply to; at hann skyldi eigi trúa lágum manni rauðskeggjuðum, því at meistarinn átti þetta, the description suited to the master, Fms. xi. 433; þat muntu ætla, at ek muna e. hinn bleika uxann, that the dun ox means me, Vápn. 21.

B. REFLEX., in a reciprocal sense, in the phrase, eigask við, to deal with one another, chiefly to fight; en er þeir höfðu langa hríð við átzk, when they had fought a long time, Eb. 238, 74; eigask við deildir, to be engaged in strife, 246; áttusk þeir höggva-viðskipti við, they came to a close fight, Fms. i. 38; áttusk þeir fá högg við, áðr …, they had a short fight before …, Eg. 297; fátt áttusk þeir við Þjóstólfr ok Þorvaldr, Thostolf and Thorwald had little to do with one another, kept aloof from each other, Nj. 18; var nú kyrt þann dag, svá at þeir áttusk ekki við, tbat day passed quietly, so that they came not to a quarrel, 222.

β. to marry, vide above (A. I. 2).

(et, atta, attr), v.

1) to incite, egg (goad) on to fight, with dat.; etja hestum, to make horses fight; with acc., etja e-n til þolinmœði, to exhort one to patience;

2) etja hamingju, afli, við e-n, to match one’s luck, strength, with anolher’s; etja kappi við e-n, to contend in rivalry, vie with one; etja ráðum, hvárt …, to consider, if …; etja saman manndrápum, to incite two parties to manslaughter;

3) etja við e-t, to contend against; etja við aflsmun (liðsmun), to fight against odds;

4) to put forth; hann etr fram skallanum, he exposes his bare skull (to the blows);

5) to cause to be eaten; etja heyvi, heyjum, to feed cattle upon hay;

6) refl., etjast við e-n, to contend with one; ef menn etjast vitnum á, if men contend (plead) with witnesses.

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atti; pres. et; part. att; but etjað, Andr. 625. 73; [it means probably ‘to make bite,’ a causal of eta]:—to make fight, with dat., esp. etja hestum, of horse fights, a favourite sport of the ancients; for a graphic description of this fight see Bs. i. 633. Arons S. ch. 18, Glúm. ch. 18, Rd. ch. 12, Nj. ch. 58, 59, Vígl. ch. 7, N. G. L. ii. 126; vide hesta-þing, hesta-at, víg-hestr, etc.

2. gener. to goad on to fight; atta ek jöfrum en aldri sætta’k, Hbl. 24.

β. etja hamingju við e-n, to match one’s luck with another, Fms. iv. 147; e. kappi við e-n, to match one’s force against one, Ld. 64, Eg. 82; e. vandræðum við e-n, 458; e. saman manndrápum, to incite two parties to manslaughter, Anecd. 14: in a good sense, to exhort, ok etjað þá þolinmæði, Andr. l. c. (rare).

γ. ellipt., etja við e-t, to contend against; e. við aflamun, to fight against odds, Al. 110; e. við liðsmun, id., Fms. i. 42, ix. 39, Fs. 122; e. við ofrefli, id., Fms. iii. 9; e. við reiði e-s, Fb. i. 240.

3. to stretch forth, put forth; hann etr fram berum skallanum, he put forth his bare skull to meet the blows, Fms. xi. 132; (Icel. now use ota, að, in this sense.)

II. reflex., lét eigi sama at etjask við kennimenn gamla, said it was unseemly to hoot old clergymen, Sturl. i. 104; er ofstopi etsk í gegn ofstopa, if violence is put against violence, 655 xxi. 3.

2. recipr. to contend mutually; ef menn etjask vitnum á, if men contend ( plead) with witnesses, N. G. L. i. 247; ok ef þeir vilja andvitnum á etjask, Gþl. 298.

III. the phrase, ettja heyvi (spelt with tt), to fodder (cattle) upon hay, Grág. ii. 278, 340; ettja andvirki, to fodder upon a hayrick, Gþl. 357.

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a. glad, joyful; verða f. to rejoice; fegnari en frá megi segja, happy beyond description; with dat., Ingi konungr varð honum hinn fegnasti, king Ingi was delighted with his coming; illu f. ver þú aldrigi, never rejoice in mischief; taka við e-m fegins hendi, to receive one joyfully, with heart and hand; finnast á fegins degi, to meet on the day of joy, at the resurrection.

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adj. [fagna; A. S. fægen; Engl. fain; Hel. fagin], glad, joyful; verða feginn, to rejoice, Eg. 567; fegnari en frá megi segja, exceeding happy, Th. 9: with dat. to rejoice in a thing, Bs. i. 133; verða eyrindi feginn, to enjoy one’s errand, bring it to a happy end, Ísl. ii. 340; urðu menn þeim fegnir, people were fain to see them again, Nj. 47; ok er fegit orðit hjarta mitt tilkvámu þinni, 175; Ingi konungr varð honum hinn fegnasti, i. e. king Inge was fain at his coming, Fms. vii. 247; íllu feginn ver þú aldregi, never rejoice in mischief, Hm. 129; glaðr ertú nú Sigurðr, ok gagni feginn, rejoiced at thy victory, Fm. 25: with subj., feginn létsk þó Hjalli at hann fjör þægi, H. would fain save his life, Am. 59 (rare).

β. freq. with infin. or absol. and almost adverb, as in Engl., e. g. eg vil feginn gera það, I will fain do that; það vil eg feginn, or eg varð feginn að sleppa, I was fain to escape.

II. the phrases, á fegins-degi, on the day of joy, the day of resurrection, re-meeting, Fms. viii. 98, Sl. 82; taka fegins-hendi við e-u, to receive with glad hand, with heart and hand, Fms. iii. 98, Fb. i. 257, Nj. 106; á fegins-lúðri, on the mill of joy (poët.), Gs. 5.

COMPDS: feginsaga, feginsmorgun.

adj., often used in the description of the wise men of antiquity, such as Njál, Snorri:—‘fore-spaeing’ (Scot.), prophecying, Eb. 42, Nj. 30, Fms. iv. 24, 87, Eg. 20, Fs. 54; of Odin, Yngl. S. ch. 5.

a. n., only in the phrase, fylkja hamalt, to draw up in a wedge shaped column (= svínfylkja).

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n. adj., only in the old phrase, fylkja hamalt, synonymous with svínfylkja, to draw up a wedge-shaped column in the form of a hog’s snout; thus defined, hann hefir svínfylkt her sínum—Hverr man Hringi hafa kennt hamalt at fylkja? ( who has taught king Ring to draw up the phalanx of hamalt?) … Hringr hafði svínfylkt öllu liði sínu, þá þótti þó svá þykk fylkingin yfir at sjá, at rani var í brjósti, Ring had drawn all his troops up in a hog-shaped column, so that the ranks looked all the deeper for the snout-formed shape of the front, Fas. i. 380; hildingr fylkti hamalt, a paraphrase from hann fylkti liði sínu svá, at rani var framan á fylkingar-brjóstinu, Fms. xi. 304: used of a column of ships in a sea-fight, vi. 314 (in a verse), cp. also Skv. 2. 23, Fas. ii. 40 (in a verse); a description of the cuneiform column is given in Sks. 384; in Skjöld. S. its invention is attributed to Odin himself, and it was a favourite battle array with the men of old.

u, f. ‘house-farewell;’ at Icel. funerals of persons of note, a brief sermon is delivered at the home of the deceased when the body is removed from the house (see hefja A. 3); this sermon is called húskveðja, and a brief account is therein given of the life, character, family, pedigree, etc. of the deceased; when the ‘house-farewell’ is ended, the body is carried out of the house, the last verses of the 25th Passion hymn (En með því út var leiddr), and the following verses on John xix. 5, being sung; after which the coffin is carried to the church, which is sometimes a long way off. See a description of the funeral of an Icel. lady in Þjóðólfr, 17th Aug. 1869, p. 166.

(-s, -ar), m. game, play, sport;

láta (vinna) leikinn, to lose (win) the game;

á nýja leik, anew;

við illan leik, narrowly, with a narrow escape (þeir kómust þar yfir við illan leik);

hann segir þeim hvat leika (gen.), hvat í leikum er, he told them what the game was, what was the matter;

leikr er görr til e-s, a person is aimed at, is the mark of an attack;

gera leik til e-s, to mock one.

a. lay (lærðir ok leikir).

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m., dat. leiki is freq. in poetry and old prose, but mod. leik; plur. in old usage always leikar, even in late MSS. such as Fb. iii. 405; but in mod. usage leikir, acc. leiki: the phrase ‘á nýja leik’ seems to point to a lost feminine leik: [Ulf. laiks = χορός, Luke xv. 25; A. S. lâc; North. E. laik; O. H. G. leik; Dan. leg; Swed. lek]:—a game, play, sport, including athletics, Eg. 147, Edda 31–33, Fs. 60; ok eigi var sá leikr er nokkurr þyrfti við hann at keppa, Nj. 29; sjá skulum vér leika þína (not leiki), Fb. iii. 405; leika ok gleði, Fagrsk. ch. 26; slá leik, to set up a game (cp. slá danz), Sturl. ii. 190 (of a game of ball): of a dance, Bret. 42; hann hendi gaman at aflraunum ok leikum, … knattleikar vóru þá tiðir, Eg. 187; leikr var lagiðr á Hvítár-völlum allfjölmennr, 188; sveinninn var á leiki með öðrum ungmennum, Fms. i. 78; fara at (með) leik sínum, to roam about, Boll. 336, Fms. x. 159; hverir eiga hér leik svá újafnan? Nj. 125: of a ceremony, Fbr. 7: of capping verses, Bs. i. 237; cp. streng-leikr, a ‘string-play,’ lay.

2. metaph. a game, sport, Grett. 50 new Ed.; hann segir þeim um hvat leika (gen. pl.) var, he told them what the game was, Fb. i. 325, Fms. ii. 49; sagði hvat í leikum var, Sd. 152; tók leikrinn ekki at batna af þeirra hendi, Fms. vi. 212: the phrase, á nýja leik, anew, Íb. 10, N. G. L. i. 334, Sks. 234, Fms. ix. 274, 284, 370, 401, 409, 511, xi. 62; nýjan leik is a modernized form not found in good old vellums; eptir e-s leik, after one’s good pleasure, Stj. 148: the phrase, leikr er gjörr til e-s, a person is aimed at, is the mark of an attack; þvíat til hans var leikr görr, Ld. 152; göra sér leik til e-s, to act wantonly:—poët. phrase, Hildar leikr, Öðins leikr, sverða, járna leikr, etc., the play of Hilda, of Odin, of swords, of iron = battle, Lex. Poët.; the Freys leikr, the play of Frey, by Hornklofi, Fagrsk. 4 (in a verse), is by the older Grundtvig ingeniously identified with our Yule play, see the connection in which the word stands in the verse. The ancients used to assemble for athletic sports (leik-mót), and during that time they lived in booths or sheds (leik-skáli), even women used to be present as spectators, Eb. ch. 43, Lv. ch. 9, Gísl., Sturl. i. 23. ☞ An interesting description and account of modern games is given by Jón Ólafsson in his Collectanea towards an Icel. Dictionary, s. v. leikr (in the Additam. to the Arna-Magn. Collection in Copenhagen); thus, brúar-leikr, skolla-l., risa-l., húfu-l., felinga-l., and many others. leiks-lok, n. pl.; at leikslokum, finally.

(gen. -rs), m. salmon-spear.

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m., the r is radical, [Scot. leister; Ivar Aasen ljoster; Swed. ljustra; Scot. leister; cp. the description in Scott’s Guy Mannering]:—a salmon-spear, Pr. 454: metaph. in upp-ljóstr.

or Lög-berg, n. the Law-hill, rock of law, where the Icel. legislature was held, see Grág., Nj. passim, and Mr. Dasent’s Introduction to Burnt Njál, which contains a description and drawing of the place. Lögbergis-ganga, u, f. the procession (of the goðar) to the Law-rock, Grág. i. 26. Eg. 703, Fms. ii. 172.

u, f. an entry of all the ‘marks’ in a district using the same mountain pastures, see also the description in Piltr og Stúlka, as an illustration of Icelandic life; even the church had a mark, kirkja á mark, Vm. 29.

n. [Dan. nordlys], the northern lights, polar light, aurora borealis, in mod. usage only in plur.: an ancient description of the northern lights is given in the Sks. ch. 19 (by a Norwegian writer). From the words—eða þat er Grænlendingar kalla norðrljós, Sks. 74—it appears that the Icel. settlers of Greenland were the first who gave a name to this phenomenon; the author of the Sks. also describes the northern lights as they appeared in Greenland.