given+time

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1) speech, faculty of speech (þrøngdi svá sóttarfari konungs, at hann misti málsins);

þau hafa ekki mál, they are dumb;

2) language, tongue;

norrønt mál, the Norse tongue;

3) speech, speaking (hvárt er Flosi svá nær, at hann megi heyra mál mitt);

4) colloquy, talk, speech;

koma á mál (or at máli) við e-n, to come to talk with, speak to;

finna (hitta) e-n at máli, to obtain speech with;

krefja e-n máls, to ask an interview with;

leita mills við e-n (spyrja e-n máls, mæla mál of e-m), to broach a subject to one;

bera mál á e-t, hafa e-t á (or at) máli, to speak (talk) of (allir menn höfðu á máli, hversu fríðr maðr hann var);

lúka sínu máli, to end one’s speech;

þat er mál manna, at, people say that;

5) tale, story;

nú er þar til máls at taka, now it must be told;

6) saw, saying;

fornt (fornkveðit) mál er, at, it is an old saw that;

7) diction, construction of sentences;

8) sentence;

tvau mál, two sentences;

fullt mál, a full period;

9) suit, action, cause;

hefja mál á hendr e-m, to bring an action against one;

búa mál, to prepare a suit;

sœkja mál, to prosecute;

10) stipulation, agreement (ek vil halda mil við hann þan, sem mælt vóru);

lauss allra mála, free of all stipulations;

11) case, matter, affair (þetta mál var við Jórunni rœtt);

svá er mál með vexti, the matter stands thus;

var þat annat mál, another matter;

miðla mál, to mediate;

tillagagóðr inna stœrri mála, a good counsellor in great matters;

hafa sitt mál, to have one’s own way, have one’s will (honum eirir illa, of hann hefir eigi sitt mál);

hafa mikit til síns máls, to have much in support of one’s case;

e-t skiptir miklu (litlu) máli, it is of great (small) importance;

12) three months (mál ok misseri).

1) measure (fimm álna er hátt mál hans);

leggja, bera mál við e-t, to measure (hann lagði mál við öll in stœrstu tré);

2) time, high time (mál er upp at standa);

sagði, at þá var mið nótt ók at enn væri mál at sofa, and still time to sleep;

3) meal;

í eitt mál, at einu máli, for one single meal;

deila mat at málum, to deal out food at each meal.

n. inlaid ornaments (on the hilts and guards of swords).

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n., old pl. m́l, 673. 47, Greg.; [Ulf. maþl = ἀγορά; Hel. mahal = speech, meeting; Dan. maal; from the old Teut. maþl or mahal was formed the mid. Lat. mallum = parliament, public meeting (Du Cange), and mallum again was in Norman-French rendered by parliament.]

A. Speech, faculty of speech; mál heitir orð …, Edda 110; þau hafa ekki mál, they are dumb, Fms. i. 97, Fs. i. 250; þröngdi svá sóttar-fari konungs at hann misti málsins, x. 148; þeir hafa eigi manns rödd né mál, Rb. 348; þeir hafa gauð fyrir mál, 346; mál, heyrn, sjón, Edda 6.

II. speech as spoken, language, tongue; Norrænt mál, the Norse tongue, Fms. vii. 165; Gírskt mál, Greg. 75; í máli þeirra, til várs máls, in our tongue; í hverju máli, Skálda 161, 168; í vóru máli, 163, 166, 167, 169; í málinu, 165; kynnask várt mál at ráða þat er á Norrænu er ritað, Bs. i. 59; nema mál á Danska tungu, Grág.; rita at Norrænu máli, Hkr. (pref.); þeir skildu eigi hans mál, þá mælti kvinnan á Norrænu, Fs. 136.

2. speech, speaking; hvárt er Flosi svá nær at hann megi heyra mál mitt, Nj. 36, 200; ver eigi nær honum en mál nemi, Fms. iv. 28; en skáldskapr var honum svá tiltækr, at hann mælti af tungu fram sem annat mál, 374; engi var svá vitr at snjallara mál mundi fram bera, vii. 158; snjallr í máli ok talaðr vel. ix. 535; skilr þú nokkut hérmanna mál, Fas. ii. 512; en er hann lauk sínu máli, Ld. 106, 130, Íb. 12; ok fara svá öllu máli um sem hann hafi áðr ekki um mælt, Grág. i. 40; ef hann kveðr svá at ok hafði í máli sínu, ‘heilt ráð ok heimolt,’ en eigi ella, 317; kveðr jarl þings ok mælti þeim málum á þinginu at Hákon jarl skyldi heita vargr í véum, Fms. xi. 40; tína fyrir mér öll þau mál ok athæfi er hafa þarf fyrir konungi, Sks. 301.

3. speaking one to another, colloquy; vera á máli, to deliberate, converse, Vtkv., 1; hann kom opt á mál við konung, Eg. 106; engi þorði at krefja hann máls, 601; Þórdís gékk til máls við Egil frænda sinn, 765; þegar er þeir fundu menn at máli, Fms. i. 204; ef þeir vildu hafa hans mál, 241; síðan hættu þau málinu, Nj. 10; hann leitaði þá máls um við Ásgerði hverju þat gegndi, Eg. 703; ok spyrja hana máls hvar til þessi svör skulu koma, Hkr. i. 77; þat var karl ok kerling, mælti hann mál af þeim ok spurði, Fas. iii. 525; höfðu menn at máli (people noticed, of something extraordinary), at…, Fms. vii. 301; allir menn höfðu á máli, er Ólaf sá, hversu fríðr maðr hann var, Ld. 88; bera mikit mál á, Fms. x. 93; þat var mál manna, people said that; or, þat er mál manna, people say, Nj. 268, Eg. 29, Fms. vii. 150.

4. a tale, narrative; nú er þat til máls at taka (of resuming the narrative after an episode), to take up the story again, Ld. 314, Nj. 16, 29, 135, 148, 196; er fyrr var getið í þessu máli, Fms. xi. 41; þar hef ek upp þat mál, Eg. 735.

5. a saw; þat er fornt mál (‘tis an old saw), at bísna skal at betr verði, Fms. x. 261, Glúm. 344; á líti þeir mál in fornu, look to the old wise sayings, Sighvat (forn-mæli, q. v.)

6. gramm. diction, construction of sentences; mál ok hættir, Edda 49; ef þat mál ( figure of speech) er upp er tekit haldi of alla vísu-lengd, 123; breyta háttum með máli einu, to vary the verses with the sentences, Edda 124 (for specimens see lit. 9–23); tvau mál, two sentences; fullt mál, a full period; hér lýkr máli, lúka heilu máli, a sentence closes; annat ok þriðja vísu-orð er sér um mál, ok er þat stál kallat, of the intercalary sentences in poetry, Edda 125; þeir kölluðu at hann hafði eigi rétt ort at máli, Fms. v. 209; samhljóðendr megu ekki mál eðr atkvæði göra einir við sik, Skálda; hér er mál fullt í hverju vísu-orði, Edda; Skáldskapar-mál, poetical diction, id.; bragar-mál, id., 124.

7. mál is the name of old songs containing old saws or sentences, such as the Háva-mál; as also of poems in a dialogue (mál); all such poems were in a peculiar metre called mála-háttr, which is opposed to the epic kviðu-háttr, thus, Grímnis-mál, Vafþrúðnis-mál, Alvís-mál, Hamðis-mál, Hákonar-mál, Eiríks-mál; in some instances the name has been applied erroneously, e. g. Atla-mál; the Rígs-mál is a name given in modern times, the old name was Rígs-þula.

B. As a law phrase, with the notion of public speaking, action, or the like:

1. a suit, action, cause; hefja mál á hendr e-m, Fms. vii. 130; hafa mál á höndum, Grág. i. 38; sókn skal fyrr fara fram hvers máls en vörn, nema þat sé allt eitt, ok sé þat annars máls sókn er annars er vörn, 59; Njáll nefndi vátta ok sagði únýtt málit, Nj. 36; ekki á Bjarkeyjar-réttr á því máli at standa, Fms. vii. 130; þeir veittu Gizuri hvíta at hverju máli, Nj. 86; báru þeir kvið um mál Otkels, 87; færa mál fram at dómi, Grág, i. 135; sækja mál, to prosecute, Nj. 86, 99; sækja mál lögliga ok réttliga, Fms. vii. 133; Gunnarr sótti málit þar til er hann bauð til varna, Nj. 36; en um tólf mánuðr stendr þeirra mál, the case stands over for twelve months, Grág. i. 143; sækja mál á þingi, Nj. 36; færa vörn fyrir mál, 87; mál kemr í dóm, Glúm. 365; höfða mál, to institute a suit, Grág. i. 142; búa mál, to prepare a suit, of the preliminaries, Glúm. 365, passim; leggja mál undir e-n (as umpire), Nj. 105; hafa sitt mál, to get one’s verdict, win the suit, passim; vera borinn máli, to be cast, convicted, N. G. L. i. 122: to be beaten, get the worst, passim: vígs-mál, legorðs-mál, fé-mál, etc.

2. an indictment, charge;þá eru þeir varðir máli ef þeir fá þann bjargkvið, Grág. i. 54; ok versk hann þá málinu, 317; at upp skyldi vera rannsókn en þau ór málinu ef hann hittisk eigi þar, Ld. 44; ek vil svara því máli, I will answer that charge, Nj. 99; ok bað Sigurð Hranason svara þar málum fyrir sik, Fms. vii. 130; á hann kost at láta varða skóggang eða görtæki, ef hann vill til hins meira máls færa ok skal hann stefna ok láta varða skóggang, Grág. i. 430; hann spurði alla ena beztu menn, hvert mál þeim þætti Gunnarr eiga á þeim nöfnum fyrir fjörráðin, Nj. 105; leynd mál, hidden charges, Grág. i. 362.

3. procedure, order; at alþingis-máli réttu ok allsherjar-lögum, Nj. 87: pleading, enda er svá sem þeir mæli eigi þeim m́lum nema þeir vinni eiða at, Grág. ii. 342.

4. stipulation, agreement; mál meginlig, Vsp.; bregða máli, Grág. i. 148; ok skilja þeir eigi þat mál görr, en svá, 136; nema þau vili annat mál á göra, 336; en ek skal lauss allra mála ef hann kemr eigi svá út, Ísl. ii. 217; skulu þeirra manna mál standask, Grág. i. 296: engagement, ok vitja málanna fyrir hönd okkra beggja, Fms. xi. 104.

5. transactions; en hvert sem at þessum málum var setið lengr eða skemr, Ld. 22.

6. a case; lá ek þá í vöggu er þær skyldu tala um mitt mál, Fas. i. 340; mál hans stendr í miklum háska, Mar.; en þó skaltu svá um þitt mál hugsa, … at þá munt þú skamt eiga úlifat, Nj. 85; at hvárir-tveggju hafi nakkvat síns máls, Jb. 12; þat er mál Sigurðar konungs at mæla til Inga konungs, Fms. vii. 221; festi járnburð, at svá skyldi sanna mál hans, 230; honum eirir ílla ef hann hefir eigi sitt mál, Ísl. ii. 237; þá skal sá þeirra hafa sitt mál er eið vill at vinna, Grág. i. 393; Þórólfr bað Ölvi byrja mál sitt við konung, Eg. 62; at vit fáim rétt af þessu máli, 40; flytja mál sitt, Ld. 180; muntú mér verða at trúa til málanna þinna allra, Fms. xi. 104; allir er eiðsvarar erut við þetta mál, Nj. 192; eiga síðan allt mitt mál undir yðr fóstbræðrum, Fas. ii. 532; þetta mál var við Jórunni rætt, Ld. 22; þykki mér nú vandast málit, Nj. 4; svá er mál með vexti, the case is this, Lv. 43, Fas. iii. 59; var þat annat m., another affair, Nj. 256; ekki eru þau efni í um várt mál, Ld. 76; konungr átti dóm á þeirra máli, id.; ber hann upp fyrir bróður sinn málit, hann berr upp málit ok biðr Unnar, ok undra ek er þú ferr með því máli, Fas. i. 364; Austmaðrinn heldr nú á málinu við bónda Nj. 259; ef þér vilit göra málit at álitum, 3; svara þessu máli, Fms. vii. 124; miðla mál, to mediate, Íb. 12; inna stærri mála, in important cases, Nj. 2.

7. special phrases, e-t skiptir miklu, litlu … máli, to bear much or little upon a case, to be of great (small …) importance, Eg. 742, Ó. H. 31, passim: skiptir þá eigi máli, Grág. i. 43; varða máli, id.; ef honum þætti máli varða at hann næði því, Rd. 260: þú kvaddir þess kviðar er eigi átti máli at skipta um víg Auðúlfs, who had no concern with the slaying of A., Nj. 87.

C. COMPDS, máls- and mála-: máls-afglöpun, f. a false or collusive action, whereby the suit is lost, Grág. i. 494. máls-bót, f. an excuse, exculpation, Fms. vii. 207; esp. in plur., hafa sér e-ð til málsbóta, to use as an excuse. mála-efni, n. pl. a cause, its circumstances and nature, Nj. 47, Háv. 51; íll málaefni, a bad case, Fs. 41. 138, Ó. H. 150, Band. 12. máls-endi, a, m., see málsemd. máls-eyrendi, n. a discourse, Sturl. i. 140. mála-ferli, n. pl. lawsuits, litigation, Fs. 47, Eg. 644, Nj. 78, Sturl. i. 105, Fær. 109. mála-flutningr, m. the conduct of a suit, Hrafn. 17. mála-fylgjumaðr ( mála-fylgismaðr), m. a lawyer; mikill m., a great taker up of suits, Nj. 1, Bs. i. 82. máls-fylling, f. the conclusion of a case, Fb. iii. 451. máls-grein, f. a sentence, Skálda 174, 181, Bs. i. 753 ( a passage in a letter): a phrase, Stj. 79, Edda 49; partr málsgreinar = pars orationis, Skálda 180: diction, style, Edda 120. mála-háttr, m. [mál, háttr], a kind of metre, Edda 142, where a specimen is given. máls-hattr, m. a phrase, Stj. 67, 126: = málsgrein, Skálda 170: a proverb, saying, Fms. ii. 33, Fas. iii. 104, Stj. 133, passim. málshátta-safn, n. a collection of proverbs. mála-hlutr or máls-hlutr or -hluti, a, m. one side of a case or suit eiga enn þyngra málahlut, Ísl. ii. 172; þá ferr ílla m. várr ( our case), Lv. 95: a share, mun sá verða m. várr beztr, Nj. 88; nú kann vera, at ek kunna ekki at sjá málahlut til handa mér, en vilja munda ek halda sæmd minni, Sturl. i. 105. mála-kosta, u, f. a complaint, pleading in a case, Sturl. i. 613, H. E. i. 457. mála-leitan, f. a negotiation, the mooting a question, Eg. 521, Eb. 130, Fms. vii. 299, Orkn. 56. mála-lenging, f. useless prolongation. mála-lok, n. pl. the end of a case, conclusion, Eb. 106, Nj. 102, Bs. i. 68. mála-lyktir, f. pl. = málalok, Eb. 24, 36, Nj. 88, Fms. vii. 14. máls-löstr, m. bad grammar, Skálda 181. mála-maðr, m. = málafylgju-maðr, Dropl. 6, Ld. 298, Boll. 354. mála-mannligt, n. adj. like, worthy of a málamaðr, Bs. i. 751. máls-metandi, part., m. maðr, a person of mark. mála-mynd, f.; til málamyndar, only for appearance, not seriously. máls-orð, n. a word in a sentence, Edda 124, 126, 128. máls-partr, m. a part of speech, Skálda 185: a part in a suit, mod. máls-rödd, f. = málrómr, Stj. 81. mála-skil, n. pl. knowledge of proceeding. Sturl. iii. 10. mála-skot, n. an appeal in a case, K. Á. 218. mála-sóku, f. a lawsuit, prosecution, Nj. 248. máls-spell, n. a flaw in a suit, Nj. 170, Fms. x. 12. mála-sönnun, f. evidence, Mar. mála-tilbúningr or mála-tilbúnaðr, m. the preparation of a suit, Grág. i. 490, Eb. 282, Nj. 36, 100. mála-tilleitan, f. = málaleitan, Þórð. 67. mála-vöxtr, m. the state of a case, Fms. vi. 11, Al. 113, Bs. i. 67, Nj. 79. máls-þörf, f. a wish to speak, Fms. vi. 374.

n. [Ulf. mêl = χρόνος, καιρός; A. S. mâl; Engl. meal; Germ. mahl; Dan. and Swed. maal, mâl = a mark]:—a measure: hann mælti grundvöll undir húss, þat var þeirra átrúnaðr ef málit gengi saman, þá er optarr væri reynt, at þess manns ráð mundi saman ganga, ef mál-vöndrinn þyrri, en þróask ef hann vissi til mikilleiks, gékk nú málit saman ok var þrem sinnum reynt, Korm. 8; fimm álna er hátt mál hans, Fms. vi. 929; ganga undir mál, to undergo a mál (for measuring one’s height); þat sögðu menn at þeir hefði jafnmiklir menn verit, þá er þeir gengu undir mál, Ld. 178; leggja, bera mál við, to measure; hann lagði mál við öll in stærstu tré, 216; með því sama máli sem þér mælit út mun yðr verða aptr mælt, Mar.; bar hón mál á, ok þurfti þá þrjár álnar ok þver hönd, Bs. ii. 168; kunna maga mál, to know the measure of one’s stomach, Hm. 20.

2. a length of sixteen fathoms, D. N. (Fr.)

B. Temp. [Ulf. mêl = χρόνος, καιρός], a ‘meal,’ of time, i. e. a certain portion of time:

I. time, high time; skipverjum þótti mál ór hafi, Landn. 206: with infin., Vsp. 14, Hm. 111, Skm. 10, Bm. 1; mönnum væri mál at lýsa sökum sínum, Nj. 149; at mál væri at ganga at sofa, Fms. ii. 138; mælti biskup at mál væri at sofa, 139; sagði mál at ríða, Orkn. 48: adding a dat., mál er mér at ríða, Hkv. 2. 47: ok er mál at vit farim, Fær. 255; mál er at leita at hestum várum, Korm. 182; ok er allt mál at ættvíg þessi takisk af, Ld. 258; ok er nú mál at hætta, Fms. vi. 212: e-m er mál (of stools):—í mál, in due time; þóat í mál yrði borinn kviðrinn, Grág. i. 54.

2. the moment, nick of time (mál, q. v.); at hann var þar þá nótt, ok á því máli …, of an alibi, N. G. L. i. 309.

II. the meal-time, morning and evening, Edda 103; hence of cattle, missa máls, to miss the time, sheep lost or astray for a day so that they cannot be milked, Grág. ii. 230, 231; kvikfénaðr missir máls, Snót; hence málnyta. q. v.; deila mat at málum, to deal out meat at each meal, Grág. i. 149; í hvert mál, Hm. 36; í eitt mál, for one single ‘meal,’ Karl. 347, Grág. i. 293; fæða þá í tvau mál, ii. 400; í bæði mál (see i B, p. 317): at því máli = Germ. diesmahl, Korm. (in a verse); þat er ok mitt ráð þó þat sé at fyrra máli at menn snæði nokkut, Fb. ii. 676; þat vilda ek at þær æti at einu máli kýr Hálfdanar bróður míns, Ó. H. 64; ef ættak at málungi mat, if I had meat from meal to meal, Hm.

2. of the day marks; dag-mál = day-meal = 9 o’clock A. M.; and nátt-mál, night-time = 9 o’clock P. M.; í fyrra málið, to-morrow morning; eg skal koma í fyrra málið.

III. of the seasons of the year; í misseri eru mál tvau, í máli eru mánuðr þrír, Rb. 6; mál ok misseri, Hm.; sumar-mál, the time when summer sets in (middle of April), opp. to vetr-nætr, when winter sets in; hríð-mál. q. v.

COMPDS: málamatr, málamjólk, málsverðr.

n. [Ulf. mêl = γραφή and γράμμα; Hel. mâl = imago, effigies; cp. also Goth. maljan = γράφειν, whence mod. Germ. mahlerei, mahlen, = pingere]:—prop. ‘a drawing,’ but it is used in old writers only of inlaid ornaments on spear’s heads or on the hilts and guards of swords; görir Þorgrímr þar af spjót, mál vóru í, Gísl. 18; hann hafði króka-spjót í hendi haugtekit ok allgóð mál í, Ld. 78; spjót, þá fann hann blóð í málunum, Glúm. 344; stál bjartra mála, Korm. 1; gull-mál (q. v.), Þiðr. 110; stála-mál, inlaid work of steel, Ht. R. 33. For specimens of ‘mál’ see Worsaae, Nos. 325, 331; a plate with inlaid work on the outside and a Runic inscription on the inside was found in Oct. 1870 in the cairn Greenmount in Ireland, and is described by Major-General Lefroy.

COMPDS: málajárn, málasax, málaspjót, málasteinn.

(pl. hundruð), n. hundred; tírœtt h. = 100; tólfrœtt h. = 120; hundruðum, by (in) hundreds; as value, one hundred and twenty ells of the stuff wadmal; h. frítt, a hundred paid in cattle; tólf hundruð mórend, twelve hundred in dark-striped wadmal; hundrað silfrs, ? the silver value of 120 ells (= 20 ounces).

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n. pl. hundruð; the form hund- (q. v.) only occurs in a few old compd words: [Goth. hunda, pl.; A. S. hund; O. H. G. hunt; the extended form in Hel. and old Frank, hundered; Germ. hundert; Dan. hundrede; Swed. hundra; the inflexive syllable is prob. akin to - ræðr in átt-ræðr]:—a hundred; the Scandinavians of the heathen time (and perhaps also all Teutonic people) seem to have known only a duo-decimal hundred (= 12 × 10 or 120); at that time 100 was expressed by tíu-tíu, cp. Ulf. taihun-taihund = ten-teen; Pal Vídalín says,—hundrað tólfrætt er sannlega frá heiðni til vor komið, en hið tíræða er líkast að Norðrlönd hafi ekki vitað af fyrr en Kristni kom hér og með henni lærdómr þeirrar aldar, Skýr. s. v. Hundrað (fine): but with the introduction of Christianity came in the decimal hundred, the two being distinguished by adjectives,—tólfrætt hundrað = 120, and tírætt hundrað = 100. But still the old popular duodecimal system continued in almost all matters concerned with economical or civil life, in all law phrases, in trade, exchange, property, value, or the like, and the decimal only in ecclesiastical or scholastic matters (chronology, e. g. Íb. ch. 1, 10). At the same time the word in speech and writing was commonly used without any specification of tírætt or tólfrætt, for, as Pal Vídalín remarks, every one acquainted with the language knew which was meant in each case; even at the present time an Icel. farmer counts his flocks and a fisherman his share (hlutr) by the duodecimal system; and everybody knows that a herd or share of one hundred and a half means 120 + 60 = 180. In old writers the popular way of counting is now and then used even in chronology and in computation, e. g. when Ari Frode (Íb. ch. 4) states that the year consists of three hundred and four days (meaning 364); the census of franklins given by the same writer (where the phrase is hundruð heil = whole or full hundreds) is doubtless reckoned by duodecimal, not decimal hundreds, Íb. ch. 10; and in the census of priests and churches taken by bishop Paul (about A. D. 1200) ‘tíræð’ is expressively added, lest duodecimal hundreds should be understood, Bs. i. 136. The Landn. (at end) contains a statement (from Ari?) that Iceland continued pagan for about a hundred years, i. e. from about 874–997 A. D. In the preface to Ólafs S., Snorri states that two duodecimal hundreds (tvau hundruð tólfræð) elapsed from the first colonisation of Iceland before historical writing began (i. e. from about A. D. 874–1115): levies of ships and troops are in the laws and Sagas counted by duodecimal hundreds, e. g. the body-guard of king Olave consisted of a hundred hirð-men, sixty house-carles and sixty guests, in all ‘two hundred’ men, i. e. 240, Mork. 126; the sons of earl Strút-Harald had a hundred men, of whom eighty were billetted out and forty returned, Fms. xi. 88, 89; hálft hundrað, a half hundred = sixty, Mork. l. c.

2. a division of troops = 120; hundraðs-flokkr, Fms. vi. (in a verse).

II. in indef. sense, hundreds, a host, countless number, see hund-, as also in the adverb, phrase, hundruðum, by hundreds (indefinitely), Fms. vi. 407, Þiðr. 275, 524: in mod. usage as adjective and indecl., except the pl. in -uð, thus hundruð ásauðum, Dipl. iv. 10.

B. As value, a hundred, i. e. a hundred and twenty ells of the stuff wadmal, and then simply value to that amount (as a pound sterling in English). All property, real as well as personal, is even at present in Icel. taxed by hundreds; thus an estate is a ‘twenty, sixty, hundred’ estate; a franklin gives his tithable property as amounting to so and so many hundreds. As for the absolute value of a hundred, a few statements are sufficient, thus e. g. a milch cow, or six ewes with lambs, counts for a hundred, and a hundrað and a kúgildi (cow’s value) are equal: the charge for the alimentation of a pauper for twelve months was in the law (Jb. 165) fixed to four hundred and a half for a male person, but three hundred and a half for a female; cp. also the phrase, það er ekki hundrað í hættunni, there is no hundred at stake, no great risk! In olden times a double standard was used,—the wool or wadmal standard, called hundrað talið = a hundred by tale, i. e. a hundred and twenty ells as stated above, and a silver standard, called hundrað vegit, a hundred by weight, or hundrað silfrs, a hundred in silver, amounting to two marks and a half = twenty ounces = sixty örtugar; but how the name hundred came to be applied to it is not certain, unless half an örtug was taken as the unit. It is probable that originally both standards were identical, which is denoted by the phrase, sex álna eyrir, six ells to an ounce, or a hundred and twenty ells equal to twenty ounces (i. e. wadmal and silver at par); but according as the silver coinage was debased, the phrases varied between nine, ten, eleven, twelve ells to an ounce (N. G. L. i. 80, 81, 387, 390, passim), which denote bad silver; whereas the phrase ‘three ells to an ounce’ (þriggja álna eyrir, Sturl. i. 163, passim, or a hundred in wadmal equal to half a hundred in silver) must refer either to a double ell or to silver twice as pure: the passage in Grág. i. 500 is somewhat obscure, as also Rd. 233: the words vegin, silfrs, or talin are often added, but in most cases no specification is given, and the context must shew which of the two standards is there meant; the wool standard is the usual one, but in cases of weregild the silver standard seems always to be understood; thus a single weregild (the fine for a man’s life) was one hundred, Njála passim.

2. the phrases, hundrað frítt, a hundred paid in cattle, Finnb. 236; tólf hundruð mórend, twelve hundred in dark striped wadmal, Nj. 225; hundrað í búsgögnum ok í húsbúningi, Vm. 65; hundraðs-gripr, hestr, hross, kapall, hvíla, sæng, rekkja, psaltari, etc., a beast, a horse, a bed, etc., of a hundred’s value, Am. 2, 10, Vm. 25, 39, 60, 153, Jm. 3, 30; hundraðs-úmagi, a person whose maintenance costs a hundred, Vm. 156; hundraðs virði, a hundred’s value, 68. For references see the Sagas and laws passim, and for more information see Mr. Dasent’s Essay in Burnt Njal.

C. A hundred, a political division which in olden times was common to all Teut. nations, but is most freq. in old Swedish laws, where several hundreds made a hérað or shire; cp. the A. S. and Engl. hundred, Du Cange hundredum; old Germ. hunderti, see Grimm’s Rechts Alterthümer; the centum pagi of Caesar, Bell. Gall. iv. ch. 1, is probably the Roman writer’s misconception of the Teut. division of land into hundreds; this is also the case with Tacit. Germ. ch. 12: cp. the Swed. local names Fjaðrunda-land, Áttundaland, and Tíunda-land, qs. Fjaðr-hunda land, Átthunda land, Tíhunda land, i. e. a combination of four, eight, ten hundreds. The original meaning was probably a community of a hundred and twenty franklins or captains. This division is not found in Icel.

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1) even; jöfn tala, even number;

2) equal, the same; þínar (viz. ferðir) verða flestar jafnastar, thy doings are mostly the same, all equally bad; hann var ellefu vetra ok sterkr at jöfnum aldri, and strong for his age; jafn e-m, equal to one; jafnt er sem þér sýnist, af er fótrinn, it is just as it appears to thee, the leg is off; komast til jafns við e-n, hafa e-t til jafns við e-n, to equal one, be one’s match in a thing; at jöfnu, equally, in equal shares.

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adj., also spelt jamn, f. jöfn, neut. jafnt, often spelt as well as proncd. jamt; compar. jafnari, superl. jafnastr: [Ulf. ibns, Luke vi. 17; A. S. efen; Engl. and Dutch even; old Fr. ivin; O. H. G. eban; mod. Germ. eben; Dan. jevn; Swed. jemn; akin to Lat. aequus by interchange of palatal and labial, see Grimm’s Dict. s. v. eben]:—even, equal, but, like Lat. aequus, mostly in a metaph. sense, for sléttr (q. v.) answers to Lat. planus; often followed by a dat., jafn e-u, equal to a thing, in comparison:

I. equal, equal to; jöfn eyri (dat.) gulls, K. Þ. K. 72; jafn Guði, equal to God; jafn mér, passim.

2. equal, the same; enda er jöfn helgi hans meðan hann ferr svá með sér, Grág. i. 93; ella er jöfn sök við hann fram á leið, 322; at ek verða jafn drengr í hvert sinn, Sd. 188; þínar verða flestar jafnastar, thy acts are mostly the same, i. e. all bad, Fms. viii. 409.

3. fixed, unchanged; með jafnri leigu, jöfnum kaupum, jöfnum skildaga, Rétt. 2. 7, Stat. 264, Fb. ii. 137; hann var ellefu vetra eðr tíu, ok sterkr at jöfnum aldri, and strong for his age, Eg. 188, 592; eiga þeir jöfnum höndum (see hönd) allt þat er þeir taka, Grág. ii. 66.

4. even, even-tempered; jafn ok úmíslyndr, Mar.: of numbers, jöfn tala, even in tale, equal, opp. to odda-tala, Alg. 356.

II. neut. jafnt or jamt, almost adverbially, equally, just; jafnt utan sem innan, Grág. i. 392: as, just as, ok hafa eitt atferli báðar jamt, both together, both alike, Fms. xi. 137; jafnt er sem þér sýnisk (‘tis as it appears, indeed), af er fótrinn, Nj. 97; jafnt þrælar sem frjálsir menn, Fms. i. 113: jamt sem, just as, equally as; jafnt sem í fjórðungs-dómi, jamt skal eiga féránsdóm eptir fjörbaugs-mann sem eptir skógar-mann, Grág. i. 87; skal hann láta virða fé þat jamt sem úmaga-eyri, 189; menn skulu svá sakir hluta, jamt sem á alþingi, 122; jafnt hefir komit er þú spáðir, it has happened just as thou didst foretel, Niðrst. 8: ellipt., ok skal hann þá jamt (sem þeir) allri bót upp halda, Grág. ii. 182.

2. temp. at the same time, just; ek skíri þik, ok nefna barn, í nafni Föður, ok drepa barninu í vatn um sinn jafnt fram fyrir sik, and dip the bairn each time info the water, K. Þ. K. 10: just, precisely, in the very moment, þat var jamt Jóla-aptan sjálfan er þeir börðusk, Fms. xi. 15; jamt í því hann stakaði. 133.

3. adverb., at jöfnu, equally, in equal shares, Fms. xi. 131.

4. til jafns, vóru þeir engir at né eina íþrótt hefði til jafns við hann, Nj. 46; halda til jafns við e-n, Ld. 40; komask til jafns við e-n, Fb. i. 261.

B. COMPDS:

I. such a, so … a; Karvel jafn-frægum dreng, so fine a fellow as K., Karl. 103; er þat skömm jafn-mörgum mönnum, ‘tis a shame for so many men, Gísl. 51: with the particle sem, jafn-ungr sem hann var, young as he was, i. e. so young as he was for his age, Vápn. 5; vel hafi þér mínu máli komit, jafn-úvænt sem var, Þiðr. 136; kvað þat ekki hæfa á jafn-mikilli hátið sem ( in such a feast as) í hönd ferr, Fb. i. 376; at eigi skyldi Hugon keisari yfir þá stíga jafn-reiðr sem hann varð þeim, Karl. 478; undraðisk hón hversu fríðr ok fagr hann var jafn-gamall maðr ( for his age), Stj. 225; mikill maðr ertú þó Þórir, jafn-gamall, Ó. H. 176; Þórir Oddsson var sterkastr jafn-gamall, Gullþ. 4.

II. mod. phrases such as, það er jafngott fyrir hann, it serves him right; hann er jafngóðr fyrir því, it won’t hurt him; or honum er það jafn-gott, it will do him good, serve him right; vera jafn-nær, to be equally near, i. e. none the better; hann fór jafnnær, it was all of no use.

III. in countless COMPDS (esp. adjectives) with almost any participle or adverb, rarely with verbs and nouns, and denoting equal, as, the same, as seen from the context often followed by a dat., e. g. jafn-gamall e-m, of the same age as another person:—of these compds only some can be noticed: jafn-aldri, a, m. one of the same age, Fms. i. 13, vii. 199, Bs. i. 179, Eg. 25, 84. jafn-auðigr, adj. equally wealthy, Band. 2: equally happy, hann setr hund sinn jafnaudigan okkr undir borði, Bjarn. 27. jafn-auðsær, adj. as perspicuous, Eluc. 41. jafn-auðveldr, adj. as easy, Ld. 78. jafn-ágætr, adj. as good, as noble, Nj. 129. jafn-ákafr, adj. as impetuous, Fms. xi. 137. jafn-beinn, adj. as straight, Sturl. i. 196. jafn-berr, adj. equally bare, Fas. i. 67. jafn-bitinn, part. evenly bitten or grazed, of a field, Gþl. 407. jafn-bitr, jafn-beittr, adj. as sharp, keen. jafn-bjartr, adj. as bright, Nj. 208: neut., Sks. 69. jafn-bjóða, bauð; j. e-m, to be a match for one, Finnb. 260: to be equal to, contest on equal terms with one, Fms. ii. 27, vii. 22; gripr betri en þeim peningum jafnbjóði, 655 xxx. 10. jafn-blíðr, adj. equally mild, Fær. 154. jafn-borinn, part. of equal birth, Ld. 332, Fms. x. 79 (v. l.), Gþl. 133; j. til e-s, having equal birthright to, Fms. vii. 8, x. 407. jafn-brattr, adj. as steep. jafn-brátt, n. adj. as soon, at the same moment, Hom. 114. jafn-breiðr, adj. equally broad, Edda 28, Gþl. 355. jafn-búinn, part. equally ‘boun’ or armed, Fms. ii. 165: ready, prepared, Stj. jafn-deildr, part. equally shared, Hom. 148. jafn-digr, adj. as stout, Sturl. iii. 63. jafn-djúpr, adj. as deep. jafn-djúpvitr, adj. as deep-scheming, Orkn. 214, Hkr. iii. 95. jafn-drengilegr, adj. as gallant, Ísl. ii. 446. jafn-drjúgdeildr, part. going as far, of stores, Sturl. i. 166. jafn-drjúgr, adj. keeping as long, Sturl. i. 216, Rb. 18. jafn-dýrligr, adj. equally splendid, Bs. i. 454. jafn-dýrr, adj. as costly, glorious, of the same price, K. Þ. K. 28, Nj. 56, Grett. 104 A, N. G. L. i. 150, 348. jafn-dægri, n. (mod. jafndægr), the equinox, both dægr (q. v.) being equally long, Edda 103, Rb. 454, 456, 472, and passim: equal length, of day and night, Fb. i. 539; see eykt. jafn-dæmi, n. equal judgment, justice, Fms. vi. 431, Pr. 413. jafn-dæmr, adj. just, giving equal judgment, Rb. 364. jafn-einfaldr, adj. as simple, guileless, Hom. 50. jafn-fagr, adj. as fair, Nj. 112. jafn-fallegr, adj. as handsome. jafn-fastr, adj. equally firm, Grág. i. 7, K. Þ. K. 166: as adv., Fms. x. 270, Finnb. 338. jafn-fáir, adj. as few. jafn-feigr, adj. as fey. jafn-feitr, adj. as fat. jafn-fimlega, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as alert, Fms. ii. 273. jafn-fimr, adj. as alert, Fær. 272, Hkr. i. 291, v. l. jafn-fjær, adv. as far. jafn-fjölmennr, adj. with as many men, Nj. 222. jafn-flatt, n. adj.; fara j., to fare so ill, Fms. vi. 379; see flatr. jafn-fljótr, adj. as swift. jafn-fram, adv. equally forward, side by side: with dat., jafnfram skipi Rúts, Nj. 8: locally, of places, over against, (= gegnt and gagn-vart, q. v.); with dat., er hann kom jafnfram Borgund, Hkr. ii. 309; j. Eiðsvelli, Vermá, Fms. ix. 408; j. gagntaki konungs sonar, j. boðanum, vii. 170, ix. 387 (v. l.): as adv., standa jafnfram, to stand evenly, in a straight line; standa allir j. fyrir konungs borðinu, i. 16, Eg. 581, Nj. 140, Rb. 466, Sturl. iii. 244: temp. at the same moment, of two things happening together, Fms. vi. 24; þeir riðu til þings jafnfram Skeggja, Þórð. 18 new Ed.; hann ferr ávalt jafnfram í frásogn æfi Guðs-sonar, follows parallel in the story, 625. 83: in equal share, taka arf j., Gþl. 248; at the same time, also, hugsa þat j., at the same time consider, Stj. 156; jafnfram sem, jafnfram ok, as soon as, Karl. 158, Pr. 413. jafn-framarla, -framar, -liga, adv. as forward, as far, just as well, Ld. 254, Bs. i. 778. jafn-frammi, adv. = jafnframt, Sks. 364, Sturl. i. 32: temp., Fms. iii. 218. jafn-framt, adv. = jafnfram, Háv. 42: temp., Sturl. i. 1: along with, with dat., Pass. viii. 9: equally, in the same degree, Ld. 62. jafn-fríðr, adj. as fair, Fms. i. 8: as valuable, K. Þ. K. 172. jafn-frjáls, adj. equally free, Fas. iii. 8. jafn-frjálsliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as freely, as liberally, Hkr. i. 78. jafn-fróðr, adj. as wise, as knowing, Sks. 544. jafn-frægr, adj. as famous, Fas. i. 277. jafn-frækn, adj. equally gallant, Edda. jafn-fullr, adj. as full, Grág. i. 20, 68, Gþl. 477. jafn-fúinn, adj. equally rotten, jafn-fúss, adj. equally willing, Sturl. i. 190. jafn-færr, adj. as able, Nj. 97. jafn-fætis, adv. on equal footing; standa j. e-m, Sturl. ii. 134, Hkr. ii. 153. jafn-gamall, adj. of the same age, Ld. 108, Fms. i. 60, xi. 96. jafn-geði, n. evenness of temper, Sks. 435. jafn-gefinn, part. equally given to, Fas. i. 268. jafn-gegnt, adv. just opposite to, Sks. 63, Fms. ix. 463; see gegnt. jafn-girnd, f. and jafn-girni, f. fairness, equity, Sks. 273, 639, Hom. 17. jafn-gjarn, adj. as eager, Hom. 19: as equitable, Sks. 355, Hom. 135, Karl. 495. jafn-gjarna (- gjarnliga), adv. as willingly, as readily, Fms. iii. 45 (v. l.), ix. 508, Stj. jafn-glaðr, adj. as glad, as cheerful, Eb. 88: neut., mér er ekki jafnglatt sem áðr, Fas. i. 106. jafn-glöggt, n. adj. as clearly, Bs. i. 352. jafn-góðr, adj. equally good, as good, Nj. 18, Eg. 54, Gþl. 233, N. G. L. i. 347, Dipl. v. 16: unhurt, none the worse, see (II) above. jafn-góðviljaðr, adj. with equally good will, Stj. 629. jafn-grannr, adj. equally thin. jafn-grimmliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as fiercely, Th. jafn-grimmr, adj. as fierce, Sks. 79. jafn-grunnr, adj. as shallow. jafn-gæfr, adj. as meek, Rb. 397. jafn-göfigr, adj. as good, as famous, Sturl. iii. 11, Bs. i. 133. jafn-görla, adv. as clearly, Grág. i. 299, Fms. ii. 171, Fas. i. 271. jafn-hafðr, part. equally used, N. G. L. i. 249. jafn-hagliga, adv. as skilfully, Krók. 53. jafn-hagr, adj. as skilful in handiwork, Nj. 147. jafn-harðr, adj. as hard, as severe, Nj. 79: neut. jafn-hart, as fast, Fas. iii. 488: jafn-harðan, adv. instantly. jafn-harðsnúinn, part. as hard-twisted, as tight, Nj. 79. jafn-hár, adj. as high, as tall, as loud, Rb. 112, 474, Fas. ii. 79: of metre, see hár (I. 3), Fms. vi. 386, Skálda 182, 190: neut., Stj. 79. jafnhátta-góðr, adj. as well-mannered, Ld. 174. jafn-heilagr, adj. as holy, as inviolable, Sks. 674, Grág. i. 90. jafn-heill, adj. as hale, as whole, Eg. 425, v. l. jafn-heimoll, adj. equally open to use, Eg. 47, Ld. 70, Gþl. 214, 353: equally bound, 57. jafn-heimskr, adj. equally stupid, Fms. ii. 156, Sd. 178. jafn-heitr, adj. as hot, Sks. 540. jafn-hentr, adj. as well fitted, Sturl. i. 196. jafn-hlær, adj. equally snug, Rb. 440. jafn-hollr, adj. equally sincere, Orkn. 166. jafn-hógværliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as meekly, Krók. 36. jafn-hógværr, adj. as gentle. jafn-hraustr, adj. as valiant, Fms. ii. 356, Krók. 51. jafn-hryggr, adj. as distressed, Hkr. iii. 269. jafn-hugaðr, adj. even-tempered, Sks. 24: of one mind, 300: as daring. jafn-hvass, adj. as sharp, Ld. 306: blowing as hard. jafn-hvatr, adj. as bold, as quick, Sturl. i. 112, v. l. jafn-hvítr, adj. equally white. jafn-hæðiligr, adj. (-liga, adv.), as ridiculous, Fas. iii. 91. jafn-hægr, adj. equally easy, ready, meek, Fms. ii. 106, Fær. 69, Grág. i. 264, ii. 257. jafn-hættr, adj. as dangerous, Sks. 540. jafn-höfigr, adj. as heavy, Rb. 102, Edda 38. jafn-ílla, adv. as badly, Fms. viii. 140 (v. l.), Ísl. ii. 181. jafn-ílliligr, adj. (-liga, adv.) as ill-looking, Fas. ii. 207. jafn-íllr, adj. equally bad, Grág. ii. 145, Fas. ii. 513. jafn-kaldr, adj. as cold, Sks. 215. jafn-keypi, n. an equal bargain, Fs. 25. jafn-kominn, part. on even terms, Sks. 455: neut. an even match, jafnkomit er á með ykkr, ye are well-matched, Nj. 59; hann kvað jafnkomit með þeim fyrir aldrs sakir, Fms. iii. 76; jafnkomnir til erfðar, with equal title to, Grág. i. 304; jafnkomnir til fyrir ættar sakir, Fms. i. 220; jafnkomnir at frændsemi, Ísl. ii. 315. jafn-kosta, adj. well-matched, good enough, of wedlock, Stj. 204. jafn-kostgæfinn, adj. equally painstaking, Bs. i. 681. jafn-krappr, adj. as straight, narrow; í jafnkrappan stað, in such a strait, Ld. 168. jafn-kringr, adj. equally dexterous, Sks. 381. jafn-kristinn, adj. a fellow Christian, Jb. 92, Barl. 44. jafn-kunnigr, adj. as well known, Grett. 162 A: knowing as well. jafn-kunnr, adj. as well known, Hom. 90. jafn-kurteis, adj. as courteous, Sturl. i. 165. jafn-kyrr, adj. as quiet. jafn-kýta, t, with dat. = jafnyrða. jafn-kænn, adj. as ‘cunning,’ as well versed, Stj. 561. jafn-kærr, adj. as dear, as beloved, Fms. i. 215, xi. 319. jafn-langr, adj. as long, equally long, Fms. xi. 376, Gþl. 350, 355, Ísl. ii. 219, Grág. i. 406, Edda 138 ( of the same length): neut., en ef þær segja jafnlangt, if they say both the same, Grág. i. 7. jafn-lágr, adj. equally low. jafn-leiðr, adj. equally loathed, Fms. viii. 240. jafn-leiki, n. = jafnleikit. jafn-leikit, n. part. an equal game, Fms. xi. 131. jafn-lendi, n. a level, even piece of ground, Eg. 584. jafn-lengd, f. ‘even-length,’ the return to the same time in the next day, week, month, year, etc.: of a day, til jafnlengdar annars dags, Grág. ii. 16, Stj. 49; þann sama dag tók Gormr konungr sótt, ok andaðisk annan dag at jafnlengdinni, Fms. i. 119, Fas. ii. 30, 37: of a year, anniversary, skal eigi brullaup vera fyrr en at jafnlengd, Grág. i. 311; tíu aurar sé leigðir eyri til jafnlengdar (a year’s rent), 390; at jafnlengd it síðasta, 487; eigi síðarr en fyrir jafnlengd, Fms. xi. 397; halda hátíð at jafnlengdum, Greg. 13, Hom. 98; jafnlengdar-dagr, 129, Fms. v. 214, Dipl. v. 8; jafnlengdar hátíð, an anniversary, Greg. 13. jafn-lengi, adv. as long, Grág. i. 423, Fms. iii. 9, MS. 732. 7. jafn-léttmæltr, adj. equally easy, just as pleasant in one’s speech, Fms. vii. 227. jafn-léttr, adj. as light, as easy, Sturl. iii. 90: neut. (adverb.), Kjartani var ekki annat jafn-létthjalat, K. liked not to speak of anything so much, Ld. 214. jafn-léttvígr, adj. as ready in wielding arms, Sturl. iii. 90. jafn-liða, adj. with an equal number of men, Eb. 144. jafn-liga, adv. equally, fairly; sýnisk mér eigi j. á komit, Bs. i. 531, Vm. 169; skipta j., Fb. ii. 300: perpetually, all along, always, usually, Fms. i. 191, x. 88, 89, Dipl. v. 8, Rb. 348, 472, Stj. 77. jafn-ligr, adj. equal, fair, Hkr. ii. 149, Háv. 57, Eg. 488; er þat miklu jafnligra, a more equal match, Fms. vii. 115. jafn-líkligr, adj. as likely, Sturl. iii. 7, Lv. 77. jafn-líkr, adj. as like, Lv. 58, Fas. ii. 478: equal, alike, j. sem hornspónar efni, Bs. i. 59. jafn-lítill, adj. as little, Fas. iii. 487. jafn-ljóss, adj. as bright, Bret. 62. jafn-ljótr, adj. as ugly, Fms. iv. 175. jafn-ljúfr, adj. as willing. jafn-lygn, adj. as ‘loun,’ as calm, of the wind. jafn-lyndi, n., fem. in Mar. 848; evenness of temper, Stj., Fagrsk. 132, Bs. i. 141, Mar. passim. jafn-lyndr, adj. even-tempered, Fms. vi. 287, viii. 447 (v. l.) jafn-lýðskyldr, adj. equally bound, as liegemen, Sks. 270. jafn-lærðr, adj. as learned. jafn-magr, adj. equally meagre. jafn-maki, a, m. an equal, a match, Sks. 22, 255. jafn-mannvænn, adj. equally promising, Þorf. Karl. 382. jafn-margr, adj. as many, Nj. 104, Grág. ii. 210, 403, Fms. i. 152, ii. 34. jafn-máttugr, adj. as mighty, Fms. ii. 157, Eluc. 6. jafn-máttuligr, adj. equally possible, 655 xxii. B. jafn-menni, n. an equal, a match, Ld. 132, Ísl. ii. 358, Fms. vi. 345, vii. 103. jafn-menntr, adj. of equal rank, Hrafn. 10. jafn-merkiligr, adj. equally dignified, Bs. i. 148. jafn-mikill, adj. as great, Grág. ii. 264, 403, Fms. i. 1, Gþl. 363: equally big, tall, Fms. x. 202, Nj. 11: neut. as much, Fms. vii. 240, Skálda 168. jafn-mildr, adj. as mild, as gracious, Rb. 366. jafn-minnigr, adj. having as good a memory, Bs. i. 681. jafn-mjúkliga, adv. as meekly, as gently, Lv. 50. jafn-mjúkr, adj. equally soft. jafn-mjök, adv. as much, as strongly, Grág. ii. 140, Skálda 168. jafn-myrkr, adj. equally dark, Skálda 209. jafn-mæli, n. fair play, equality, Fb. i. 407, Fms. vi. 206, Grág. i. 88, 200, Ld. 258, H. E. i. 247, Karl. 99. jafn-naumr, adj. as close. jafn-náinn, adj.; j. at frændsemi, equally near akin, Grág. i. 171, ii. 67, Eb. 124, Ísl. ii. 315, (jafnan, Ed.) jafn-nær, mod. jafn-nærri, adv. equally near: loc., er Ólafs mark j. báðum, Fms. vii. 64, 268, Sks. 63, 216: as near, at honum væri úvarligt at láta jafnmarga heiðna menn vera j. sér, Fms. ii. 34: equally near (by birth), i. 123: metaph., eigi hefir honum jafnnærri gengit újafnaðr þeirra sem mér, Sturl. iii. 238: also jafn-nær, adj. equally nigh, not a whit the better, see (II) above. jafn-nætti, n. the equinox, 673. 54, Stj. 15. jafn-oki, a, m. = jafnmaki, an equal, a match for one, Sks. 22: a play-fellow, Stj. 497, Þiðr. 213. jafn-opt, adv. as often, Nj. 211, Rb. 566, Grág. i. 186. jafn-ótt, adj., neut. as adv., at the same, time, immediately. Pass. 20. 2: one after another, taka e-ð jafnótt og það kemr. jafn-rakkr, adj. as strong, as straight, Ld. 168. jafn-ramr, adj. as mighty, as great a wizard, Vþm. 2. jafn-rangr; adj. as wrong. jafn-ráðinn, part. equally determined, Grett. 149. jafn-reiðr, adj. equally angry, Háv. 52. jafn-rétti, n. an equal right. jafnréttis-maðr, m. a man with equal right, N. G. L. i. 31. jafn-réttr, adj. as right, as lawful, Edda 93, Grág. i. 18: of equal authority, Hkr. iii. 79. jafn-réttvíss, adj. equally just, Sks. 670. jafn-rífligr, adj. (-liga, adv.), as large, Lv. 75. jafn-ríkr, adj. as rich, equally mighty. jafn-rjóðr, adj. as ruddy, Hkr. i. 102. jafn-rúmr, adj. equally large, Bjarn. jafn-ræði, n. an equal match, Fms. ii. 22, Glúm. 350, Nj. 49, Gþl. 215. jafn-röskr, adj. as brisk, as quick, Fms. iii. 225, vi. 96. jafn-saman, adv.; fyrir þessa hugsan alla jafnsaman, all at once, all together, Fms. i. 185, Ld. 326, Ó. H. 46, Stj. 86, 121, Barl. 191. jafn-sannr, adj. equally true, 671. 1, Edda 19, Stj. 471. jafn-sárr, adj. as sore, as smarting, Mar. jafn-seinn, adj. as slow. jafn-sekr, adj. just as guilty, Grág. ii. 64, 89. jafn-síðis, adv. along with. jafn-síðr, adj. as long, of a garment (síðr), Stj. 563. jafn-sjúkr, adj. as sick, Fms. v. 324. jafn-skammr, adj. as short, Al. 129. jafn-skarpliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as briskly, Nj. 199, v. l. jafn-skarpr, adj. as sharp, as keen. jafn-skipti, n. equal, fair dealing. jafn-skiptiliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), equally, mutually, Stj. 159. jafn-skiptr, part. equally shared. jafn-skjótr, adj. as swift, Fms. vii. 169, Rb. 454:—jafn-skjótt, neut. as adv. immediately, at once, Eg. 87, 291, 492, Fms. ii. 10; jafnskjótt sem, as soon as, Nj. 5, Barl. 176, Karl. 409, 441. jafn-skygn, adj. as clear-sighted, 655 xiii. A, Bjarn. 59. jafn-skyldliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as dutifully, Ver. 3. jafn-skyldr, adj. equally bound or obliged, Grág. ii. 362, 403, Gþl. 70, 477, Fms. vii. 274. jafn-sköruliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), equally bold, Nj. 199. jafn-slétta, u, f. even, level ground. jafn-sléttr, adj. equally level, Stj. 79: as easily, Fas. ii. 48. jafn-slægr, adj. as cunning, Fær. 99. jafn-snarpr, adj. (-snarpligr, adj., -liga, adv.), as sharp, Fms. vi. 156. jafn-snarr, adj. as alert. jafn-snart, adj., neut. as adv., as soon, instantly, Fas. iii. 434, Matth. xxvii. 48. jafn-snauðr, adj. as poor. jafn-snemma, adv. at the very same moment, of a coincidence, Eg. 425, Nj. 253, Fms. vi. 221; allir j., all at once, ix. 506, xi. 368 ( both together); vóru þessir atburðir margir jafnsnemma, en sumir litlu fyrr eðr síðar, Hkr. ii. 368. jafn-snjallr, adj. equal, Glúm., Bjarn. (in a verse). jafn-spakr, adj. equally wise, Hm. 53. jafn-sparr, adj. as saving, as close, Grág. i. 197, 222. jafn-sterkr, adj. as strong, Fms. i. 43. jafn-stirðr, adj. as stiff. jafn-stórlátr, adj. as proud, Ld. 116. jafn-stórliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as proudly, Ölk. 34. jafn-stórr, adj. as big, as great. jafn-stórættaðr, adj. of equally high birth, Fms. iv. 26. jafn-stríðr, adj. as hard, severe, Sks. 639. jafn-stuttr, adj. equally short, brief. jafn-syndligr, adj. as sinful, Sks. 674. jafn-sætr, adj. as sweet, Fb. i. 539. jafn-sætti, n. an agreement on equal terms, Nj. 21, Sturl. iii 253, Fb. i. 126. jafn-tamr, adj. equally alert. jafn-tefli, n. an equal, drawn game, Vígl. 32. jafn-tengdr, part. in equal degrees of affinity, Grág. ii. 183. jafn-tíðhjalat, n. part. as much talked about, Nj. 100. jafn-tíðrætt, n. adj. = jafntíðhjalat, Nj. 100. jafn-tíguliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), equally lordly, Fms. x. 109. jafn-títt, n. adj. as often, as frequent, Niðrst. 10. jafn-torogætr, adj. as rarely to be got, choice, Bs. i. 143. jafn-torsótligr, adj. as hard to get at, Fms. x. 358. jafn-trauðr, adj. as unwilling. jafn-traustr, adj. as much to be trusted, Fms. vi. 244. jafn-trúr, jafn-tryggr, adj. as faithful. jafn-undarligr, adj. (-liga, adv.), as strange, Sks. 80. jafn-ungr, adj. as young, Fms. iii. 60, iv. 383. jafn-úbeint, n. adj. as far from the mark, of a bad shot, Fms. viii. 140. jafn-úfærr, adj. as unpassable, Sturl. iii. 163. jafn-úhefnisamr, adj. as tame, Rb. 366. jafn-úráðinn, part. as irresolute, Grett. 153. jafn-úspakr, adj. as unruly, Sturl. ii. 63. jafn-útlagr, adj. having to lay out the same fine, N. G. L. i. 158. jafn-vandhæfr, adj. as dangerous to keep, treat, Grág. i. 89. jafn-vandliga, adv. as carefully, Grág. ii. 249. jafn-varliga, adv. (-ligr, adj.), as warily, Fms. vii. 127. jafn-varmr, adj. as warm, Sks. 217. jafn-varr, adj. as well aware, as much on one’s guard, Dropl. 28. jafn-vaskliga, adv. as gallantly, Fms. vii. 127, Ld. 272. jafn-vaskligr, adj. as gallant. jafn-vaskr, adj. as bold, Str. 3. jafn-vátr, adj. equally wet. jafn-veginn, part. of full weight, Stj. 216. jafn-vegit, n. a law phrase, used when an equal number has been slain on both sides, in which case there were no further proceedings, Glúm. 383, Fas. ii. 208. jafn-vel, adv. as well, equally well, Nj. 48, Eg. 111, Gþl. 354: likewise, hafa fyrirgört fé ok friði ok jafnvel óðals-jörðum sínum, 142; en þenna eið skulu jafnvel biskupar ábyrgjask við Guð …, jafnvel sem ( as well as) hinir úlærðu, 57; jafnvel af sænum sem af landinu, Al. 2; ok jamvel sendir jarl þeim mönnum orð, sem …, Fms. xi. 120: even, dögföll um nætr jafnvel at heiðskírum veðrum, Stj. 17; jafnvel eptir þat er þau misgörðu, 40; jafnvel sýniliga, j. oss önduðum, 9, Bs. i. 549, Barl. 170, 176, Gísl. 83; this last sense is very freq. in mod. usage. jafn-velviljaðr, part. as well wishing, Sks. 312. jafn-vesall, adj. as wretched, Krók. 54. jafn-virði, n. equal wirth, Bs. i. 9, Al. 48. jafn-vægi, n. equal weight, equilibrium, Hkr. ii. 250, Fas. i. 121; bóandi ok húsfreyja j. sitt, i. e. both of them equally, N. G. L. i. 6. jafn-vægja, ð, to weigh the same as another, Fms. iii. 120. jafn-vægr, adj. of equal weight, Sks. 644. jafn-vænn, adj. equally fine, handsome, promising, Fms. x. 429, Sturl. iii. 67. jafn-vætta, t, to weigh against, counterbalance, Stj. 13, Þorst. Síðu H. 14. jafn-yrða, ð, with dat. to altercate, bandy words, Sturl. iii. 213. jafn-þarfr, adj. as useful, Arnor. jafn-þéttr, adj. pressed as closely together. jafn-þjófgefinn, adj. as thievish. jafn-þolinmóðr, adj. as patient, Rb. 366. jafn-þolinn, adj. as enduring. jafn-þreyttr, part. as weary. jafn-þrifinn, adj. as cleanly. jafn-þröngr, adj. as tight. jafn-þungr, adj. as heavy, pressing, Fms. v. 264, Stj. 278. jafn-þurr, adj. equally dry. jafn-þykkr, adj. as thick, Hkr. iii. 159. jafn-þyrstr, part. as thirsty. jafn-æfr, adj. as impetuous. jafn-æstr, part. equally excited, Band. 34 new Ed. jafn-örr, adj. as eager, as liberal. jafn-öruggr, adj. as firm, steadfast.

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(gef; gaf, gáfum; gefinn), v.

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

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

gefa e-m ráð, to give one advice;

gefa hljóð, to give a hearing;

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

gefa slög, to deal blows;

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

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

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

ef fœri gefr á, if you get a chance;

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

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

2) to give, grant;

gefa heimleyfi, to grant furlough;

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

gefa e-m líf, to grant one his life;

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

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

5) gefa staðar, to stop;

lét hann þá staðar gefa róðrinn, he stopped rowing;

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

7) with preps.:

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

gefa á e-t, to pour water on;

fig. to press on (gefr Ormr þá á);

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

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

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

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

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

gefa sik upp, to surrender;

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

gefa upp leiguna, to remit the rent;

gefa upp sakir, to remit offences;

upp gefinn, exhausted;

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

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

8) refl., gefast.

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* * *

(er; var, várum or vórum; verit), v.

1) to be, exist; þeir menn vóru, er, there were men who;

2) to be, happen; þat var, at hón fór brott, so it was that she went away; en er váraði, var þar búskortr, there was scarcity in the household; hvat er henni, what is the matter with her! þat var einn dag, at, it happened one day that; kann (má) v., at, it is possible, it may be that;

3) to last; meðan þingit væri, while the Thing lasted;

4) láta e-n v., to leave one alone (lát mik v. ok ger mér ekki illt); bað hann láta v., begged him to leave it undone, not to do it;

5) to dwell, stay; hann bað hana vera í búð sinni, he asked her to stay in his booth; hann var á Höskuldsstöðum um nótt, he passed a night at H.;

6) with infin., hlymr var at heyra, a clattering was to be heard; þar var at sjá, there was to be seen; v. at gera e-t, to be doing a thing; kvað hann v. at telja silfr, said he was counting the money; denoting necessity, a thing about to happen, or to be done; nú er þeim út at ganga öllum, er leyft er, now all those must go out to whom leave is given; er nú eigi Kára at varast, now there is no need to beware of K.; nú er þar til máls at taka, at, now it is to be told that; nú er at segja frá Skamkatli, now we must tell of S.;

7) with a predicate (noun, a., or adv.); v. konungr, Jarl, biskup, to be king, earl, bishop; v. glaðr, sæll, hryggr, ungr, gamall, to be glad, happy, sad, young, old; v. vel, illa til e-s, to be well, ill-disposed towards one; þat er illa, it is sad; vera spakliga í heraði, to behave gently; orð kvað þá Vingi þats án veri, words which he had better not have said;

8) impers., e-m er varmt, heitt, kalt, one is warm, cold;

9) with past participles in passive sense; v. kallaðr, sagðr, tekinn, to be called, said, taken;

10) with preps., v. af e-u, to be off, out of (v. af klæðum); v. at e-u, to be busy at; verkmenn váru at arningu, they were ploughing; to be present (þar varstu at); ek var at ok vafk, I was about weaving; þeir höfðu verit at þrjú sumur, they had been busy at it for three summers; v. eptir, to be left, remain (A. kvazt vilja v. eptir ok hvílast); v. fyrir, to lead ( see fyrir); v. til, to exist; v. um, undir, see um, undir.

1) stay, sojourn; ef hann á sér í vá veru, if he has a corner to stay in;

2) comfort (slíkt er válaðs v.).

* * *

older form vesa, the verb substantive; pres. em, ert, er, pl. erum, eruð, eru: pret. var, vart (mod. varst), var, pl. váru or vóru; a obsolete óru occurs, Sæm. (once), Orkn. 426. l. 11, Nj. 81, Thom. 28, 90, 102, 116, 150, 196, Ísl. ii. 482: pres. subj. sé, sér (Vþm. 4, 7), sé; the older form is sjá, en ek sjá, Clem. 138. l. 14; at ek sjá, … ok sé mér eigi reiðr, 145, Fms. viii. 299, x. 384, xi. 124, Eg. 127; for the forms sják, sjákk, see below: the mod. forms are sé, sért, sér (eg sé, þú sért; s ert and ert make a rhyme in Pass. 34. 5): imperat. ver, vertú; see Gramm. p. xxiii: there also occurs a subj. pres. verir, veri, Sdm. 22, Ls. 54; þatz án veri, Am. 36; skósmiðr þú verir, Hm. 126, but rarely.

A. CHANGES AND FORMS.—Vera is an anomalous verb, which has undergone several changes:

I. by changing s to r; of the older form there occur, the infin. vesa, pres. es, pret. vas, vast (vastu), vas; pres. subj. vesi; imperat. ves, MS. 623. 25. l. 14, 645. 6l. l. 33, 677. 40. l. 38; vestu, 623. 25, Post. (Unger) 129. l. 27, 229. l. 12; vesum, Hom. (Arna-Magn. 237) p. 214. l. 8; pres. indic. 2nd pers. est, Glúm. 372; 3rd pers. es: but no traces remain of the older form in pret. plur. indic. and subj. (váru væri, never vásu væsi). Rhymes in poets and the spelling of the oldest extant poems shew that the s form alone existed in Icel. down to about the end of the 12th century, the time of Snorri Sturluson, when the modern forms crept in probably from Norway, for there the change seems to have taken place a century or so earlier; the old Norse vellums (written in Norway or by Norsemen) are distinguished from the Icel. by their constant use of the r: the phrase ‘at upp vesandi sólu’, in N. G. L. i. 4, being the only instance of the s form in all the Norse vellums. The earliest instances extant of a rhyme to the r form are, the Ht. of Rögnvald, earl of the Orkneys; he was a native of Norway, born about A. D. 1100, and the poem was composed about A. D. 1145; another instance is ‘vara, fara’ in Fms. vii. 185, in a poem about A. D. 1140, written by an Icelander who had lived in Norway the greater part of his life, the rhyme is therefore a Norwegianism. The first instance in an Icel. poem is in the Ht. of Snorri, A. D. 1222. Instances from poets, Hallfred, Sighvat, Arnórr, and coeval poets; vesa, vísi; sás með Sygna ræsi; þági vas sem þessum; vask til Róms í háska; vastu, kosta; vas fyrir Mikkjals- messu; nú es um verk þau er vísi; bráskat þat dægr háski: from A. D. 1100–1150, Geisli, Pd., etc., svás, ræsir; esat, risnu; vasa, tysvar; vestu. freistni; vestu, traustla: on the other hand, in the poem of earl Rögvald, vera, skera; gera, vera; var, skar (twice): from later Icel. poems it is sufficient to note, erðu, fyrðum; ertú, h jarta; verðú, f orðast, Leiðarv. etc. This may sometimes serve as a test, e. g. var ek nær viðr-eign þ eirra, Grett., and skap-kers saman vera, Gísl., are impossible in the mouth of poets of the early Saga time; the verses of both these Sagas are a later composition.

2. as to the spelling of the MSS.,—the oldest (the Arna-Magn. 677, the Eluc. 674, the Íb. etc.) use the s throughout: vellums of the next period, about A. D. 1200 (e. g. Arna-Magn. 623 and 645), use the later form sparingly, even the second hand in the Reykholts máldagi gives ‘es,’ not ‘er.’ Again, in the vellums of the middle of the 13th century, such as the Cod. Reg. of the Sæm., the Grág., and the Mork., the mod. spelling has entirely got the better of the old, and an ‘es’ only creeps in, as if unawares, from an older copy. Of the poetical literature, the Pd. alone has been preserved in a copy old enough to retain the s; all the rest have the modernised spelling, even in the rhymed syllables quoted above; such too is the case with the Cod. Reg. of the Sæm. Edda; but had that vellum been but fifty or sixty years older, the forms vesa, es, vas, etc. would now be the established spelling in Editions of these poems.

3. on Danish and Swedish Runic stones, the 3rd pers. pret. sing. is a word of frequent occurrence; the best Danish monuments have vas, e. g. ias vas farinn vestr, Thorsen 93 and 101 (on a stone of the reign of Sweyn, died A. D. 1014). In Sweden the great majority present the later form: the so-called Ingvar stones are chronologically certain, being of the middle of the 11th century (Ingvar died A. D. 1039); there we read, ‘vas’ (twice), ‘varinn’ (once), ‘var’ (thrice, being twice spelt with ᛦ, once with ᚱ): this shews that about this time in Sweden the later or more modern form had begun to be used, but that the old was still remembered.

II. suffixed personal pronoun or suffixed negation; em’k (tautologically ek em’k = I-am-I), emk, Ad. 1, Vþm. 8, Fms. xi. 91; ek emk, Mork. 89. l. 13, 104. l. 23, Clem. 136. l. 20, 138. l. 13; vask, I was, 133. l. 25, Mork. 89. l. 16; vark, Post. 225, v. l. 15; ek vark, Ls. 35; vestu, be thou, Clem. 129. l. 27; es þú, art thou, l. 30, 130. l. 11; sjá’k ( may I be), ek sják, Mork. 134; at sják, 189. l. 29; ek sják, Hbl. 9, Hkv. 1. 20; at ek gjarn sják, Stor.; with double kk, þó at ek sjákk, Mork. 89.

2. a medial form, erumk, erumz, or apocopated erum, Stor. 1, Ad. 16, Hkv. 1. 25, Korm. ch. 5. 2, Ls. 35, Bragi (see senna); leið erum-k fjöll, Edda (in a verse); várumk, were to me, Am. 78.

3. suff. neg. eru-mk-a, it is not to me, Stor. 17, Eg. (in a verse); emkat-ek, am I not I, i. e. I am not, Hbl. 34, Skm. 18, Ó. H. 192 (in a verse): er-at, es-at, or er-a, es-a, is not, passim; eru-ð, are not, Skv. 1. 42; ert-attu, thou art not, Vtkv.; vart-attu, thou wast not, Gs., Eg. (in a verse); veri-a, be not, Mork. 37. l. 8.

4. sá’s = sá es, that is, Hallfred (Fs. 95); svá’s = svá es, so is, Fms. vii. (in a verse).

III. the plur. eru when suffixed to words ending in r drops the initial e, and is suffixed; this spelling, which agrees with mod. Icel. pronunciation, was afterwards disused; þeir-ro, they are, Gm. 34; margir-ro, many are, Hkv. 2. 11; Æsir-ro, the Ases are, Vsp. 49; skildir-ro, shields are, 44; torogætir-ro, rare are, Korm. (in a verse); hverjar-ro, which are, Vþm. 48; langir-ro, long are, Gg.; tveir-ro, þrír-ro, fjórir-ro, two, three, four are, Edda 108; báðir-ro, both are, Mork. 169; hér-ro, here are, 234; þér-ro, ye are, MS. 686 B. 1; hryggvir-ro, id.; hver-ro, who are, Mork. 96; úvar-ro, wroth are, Gm. 53; værrom, vérrom, we are, Edda i. 526, Fms. x. 421; hverrtu [cp. North. E. wh’art’ou, lad] (hverrtú karl, who art thou, carle?), Frissb. 256. l. 8; ir-rot, ye are, Ó. H. 151.

IV. the pres. 1st pers. em [Engl. am] has changed into er (eg er, þú ert, hann er), making the 1st and 3rd pers. uniform; this new form appears in vellums about the end of the 13th century, but the word being usually abbreviated (ē = em, eͬ = er), it is often hard to distinguish. In the Icel. N. T. and in hymns the old ‘em’ still remains in solemn language, em eg, Matth. xxvii. 24; eigi em eg, John xviii. 17; eg em hann, 5, 8, xi. 25, xv. 1, 5, Matth. xiv. 27; em eg eigi postuli, em eg eigi frjáls, 1 Cor. ix. 1; em eg orðinn, 20, 22, and passim.

B. USAGE.—To be:

I. to be, exist; þær sakir skal fyrst dæma, ef þær eru, if such there are, Grág. (Kb.) i. 73; eigi vóru hans jafningjar, Eg. 1; Rachel grét sonu sína, … þvi at þeir eru eigi, Hom. 49; þeir menn vóru, er þess gátu, there were men who, Nj. 90.

2. to be, happen; þat var, at hón for brott, Nj. 51; él eitt mun vera, 198; þess sem vera vill, that which is to be, 186; ok er (is) Vagn þá fimtán vetra gamall, er þetta er, when this came to pass, Fms. xi. 97; at þessi orrosta hafi verit á öðrum degi viku, iii. 11; í þann tið var úfriðr Kristnum mönnum, Ver. 43; hvat er henni, what is the matter with her? Fms. ii. 290; hvat er þér, Atli? er þér hryggt í hug, Gkv. 3.

3. to last; meðan þingit væri, Nj. 12; hirðit eigi at óttask píslir þeirra—þvíat stund eina eru, 623. 32; meðan líf hans var, Bret. 100; þykkir eigi vera mega svá búit, Fms. xi. 62: to remain, leave alone, láttu það vera, let that be, Flóv.

4. to be, dwell, stay, sojourn; vask til Róms, I was at Rome, Sighvat; hann bað hana vera í búð sinni, Nj. 12; Gunnarr var á Höskuld-stöðum um nótt, passed a night there, 34, N. G. L. i. 347: so the phrase, biðja að lofa sér að vera, to ask for night-quarters, of a stranger or traveller; lofa honum að vera, to take a stranger in; honum var boðit at vera, Vápn. 23; hefi ek hér verit síðan, Nj. 45; Hallkell var þar með Otkatli, 73; þeir vildu eigi vesa hér við heiðna menn, Íb. 4; vera samvistum við e-n, Grág. ii. 80; vera við e-t, to be present at, Hom. 129: vera at, to be present; vark at þar, Glúm.: vera brottu, to be away, absent, Nj. 113; meðan ek em í brautu, 52: sagðisk eigi vita hvar þau væri, were to be found, Dipl. ii. 20; hvar ertu? slá ein var um þvert skipit, Nj. 44; hygg ek at þar hafi verit Bolli, Ld. 274; er þér hér nú minja-griprinn, Nj. 203: as with the notion of ‘towards’ a place, an irregular construction, vartú á land upp, Fas. ii. 174; meðan þeir vóru til Danmerkr, Fms. x. 104; Ribbungar höfðu ekki verit út í landit, ix. 359; verit eigi til orrostu, vii. 263, v. l.; vera á fund hans, Eg. 26.

5. with prepp.; vera at, to be busy at (see ‘at’ A. II, p. 26, col. 2): vera fyrir, to lead (see fyrir): vera til, to exist (see til IV); eiga fjölskyldi, vandræði, um at vera, to be in straits (see um C. VII); e-m er mikit, lítið, ekki um e-t (see um C. I. 3); vera við (see við B. VIII).

II. with a predicate:

1. with a noun, to be so and so; vera bróðir, systir, faðir, sonr, dóttir … e-s, vera konungr, jarl, biskup …, passim; hvers son ertú?—Ek emk Kattarson, Mork. 104; ek skal þer Mörðr vera, Nj. 15: followed by a gen. ellípt., er þat ekki karla, that is not men’s (affair), 75; er þat ekki margra, ‘that is not for many,’ few are equal to that (cp. Lat. ‘non cuivis homini,’ etc.), 48.

2. with adjectives, to be so and so, of a state or condition; vera kunnigr, Fms. x. 370; vera glaðr, sæll, hryggr, dauðr, lifandi, … ungr, gamall, to be glad …, young, old, passim; þó at ek sjákk ótignari, Mork. 89; nema ek dauðr sják, Hbl. 9; þótt ek sják einn, Mork. 134; vera kominn, to be come: so too with adverbs, vera vel, ílla … til e-s, er við e-n, to be, behave well, ill … to one, passim; or also, þat er ílla, it is sad, Nj. 70, 71; ílla er þá, fyrr væri ílla, 75, 260; drengr góðr, þar sem vel skyldi vera, when it was to be, i. e. when she wished, 147; vera spakliga í heraði, to behave gently, Sturl. iii. 143; at þú frændr þína vammalaust verir, to behave blamelessly, Sdm. 22; orð kvað hann þats án veri, words which he had better not have said, Am. 36.

3. impers., e-t er skylt, it is incumbent, Grág.; e-m er varmt, heitt, kalt, one is warm, cold, Nj. 95; er auðit, q. v.

4. with participles, in a passive sense; vera kallaðr, vera sagðr, tekinn, elskaðr, etc., to be called, said, taken, loved.

5. with infin.; hlymr var at heyra, was to hear, i. e. to be heard, Am.; þar var at sjá, there was to be seen, passim.

6. ellipt., dropping a noun or the like, denoting futurity, necessity, a thing at hand, about to happen, or to be done; ok er hér at þiggja, Hrafn, þann greiða sem þú vill, and it is now for thee, Rafn, to partake of what food thou wilt, Ísl. ii. 262; nú er þeim út at ganga öllum, er leyft er, now it is for them to go out, Nj. 200; nú er at verja sik, 83; er nú eigi Kára at varask, now there is no need to beware of K., 259; nú er at segja frá, now is to be told, 75, 259; er nú ekki fyrr frá at segja en þeir koma …, 21; er ekki um hans ferðir at tala fyrr en …, 215.

III. irregular usages:

1. ellipse of the infin. vera; ek skal þér Hrútr, I will [be] Hrútr to thee, Nj. 15; Gunnarr segir sér þat alvöru, G. says it [ is to be] his earnestness, 49; vil ek þá lauss máls þessa, 76; bað hann alla metta at miðri nótt, he begged all eating [ to be over] at midnight, Fms. ix. 353; þá þótti hverjum gott þar sem sat, Nj. 50; at skamt skyli okkar í meðal, 114; mun þín skömm lengi uppi, mun hans vörn uppi meðan landit er bygt, 116, 117: or also ‘var,’ ‘er’ may be understood, hann hafði hjálm á höfði, og gyrðr sverði, 70; sá ek glöggt hvat títt var,—barn at aldri, en vegit slíka hetju, a bairn in age, and to have slain such a champion! Glúm. 382: the dropping of the infin. vera is esp. freq. after the reflex. forms kveðsk, segjask, látask, þykkjask, virðask, sýnask when followed by a part. pret. or by an adjective, as also after the verbs munu, skulu,—thus, hann sagðisk kominn, he said he was come; hann lezt búinn, he made as if he was ready; hann þóttisk staddr, he thought that he was …; skal þat á þínu umdæmi, Fms. xi. 89; þess eins er mér þykkir betr, … til hvers þykkjast þessir menn færir, Hrafn. 17; mun þat harðla lítið, 21; at fátt muni manna á fótum, 20; þú virðisk okkr vaskr maðr, 23; þessi hestr sýnisk mér eigi betri en aðrir, id.

2. an irregularity, occurring now and then, is the use of the sing. ‘er’ for plur. eru; mannföll þessi er sögð, Gullþ. 71; nú er fram komin sóknar-gögn, Nj. 242.

IV. recipr., erusk, vórusk; viðr-gefendr ok endr-gefendr erosk lengst vinir, Hm. 40; þeir er í nánd erusk, those who are neighbours, 655 xxi. 3; þótt þau sésk eigi hjóna, though they be not man and wife, K. Þ. K. 158; ok városk góðir vinir, were good friends, Fms. xi. 39, 89; ok várusk þeir fóstbræðr, 55.

V. as to the poët. medial form, erumk, várumk (see ek C), the following instances are from the poems of Egil: grimmt várumk hlið, the breach was cruel to me, Stor.; erumk-a leitt, it is not to me, Eg. (in a verse); erumka þokkt þjóða sinni, see sinni II; mærðar-efni erumk auð-skæf, Ad.; mjök erum(k) tregt tungu at hræra, it is hard for me to move the tongue, Stor. 1; (hence one might correct the end verse of that poem into nú ‘erumk’ torvelt, for the modernised nú ‘er mér’ torvelt); blautr erumk bergi-fótar borr, Eg. (at the end); to which add, þat erumk sennt, it is told us, Bragi; lyst várumk þess, I had a longing to, Am. 74; ván erumk, ‘a hope is to me,’ I hope, Fagrsk. 122; the phrase, títt erumk, ‘tis ready to me, Eb. (in a verse).

VI. part., allir menn verandi ok eptir komandi, Dipl. i. 3; æ-verandi, everlasting, Hom. 107; hjá-verandi, being present, Vm. 47; nær-verandis, present; engi nær-verandis maðr, öllum lýð nær-verandis, Th. 77; klerkar ok nær-verandi leikmenn, Mar.; at upp-vesandi sólu, at sunrise, N. G. L. i. 4; verandi eigi úminnigr, being not unmindful, Fms. v. 230.

1) with dat. and acc., over = yfir (fara of fjöll; sitja of borði); of time, = um; of haust or of haustum, in the autumn; of aptaninn, in the evening; of hríð, for a while; of allt, always;

2) with acc. of, about (bera vitni of e-t);

3) in a casual sense, poet.; of sanna sök, for a just cause, justly.

an enclitic particle, chiefly placed before verbs; ek drykk of gat ens dýra mjaðar, I got a draught of the precious mead.

1) great quantity, number; of fjár, immensity of wealth; of liðs, a vast host of men;

2) excess; við of, to excess; þótti hirðmönnum hans við of, they thought it was beyond measure;

3) pride, conceit (kirkjan verðr eigi svá mikil, at þar muni of þitt allt í liggja).

1) with adjectives and adverbs; too; of gamall, ungr, langr, stuttr, too old, young, long, short; of mjök, too much; of lengi, too long;

2) with the neuter of a past part. over-much, too much; hafa of drukkit, to have drunk too much; hafa of gört, to have transgressed; hafa of mælt, to have said too much; hafa of tekið við e-n, to have gone too far.

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prep. with dat. and acc., the form varies; umb is an obsolete and rare form, hence um, sounded umm, which is far the most common form in old writers, and has altogether superseded both umb and of: [the ‘of’ answers nearest to Ulf. uf; O. H. G. oba; Germ. ob; Gr. ὑπό; Lat. sub; Sansk. upa.] Most of the oldest vellums, as also the poets, prefer to use ‘of,’ yet not all, for the Cod. Reg. of Sæm. Edda in nine cases out of ten writes um, so also did the Cod. Acad. primus (the Kringla) of the Hkr.; and this is important, for these two vellums are our chief sources for old poetry; on the other hand, the Cod. Reg. of the Snorra Edda prefers ‘of.’ Among other vellums the old fragment of the Orkn. S. (Arna-Magn. No. 325) mostly uses ‘of’ as of nóttina, Orkn. 110; of hans daga, 178; of Jól, 180; of daga þeirra bræðra, 182; but also ‘um’ e. g. ofan um sik, ofan um hann, id. The word will be given in full under letter U, so that a few references may suffice here:

I. in the sense over, Lat. super, with dat. and acc.,

α. jörð grær of ágætum barma, Eg. (in a verse); brann of fylki, Ýt.; of svírum, Hornklofi; dík flæði of líkum, Fms. xi. 191; sjár þýtr of árum, vi. (in a verse); of bý breiðum, Lex. Poët.

β. with acc., of nýt regin, Vþm. 13; of dróttmögu, 11; of liðu, Sdm. 9; of sumar, Vsp. 40; of garð risa, Gs.; of lopt ok lög, Hkv.; úlfr gengr of ýnglings börn, Eg. (in a verse); vestr fór ek of ver, Höfuðl. 1; liggja of ungan Mörukára, Fms. vi. (in a verse).

II. in a causal sense = Lat. ob; of sanna sök, for a just sake, justly, Fms. ii. 322 (in a verse); of minna, for a less cause, Glúm, (in a verse); of litla sök, Lex. Poët.; of sannar deildir, id.; of minni sorgir, Korm. (in a verse).

and um, an enclytic particle, chiefly placed before verbs or participles, seldom before nouns; it is obsolete, and occurs only in old poetry and now and then in the oldest prose; the spelling varies, for here too the Cod. Reg. of Sæm. Edda, as also the Kringla, mostly prefer um, so as to take examples from the poem Hm., um skoðask, um skygnask, 1; um getr, 8; um á ( owns), 9; þylsk hann um, um getr, 17; um farit, 18; síns um máls, 21; um gelr, 29; um þörf, 38; um getr, 58, 65; um dvelr, 59; um viðrir, 74; um lagit, 84; um vakin, 100; um komin, um sofin, 101; um kominn, 104; um gaf, 105; um geta, 123; um heilli, 129; um reist, 145; um stendr, 154; um kann, 163: of gat, 140; of alinn, 72; of kom, 145; of vitaðr, 100; of blótið, 145: vf, vf boðit, 67; vf heimtir, 14: thus in this single poem ‘um’ occurs about twenty-four times, ‘of’ five times, and ‘vf’ twice: for the other poems see Bugge’s Edition: on the other hand, of traddi, Gh. 2; of þrumir, Gm. 8; of hyggi, 34; at ek öllum öl yðr of heita, Hým. 3; of geta, 4; of teknir, 14; of heitt, 32:—in prose, ef maðr má eigi of koma, Grág. ii. 209; of förlar, Kb. 14; of telrat, 178; er héðan of sér, Ísl. (Heiðarv. S.) ii. 387; en ér of sét eigi ljós, but you see not the light, 645. 81; at eigi of sá á miðli, Íb. 11; má of rannsaka, 677. 6; þó at báðum of göri, 2; ok af því of eykr eigi atkvæði, Skálda (Thorodd) 165; sem menn of bera megu, Hom. (St.); at hann megi jafnfúss of vera, id., and passim in that old vellum, see Fritzner’s Dict. s. v.; ef því um náir, Grág. (Kb.) 209; ef þeir um sitja, 74; um ves, 76; um taki, 89; um göra (twice), 109; um telrat, 194; urn býðr, 230; um komi, 234; ef sól um sæi, if the sun was to be seen, ch. 29.

II. seldom before nouns; síns um máls, Hm. (see above); um þörf, 38; as hans of dólgr, Skv.; Baldrs of barmi, Haustl.; öll of rök, Alm. 9; of sköpt, kinsmen, Edda (Gl.), Lex. Poët.; of tregi, Gkv. 1. 3 (thus Bugge in two words); Þórs of rúni, Haustl.; of kúgi, an oppressor, Fms. vii. (in a verse); with adjectives, of reiðr, Skm.: it remains in some old sayings or phrases, án er íllt um gengi; um seinan, Nj. 91.

adv. [this particle is closely akin to the prep. of; the extended form ofr- (q. v.) is mostly used in compds, not singly, and answers to Gr. ὑπέρ, Lat. super, Engl. above]:

1. as subst. excess, pride, conceit; því at hón verðr eigi svá mikil, at þar muni of þitt allt í liggja, Ld. 318; við of, to excess, Ísl. ii. 154; þótti hirðmönnum hans við of, hversu mikit, they thought it was beyond measure, Vígl. 17; um of, to excess: the phrase, of sem van, too much or too little; það er of sem van.

2. with gen., of fjár, immensity of wealth, Nj. 9, 27, Eg. 68, Ó. H. 198; of liðs, a vast host of men, Hkr. ii. 265; of manna, Fms. vi. 146.

B. Adv. too, Lat. nimis, and may be used with any adjective; when with adjectives it is better written separately, of gamall, too old; of ungr, too young, Ld. 262; of langr, of stuttr, Art. 96; of stórr, of lítill, Eg. 50; of harðr, of linr, of góðr, of vándr, of kaldr, of heitr, of magr, of feitr, of digr, of breiðr, of mjór, of hár, of lágr, of víðr, of þröngr, of margr, of fár, of mart, Njarð. 372; of þögull, of heimskr, of máligr, Art. 30, 82.

2. with adverbs; of mjök, too much, Eg. 226, Ísl. ii. 391; of fjarri, Fms. ii. 181; of lengi, too long, x. 379; of seint, too late. Art. 96; of snemma, of árla, too early; cp. um of viða, of sjaldan, of opt, etc.

II. with the neut. of a past part., overmuch, too much, with the notion of having overdone or sometimes wishing not to have done it; hafa of drukkit, to have drunk too much, Gm. 51; hafa of aukit, Eg. 202, Hkr. ii. 209; hafa of gefit, to have given more than one likes, Ld. 318; hafa of gört, to have transgressed, Nj. 221, Fms. xi. 333; eigi of hefnt, Grett. 124; hafa of keypt, bought too dear, Jb. 372; hafa of mælt, Fms. i. 163; þykjast hafa of talað, wish one had not said it; sé mér þetta of mælt, Mar.; hafa of tekið við e-n, to have gone too far, Fms. viii. 258; hafa of seinat, too late, Ld. 144, Fas. i. 196; um seinat, Fms. viii. 162:—‘of’ is opp. to ‘van-,’ too much, too little, hafa van-dæmt, of-dæmt, of-mælt, Gþl. 378; van-refst of-refst, 272; of-talt van-talt, 477; of-alnir, van-alnir, Grág. i. 455.

III. rarely with verbs; of-tala, to talk too much.

1) grant, gift, allowance;

2) help, assistance, backing, = liðveizla;

3) feast, banquet (veizlan fór vel fram, ok var veitt með miklum kostnaði);

4) the reception or entertainment to be given to the Norse king by his landed men (lendir menn) and stewards (ármenn), and to the bishop by the priests; the king was said to ‘fara at veizlum, taka veizlur’;

5) a royal grant, revenue (fekk konungr honum veizlur miklar); hann hafði áðr haft alla sýsluna suma at veizlu, en suma at léni, partly as a grant, partly as a fief.

* * *

u, f. [veita], a grant, gift, allowance; veizla eilífrar sælu, … hafa e-t at veizlu Guðs, Hom. (St.); veizla ölmusu-görða, Hom.; gefa stórar gjafir ok veizlur, Stj. 64.

2. help, assistance, backing, Hom. 140; varðar honum ekki sú veizla, Grág. ii. 13; kynlig v. ok at íllu mun verða, Lv. 7; til heilla sátta ok hollrar veizlu, Grág. ii. 21; öll miskunn ok v., 623. 21; ek sé mik nái fátt mega göra þat er veizlu munr sé í, Fas. ii. 437 (lið-veizla).

3. an entertainment; veita göngu-mönnum engar veizlur nema til skúa aða fata, Grág. i. 454: a treat, feast, banquet, Ó.h. 112; góð veizla, Nj. 6; virðulig veizla, Ld. 186; skörulig veizla, Eg. 44: of a wedding feast, 30 (mod., brúðkaups-veizla), very freq. in mod. usage.

II. as a law term, the reception or entertainment to be given to the Norse king, or to the king’s ‘landed-men,’ or his stewards, for in olden times the king used to go on a regular circuit through his kingdom, taking each county in turn; his retinue, the places of entertainment, and the time of his staying at each place, being regulated by law; this was called ‘veizla’ or fara at veizlum, taka veizlu; as also, búa veizlu móti konungi; hann lét bjóða upp veizlur þar sem konungs-bú vóru, Ó. H. 35; Óláfr konungr fór útan um Hringa-ríki at veizlum, en er veizlur endusk eigi fyrir fjölmennis sakar, þá lét hann þar bændr til leggja at auka veizlurnar, 61, cp. 59, 111, 173; taka veizlur, Fagrsk. ch. 11, see also Har. S. harðr. ch. 110 (Fms. vi), ch. 23, 92, Eg. ch. 11, 18, Hem. þ., Ólafs S. Kyrra ch. 4 (Fms. vi. 442), and passim in the Fms.

2. a royal grant, revenue; fékk konungr honum veizlur miklar, Eg. 27; hann hafði af konungi veizlur allar, þvílíkar sem Brynjólfr hafði haft, 31; Hrærekr ok Guðlaugr höfðu veizlur stórar um Sogn ok um Hörða-land, Fms. i. 6; en með því at hann hafði eigi miklar veizlur þá varð honum féfátt, viii. 272; þér munut ráða veizlum yðrum, xi. 237; hann hafði áðr alla (sýslu á Hálogalandi) suma at veizlu suma at léni, partly as a grant, partly as a fief, Ó. H. 123; en veizlur konungs hafði hann miklu minni enn fyrr, 111; húskarlar konungs er hafa fé af konungi í veizlur, sumir tólf aura, sumir tvær merkr, Sks. 261; tólf marka veizlur, Fms. vi. 266.

B. COMPDS: veizlubúnaðr, veizludagr, veizlufall, veizlufé, veizlugjald, veizlugjöf, veizlugörð, veizluhöll, veizlujörð, veizlukirkja, veizlumaðr, veizluskali, veizluskylda, veizluspjöll, veizlustofa, veizlusveinn, veizlutaka, veizluupphald.

mod. dans, n. a word of for. origin; [cp. mid. Lat. dansare; Fr. danser; Ital. danzare; Engl. dance; Germ. tanz, tanzen.] This word is certainly not Teutonic, but of Roman or perhaps Breton origin: the Icel. or Scandin. have no genuine word for dancing,—leika means ‘to play’ in general: the word itself (danza, danz, etc.) never occurs in the old Sagas or poetry, though popular amusements of every kind are described there; but about the end of the 11th century, when the Sagas of the bishops (Bs.) begin, we find dance in full use, accompanied by songs which are described as loose and amorous: the classical passage is Jóns S. (A. D. 1106–1121), ch. 13. Bs. i. 165, 166, and cp. Júns S. by Gunnlaug, ch. 24. Bs. i. 237—Leikr sá var kær mönnum áðr en hinn heilagi Jón varð biskup, at kveða skyldi karlmaðr til konu í danz blautlig kvæði ok rægilig; ok kona til karlmanns mansöngs vísur; þenna leik lét hann af taka ok bannaði styrkliga; mansöngs kvæði vildi hann eigi heyra né kveða láta, en þó fékk hann því eigi af komið með öllu. Some have thought that this refers to mythical (Eddic) poetry, but without reason and against the literal sense of the passage; the heathen heroic poems were certainly never used to accompany a dance; their flow and metre are a sufficient proof of that. In the Sturl. (Hist. of the 12th and 13th century) dancing is mentioned over and over again; and danz is used of popular ballads or songs of a satirical character (as those in Percy’s ballads): flimt ( loose song) and danz are synonymous words; the Sturl. has by chance preserved two ditties (one of A. D. 1221, running thus—Loptr liggr í Eyjum, bítr lunda bein | Sæmundr er á heiðum, etr berin ein. Sturl. ii. 62, and one referring to the year 1264—Mínar eru sorgirnar þungar sem blý, Sturl. iii. 317) sufficient to shew the flow and metre, which are exactly the same as those of the mod. ballads, collected in the west of Icel. (Ögr) in the 17th century under the name of Fornkvæði, Old Songs, and now edited by Jon Sigurdsson and Svend Grundtvig. Danz and Fornkvæði are both of the same kind, and also identical with Engl. ballads, Dan. kæmpeviser. There are passages in Sturl. and B.S. referring to this subject — færðu Breiðbælingar Lopt í flimtun ok görðu um hann danza marga, ok margskonar spott annat, Sturl. ii. 57, cp. 62; Danza-Bergr, the nickname of a man (Stud, ii), prob. for composing comic songs; danza-görð, composing comic songs; fylgðar-menn Kolbeins fóru með danza-görð, … en er Brandr varð varr við flimtan þeirra, iii. 80; þá hrökti Þórðr hestinn undir sér, ok kvað danz þenna við raust, 317.

β. a wake, Arna S. ch. 2; in Sturl. i. 23; at the banquet in Reykhólar, 1119, the guests amused themselves by dancing, wrestling, and story-telling; þá var sleginn danz í stofu, ii. 117; í Viðvík var gleði mikil ok gott at vera; þat var einn Drottins dag at þar var danz mikill; kom þar til fjöldi manna; ok ríðr hann í Viðvík til danz, ok var þar at leik; ok dáðu menn mjök danz hans, iii. 258, 259; honum var kostr á boðinn hvat til gamans skyldi hafa, sögur eða danz um kveldit, 281;—the last reference refers to the 21st of January, 1258, which fell on a Sunday (or wake-day): in ballads and tales of the Middle Ages the word is freq.:—note the allit. phrase, dansinn dunar, Ísl. Þóðs. ii. 8: the phrases, stiga danz; ganga í danz; brúðir í danz, dansinn heyra; dans vill hun heyra, Fkv. ii. 7. Many of the burdens to the mod. Icel. ballads are of great beauty, and no doubt many centuries older than the ballads to which they are affixed; they refer to lost love, melancholy, merriment, etc., e. g. Blítt lætur veröldin, fölnar fögr fold | langt er síðan mitt var yndið lagt í mold, i. 74; Út ert þú við æginn blá, eg er hér á Dröngum, | kalla eg löngum, kalla eg til þin löngum; Skín á skildi Sól og sumarið fríða, | dynur í velli er drengir í burtu riða, 110; Ungan leit eg hofmann í fögrum runni, | skal eg í hljóði dilla þeim mér unm; Austan blakar laufið á þann linda, 129; Fagrar heyrða eg raddirnar við Niflunga heim; Fagrt syngr svanrinn um sumarlanga tíð, | þá mun list að leika sér mín liljan fríð, ii. 52: Einum unna eg manninum, á meðan það var, | þó hlaut eg minn harm að bera í leyndum stað, 94; Svanrinn víða. svanurinn syngr viða, 22; Utan eptir firðinum, sigla fagrar fleyr | sá er enginn glaður eptir annan þreyr, 110; Svo er mér illt og angrsamt því veldur þú, | mig langar ekki í lundinn með þá jungfrú, Espol. Ann. 1549. The earliest ballads seem to have been devoted to these subjects only; of the two earliest specimens quoted in the Sturl. (above), one is satirical, the other melancholy; the historical ballads seem to be of later growth: the bishops discountenanced the wakes and dancing (Bs. l. c., Sturl. iii), but in vain: and no more telling proof can be given of the drooping spirits of Icel. in the last century, than that dancing and wakes ceased, after having been a popular amusement for seven hundred years. Eggert Olafsson in his poems still speaks of wakes, as an eyewitness; in the west of Icel. (Vestfirðir) they lasted longer, but even there they died out about the time that Percy’s ballads were published in England. The Fornkvæði or songs are the only Icel. poetry which often dispenses with the law of alliteration, which in other cases is the light and life of Icel. poetry; vide also hofmaðr, viki-vakar, etc. In the 15th century the rímur (metrical paraphrases of romances) were used as an accompaniment to the danz, höldar danza harla snart, ef heyrist vísan mín; hence originates the name man-söngr ( maid-song), minne-sang, which forms the introduction to every ríma or rhapsody; the metre and time of the rímur are exactly those of ballads and well suited for dancing. An Icel. MS. of the 17th century, containing about seventy Icel. Fornkvæði, is in the Brit. Mus. no. 11,177; and another MS., containing about twenty such songs, is in the Bodl. Libr. no. 130.

f. mid-winter night, about the time of Epiphany, when the heathen Yule began; a απ. λεγ.: hann setti þat í lögum at hefja Jólahald sem Kristnir menn …, en áðr var Jóla-hald hafit Hökunótt, þat var miðsvetrar-nótt (thus in Fms. i. 32, l. c.), ok haldin þriggja (þrettán?) nátta Jól, Hkr. i. 138 (Hák. S. Aðalst. ch. 15). The Scot. hogmaney, = the last day of the year or a feast given on that day, is a remnant of this ancient word. The heathen Yule seems among the Scandinavians to have been celebrated about three weeks later than Christmas; but the Norse king Hakon, who had been brought up in Christian England, altered the time of the festival, so as to make it correspond with the English Yule or Christmas; and so the heathen hökunótt came to represent our Christmas Eve. The etymology is not known.

m. [old Swed. lagman; the president of the supreme court formerly held in Orkney was called the lagman]:—‘law-man.’ In the ancient Scandinavian kingdoms each legal community or state (lög) had its own laws, its own parliament (lögþing), and its own ‘law-man’ (lagh-mann, lögmaðr); the lagman was the first commoner and the spokesman of the people against the king and court at public assemblies or elsewhere; he was also the guardian of the law, and the president of the legislative body and of the law courts. As in the heathen time laws were not written, the lagman had to say what was the law of the land in any case of doubt; in the general assemblies, at least in Iceland, he had to ‘say’ the law (from memory) to the assembled people from the Law-hill (Lögbergi); hence in the Icelandic Commonwealth he was called lög-sögu-maðr (q. v.), the ‘law-speaker,’ ‘law-sayer,’ ‘speaker of the law,’ and his office lög-saga or lög-sögn = ‘law-speaking:’

1. Sweden and Gothland in olden times were the classical lands of lagmen, for the whole kingdom was a confederation of commonwealths, each with its parliament, law-speaker, and laws, who were all of them united under one king; see the various records in the old Swedish laws, Sveriges Gamla Lagar, as edited by Schlyter, as also the classical account given of lagman Thorgny in Ó. H. ch. 60 sqq.—í hverri þessi deild landsins er sitt lögþing, ok sín lög, yfir hverjum lögum er lögmaðr, … þat skulu lög vera sem hann réð upp at kveða; en ef konungr, eða jarl, eða byskupar fara yfir land ok eigu þing við búendr, þá svarar lögmaðr af hendi búenda …; aðrir lögmenn allir skulu vera undir-menn þess lögmanns er á Tíunda-landi er, Ó. H. 65.

2. in Norway the political institutions of the old patriarchal ages were greatly disturbed through the wars and conquest of Harald Fairhair; the ancient laws of Norway too have been preserved in a much more fragmentary state than those of Sweden; of some of the most interesting laws only the eccl. section has been preserved, often in Icelandic transcripts or abridged. The most interesting records of the lagmen are therefore not to be found in the Norse laws, but in the Sagas, e. g. the debates in the Hák. S. Gamla, ch. 71–80, 85–97 (in the Flatey book), as also in the Þinga-þáttr in Fms. vii. 123–150, and in stray passages in the Icelandic Sagas, in such phrases as lögmenn ok konungr, lögmenn ok dómendr, lenda menn ok lögmenn ok alla alþýðu, Eg. 352.

3. in the later Middle Age in Norway, and in Icel. after 1280, the lagman was a justice, who presided in the court lögrétta, at the lögþing (II), cp. Jb. passim.

4. in the Icelandic Commonwealth, the officer whose duties have been described above was specially called lögsögumaðr, and lögmaðr is only used = lagamaðr = a lawyer,—þat er ok, at lögsögumaðr skal svá görla þáttu alla upp segja, at engi viti einna miclogi görr, en ef honum vinsk eigi fróðleikr til þess, þá skal hann eiga stefnu við fimm lögmenn (lawyers, men skilled in law), en næstu dægr áðr, eðr fleiri, Grág. i. 2, 3; þat skal allt hafa er finnsk á skr þeirri er Hafliði lét göra … en þat eitt af annarra lögmanna fyrirsögn ( of other lawyers) er eigi mæli því í gegn, 7; Njáll var lögmaðr svá mikill ( so great a lawyer), at eingi fannsk hans jafningi, Nj. 30. At the union with Norway (A. D. 1272) the lögsögu-maðr of the Commonwealth was replaced by two lagmen of the Norse kind, so that in the Sagas composed after that date (e. g. the Grettla) or in Sagas preserved in later transcripts, the terms were now and then confounded, and ‘lögmaðr’ was, by way of anachronism, used of the lögsögu-maðr of the old Commonwealth, cp. Grett. 64, 115, 173, 191 new Ed., Nj. 24, 164, 237 (v. l.), Eg. 597, Ísl. (Gunnl. S.) ii. 208, 238, 256, Bs. i. (Hungrv.) 62, Fms. iv. 115, 176, where the Ó. H. edition has the true reading, being made from a vellum of the Commonwealth time.

β. two instances are recorded referring to the 10th century in Iceland, where a lögmaðr occurs as a kind of county sheriff or officer, viz. in the Háv. S. (begin.) and the Svarfdæla S. ch. 10; but both records seem to be spurious and adapted to the state of things in Norway, for neither Saga is preserved in its pure original state, but remoulded after the union; see Maurer’s Entstehung des Isl. Staates, Beiträge, 136 sqq. In Scandinavia during the Middle Ages, as the power of the king increased, so that of the old lagman sank, and at last died away. In England it is preserved in the Speaker of the House of Commons, whose very name recalls to mind the law-speaker of the old Scandinavian communities.

II. a pr. name, Lög-maðr, Orkn.

COMPDS: lögmannsdæmi, lögmannseiðr, lögmannslauss, lögmannsúrskurðr.

pron. any (í nekkhverjum hlut), = nakkvarr, nökkurr.

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indef. pron.; this word is a compound of the negative particle né (q. v.) and the pronoun hverr, qs. nih-hverr, ne-hverr, nekkverr; the double k (in the oldest MSS. often represented by cq) may be due to the final h of the particle, as the compd was formed at a time when the final h had not been absorbed into né: [Dan. nogen; Swed. någon. Mr. Uppström, and since Bugge, derive this word from ne-veit-hverr, instead of Grimm’s ne-hverr, cp. A. S. nâthwæt = ne-wât-hwæt = Icel. nakkvat; this would better account for the double k, but otherwise it has no influence on the inflexive changes of the word.]

A. THE FORMS: this pronoun has undergone great changes. The earliest declension is the same as that of hverr, see Gramm. p. xxi; nekkverr, nekkver, Bs. i. 353, Greg. 13, 26, 33, Grág. ii. 205, 206, 304, Fms. x. 389, 393: gen. nekkvers, nekkverrar, passim: dat. nekkverjum, nekkverju, nekkverri, Greg. 16, 79, Eluc. 27, Bs. i. 352: acc. nekkvern, nekkverja, Grág. i. 41, ii. 251, 270, 313, Fms. x. 381, 390, 391, Greg. 15, Bs. i. 337, 344 (line 14), 352: nom. pl. masc. and fem. nekkverir, nekkverjar, Grág. ii. 205, Bs. i. 355: gen. nekkverra, Greg. 23, 28, and so on. The word then underwent further changes,

α. by dropping the j; nekkveru, Grág. ii. 281; nekkverar, Fms. x. 381; nekkverum, 382; nekkvera, 393, 415.

β. by change of the vowels; nakkverr or nekkvarr, or even nakkvarr, nakkvat, see below; nakkvert, Bs. i. 342 (line 12); nakkvara, Ó. H. 62, 116; nakkvars, Fms. vii. 388, xi. 29, Edda 48; nakkvarir, Fms. vii. 337, Mork. 169; nakkvarar, Fms. vii. 328, Greg. 9; nakkvarra (gen. pl.), D. I. i. 185; nakkvarrar, Ó. H. 116; nakkverrar (gen. fem. sing.), Bs. i. 393.

γ. the a of nakk through the influence of the v was changed into ö (nökk), and then into o, and the final va into vo, and in this way the word became a regular adjective, nökkvorr or nokkvorr, nokkvor, Mork. 57, Fms. x. 261; nokkvot, Bs. i. 393; nökkvoð, Mork. 62, Fms. x. 383, 391; nokkvors, passim; nokkvoru, Nj. 34, Fms. x. 393, 394; nokkvorum, 305; nokkvorrar, Edda i. 214; nokkvorn, 210; nokkvorir, Fms. vi. 5, x. 294.

δ. the v dropped out; nökkorr, nokkurr, nokkorr, nokkor, Vsp. 33 (Bugge), Greg. 9, Grág. (Kb.) i. 66, 75, 208, ii. 3, Mork. 168, Ó. H. 224, Grág. i. 1, ii. 366, Nj. 267, Fms. ix. 276, x. 135; nokkoð, Hkv. 2. 5; nokkort, Grág. i. 460; nokkorum, Skv. 3. 58 (Bugge), Grág. i. 45, 361, Fms. ix. 370, Nj. 7; nokkoru, Fms. i. 1, x. 420, Grág. ii. 129, Nj. 41, Eg. 394, Hkr. iii. 160; nökkorn, Fms. x. 409; nokkorn, xi. 6, Nj. 6, Mork. 205, Ld. 30; nokkorir, Mork. 205; nokkorar, Nj. 252, Fms. x. 388; see Gramm. p. xxi.

ε. finally in mod. usage we have contracted forms before a vowel, thus nokkrir, nokkrum, nokkrar, except that the gen. pl. and gen. fem. sing. are still pronounced as trisyllables, nokkurrar, nokkurra; these contracted forms have erroneously crept into Editions from paper MSS. (as Vd. in the Fs.), where nokkrir etc. should be restored to nokkurir etc. ☞ All the above forms occur confusedly even in very old MSS., and even the latest form nokkorr occurs in vellums as old as Cod. Reg. of the elder Edda, in the Mork., Greg., Grág. (Kb.) In addition to the above, there are mixed forms, nekkurr, 623. 41; nekkorar, Fms. x. 388; nekkers, Grág. (Kb.) 22; nökkurja, 623. 50; nakkor, B. K. 124; nokkverja, Fms. xi. 6; nauccverjar, navcqveriom, Mork. 62, 64, 65.

II. nakkvat, n. subst., answering to hvat (q. v.), Ó. H. 72, Bs. i. 344, 348, 350, 353, Am. 32, Bugge. 2. nökkvi (Lat. aliquanto), an obsolete dat. (subst.) answering to hví; svá nökkvi, Hallfred (Fs. 89); í nökkvi, in aught, Hom. 43; af nökkvi, for aught, Fs. 94 (v. l.), Fms. iii. 27; noqvi, Hkv. 2. 26 (Bugge); nökkvi ofarr, Fms. vii. 304 (in a verse); nökkvi síðarr, ix. 533 (in a verse): in prose, nökkvi yngri, xi. 96; neykvi nær sanni, Hkr. iii. 360; nekkvi réttligar, 677. 11; nökkvi helst, Fms. xi. 78, MS. 677. 6; véla e-n í nökkvi, Grág. ii. 22, 367; því nökkvi, 129; nær sanni nökkvi, Fms. x. 420; neykvi, Am. 26 (Bugge); framast nekkvi.

III. the neut. sing. is thus distinguished; nakkvat, nokkvoð, nokkuð (answering to hvat), are often used as a substantive, but nekkvert, nokkvort, nokkurt (answering to hvert), as an adjective. ☞ The primitive hverr has partly undergone the same metamorphosis as the compd nehverr, and in western Icel. is sounded kvur, and in mod. Norse dialect kor, shewing the complete change.

B. THE SENSE: the negative particle, the first part of the compound, has quite lost its force, as is the case with neinn, q. v.; but the word is used in negative sentences = any; á öngum bæ fannsk nökkurr maðr, Fms. ix. 355, and so freq. in mod. usage.

2. single and without a preceding negative; ef nökkurr maðr veit eigi, if anybody know not, Grág. ii. 209; er nökkverr Guð sem várr Guð, 623. 35; ef hann vissi nökkurn hest jafnskjótan, Fms. vii. 169.

3. as subst., nokkut = anything, nokkur = anybody; ef þér segit nokkurum, if you tell it to anybody, Nj. 7; ef nokkurr hefir, Grág. ii. 366; eldi eða því nokkuru, fire or any such thing, 129; styrkja e-n at nokkuru, Nj. 41; ef hann meiðir í nökkuru lönd manna, Grág. ii. 281; kanntú nokkut í lögum, Nj. 33: with gen., nekkverr yðar, any of you, 677. 13; nokkort þessarra húsa, Grág. i. 460; nakkverr þeirra manna, 232: with prep., nokkura af þessum konum, any of these women, Ld. 30; nökkut manna, Fms. vi. 121.

II. some, a certain …, Lat. quidam; maðr nokkurr, kona nokkur, konur nokkurar, Nj. 252, passim; nokkora hríð, for some time, 2, Fms. xi. 6; nekkverja lund, Grág. ii. 251; nakkvorir stórir höfðingjar, Fms. vii. 338; nokkvorir Íslenzkir menn, x. 294; nokkor góð verk, nekkver íll verk, 677. 9, 25, 26; um dag nekkvern, a certain day, Fms. x. 391; þann bjargkvið nekkvern ( some such), Grág. i. 41; at þeim hlut nokkorum, 361; nokkvot þorp, Fms. x. 294; ráð nakkvað, xi. 16; fé nökkvart, Grág. ii. 262: as subst., nokkuru fyrir vetr, a while before winter, Eg. 394; nokkuru meir, somewhat more, Fms. i. 1:—of some importance, þeim er nokkorir eru í skapi, iv. 80; þeir einir menn ef nokkut var til, of any weight, Eg. 267, and so in countless instances.

III. spec. usages, added to a numeral, about; þrjú nokkur, Nj. 267; nokkur sex skip eða sjau, Fms. ix. 276; braut nokkur tíu skip, x. 135; með nokkur fimm hundrað manna, ix. 276; til nokkurra fjórtán hundraða, H. E. i. 418; nokkurum tveim sinnum eða þrim, Fms. ix. 370.

2. svá nokkut, thereabouts; lið svá nokkuru mart, Fms. xi. 48; svá nokkoru mikit, x. 4; svá nokkuru mjök, Nj. 228; svá nokkvoru mun yðar leita farit, 34; svá nakkvarn, Fms. v. 319; nokkurs til þungr, Ld. 128; nokkurs til seinir, Fms. xi. 29; slíkt nökkut, iv. 283; svá nokkuru, í nökkvi öðru, Hom. 25; svá nökki, about so, Hallfred; stórt nokkuð, somewhat great, Ld. 104:—about, var kveðit á viku stef nokkut, a notice of about a week was given, Eg. 394.

IV. adverbial usages, the neuter being used as adverb; something, a deal, marka nakkvat skaplyndi hans, Fms. xi. 78; breytask nökkvat, 99; henni var skapþungt nokkut, Nj. 11: in some way, somehow, at hann skyldi nokkot benda hvat sveinninn skyldi heita, 625. 86: nökkut svá, a bit, somewhat; hann gékk um teiginn uokkut svá, Ísl. ii. 354; stóð höfuð gneipt af bolnum nakkvat svá, Eb. 244; sefask konungr n. svá, Fms. xi. 11, 129:—neykvi nær sanni, somewhat nearer the truth, Hkr. iii. 360; var þat nær sanni nökkvi, Fms. x. 420, see the references above (A).

2. perhaps, may be; vilt þú nökkut taka við fjárfari mínu? Nj. 40; viltú n. sonu þína við láta vera, 65; ef hann hefði nokkut siglt til annarra landa, 41; ef Gunnarr hefði n. þess leitað, 47.

C. COMPDS: nokkurnig, nokkurskonar, nokkursstaðar.

(el, ól, ólum, alinn), v.

1) to beget; born ólu þau, they begat children; börn þau, er hann elr við þeirri konu, begets by that woman;

2) to bear, give birth to (þóra ól barn um sumarit); börn þau óll, er alin eru fyrir jól, who are born before Christmas; alnir ok úalnir (= úbornir), born and unborn, present and future generations;

3) to bring up (children); ala skal barn hvert er borit verðr, every child that is born shall be brought up; adding the particle ‘upp’ skal eigi upp alla, heldr út bera arn þetta, this child shall not be brought up, but be exposed to perish; of animals, to rear, breed (einn smásauð, er hann ól heima í húsi sínu);

4) to give food to, harbour, entertain (ala gest ok ganganda); guð elr gesti, God pays for the guests;

5) fig. in various phrases; ala aldr, ala aldr sinn, to pass one’s days; a. sút to grieve, mourn (= sýta); a. önn of e-t or at e-u, to take care of, see to; a. e-t eptir e-m, to give one encouragement in a thing (ól hann eptir engum mönnum ódáðir); a. á mál, to press or urge a matter (nú elr Gunnarr á málit við þórð ok segir).

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ól, ólu, alið; pres. el, [Ulf. a single time uses the partic. alans = εντρεφόμενος, and twice a weak verb aliþs = σιτευτός, a fatling. The word seems alien to other Teut. idioms, but in Lat. we find alere; cp. the Shetland word alie, to nourish.] Gener. to give birth to, nourish, support, etc.

I. to bear, esp. of the mother; but also of both parents; rarely of the father alone, to beget: börn ólu þau, they begat children, Rm. 12; þat barn er þau ala skal eigi arf taka, Grág. i. 178: of the father alone, enda eru börn þau eigi arfgeng, er hann elr við þeirri konu, which be begets by that woman, 181; but esp. of the mother, to bear, give birth to; jóð ól Amma, Rm. 7; þóra ól barn um sumarit, Eg. 166, Fms. iv. 32, i. 14; hon fær eigi alit barnit, Fas. i. 118.

β. metaph. to produce, give rise to; en nú elr hverr þessara stafa níu annan staf undir sér, Skálda 162.

2. pass. to be born, begotten; börn þau öll er alin eru fyrir jól, who are born, N. G. L. i.; 377; the phrase, alnir ok úbornir, born and unborn, present and future generations, has now become aldir ok óbornir; eigu þau börn er þar alask ( who are born there) at taka arf út hingat, Grág. i. 181; barn hvert skal færa til kirkju sem alit er, every child that is born, K. Þ. K. 1; ef barn elsk svá naer páskum, is born, 16.

β. of animals (rarely), justus heitir forað, þat elsk ( is engendered) í kviði eins dýrs, 655 xxx. 4.

II. to nourish, support, Lat. alere:

1. esp. to bring up, of children; the Christian Jus Eccl., in opposition to the heathen custom of exposing children, begins with the words, ala skal barn hvert er borit verðr, every child that is born shall be brought up, K. Á. ch. 1.

β. adding the particle upp; skal eigi upp ala, heldr skal út bera barn þetta, this bairn shall not be brought up, but rather be borne out (i. e. exposed to perish), Finnb. 112.

2. to feed, give food to, harbour, entertain; ala gest ok ganganda, guests; ala þurfamenn, the poor, D. in deeds of gift; en sá maðr er þar býr skal ala menn alla þá er hann hyggr til góðs at alnir sé, he shall harbour them, D. i. 169; ala hvern at ósekju er vill. to harbour, 200; Guð elf gesti (a proverb), God pays for the guests, Bs. i. 247; sótt elr sjúkan, fever is the food of the sick; utanhrepps göngumenn skal enga ala, ok eigi gefa mat, hvárki meira né minna, gangrels of an outlying district shall none of them be harboured, nor have meat given them, neither more nor less, Grág. i. 293, 117.

β. of animals, to nourish, breed; einn smásauð er hann ól heima í húsi sínu, one pet lamb which he had reared at home in his own house, Stj. 516; segir allæliligan, ok kvað verða mundu ágæta naut ef upp væri alinn, of a live calf, Eb. 318. 2. pass, to be brought tip, educated; ólusk ( grew up) í ætt þar, æstir kappar (or were born), Hdl. 18; alask upp, to be brought up; hence uppeldi, n.

III. metaph. in such phrases as, ala aldr sinn, vitam degere, to pass one’s days, Bárð. 165: the phrase, ala e-t eptir e-m, to give one encouragement in a thing, bring one tip in, esp. in a bad sense; ól hann eptir engum manni ódáðir, Joh. 625. 93: ala á mál, to persist in, urge on a thing; karl elr á málið ( begs hard) at Gunnar mundi til hans fara, Sd. 172, Ísl. ii. 133, 163:—the present phrase is, að ala e-t við e-n, to bear a grudge against…; and in a negative sense, ala ekki, to let bygones be bygones: ala önn fyrir, to provide for: a. öfund, sorg, um e-t, to grudge, feel pang (poët.), etc.

n. ‘eke-name,’ a nickname:

α. a defamatory name, punishable with the lesser outlawry, Grág. ii. 146.

β. in a less strong sense; hann var svartr á hár ok hörund, ok því þótti honum a. gefit er hann var Birtingr kallaðr, he was swarth of hair and skin, and for that it seemed a nickname was given him when he was called ‘Brighting,’ Fms. vii. 157: Helgi átti kenningar nafn, ok var kallaðr hvíti; ok var þat eigi a., því at hann var vænn maðr ok vel hærðr, hvítr á hár, Helgi had a surname (in a good sense), and was called ‘White;’ and that was no nickname, for he was a handsome man and well-haired, white of hair, Fbr. 80: þú hyggr at ek muna vilja giptast einum bastarði,—eigi em ek bastarðr nema at a., of William the Conqueror, Fb. iii. 464. In old times, esp. at the time of the colonisation of Iceland, such nicknames were in freq. use, as may be seen from the index in the Landnama; they gradually went out of use, but still occur now and then throughout the whole of the Saga period in Icel. down to the 14th century.

a. Danish;

dönsk tunga, the Danish (or old Scandinavian) language.

* * *

adj., Danir, pl. Danes; Dan-mörk, f. Denmark, i. e. the mark, march, or border of the Danes; Dana-veldi, n. the Danish empire; Dana-virki, n. the Danish wall, and many compds, vide Fms. xi. This adj. requires special notice, because of the phrase Dönsk tunga ( the Danish tongue), the earliest recorded name of the common Scandinavian tongue. It must be borne in mind that the ‘Danish’ of the old Saga times applies not to the nation, but to the empire. According to the researches of the late historian P.A. Munch, the ancient Danish empire, at least at times, extended over almost all the countries bordering on the Skagerac (Vík); hence a Dane became in Engl. synonymous with a Scandinavian; the language spoken by the Scandinavians was called Danish; and ‘Dönsk tunga’ is even used to denote Scandinavian extraction in the widest extent, vide Sighvat in Fms. iv. 73, Eg. ch. 51, Grág. ii. 71, 72. During the 11th and 12th centuries the name was much in use, but as the Danish hegemony in Scandinavia grew weaker, the name became obsolete, and Icel. writers of the 13th and 14th centuries began to use the name ‘Norræna,’ Norse tongue, from Norway their own mother country, and the nearest akin to Icel. in customs and idiom. ‘Swedish’ never occurs, because Icel. had little intercourse with that country, although the Scandinavian tongue was spoken there perhaps in a more antique form than in the sister countries. In the 15th century, when almost all connection with Scandinavia was broken off for nearly a century, the Norræna in its turn became an obsolete word, and was replaced by the present word ‘Icelandic,’ which kept its ground, because the language in the mean time underwent great changes on the Scandinavian continent. The Reformation, the translation of the Old and New Testaments into Icelandic (Oddr Gotskalksson, called the Wise, translated and published the N. T. in 1540, and bishop Gudbrand the whole Bible in 1584), a fresh growth of religious literature, hymns, sermons, and poetry (Hallgrímr Pétrsson, Jón Vídalín), the regeneration of the old literature in the 17th and 18th centuries (Brynjólfr Sveinsson, Arni Magnússon, Þormóðr Torfason),—all this put an end to the phrases Dönsk tunga and Norræna; and the last phrase is only used to denote obsolete grammatical forms or phrases, as opposed to the forms and phrases of the living language. The translators of the Bible often say ‘vort Íslenzkt mál,’ our Icelandic tongue, or ‘vort móður mál,’ our mother tongue; móður-málið mitt, Pass. 35. 9. The phrase ‘Dönsk tunga’ has given rise to a great many polemical antiquarian essays: the last and the best, by which this question may be regarded as settled, is that by Jon Sigurdsson in the preface to Lex. Poët.; cp. also that of Pál Vídalín in Skýr. s. v., also published in Latin at the end of the old Ed. of Gunnl. Saga, 1775.

1) old;

2) hem of a garment; kyrtill hlaðbúinn í fald niðr, a kirtle laced down to the hems;

3) a sort of (woman’s) headgear, hood.

* * *

m. [A. S. feald; Engl. fold; Germ. falte; O. H. G. fald; Dan. fold; Ital. falda, and faldetta (in Malta); Fr. fauvetta and faudage]:—a fold, of a garment, Str. 9, 13, l. 19, 21, where it is even spelt foldr; in Icel. hardly ever used in this sense.

β. the hem of a garment; hún gékk á bak til ok snart fald hans klæða, Luke viii. 44; og fald sinna klæða stækka þeir, Matth. xxiii. 5; og báðu hann, að þeir mætti snerta að eins fald hans fata, Mark vi. 56; kyrtill hlaðbúinn í fald niðr, a kirtle laced down to the hems, Fms. iv. 337; allt í fald niðr, Mag. (Fr.) 63; klæða-faldr, Pass. 36. 9.

II. a white linen hood, the stately national head-gear worn by ladies in Icel., of which drawings are given by Eggert Itin. pp. 24, 27, Sir Joseph Banks in Hooker’s Travels, the account of the French expedition of the year 1836 sq., and in almost all books of travels in Iceland. In old Sagas or poems the fald is chiefly recorded in Ld. ch. 33 (the dreams of Guðrún Osvifs datter), cp. Sd. ch. 25; in the Orkn. S. ch. 58 the two sisters Frakök and Helga, daughters of the Gaelic Moddan, wore a fald (þá hnyktu þar af sér faldinum, ok reyttu sik), 182. In the Rm. (a poem probably composed in the Western Isles. Orkneys) all the three women, Edda, Amma, and Móðir, wore the fald; the words in Þkv. 16, 19—ok haglega um höfuð typpum, and let us cleverly put a topping on his head, of Thor in bridal disguise—seem to refer to the fald. Bishop Bjarni, a native of the Orkneys (died A. D. 1222), gives the name of ‘fald’ to the helmet; Kormak, in the 10th century, speaks of the ‘old falda.’ In Normandy and Brittany a kind of ‘fald’ is still in use; it may be that it came to Icel. through Great Britain, and is of Breton origin; a French fald (Franseiskr, i. e. Britain?) is mentioned, D. N. iv. 359. In Icel. the fald was, up to the end of the last century, worn by every lady,—áðr sérhver fald bar frú | falleg þótti venja sú, a ditty. The ladies tried to outdo each other in wearing a tall fald; keisti faldr, the fald rose high, Rm. 26; falda hátt, Eb. (the verse); hence the sarcastic name stiku-faldr, a ‘yard-long fald;’ stífan teygja stiku-fald, Þagnarmál 53, a poem of 1728; 1 Tim. ii. 9 is in the Icel. version rendered, eigi með földum (πλέγμασι) eðr gulli eðr perlum,—since with ancient women, and in Icel. up to a late time, braiding of the hair was almost unknown. In mod. poetry, Iceland with her glaciers is represented as a woman with her fald on; minn hefir faldr fengið fjúka-ryk og kám, Eggert: the sails are called faldar mastra, hoods of the masts, faldar mastra blöktu stilt, Úlf. 3. 14; hestar hlés hvíta skóku falda trés, id., 10; faldr skýja, the folds of the clouds, poët., Núm. 1. 11; faldr af degi, of the daybreak, 4. 86; vide krók-faldr, sveigr, a crooked fald. falda-feykir, m. a magical dance in which the falds flew off the ladies’ heads, Fas. iii; cp. Percy’s Fryar and Boy, also the Wonderful Flute in Popular Tales.

f. good luck.

(-pta, -ptr), v. to give away in marriage (g. e-m e-a);

refl. giptast, to marry.

* * *

u, f. [A. S. gifeðe = fatum, Beowulf], good luck, Ld. 104, Nj. 17, Fms. vi. 299, Fs. 27, 97, Stj. 198, passim; cp. auðna, hamingja.

COMPDS: giptudrjúgr, giptufátt, giptuliga, giptuligr, giptumaðr, giptumunr, gipturáð, giptusamliga, giptusamligr, giptuskortr, giptutómr, giptuvænligr.

II. marriage (rare); giptu-mál, n. a marriage, Landn. 110 (v. l. in the MS. Melabók).

t, to give a woman in marriage; fyrr skulu grónir grautardílarnir á hálsi þér, en ek muna gipta þér systur mína, Eb. 210; gipti Höskuldr Gró systur sina, Ld. 24, Nj. 17, Eg. 5, Rm. 20, 37, passim.

II. reflex, to marry, of both man and wife; in old writers the man ‘kvángask,’ i. e. takes a wife, the woman is ‘gipt,’ i. e. given away, Fms. ix. 269, Ld. 128 passim; in the course of time the primitive sense of the word was lost, and it came to mean to marry: the saying, það grær áðr en þú giptist, i. e. never mind, it will be healed before thou marriest, addressed to a boy or girl about to cry for a slight hurt.

n. (heathen) god.

* * *

n. pl. [all the Teutonic languages have this word in common; Ulf. guþa, n. pl., Gal. iv. 8; guda, id., John x. 34, 35; and Guþ, m.; A. S. godu, n. pl., and God, m.; O. H. G. Cot: in mod. languages masc.; Engl. God; Germ. Gott; Dan.-Swed. Gud].

A. HISTORICAL REMARKS.—In heathen times this word was neuter, and was used almost exclusively in plur., as were also other words denoting Godhead, e. g. regin or rögn = numina, q. v.; and bönd, höpt, prop. = bonds, and metaph. gods:—this plur. usage seems not to refer to a plurality of gods, but rather, as the Hebrew אלהים, to the majesty and mystery of the Godhead; it points to an earlier and purer faith than that which was current in the later ages of the Scandinavian heathendom; thus the old religious poem Völuspá distinguishes a twofold order of gods,—the heavenly powers (regin or ginn-heilög goð) who had no special names or attributes, and who ruled the world, like the Μοιρα or Αισα of Gr. mythology;—and the common gods who were divided into two tribes, Æsir ( Ases) and Vanir, whose conflict and league are recorded in Vsp. 27, 28, and Edda 47.

II. after the introduction of Christianity, the masculine gender (as in Greek and Latin) superseded the neuter in all Teutonic languages, first in Gothic, then in Old High German and Anglo-Saxon, and lastly in the Scandinavian languages; but neither in Gothic nor in Icel. did the word ever take the masc. inflexive r or s, so that it remains almost unique in form.

2. in Scandinavian the root vowel was altered from o to u (goð to guð), [Swed.-Dan. gud], yet in old poems of the Christian age it is still made to rhyme with o, Goðs, boðnum; Goð, roðnar, Sighvat; as also in the oldest MSS. of the 12th century; sometimes however it is written ḡþ, in which case the root vowel cannot be discerned.

3. in Icel. the pronunciation also underwent a change, and the g in Guð ( God) is now pronounced gw (Gwuð), both in the single word and in those proper names which have become Christian, e. g. Guðmundr pronounced Gwuðmundr, whence the abbreviated form Gvendr or Gvöndr. The old form with o is still retained in obsolete words, as goði, goðorð, vide below, and in local names from the heathen age, as Goð-dalir; so also Gormr (q. v.), which is contracted from Goð-ormr not Guð-ormr. On the other hand, the Saxon and German have kept the root vowel o.

III. in old poems of heathen times it was almost always used without the article; gremdu eigi goð at þér, Ls.; áðr vér heilög goð blótim, Fas. i. (in a verse); ginnheilög Goð, Vsp. passim; goðum ek þat þakka, Am. 53; með goðum, Alm.; in prose, en goð hefna eigi alls þegar, Nj. 132.

2. with the article goð-in, Vsp. 27: freq. in prose, um hvat reiddusk goðin þá er hér brann hraunit er nú stöndu vér á, Bs. i. (Kr. S.) 22; eigi eru undr at goðin reiðisk tölum slíkum, id.; Hallfreðr lastaði eigi goðin, þó aðrir menn hallmælti þeim, Fms. ii. 52; allmikin hug leggr þú á goðin, Fs. 94; eigi munu goðin þessu valda, Nj. 132, passim.

3. very seldom in sing., and only if applied to a single goddess or the like, as Öndor-goðs (gen.), Haustl. 7; Vana-goð, of Freyja, Edda; enu skírleita goði, of the Sun, Gm. 39.

IV. after the introduction of Christianity, the neut. was only used of false gods in sing. as well as in pl., Sólar-goð = Apollo, Orrostu-goð = Mars, Drauma-goð = Morpheus, Bret. (Verel.); and was held up for execration by the missionaries; gör þik eigi svá djarfa, at þú kallir goð hinn hæsta konung er ek trúi á, Fb. i. 371. Yet so strongly did the neut. gender cleave to the popular mind that it remains (Grág. Kb. i. 192) in the oath formula, goð gramt = Goð gramr; and Icel. still say, í Guðanna (pl.) bænum.

2. guðír, masc. pl., as in A. S. gudas, is freq. in eccl. writers, but borrowed from the eccl. Lat.

B. IN COMPDS:

I. with nouns, goða-blót, n. sacrifice to the gods, Fb. i. 35. goða-gremi, f. a term in the heathen oath, wrath of the gods, Eg. 352. goða-heill, f. favour of the gods, Þorst. Síðu H. 9. goða-hús, n. a house of gods, temple, Dropl. 11, Nj. 131, Fb. i. 337. goða-stallar, m. pl. the altar in temples, Fas. i. 454. goða-stúka, u, f. the sanctuary in heathen temples, answering to the choir or sanctuary in churches, Landn. 335 (App.) goða-tala, u, f. in the phrase, í goðatölu, in the tale ( list) of gods, 625. 41. goð-borinn, part. διογενής, god-born, Hkv. 1. 29. goð-brúðr, f. bride of the gods (the goddess Skaði), Edda (in a verse). Goð-dalir, m. pl. a local name, hence Goð-dælir, m. pl. a family, Landn. goð-gá, f. blasphemy against the gods, Nj. 163, Ld. 180. goð-heimr, m. the home of the gods, Stor. 20, cp. Ýt. goð-konungr, m. (cp. Gr. διογενής βασιλεύς), a king,—kings being deemed the offspring of gods, Ýt. goð-kunnigr and goð-kyndr, adj. of the kith of gods, Edda 6, 11, 13. goð-lauss, adj. godless, a nickname, Landn. goð-lax, m. a kind of salmon, Edda (Gl.) goð-leiðr, adj. loathed by the gods, Korm. goð-máligr, adj. skilled in the lore of the gods, Hým. 38. goð-mögn, n. pl. divine powers, deities, Edda 1; biðja til þinna goðmagna, Bret. (Verel.) goð-reið, f. ‘a ride of gods’ through the air, a meteor, thought to forebode great events, Glúm. (in a verse), cp. the Swed. åska. goð-rifi, n. scorn of the gods, Sks. 435. goð-rækr, adj. ‘god-forsaken,’ wicked, 623. 30. goðum-leiðr, adj. = goðleiðr, Landn. (in a verse). goð-vargr, m. a ‘god-worrier,’ sacrilegus, ‘lupus in sanctis,’ Bs. i. 13 (in a verse). goð-vefr, vide guðvefr. goð-vegr, m. the way of the gods, the heaven, the sky, Hdl. 5. Goð-þjóð, f. the abode of the gods, Vsp.:—but Goth. Gut-þjuda = the land of the Goths, by assimilation Goð-þjóð, passim in old poems and the Sagas.

II. with pr. names, originally Goð-, later and mod. Guð-; of men, Guð-brandr, Guð-laugr, Guð-leifr, Guð-mundr, Guð-röðr, Guð-ormr or Gutt-ormr, etc.; of women, Guð-björg, Guð-finna, Guð-laug, Guð-leif, Guð-ný, Guð-ríðr, Guð-rún, etc.; cp. the interesting statement in Eb. (App.) 126 new Ed. (from the Hauks-bók), that men of the olden time used to call their sons and daughters after the gods (Goð-, Þór-, Frey-, Ás-); and it was thought that a double (i. e. a compound) name gave luck and long life, esp. those compounded with the names of gods; menn höfðu mjök þá tvau nöfn, þótti þat likast til langlífis ok heilla, þótt nokkurir fyrirmælti þeim við goðin, þá mundi þat ekki saka, ef þeir ætti eitt nafn, though any one cursed them by the gods it would not hurt if they had ‘one’ name, i. e. if they were the namesakes of the gods, Eb. l. c.;—we read ‘eitt nafn’ for ‘eitt annat nafn’ of the Ed. and MS. In Fb. i. 23, the mythical king Raum is said to have had three sons, Alf, Björn, and Brand; the first was reared by the Finns, and called Finn-Alf; Björn by his mother (a giantess), and called Jötun-Björn; and Brand was given to the gods, and called Goð-Brand (Guð-brandr, whence Guðbrands-dalir, a county in Norway); cp. also Eb. ch. 7.

☞ For the Christian sense of God and its compds vide s. v. Guð.

u, f. orbis terrarum, Sks. 606, Trist. 7: the name of the work of Snorri, given it by Thormod Torfæus (died 1719), from the first words in one of the vellum MSS., ‘Kringla heimsins,’ etc., whence Heimskringla; as the old name of the Aeneid was ‘Arma.’ This name was for the first time used in the Edit. of Peringsköld 1697.

(heit; hét, hétum; heitinn), v.

1) to call give a name to;

Grímni mik hétu, they called me G.;

heitinn eptir e-m, called (named) after one;

2) to call on one;

heita e-n á brott, to call on one to be gone, bid one go (heitit mik héðan);

heita á e-n, to exhort one (in battle);

to invoke (heita á hinn heilaga Ólaf);

heita á e-n til e-s, to invoke (appeal to) one for a thing (hann hét á Þór til fulltings);

3) intrans., the pres. ‘heiti’ (not ‘heit’), to be hight, be called;

Óðinn ek, nú heiti, now I am called Odin;

Ólafr heiti ek, my name is O.;

Úlfr hét maðr, there was a man, whose name was U.;

bœr heitir á Bakka (at búrfelli), there is a farm called B.;

heita (to be reckoned) frjáls maðr, hvers manns níðingr;

4) with dat. to promise (heita e-m e-u);

mantu, hverju þú hézt mér, do you remember what you promised me?

heita e-m hörðu, to threaten one;

Bárði var heitit meyjunni, the maid was promised to B.;

5) refl., heitast, to vow, plight one’s faith (þeir hétust reka Hákon ór landi);

heitast e-m, to vow one’s person to one (heitast hinum heilaga Ólafi konungi);

to be betrothed to one.

(heitta, heittr), v.

1) to heat (heita spjót í eldi);

2) to brew (heita mungát, heita öl).

f. brewing (cf. ölheita).

* * *

pres. heit, heitr, and in A. II. heiti, heitir (bisyllabic), in mod. usage heiti through all significations; pret. hét, hétu, 2nd pers. hézt; part. heitinn.

A. [Ulf. haitan = καλειν; A. S. hâtan; Old Engl. hight, pret. hot; O. H. G. haizan; Germ. heissen; Swed. heta; Dan. hede]:

I. trans. with acc. to call, give name to; hve þik hétu hjú? Fsm. 47; Urð hétu eina, Vsp. 20; Heiði hana hétu, 25; Grímni mik hétu, Gm. 49; hve þik heitir halr, Hkv. Hjörv. 14; Hnikar hétu mik, Skv. 2. 18; hétu Þræl, Rm. 8; hétu Erna (Ernu?), 36: the naming of infants was in the heathen age accompanied by a kind of baptism (ausa vatni), vide ausa, p. 35.

2. metaph. to call on one; in the phrase, heita e-n á brott, to turn one out, call on one to be gone; þá er maðr á brott heitinn ef honum er eigi deildr matr at málum, Grág. i. 149; Vermundr hét hann á brott ok kvað hann eigi þar lengr vera skyldu, Sturl. ii. 230; so also, ef bóndi heitr griðmann sinn af vist foráttalaust, Grág. i. 157; eða heitið mik héðan, Ls. 7; ek var heitinn út ( turned out) fjórum sinnum, Sighvat:—with prep., heita á e-n, to call upon one (for help); hón hét á konur at skilja þá, Landn. 49: to exhort one (in battle), hét á Hólmrygi, Hkm. 2; Úlfr hét á oss, Hkr. iii. (in a verse); Gísli spratt upp skjótt ok heitr á menn sína, at skýli, Gísl. 22: to invoke one (a god, saint), hann trúði á Krist, en hét á Þór til sjófara ok harðræða, Landn. 206; hann heitr nú á fulltrúa sína Þorgerði ok Irpu, Fb. i. 213; ef ek heit á guð minn, Mar.; á Guð skal heita til góðra hluta, Sól. 4.

3. part. pass. hight, called; sú gjöf var heitin gulli betri, Ad. 9; löskr mun hann æ heitinn, Am. 57, Fms. vi. 39 (in a verse); sá maðr mun eigi ílla heitinn ( will not get a bad report) í atferð sinni, Sks. 55 new Ed.

β. heitinn, the late, of one dead; eptir Odd heitinn föður sinn, Dipl. iv. 13; Salgerðr h., the late S., Vm. 37: very freq. in mod. usage, hann Jón heitinn, hún Guðrún heitin, etc.

II. absol. or intrans., in which case pres. bisyllabic heiti (not heit), to be hight, be called, as in Goth. the pass. of haitan; Andvari ek heiti, A. am í hight, Skv. 2. 2; Ólafr heiti ek, Fms. x. 226; ek heiti Ari, Íb. (fine); Jósu vatni, Jarl létu heita, Rm. 31; Óðinn ek nú heiti, Yggr ek áðan hét, Gm. 54; Gangráðr ek heiti, Vþm. 8; Ask veit ek standa, heitir Yggdrasill, Vsp. 19: esp. freq. in an hist. style in introducing a person for the first time, Mörðr hét maðr, hann átti dóttur eina er Unnr hét, móðir hennar hét Þorgerðr, Rútr hét bróðir hans, Nj. 1, 2; þau áttu eptir dóttur er Þuríðr hét, hinn elzti son Bjarnar hét Grímkell, Ísl. ii. 4; Oddr hét maðr, son Önundar breiðskeggs, hann átti þá konu er Jórunn hét; annarr son þeirra hét Þóroddr en annarr Þorvaldr, Þuriðr hét dóttir Odds en önnur Jófriðr, 121, 122; Þorsteinn hét maðr, hann var Egilsson, en Ásgerðr hét móðir Þorsteins, 189; þau gátu son, ok var vatni ausinn ok hét Þórólfr, 146, etc.; and in endless instances answering to Engl. there was a man, and his name was ( he was hight) so and so. The ancients said, hve (or hversu) heitir þú, ‘how’ art thou named? Germ. wie heisst du? thus, hve þú heitir? hve þik kalla konir? answer, Atli ek heiti, and hve þú heitir, hála nágráðug? Hrímgerðr ek heiti, Hkv. Hjörv. 14–17; hve sú jörð heitir, hve sá himinn heitir, hversu máni heitir, hve sjá sól heitir, etc., Alm. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, Vþm. 11, 13, 15, 17; the northern Icelanders still say, hvers’ (i. e. hversu) heitir maðrinn, sælir verið þér, hvörs’ heitir maðrinn? answer, Hrólfr heitir hann, Asgrímsson að norðan, Sig. Pétr. in Hrólfr (a play), p. 4: in mod. usage, hvat ( what) heitir þú? hvað heitir þú? Eg heiti Jón, Stef. Ól.: the same phrase occurs now and then in old writers, hvat heitir bær sjá? Ld. 234; hvat heitir hón? Helga heitir hón, Ísl. ii. 201 (Cod. Holm. hvart = hversu?): as also in the poem Fsm. (but only preserved in paper MSS.) 9, 11, 13, 19, 23, 31, 35, 37; but hve, 46, 47.

β. of places, often with dat. and prep. of the place; á þeim bæ er á Brjámslæk heitir, Bs. i. 379; land pat er í Hvammi heitir, Gísl. 121; bær hans hét á Stokkum, Fb. iii. 324; á þeim bæ er at Hóli heitir, Hrafn. 5; ok því heitir þat síðan í Geitdal, 3; bær heitir á Bakka, á Meðalhúsum, at Búrfelli, á Auðúlfsstöðum, at Svínavatni, í Vestrhópi, í Sléttadal, Ísl. ii. 322–325.

2. to be called, reckoned so and so; þá heitir hón sönn at sök, then she stands convicted, N. G. L. i. 351; þú skalt frá þessum degi frjáls maðr heita, Ld. 50; heit hvers manns níðingr ella, Nj. 176; heldr en h. kotkarl, eigi er þat nafn fyrir-lítanda, at heita húskarlar konungs, Sks. 270; sá er vill heitinn horskr, Hm. 61.

3. reflex., hétomc, to name oneself or to be called; hétomc Grímnir, hétomc Gangleri, einu nafni hétomc aldregi, hétomc Þundr fyrir þat, Gm. 46, 48, 54.

B. With dat., [cp. Goth. fauraga heitan; A. S. hâtan, pret. het; Germ. verheissen]:—to promise, with dat. both of the person and thing, or the thing in infin., or absol.; heita hörðu, to threaten, Am. 78; h. góðu, Sól.; h. bölvi, Hdl. 49; afarkostum, Fms. i. 75; hann heitr þeim þar í mót fornum lögum, Ó. H. 35; engu heit ek um þat, 167; mantú nokkut hverju þú hézt mér í fyrra, Anal. 190; at lítið mark sé at, hverju þú heitr, Fms. vii. 120; fyrir þau hin fögru fyrirheit er þú hézt þeim manni, er bana-maðr hans yrði—þat skal ek efna sem ek hét þar um, i. 217; kom Þorsteinn þar, sem hann hafði heitið, as he had promised, 72; þú munt göra okkr slíka sæmd sem þú hefir heitið, Nj. 5; Njáll hét at fara, 49.

II. to make a vow, the vow in dat., the god or person invoked with prep. and acc. (h. á e-n), cp. A. above; þat sýndisk mönnum ráð á samkomunni, at h. til verðr-bata, en um þat urðu menn varla ásáttir hverju heita skyldi, vill Ljótr því láta h. at gefa til hofs, en bera út börn en drepa gamal-menni, Rd. 248; þá heitr Ingimundr prestr at bóka-kista hans skyldi á land koma ok bækr, Bs. i. 424; ok skyldu menn taka at heita, þeir hétu at gefa …, 483; hét Haraldr því til sigrs sér, at hann skyldi taka skírn, Fms. i. 107; eptir þat hét hón miklum fégjöfum á hinn helga Jón biskup, Bs. i. 201 and passim, esp. in the Miracle-books.

III. reflex. and pass. to plight oneself, be betrothed; þá sá hón þat at ráði ok með henni vinir hennar at heitask Þórólfi, Eg. 36; þeim hétumk þá þjóðkonungi, Skv. 3. 36: to betroth, varkat ek heima þá er (hón) þér heitin var, when she (the bride) was given to thee, Alm. 4; kom svá, at Bárði var heitið meyjunni, that the maid was betrothed to B., Eg. 26.

2. to vow, plight one’s faith; þeir hétusk reka Hákon ór landi, Jd.: to vow one’s person to one, at hann heitisk hinum heilaga Ólafi konungi, Hkr. iii. 288: to bind oneself, þá menn er honum höfðu heitisk til föruneytis, Fms. vii. 204.

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

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

B. Eccl. use of the word white:

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

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

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

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

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

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