go+that+as+it+may

(pl. óðul), n. ancestral property, patrimony, inheritance (in land); family homestead; native place; flýja óðul sín, to abandon one’s home, go into exile.

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n., pl. óðul; in Norse MSS. it is usually contracted before a vowel (whence arose the forms öðli eðli), and owing to a peculiarity in the Norse sound of ð an r is inserted in contracted forms, örðla, orðlom, N. G. L. passim: [akin to aðal, öðli, eðli, = nature; öðlask = adipisci; oðlingr, q. v.; A. S. êðel = patrimony; it is also the parent word of Germ. edel, adel, = noble, nobility, for the nobility of the earliest Teut. communities consisted of the land-owners. From this word also originated mid. Lat. allodium, prob. by inverting the syllables for the sake of euphony (all-od = od-al); oðal or ethel is the vernacular Teut. form, allodium the Latinised form, which is never found in vernacular writers; it may be that the transposition of syllables was due to the th sound in oðal; and hence, again, the word feudal is a compd word, fee-odal, or an odal held as a fee or feif from the king, and answering to heið-launað óðal of the Norse law (heið = fee = king’s pay), N. G. L. i. 91.]

B. Nature, inborn quality, property, = aðal, eðli, öðli, q. v.; this seems to be the original sense, þat er eigi at réttu mannsins óðal, Sks. 326 B; þat er helzt byrjar til farmanns óðals, a seaman’s life, 52; þat er kaupmanna óðal (= mercatorum est), 28; jörlum öllum óðal batni, Gh. 21.

II. a law term, an allodium, property held in allodial tenure, patrimony. The condition which in the Norse law constitutes an oðal was either an unbroken succession from father to son (er afi hefir afa leift) through three or more generations, N. G. L. i. 91, 237, Gþl. 284; or unbroken possession for thirty or more years, N. G. L. i. 249; or sixty years, Gþl. 284; or it might be acquired through brand-erfð (q. v.), through weregild, barn-fóstr (q. v.); and lastly heið-launað óðal, an allodial fief, was granted for services rendered to the king, see N. G. L. i. 91: the oðal descended to the son, and was opp. to útjarðir ( out-lands), and lausa-fé ( movables), which descended to the daughter, Gþl. 233; yet even a woman, e. g. a baugrygr (q. v.), could hold an oðal, in which case she was called óðals-kona, 92, jörð komin undir snúð ok snældu = an estate come under the rule of the spindle, N. G. L. i. 237; the allit. phrase, arfr ok óðal, 31, Gþl. 250: brigða óðal, N. G. L. i. 86; selja óðal, to sell one’s óðal, 237. The oðal was in a certain sense inalienable within a family, so that even when parted with, the possessor still retained a title (land-brigð, máldagi á landi). In the ancient Scandin. communities the inhabited land was possessed by free oðalsmen (allodial holders), and the king was the lord of the people, but not of the soil. At a later time, when the small communities were merged into great kingdoms, through conquest or otherwise, the king laid hold of the land, and all the ancient oðals were to be held as a grant from the king; such an attempt of king Harold Fairhair in Norway and the earls of Orkney in those islands is recorded in Hkr. Har. S. Hárf. ch. 6, Eg. ch. 4, cp. Ld. ch. 2, Orkn. ch. 8, 30, 80 (in Mr. Dasent’s Ed.); cp. also Hák. S. Goða ch. 1. Those attempts are recorded in the Icel. Sagas as acts of tyranny and confiscation, and as one of the chief causes for the great emigration from the Scandinavian kingdoms during the 9th century (the question of free land here playing the same part as that of free religion in Great Britain in the 17th century). The attempt failed in Norway, where the old oðal institution remains in the main to the present day. Even the attempts of king Harold were, according to historians (Konrad Maurer), not quite analogous to what took place in England after the Conquest, but appear to have taken something like the form of a land-tax or rent; but as the Sagas represent it, it was an attempt towards turning the free odal institution into a feudal one, such as had already taken place among the Teutons in Southern Europe.

III. gener. and metaph. usages, one’s native land, homestead, inheritance; the land is called the ‘oðal’ of the reigning king, á Danr ok Danpr dýrar hallir, æðra óðal, en ér hafit, Rm. 45; eignask namtú óðal þegna, allan Noreg, Gauta spjalli, Fms. vi. 26 (in a verse); banna Sveini sín óðul, St. Olave will defend his óðal against Sweyn, 426 (in a verse); flýja óðul sín, to fly one’s óðal, go into exile, Fms. iv. 217; flýja óðul eðr eignir, vii. 25; koma aptr í Noreg til óðala sinna, 196; þeim er þar eru útlendir ok eigi eigu þar óðul, who are strangers and not natives there, Edda 3; öðlask Paradísar óðal, the inheritance of Paradise, 655 viii. 2; himneskt óðal, heavenly inheritance, Greg. 68; njóta þeirra gjafa ok óðala er Adam var útlægr frá rekinn, Sks. 512: allit., jarl ok óðal, earl (or franklin) and odal, Gh. 21.

2. spec. phrase, at alda óðali, for everlasting inheritance, i. e. for ever and ever, D. N. i. 229: contr., at alda öðli, id., Grág. i. 264, D.I. i. 266; til alda óðals, for ever, iii. 88: mod., frá, alda öðli, from time immemorial.

C. COMPDS: óðalsborinn, óðalsbréf, óðalsbrigð, óðalsjörð, óðalskona, óðalsmaðr, óðalsnautr, óðalsneyti, óðalsréttr, óðalsskipti, óðalstuptir, óðalsvitni.

(sín, sitt), poss. pron. his, her, its, their;

1) referring to the subj. in a sentence, Hallgerðr fastnaði dóttur sína, H. betrothed her daughter;

Hrútr var harðráðr við úvini sína, H. was stern towards his foes;

2) referring to the object;

hvat vill Haraldr bjóða Nóregs konungi fyrir sitt starf, what will H. offer to the king of Norway for his (viz. the latter’s) trouble? Sigurðr jarl gaf upp Orkneyingum óðul sín, their odals;

hann þakkar honum sitt sinni, he thanks him for his help;

3) neut. as subst.;

kostaði hann einn allt fyrir, en bœndr ekki af sínu, nothing of their own;

allt mun þat sínu fran fara um aldr manna, it will all go its own course to a man’s life;

4) with sjálfr both words are declined;

þeir báðu hana taka sjálfrar sinnar ráð, they bade her take her own counsel;

5) with hvárr and hverr in a distributive sense;

tók sitt langskip hvárr þeira, each of the two took a long ship;

sinn vetr þá hvárr heimboð at öðrum, they visited each other, winter about;

sínu sinni at hvárs búum, alternately on each other’s estates;

sinn veg hvárr, one each way;

þykkir nökkut sinn veg hváru, each took his own view of the matter;

ferr sinn veg hverr um skóginn, they (all) went each his own way in the wood;

skulu vaka sinn þriðjung nætr hverir tveir, two and two in turn.

n. time;

eitt sinn, einu sinni, one time, once (þat var eitt sinn, at Egill gekk til elda at verma sik);

eitthvert sinn, einhverju sinni = eitt sinn, einu sinni;

einhverju sinni bar svá til, at, one time it happened that;

ekki sinn, engu sinni, never;

aldri sinn, never more (aldri skaltu koma í mína rekkju sinn síðan);

þat sinn, that time;

þessu sinni, this time;

(í) annat sinn, öðru sinni, a second time, again;

hit fyrra sinn, the first time;

hit þriðja sinn, for the third time;

at sinni, for the present (þeir skilja tal sitt at sinni);

um sinn, once (veg þú aldri meirr í inn sama knérunn en um sinn);

for this one time (ek mun leysa þik ór vandræði þessu um sinn);

um sinns sakir, for this once (eigi vil ek synja þér um sinns sakir þessa);

dat. pl., sjau sinnum, seven times;

endr ok sinnum, now and then, from time to time;

nökkurum sinnum, several times.

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sín, sitt, pron. possess. reflex.; the better and true form is sínn, sín, sítt, with í throughout, see the remarks on minn; [Ulf. seins, etc.]:—his, hers, its, theirs = Lat. suus, usually placed after, but also, if emphatic, before; þar sitr Sigyn um sínum ver, Vsp. 39; síns um freista frama, Hm. 2; mál síns maga, 20; síns ins heila hugar, síns ins svára sofa, 105: properly referring to the subject in a sentence, Hallgerðr fastnaði dóttur sína, H. gave away her daughter. Nj. 51; Hrútr var hagráðr við vini sína, 2; hann skipaði sínum mónnum, 50; þeir leiða hesta sína, 265; hann kvaddi Ólaf stjúpson sinn til at söðla sér hest, Ó. H. 15; síðan vóru honum öll ráð sín þungrærð ok torsótt, 195; var honum sjálfum hugr sinn bæði fyrir skjöld ok brynju, Fbr. 56 new Ed. The pronoun may also refer to the object, or, in a complex sentence, to a second person in the predicate of the sentence, hvat vill Haraldr bjóða Noregs konungi fyrir sitt starf, what will H. offer to the king of Norway for his (i. e. the Norse king’s) trouble? Fms. vi. 415; Sigurðr jarl gaf upp Orkneyingum óðul sín (their odals), Orkn. 20, cp. the Lat. ‘Syracusanis res suas restituit;’ sagði Dufþakr at Ormr skyldi hafa byrði sína, i. e. as much as O. could carry, Fb. i. 523; eigi þér at bæta prestinum rétt sinn, to the priest his due, Bs. i. 709; Eyjólfr þakkar konungi gjafir sínar ok vinmæli for his (the king’s) gifts, Lv. 112; hann þakkar honum sitt sinni, he thanks him for his help, Fas. ii. 542: so also in mod. writers, og hann gaf hann aptr sinni móður, Luke vii. 15 (Vídal.); ræn ei Guð Sínum rétti, rob thou not God of his right, Pass. 7. 11, and passim.

II. neut. as subst.; allt mun þat sínu fram fara ( go its own course) um aldr manna, Nj. 259; ryðik hann um sitt, = Lat. pro virili, i. e. for his own part, with might and main, Fms. xi. 132: ellipt., hann segir sínar (viz. farar) eigi sléttar, Korm. 158; kom hann svá sinni (viz. ár) fyrir borð, Fas. i. 524.

III. with sjálfr, both words are declined; skaða sjálfs síns, one’s own self’s scathe, Sks. 228 B; minni sjálfs síns, one’s own recollection, D. N. ii. 110; þeir báðu hana taka sjálfrar sinnar ráð. ‘take her own self’s rede,’ act for herself, Fms. x. 103; með höndum sjálfra sinna, Barl. 25; leggr hón í veð sjálfra sinna eignir, D. N. ii. 82; sakir óforsjó sálfra sinna, i. 107: in mod. usage both the possessive and the indeclinable forms are used, thus, sjálfs síns eignum, but if placed after, eignum sjálfs sín; the possessive however is more freq., as it also is the better form of the two.

IV. with hvárr (dual), hverr (plur.), in a distributive sense:

α. sinn-hverr in n purely distributive sense; tók sitt langskip ‘hvárr þeirra, they took a long ship, each of the two, Eg. 74; England ok Skotland er ein ey, ok er þó sitt hvárt konungs-ríki, England and Scotland are one island, and yet each is a separate kingdom, Symb. 14: lét sitt naut hvárr fram leiða, Eg. 506; sinn vetr þá hvúrr heimboð at öðrum, each his winter, alternately, Nj. 51; ef sinn lögsögu-mann vilja hvárir, Grág. i. 1; þeirra manna er tví-tyngðir eru ok hafa í sínum hváptinum hvára tunguna, Al. 4; hón hélt sinni hendi um háls hvárum þeirra, … liggi til sinnar handar mér hvárr ykkar, Fms. i. 9.

β. sinn hverr (plur.), ferr sinn veg hverr um skóginn, they went each his own way in the wood, i. e. dispersed, Glúm. 329; skulu vaka sinn þriðjung nætr hverir tveir, two and two in turn, Fms. iv. 299; hann selr sína bolöxi í hendr hverjum þeirra, v. 288; hann sá þrjú hásæti ok sátu þrír menn, sinn í hverju, Edda 2; hann kastaði um öxl hverja sínum sauðum tveimr, Grett. 134 new Ed.; fór sinn veg hverr, they went each his own way, i. e. they parted; but, fór hverr sinn veg, each his (appointed) way: rarely with the possessive placed after, fóru hvárir leið sína, Nj. 34; fara hvárir til síns heima, Korm. 222. In mod. usage, when sinn is placed after hverr, it gives emphasis with the notion of one’s due, one’s own, thus, gefa hverjum sitt, to give every one his due, Lat. suum cuique; whereas ‘sitt hverjum,’ with the order reversed, is merely distributive; thus hver fékk sinn penning, Matth. xx. 9 (of wages due to each); whereas ‘fékk sinn pening hverr’ would be said of alms distributed.

B. COMPDS: sinn-veg, sinn-eg, sinn-ig, adv. one each way; þykkir nokkut sinnveg hváru, they disagreed, Ld. 90; talaði annarr at öðrum, ok hóf sinneg; hverr, they all spoke in turn, and each began his speech differently, Fms. vii. 222. Also, sinns-ig, adv.; flýði sinnsig hverr, Fms. viii. 413, v. l.; sinnsiginn var litr hvers steins, Konr.; skildu þeir svá sínu tali, at sinnsiginn líkaði hverjum, Bs. (Laur.); segir svá Gregorius papa, at sinnsig á hvern á at minna, each has to be admonished in his own way, one this way, another that, 655 xi. 2.

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pron. dem. m. and f. this, that (sjá maðr hafði spjót í hendi).

(sé; sá, sám; sénn), v.

1) to see;

hann kvezt sjá mann rída, he said that he saw a man riding;

var þá sén reið þeira, their riding was seen, they were seen riding;

2) to look (konungr sá til hans ok mælti);

Gunnarr sá í mót tungli, G. looked at the moon;

sjá út, to look out of the house (Hrútr bað engan mann út sjá á þeiri nótt);

3) to examine, see (look) after (hann reið ofan í Eyjar at sjá verk húskarla sinna);

4) to see, understand (aldri varð þat enn, at ek sá eigi gátur þær, er fyrir mik váru upp bornar);

5) impers., þá (acc.) mátti eigi sjá, they could not be seen;

sér þá hauga enn, those mounds can be seen yet;

má þat ok sjá, at nær standa vinir Gunnars, it may be seen, too, that Gunnar’s friends stand near him;

6) with preps.:

sjá af e-m, to look away from, be (do) without (ek þóttumst ekki mega af þér sjá sakir ástríkis);

sjá á e-t, to look on (nú em ek í höll kominn á þik sjálfan at sjá);

to take in hand, take care of (Þorgils kvað sér eigi skylt at sjá á þat mál);

sjá á með e-m, to take care of (þess vil ek biðja, at þér sjáit á með Högna syni mínum);

impers., sér á, it can be seen (lítt sér þat þá á, at þú hafir fundit Svein konung);

sjá eptir e-u, sjá eptir um e-t, to look after (var lítt sét eptir um skattlöndin þau, er fjarri lágu);

eiga eptir e-u at sjá, to have to look after a thing (hann mun þar eptir hefndum eiga at sjá);

sjá fram, to see into the future (fram sé ek lengra);

sjá e-t fyrir, to foresee (hann þóttist sjá fyrir, at hann mundi fella fénað sinn);

sjá fyrir e-u, to take care of, provide for (verðr hverr fyrir sér at sjá);

man ek þá sjá fyrir málinu, then I will look after the matter;

sjá fyrir e-m, to put one out of the way;

sjá í e-t, to see into, see through (sér hann ekki í þetta);

to take into consideration (Hrafnkell sá eigi mjök í kostnað);

sjá til e-s, to become aware of (ef þér sjáit þá ekki til minna ferða, þá fari þér heim);

to look for, expect (sjá til trausts, launa, fulltings);

to look after, see to, take care of (guð sér til kristni sinnar);

sjá til með e-m, to take care of, see to one;

sjá um e-t, to see after. take care of (sjá um bú, fémál e-s);

sjá um með e-m = sjá til með e-m (Höskuldr sá um með honum);

sjá um fyrir e-u, to look after, see to (eigi mun nú fyrir öllu verða um sét);

sjá við e-m, to look at one (konungr sá við honum ok mælti);

to beware of, guard oneself against (mun oss vandgætt til við honum at sjá);

sé nú við, beware!;

sjá við um e-t, to guard oneself, be cautious as to (hafa þessir menn meirr sét við um kaupin en ek hugða);

sjá yfir e-t, to look over, survey, look after (sjá yfir akra sína);

to see a way to (hann sá eigi yfir, at þeir kœmist til bœja);

eigi mátti yfir sjá, hvern veg hníga mundi orrostan, one could not see how the fight would end;

7) refl., sjást.

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the pronoun, see sá, sú. This word or form might have been put under a separate head, it is often used in a pointedly demonstr. sense, like þessi; see the references s. v. sá.

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(dat. sumri, pl. sumur), n. summer; um sumarit, in the course of the summer, during the summer; at sumri, next summer; mitt s., midsummer; í s., this summer.

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n., dat. sumri; pl. sumur; sumra, sumrum; in the old language this word was masculine in the form sumarr, of which gender a trace may still be seen in the contracted forms sumri, sumra, sumrum, for a genuine neuter does not admit these contractions. But there remains a single instance of the actual use of the masculine in the rhyme of a verse of the beginning of the 11th century, sumar hv ern frekum erni, Skálda,—from which one might infer that at that time the word was still masc.; if so, it is not likely that in a poem so old as the Vsp. it would be neuter, and ‘sumur’ in ‘of sumur eptir’ perhaps ought to be corrected ‘sumra’ or ‘sumar’ (acc. sing.); as also ‘varmt sumar’ should be ‘varmr sumarr,’ Vþm. 26: [A. S. sumar; a word common to all Teut. languages; in the Orm. sumerr, denoting a long u; the mod. Dan., Germ., and Engl. have sommer, summer, with a double m]:—a summer, passim.

II. mythical, Sumarr, the son of Svásað, Edda 13.

B. CHRONOLOGICAL REMARKS.—The old Northmen, like the Icel. of the present time, divided the year into two halves, summer and winter; the summer began on the Thursday next before the 16th of April in the old calendar, which answers to the 26th of the Gregorian calendar (used in Icel. since A. D. 1700). The Northern and Icelandic summer is therefore a fixed term in the calendar, and consists of 184 days, viz. six months of thirty days, plus four days, called aukanætr (‘eke-nights’). Summer is divided into two halves, each of three months (= ninety days), before and after midsummer (mið-sumar); and the four ‘eke-nights’ are every summer intercalated immediately before midsummer: thus in the Icel. Almanack of 1872—Sumar-dagr fyrsti, or the first summer-day, falls on Thursday the 25th of April; Auka-nætr from the 24th to the 27th of July; Mið-sumar on the 28th of July; Sumar-dagr síðasti, or the last day of summer, on the 25th of October; cp. sumar-nátt siðasta, Gísl. 67. In mod. usage the time from April to October is counted by the summer weeks, the first, second, … twentieth … week of the summer, and in Icel. Almanacks every Thursday during summer is marked by the running number of the week. The ancients, too, counted the summer by weeks, but only down to midsummer, thus, tíu vikur skulu vera af sumri er menn koma til alþingis, K. Þ. K. 166; but in the latter part of the summer they counted either by the weeks from midsummer or by the weeks still left of the summer, thus, hálfum mánaði eptir mitt sumar, Nj. 4; er átta vikur lifa sumars, Grág. i. 122; frá miðju sumri til vetrar, 147; er átta vikur eru til vetrar, Nj. 192; er tveir mánaðir vóru til vetrar, 195; líðr á sumarit til átta vikna, 93; ellipt., var Rútr heima til sex vikna (viz. sumars), 10.

C. COMPDS: sumarauki, sumarávöxtr, sumarbjörg, sumarbók, sumarbú, sumarbær, sumardagr, sumarfang, sumarfullr, sumargamall, sumargjöf, sumarhagi, sumarherbergi, sumarhiti, sumarhluti, sumarhold, sumarhöll, sumarkaup, sumarlangt, sumarliði, sumarligr, sumarmagn, sumarmál, sumarnátt, sumarnætr, SumarPáskar, sumarsetr, sumarskeið, sumarstefna, sumarsöngr, sumartíð, sumartími, sumartungl, sumarverk, sumarviðr.

(þessi, þetta), dem. pron. this (þessi kona, or kona þessi);

í þessu, in this moment.

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fem. þessi, neut. þetta, a demonstr. pron.

A. THE FORMS.—The Icel., like other Teut. languages, except the Goth., has two demonstr. prons., one simple, sá sú þat, another emphatic or deictic, þessi, þetta (cp. Gr. ὁ and ὅδε, Lat. hic and hicce); the latter is a compound word, the particle -si, sometimes changed into -sa, being suffixed to the cases of the simple pronoun; Dr. Egilsson, in Lex. Poët., first explained that this suffix was the imperative ‘see,’ Goth. sai; þessi, as well as the Engl. thi-s, the-se, tho-se, is therefore qs. the-see, that-see. The forms vary much:

I. the earliest declension is with the suffixed particle, like -gi in ein-gi, q. v., indeclinable; it is mostly so on the Runic stones, where we find the following forms,—dat. þeim-si ( huic-ce), Rafn 178; acc. þann-si ( hunc-ce), passim; þá-si ( hanc-ce): plur. þeir-si ( hi-ce); dat. þeim-si ( his-ce); acc. þá-si ( hos-ce); neut. plur. þau-si ( haec-ce), passim: of this declension the vellums have only preserved the dat. sing. neut. því-sa, and the dat. masc. sing. and plur. þeim-a. On the Runic stones the acc. masc. sing. and plur., the acc. fem. plur., and the acc. neut. plur. are, so to say, standing phrases—to raise ‘this stone,’ ‘these stones,’ or ‘these kumbls’ (neut. plur.), or to carve ‘these Runes;’ but the other cases can only be assumed from later forms; in the Runic inscriptions they are wanting, because there was no occasion for them; thus því-sa and þeima are freq. in old Icel. vellums, but are hardly met with in Runes. Even nom. sing. masc. and fem. sá-si ( hic-ce) and sú-si ( haec-ce) are said to occur in two or three Runic inscriptions.

II. the whole word was next turned into a regular adjective with the inflexion at the end, just like margr from mann-gi, öngr from ein-gi, in which case the suffix became assimilated to the preceding pronoun, sometimes the inflexive s and sometimes the final letter of the pronoun prevailing; hence arose the forms as given in Gramm. p. xxi:

α. the s prevailed in the forms þessi qs. þer-si; in þes-sa; in þessum qs. þeim-sum, þem-sum; rununi þimsum ( hisce literis) occurs in Rafn 165, but is there erroneously explained; in þessu qs. því-su: acc. plur. þessa qs. þá-sa, þessar qs. þær-sar, þessi qs. þau-si.

β. again, the final of the pronoun prevailed in þenna qs. þann-sa, þetta qs. þat-sa; so also in þeima, which stands for þeimnia, which again is an assimilation for þeim-sa or þeim-si.

2. the older form for gen. and dat. sing. fem., as also gen. plur., is bisyllabic (gen. þessa, dat. þessi, gen. plur. þessa); þessar messu, Hom. 41; þessar upp-rásar, Fms. i. 166: í þessi útlegð, 78; af þessi sótt, ix. 390; til þessa saka, Grág. i. 324, and passim; hence, later, þessarrar, þessarri, þessarra; thus, þessarrar, MS. 544. 151; þessarri, Sks. 672 B; þessarrar, 786 B, and so in mod. usage.

III. a spec. form is þessor (q. v.), formed like nokkorr or engarr, but only used in nom. sing. fem. and nom. acc. neut. plur. (þessor bæn, þessor orð); it seems to be a Norse form: [A. S. þes, pl. þâs; Engl. this, these; Hel. þese; O. H. G. deser; Germ. dieser; Dan.-Swed. denne is formed from the old acc. þenna; pl. disse.]

B. THE SENSE.— This, pl. these. For the usages see the writers passim; it suffices to observe, that þessi is used both as adjective and as substantive; as adjective it may be placed before or after its noun (þessi kona or kona þessi): ellipt. usages are, í þessu, in this moment, Fms. ii. 60; í þessi (viz. hríð), in this nick of time, x. 415. For its usage with the article inn, see hinn, p. 263, col. 1 (II. 1); þessi inn skakk-borni, sveinn, Al. 29; þenna inn unga dreng, 656 C. 32, and passim.

m. sea-drifted. Heine havreki or Heine the sea-drifted is the name of the hero of a Faroe legend, told by Schlyter in Antiqu. Tidskrift, 1849–1851. The legend makes him the father of the arch-pirate Magnus Heineson, a historical person, whose exploits are told in Debes’ book; this Magnus, we may presume, served as a model to Scott’s Pirate (that Scott knew of Debes is scon from note K to the Pirate). The Faroe legend bears a striking likeness to the Anglo-Norman Haveloc the Dane; both name and story may have a common origin, ‘Haveloc’ being a corrupted French form, with r changed into l for the sake of euphony, haf-rót, n. a violent swell of the sea.

adv. lightly, easily, Fms. i. 85, viii. 78, Stj. 17: civilly, Stj. 209, Barl. 119: lightly, of dress, Ld. 46: readily, Eg. 200: may be, perhaps, Stj.; léttliga hvergi, 16, 24, 35, 112; léttliga at, may be that, 47, 59, 106, 122, 126, 159, 400, Fb. i. 376.

f., pl. rúnar: [rún, raun, reyna are all kindred words, and a lost strong verb, rúna, raun, meaning to enquire, may be presumed; the original notion is scrutiny, mystery, secret conversation; Gotb. runa, by which Ulf. several times renders the Gr. μυστήριον and συμβούλιον (once, Matth. xxvii. 1), βουλή (twice, Luke vii. 30, 1 Cor. iv. 5); A. S. rún = a ‘rowning’ mystery, but also = writing, charter; Hel. rûna = colloquium, and geruni = loquela (Schmeller); cp. Old Engl. to rown, Germ. raunen; Gr. ἐ-ρευνάω is also supposed to be a kindred word (Bugge). In Scandin. writers and poets rún is chiefly used of magical characters, then of writing, whereas the derivative word raun means trial, enquiry, and rúni and rúna = a friend or counsellor.]

B. A secret, hidden lore, mystery; frá jötna rúnum ok allra goða segðú it sannasta, Vþm. 42, 43; kenna rúnar, to teach wisdom, Rm. 33; dæma um rúnar ok regin-dóma, Hm. 112; minnask á fornar rúnar, Vsp. 59: saws, segja sannar rúnir, to tell true saws, Fas. ii. 302 (in a verse): a ‘rowning’ speech, vifs rúnir, a woman’s whispering, Bm.; heita e-n at rúnum, to consult one, Gh. 12, Skv. 3. 14, 43; hniga at rúnum, Gkv. 3. 4.

II. a Rune or written character; the earliest Runes were not writing in proper sense, but fanciful signs possessing a magical power; such Runes have, through vulgar superstition, been handed down even to the present time, for a specimen of them see Ísl. Þjóðs. i.435, 436, and Arna-Magn. Nos. 687. 4 to, and 434. 12 mo (Ísl. Þjóðs.pref. ix); the classical passages for these spell-Runes are, Hm. 133 sqq., Sdm. 5 sqq., Skm. 29, 36, Eg. ch. 44, 61, 75, Yngl. S. ch. 7, Grett. ch. 85, N. G. L. iii. 286, 300, Vsp. 59; cp. also the phrase, rísta trénið, Grág., Fs. 56. The phrase in the old Danish Ballads, kaste runer, to throw Rúnes, i. e. chips (see hlaut, hlautviðr), may be compared to the Lat. sortes, Mommsen’s Hist, of Rome, vol. i. p. 187, foot-note (Engl. Ed.), or the Sibylline leaves in the Aeneid.

2. Runes as writing;the word was first applied to the original Northern alphabet, which at an early time was derived from the common Phœnician, probably through Greek or Roman coins in the first centuries of our era. From these Runes were subsequently formed two alphabets, the old Scandinavian (whence again the Anglo-Saxon), as found on the Golden horn and the stone in Tune, and the later Scandinavian, in which the inscriptions in the greater number of the Swedish and Danish stone monuments are written, most being of the 10th (9th?) and following centuries.—A curious instance of the employment of Runes is their being written on a kefli (a round piece of wood) as messages (cp. the Gr. σκυτάλη), as is freq. recorded in the Sagas, e. g. Gísl. 45, 67, Fms. ix. 390, 490, Grett. 154 new Ed., Fb. i. 251 (of the deaf and dumb Oddny). It is doubtful whether poems were ever written in this way, for almost the only authority for such a statement is Eg. 605, where we read that the Sonatorrek was taken down on a Runic stick, the other instances being mostly from romances or fabulous Sagas, Grett. 144, Örvar Odds S.(fine). This writing on a kefli is mentioned in the Latin line, Barbara ‘fraxineis’ sculpatur runa ‘tabellis,’ Capella (5th century). In later times (from the 13th century) Runic writing was practised as a sort of curiosity; thus calendars used to be written on sticks, of which there is a specimen in the Bodl. Library in Oxford; they were also used for inscriptions on tombstones, spoons, chairs, and the like: there even exists in the Arna-Magn. Library a Runic MS. of an old Danish law, and there is a Runic letter in Sturl. (of the year 1241); Runes carved on an oar occur in Fs. 177: a hidden treasure in a chest is labelled with Runes, Fms. vi. 271, Sd. 146, cp. also the interesting record in Bs. i. 435 (sex manna bein vóru þar hjá honum ok vax ok rúnar þær er sögðu atburð lifláts þeirra).

3. the word rún is also, though rarely, applied to the Latin alphabet; ef hann er á þingi þá skal hann rísta nafn hans ef hann kann rúnar, N. G. L. i. 171; or generally, ræki ek eigi hvárt þú rítr ø þitt eðr o,  eða a, ę eða e, y eða u, en ek svara svá, eigi er þat rúnanna kostr þó at þú lesir vel eða ráðir vel at líkindum, þar sem rúnar visa óskírt, heldr er þat þinn kostr, Thorodd 162; þessi er upphaf allra hátta svá sem málrúnar eru fyrir öðrum minum, Edda (Ht.) 121.

III. in pr. names, Rún-ólfr: as the latter part in pr. names of women, Guð-rún, Sig-rún, Öl-rún, Landn., Nj., Bs., Sturl., Sæm.

COMPDS: rúnakefli, rúnamál, Rúnameistari, rúnastafr.

* * *

(gen. pl. vikna), f.

1) week; nú lífa sumarit til átta vikna, till it was eight weeks to winter; hin helga v., Holy-week (after Whitsun); efsta v., the last week of Lent, Passion-week;

2) sea-mile, = vika sjóvar, v. sævar (Ólafseyjar liggja út á firðinum hálfa aðra viku undan Reykjanesi).

* * *

u, f., gen. pl. vikna, pl. vikur: [this can hardly be a genuine Teutonic word, but rather is adopted from Lat. vice, otherwise the k could not have remained unchanged; thus Lat. vicus is Icel. vé, Goth. weihs: Ulf. only uses the word in a single instance, viz. to translate ἐν τη τάξει της ἐφημερίας αὐτου by in wikon kunjis seinis in Luke i. 8, where the Latin text ‘in vice sua’ perhaps suggested the word to the translator; A. S. and Hel. wica; Engl. week; O. H. G. wecha; Germ. woche; Dan. uge; Swed. wecha; in Norse dialects vika, veka, vuku, uku, and in compds -oke, Jóns-oke, Ivar Aasen.]

B. USAGES.—A week, passim: used in a peculiar manner, as marking the remaining weeks of the summer; líðr á sumarit til átta vikna, viz. till eight weeks remained before winter, Nj. 93; var Rútr heima til sex vikna, 10; vá Böðvarr Kolbein Drottins-daginn at fjórum vikum, Ann. 1376. The ancient Scandinavians and Teutons in heathen times seem to have counted the year by pentads, called fimt, as has already been remarked s. v. fimt (p. 153), to which may be added the authority of the late Prof. Schlegel of Copenhagen in a notice of 1825, mentioned in Lex. Mythol. p. 753. The time when the Scandinavians changed their system is quite unknown; it would seem that in Icel. ‘weeks’ were already in use in the middle of the 10th century, could we but trust the record in Íb. ch. 4 as authentic in its details.

II. spec. usages in the calendar; Helga vika, the Holy-week (i. e. after Whitsun), Thom. 22, Dipl. iii. 10, D. I. i. 594; Efsta-vika, the last week of Lent, i. e. Passion-week, Orkn. 386, D. I. i. 594; Páska-vika, Easter-week; Sælu-vika, Ember-week, passim, see Icel. Almanack; as also Auka-vika or Lagningar-vika, the additional week, intercalary week, = sumar-auki, see p. 604; fyrsta Sumar-vika, síðasta vika sumars, síðasta vika vetrar.

COMPDS: vikudagr, vikufrestr, vikuför, vikugamall, vikulagning, vikumunr, vikustafr, vikustef, vikustefna, vikuþing, viknamót, viknatal.

u, f. [a word quite different from the preceding, akin to vik and vík, the root word being víkja, q. v.]:—a sea mile, knot, answering to a mod. geographical mile, and equal to a ‘röst’ on land (see röst, p. 508): the term seems to have been derived from vík, a small bay, denoting the distance from ness to ness, and so referring to a time when ships coasted along-shore; the word is still in almost exclusive use in Icel. The following instances may suffice:—the distance from Reykjanes to Flatey in western Icel. is counted as three viknr (frá Reykjanesi til Flateyjar, þat eru þrjár vikur sjófar, Bs. i. 461); from Drangey in the north to the nearest point on the mainland as one vika (frá Revkjum er skemst til eyjarinnar ok er þat vika sjóvar … þat var vika sjáfar sem skemst var til lands ór eyjunni, Grett. 144, 148); eyjar þær sem Ólafs-eyjar heita, þær liggja út á firðinum hálfa aðra viku undan Reykjanesi, 125; heyrði yfir til Skarfstaða hálfa viku sjóvar (viz. from Ljárskógar), 129; for the respective distances see the map of Icel.: so in Norway, vatnið var hálfrar viku breitt, Fms. viii. 32; sigla þeir fyrir þat torleiði sex vikur sævar, Fb. i. 186: in the Faroes, þangat var skemst ok var þat þó löng vika sjóvar, Fær. 173 (viz. from the Great Dimon to Suðrey): in Greenland, hann lagðisk eptir geldingi gömlum út í Hvalsey, ok flutti á baki sér, þá er hann vildi fagna Eireki frænda sínum, en ekki var sæfært skip heima, þat er löng hálf vika, Landn. 107: great distances at the open sea are counted by ‘tylpt,’ ‘dozens, sc. of knots,’ leaving out the word ‘vika,’ þá mun siglt vera tylpt fyrir sunnan Ísland, Landn. 25: a writer of the 14th century calculates the voyage round Iceland direct from headland to headland at ‘fourteen dozens,’—fjórtan tylptir umbergis at sigla réttleiðis fyrir hvert nes, Bs. ii. 5.

a, m.

1. the true name of the mythical prince of Denmark, Amlethus of Saxo, Hamlet of Shakespeare.

2. now used metaph. of an imbecile, weak person, one of weak bodily frame, wanting in strength or briskness, unable to do his work, not up to the mark. It is used in phrases such as, þú ert mesti Amlóði, what a great A. you are, i. e. poor, weak fellow. In a poem of the 10th century (Edda 67), the seashore is called the flour-bin of Amlode (meldr-lið Amlúða, navis farinae Amlodif), the sand being the flour, the sea the mill: which recals the words of Hamlet in Saxo,—‘sabulum perinde ac farra aspicere jussus eadem albicantibus maris procellis permolita esse respondit.’ From this poem it may be inferred that in the 10th century the tale of Hamlet was told in Icel., and in a shape much like that given it by Saxo about 250 years later. Did not Saxo (as he mentions in his preface) write his story from the oral tradition of Icelanders? In Iceland this tale was lost, together with the Skjöldunga Saga. The Icel. Ambales Saga MS. in the Brit. Mus. is a modern composition of the 17th century.

COMPDS now in freq. use: amlóðaligr, adj. imbecile; amlóða-skapr, m., or amlóða-háttr, imbecility; also amlóðast, dep. Torfaeus, in his Series Reg. Dan. p. 302, quotes an old Swedish rhyme running thus: ‘Tha slog konungen handom samman | och log fast och gorde aff gamnian | rett some han vore en Amblode | then sig intet godt forstode,’ where it means a fool, simpleton, denoting a mental imbecility. [No one knows the origin of this name: an etymology attempted by Prof. Säve of Upsala is, we believe, equally inadmissible.]

pp. n. of an obs. verb;

e-m verðr e-s auðit, it falls to one’s lot;

oss varð eigi þeirrar hamingju auðit, this good fortune was not destined for us;

þó at mér verði lífs auðit, though life be granted to me;

hafði auðit, they had won the day;

varð þeim eigi erfingja auðit, to them no heir was granted;

auðit fé, means possessed.

* * *

n. part. of an obsolete verb analogous to auka (‘ablaut’ an—jó—au), [cp. Swed. öde, fatum; auðna, luck; auðr, opes, etc.], used in many phrases, and often answering to the Gr. αισα, with dat. pers. and gen. of the thing; e-m er, verðr, auðit e-s, it falls to one’s lot; úlíkligt er at oss verði þeirrar hamingju a., it is unlikely that this good fortune is destined for us, Eg. 107; koma mun til mín feigðin…, ef mér verðr þess a., if that be ordained for me, Nj. 103; þó at mér verði lífs a., though life may be granted to me, Fms. i. 47; konungr lét græða menn sína sem lífs var a., those whose lot it was to live, who were not mortally wounded, Eg. 34; hafði þeim orðit sigrs a., had won the day, Eg. 86; var þeim eigi erfingja a., to them was no heir granted by fate, 625. 83: with ‘at’ and an infin., mun oss eigi a. verða at fá þvílíkan, Fms. x. 339: absol., hafi þeir gagn er a. er, let them gain the day to whom the god of battles grants it, xi. 66: with the addition of ‘til;’ ek ætla okkr lítt til ástafunda a. hafa orðit, we have had bad luck in love, 310: auðinn, masc. appears twice or thrice in poetry, auðins fjár, means possessed, Skv. 3. 37: in prose in Al. 21 (by Bishop Brand), láta auðins bíða, to submit to fate, to be unconcerned; even in compar., hvárt hyggit ér manni nokkuru at auðnara ( any more chance), at hann fái knúta þessa leysta, of the Gordian knot, 19, at auðnu, v. auðna [cp. A. S. eâden, datus, concessus; Hel. ôdan, genitus, natus: cp. also jóð, proles, a word perhaps of the same root.]

adv. and conj.

1) besides, = at auki (hundrað manna ok auk kappar hans);

2) also, = ok.

* * *

adv. [cp. Goth. auk, freq. used by Ulf. as translation of Gr. γάρ; jah auk = και γάρ; A. S. eâc; Engl. eke; Germ. auch].

I. it originally was a noun = augmentum, but this form only remains in the adverbial phrase, at auk, to boot, besides, Bs. i. 317 (freq.): adverbially and without ‘at’ besides; hundrað manna ok auk kappar hans, a hundred men and eke his champions, Fas. i. 77; þriggja marka fé, en konungr þat er auk er, the surplus, N. G. L. i. 350: cp. also such phrases as, auk þess at, besides that; auk heldr, v. heldr.

II. as a conj. also, Lat. etiam, occurs in very old prose, and in poetry; svá mun ek auk bletza þá konu es þú baðsk fyr, 655 ix. B. 2 (MS. of the 12th century), Hkr. ii. 370 (in a poem of Sighvat); this form, however, is very rare, as the word soon passed into ok, q. v.

III. used to head a sentence, nearly as Lat. deinde, deinceps, the Hebrew ף, or the like; the Ormulum uses ac in the same way; in MSS. it is usually spelt ok; but it may be seen from poetic assonances that it was pronounced auk, e. g. auk und jöfri fræknum; hitt var auk at eykir, Vellekla, Hkr. i. 216: auk at járna leiki, Lex. Poët.; it is sometimes even spelt so, e. g. auk nær aptni skaltu Óðinn koma, Hm. 97, Hkr. i. 29, v. 1.; it is also freq. in the Cod. Fris. of the Hkr. This use of auk’ or ‘ok’ is esp. freq. in old narrative poems such as the Ynglingatal (where it occurs about thirty-five times), in the Háleygjatal (about six times), and the Vellekla (about ten times): vide ok.

IV. simply for ok, and, as spelt on some Runic stones, but seldom, if ever, in written documents.

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.

I) n. bath, esp. steam- or vapour-bath (fara or ganga til baðs, koma ór baði, ganga frá baði; taka bað).

II) from biðja.

* * *

n. [in Goth. probably baþ, but the word is not preserved; A. S. bäð, pl. baðo; Engl. bath; Germ. bad; cp. also Lat. balneum, qs. badneum (?); Grimm even suggests a kinship to the Gr. βάπτω]:—bath, bathing. In Icel. the word is not very freq., and sounds even now somewhat foreign; laug, lauga, q. v., being the familiar Icel. words; thus in the N. T. Titus iii. 5. is rendered by endrgetningar laug; local names referring to public bathing at hot springs always bear the name of laug, never bað, e. g. Laugar, Laugarnes, Laugardalr, Laugarvatn, etc. The time of bathing, as borne out by many passages in the Sturl. and Bs., was after supper, just before going to bed; a special room, baðstofa ( bathroom), is freq. mentioned as belonging to Icel. farms of that time. Bathing in the morning seems not to have been usual; even the passages Sturl. ii. 121, 125 may refer to late hours. This custom seems peculiar and repugnant to the simple sanitary rules commonly observed by people of antiquity. It is, however, to be borne in mind that the chief substantial meal of the ancient Scandinavians was in the forenoon, dagverðr; náttverðr ( supper) was light, and is rarely mentioned. Besides the word bað for the late bath in the Sturl. and Bs., baðstofa is the bathroom; síð um kveldit, í þann tíma er þeir Þórðr ok Einarr ætluðu at ganga til baðs, Sturl. iii. 42; um kveldit er hann var genginn til svefns, ok þeir til baðs er þat líkaði, ii. 117, 246, iii. 111; þat var síð um kveldit ok vóru menn mettir ( after supper) en Ormr bóndi var til baðs farinn, ok var út at ganga til baðstofunnar, Bs. i. 536; eptir máltíðina ( supper) um kveldit reikaði biskupinn um baðferðir ( during bathing time) um gólf, ok síðan for hann í sæng sína, 849; hence the phrase, skaltú hafa mjúkt bað fyrir mjúka rekkju, a good bathing before going to bed, of one to be burnt alive, Eg. 239. In Norway bathing in the forenoon is mentioned; laugardags morguninn vildu liðsmenn ráða í bæinn, en konungr vildi enn at þeir biði þar til er flestir væri í baðstofum, Fms. viii. 176; snemma annan dag vikunnar …, and a little below, eptir þat tóku þeir bað, vii. 34, iii. 171; þá gengr Þéttleifr til baðstofu, kembir sér ok þvær, eptir þat skœðir hanu sik, ok vápnar, Þiðr. 129, v. l.; Icel. hann kom þar fyrir dag ( before daybreak), var Þórðr þá í baðstofu, Sturl. ii. 121, 125; vide Eb. 134, Stj. 272.

COMPDS: baðferð, baðhús, baðkápa, baðkona, baðstofa, baðstofugluggr.

* * *

(gen. bókar and bœkr; pl. bœkr), f.

1) beech, beechtree;

2) poet. textile fabric with figures woven in it (bœkr þínar enar bláhvítu);

3) book;

lesa á bók, to read a book;

rita á bók, setja á bœkr, to set down in writing, to put on record;

kunna (festa) et útan bókar, to know (to get) by heart;

heilög bók, the divine book, the bible;

4) the gospel (vinna eið at bók; cf. bókareiðr);

5) Latin kenna em á bók, to teach one Latin;

nema á bók, to learn Latin;

setja en til bókar, to put one to school (in order to make him a priest);

hann heitir á bók ( in Latin) Jaskonius;

svá segir (er sagt) í bókum (in Latin books);

6) lawbook, code of law (lögbók, Jónsbók).

* * *

ar, f. [Lat. fāgus; Gr. φηγός; A. S. bôc; Engl. beech; Germ. buche (fem.); Swed. bok; Dan. böge, etc.]:—a beech, Edda (Gl.), Lex. Poët. Owing to the absence of trees in Icel., the word rarely occurs; moreover the collect. beyki, n., is more freq.

gen. bókar, but also in old writers bækr, pl. bækr, [Ulf. renders by bôca the Gr. βίβλος, γράμματα, επιστολή, etc.; A. S. bôc; Engl. book; Germ. buch (neut.); Swed. bok; Dan. bog: the identity between bók fāgus and bók liber seems certain; the gender is in all Scandinavian idioms the same; modern German has made a distinction in using buche fem., buch neut.; both are akin to the Gr.-Lat. fāgus, φηγός; cp. also the analogy with Gr. βίβλος and Lat. liber ( book and bark): bók-stafr also properly means a beech-twig, and then a letter. In old times, before the invention of parchment, the bark of trees was used for writing on]:—a book.

I. the earliest notion, however, of a ‘book’ in Scandin. is that of a precious stuff, a textile fabric with figures, or perhaps characters, woven in it; it occurs three or four times in old poems in this sense; bók ok blæja, bjartar váðir, Skv. 3. 47; bækr (bekr) þínar enar bláhvítu ofnar völundum (of bed-sheets?), Hðm. 7, Gh. 4: bók-rúnar, Sdm. 19, may refer to this; or is it = runes engraven on beech-wood?

II. a book in the proper sense. Icel. say, rita and setja saman bók (sögu), to write and compose a book ( story); old writers prefer saying, rita ‘á’ bók (dat. or acc.) instead of ‘í,’ perhaps bearing in mind that the earliest writings were on scrolls, or even on stones or wooden slabs—barbara fraxineis pingatur runa tabellis; they also prefer to use the plur. instead of sing. without regard to volumes (as in Engl. writings); það finst ritað á bókum, Fms. i. 157; á bókum Ara prests hins Fróða, iii. 106; historia ecclesiarum á tveim (sjau) bókum, Dipl. v. 18; á bókum er sagt, Landn. (pref.); á bókum Enskum, id.; á bók þessi (acc.) lét ek rita fornar frásagnir, Hkr. (pref.); but svá segir í bók þeirri sem Edda heitir, Skálda 222; þá hluti sem frammi standa í bók þessi, 159; svá sem hann (viz. Ari) hefir sjálfr ritað í sínum bókum, Ó. H. 188; þeir er Styrmir reiknar í sinni bók, Fb. ii. 68; hér fyrr í bókinni.

III. a book, i. e. a story, history (Saga), since in Icel. histories were the favourite books; cp. Íslendinga-bók, Konunga-bók, bók Styrmis; Landnáma-bók; bækr þær er Snorri setti saman, Sturl. ii. 123. It is used of the Gospel in the law phrases, sem búar virða við bók, vinna eið at bók (bókar-eiðr), of a verdict given or an oath taken by laying the hand upon the Gospel, Grág. (Þ. Þ.) several times; as the Engl. phrase ‘to swear on the book’ is common; of a code (of law) = Jóns-bók, after A. D. 1272 or 1281, Bs. i. 720, 723, vide Ann. those years; hafa bók even means to hold the book, i. e. to hold the office of lögmaðr (law-man, judge); Þórðr Narfa son hafði bók, Ann. (Hol.) A. D. 1304; á bókarinnar vegna, on the part of the book, i. e. the law, D. N. ii. 492. Mod. phrases: skrifa, rita, semja bók, to write it; lesa í bók, to read it; but syngja á bók, to sing from a book; fletta bók, to turn over the leaves; líta, blaða, í bók, to peruse, look into a book (hann lítr aldrei í bók, he never looks into a book); lesa bók ofan í kjölinn, to read a book carefully, v. lesa bók spjaldanna í milli, to read it from end to end:—sálma-bók, flokka-bók, a hymn-book; kvæða-bók, ljóða-bók, a book of poems; sögu-bók, of histories; lög-bók, of laws; Guðs orða-bók, God’s word-book, a religious book:—also of MSS., Flateyjar-bók (Cod. Flateyensis), Orms-bók, Uppsala-bók, Konungs-bók, Staðarfells-bók, Skálholts-bók, etc.:—phrases relating to books: það er allt á eina bókina lært, all learnt from the same book, i. e. all of one piece (esp. denoting one-sidedness); blindr er bóklauss maðr, blind is a bookless man; læra utan-bókar, to learn without book, by heart; bókvit, ‘bookwit,’ knowledge got from books; mannvit, mother-wit, common sense; allra manna vit er minna en þeirra er af bókum taka mannvit sitt, Sks. 22:—also, setja e-n til bækr, to set one to book, i. e. put one to school in order to make him priest; berja e-n til bækr, to thrash one to the book, i. e. into learning, Bs. i; a book has spjöld, boards; kjöl, keel, back; snið, cut; brot, size.

COMPDS: bókagull, bókagörð, bókakista, bókalectari, bókalist, bókarblað, bókarbót, bókareiðr, bókareiðstafr, bókarlag, bókarskeyting, bókarskrá, bókarstóll, bókartak, bókarvitni, bókaskápr, bókasteinn, bókastokkr.

I) (n. dual from báðir, used as), conj.,

1) bæði … ok, both … and;

bæði vitr ok framgjarn, both wise and bold;

bæði at lærdómi ok vitrleik ok atgervi, both in learning, and wisdom, and accomplishments;

2) bæði … enda, both … and also, and indeed.

II) from biðja.

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[v. báðir, where in p. 54, col. 2, 1. 7, the words ‘rarely Norse’ should be struck out], used adverbially, both, Scot. ‘baithh,’ with conjunctions connecting two parts of a sentence:

α. bæði, … ok, both … and; bæði vitr ok framgjarn, both wise and bold, Nj. 6; b. blár ok digr, Fms. vii. 162; vitandi bœði gott ok illt, knowing both good and evil, Stj. 145. Gen. iii. 5; b. fyrir sína hönd ok annarra, Bs. i. 129; b. at viti ok at öðru, 127; b. at lærdómi, vitrleik, ok atgörvi, in learning, wisdom, and accomplishments, 130 (where the subdivision after bæði is triple); b. lönd ok kvikfé, Ísl. ii. 61; mun nú vera rofit bæði búlkinn ok annat, Fms. vi. 381; bæði var at hann kunni betr en flestir menn aðrir, ok hafði betri færi á …, Bs. i. 129; sometimes in inverse order, ok … bæði; hér og á himnum bæði, Pass. 24. 7; fagrt ok fátítt b., Hom. 117; undruðu ok hörmuðu b., 120.

β. bæði… enda, where the latter part of the sentence, beginning with ‘enda,’ is of a somewhat disjunctive character, and can scarcely be literally rendered into English; it may denote irony or displeasure or the like, e. g. það er b. hann er vitr, enda veit hann af því, i. e. he is clever, no doubt, and knows it; b. er nú, jarl, at ek á yðr margan sóma at launa, enda vili þér nú hafa mik í hina mestu hættu, it is true enough, my lord, that I have received many good things from you, but now you put me in the greatest danger, i. e. you seem to intend to make me pay for it, Fb. i. 193: or it denotes that the one part of a sentence follows as a matter of course from the other, or gives the hidden reason; b. mundi vera at engi mundi þora at etja, enda mundi engi hafa hest svá góðan, i. e. no one would dare to charge him, as there would hardly be any who had so good a horse, Nj. 89.

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(-da, -dr), v.

1) to divide into parts;

sú á, er deilir með jötna sonum grund ok með goðum, that river which parts the giants and the gods;

alit þat land, er vatnsföll deila til sjófar, of which the rivers form the boundaries down to the sea;

vildi H. bæði kjósa ok deila, H. would both choose and deal (viz. divide the catch in shares and choose for himself the share he liked best);

láta en kjósa ok deila, to give one an arbitrary power in a case;

with dat. (hversu má keisarinn deila sér í tvá staði);

2) to deal out, apportion, allot;

deildr hlutr, a share allotted to one;

deila dögurð, mat á málum, to deal out portions of food in a household;

deila víg með verum, to deal victory fairly among men;

3) to distinguish, discern, = greina;

eptir þat sá sól ok mátti þá deila ættir, they could then discern the quarters of heaven;

deila liti, to discern colours;

eigi deilir litr kosti (acc. pl.), colour is no sure test of the quality;

4) to busy or occupy oneself with, deal with (engi maðr á önnur mál at deila í kirkju, nema biðja fyrir sér);

hann við Ríg rúnar deildi, he capped ritnes (spells) with R.;

deila orðspeki við e-n, to contend in learning with one;

þótt hringbrotar heiptir deili, though men hate one another;

deila kníf ok kjötstykki, to share knife and meat;

5) deila við e-n, to quarrel with one (deila við heimska hali);

deili gröm við þik, may the fiends bandy words with thee;

deila um e-t, to quarrel, contest about;

þeir deildu um (they have a lawsuit about) jarðir;

deila á e-n, to contend against one;

deila illyrðum, illdeildum, to chide, abuse one another;

deila afli, ofríki, við e-n, to deal harshly and overbearingly with one;

impers., ef í þat deilir, if there be dissent on that point;

ef í deilir með þeim, if they disagree;

6) to be master of, possess (deila bauga, fé);

hug skaltu deila, thou shalt control thy mind (feelings);

þar er munuð deilir, when love is concerned, in a matter of love;

7) refl., deilast, to spread, branch off (svá viða sem kristni deilist um heim);

meðan mér deilist lífit til, as long, as life is granted me;

deilast at e-u, to disagree about a thing.

f. disagreement, contest;

eiga, halda, deilu við e-n, to quarrel or contend with one.

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u. f. disagreement, a contest, often as a law term, law contest (laga-deila, þing-deila), Nj. 90, Fms. i. 68, iv. í 19, 198, vi. 136, viii. 146, Sturl. i. 105, Eg. 367, Rd. 304, Ld. 204.

COMPDS: deilugjarn, deilumál, deiluvænligr.

1) great-grandmother;

2) the name of the book Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, c. 1220.

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u, f. a great-grandmother, Rm. 2. 4; móðir ( mother) heitir ok amma (grandmother), þriðja edda (the third is edda), Edda 108: this sense is obsolete.

II. metaph. the name of the book Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, and containing old mythological lore and the old artificial rules for verse making. The ancients only applied this name to the work of Snorri; it is uncertain whether he himself called it so; it occurs for the first time in the inscription to one of the MSS. of Edda, viz. the Ub., written about fifty or sixty years after Snorri’s death: Bók þessi heitir Edda, hann hefir saman setta Snorri Sturlusonr eptir þeim hætti sem hér er skipat (viz. consisting of three parts, Gylfagynning, Skáldskaparmál, and Háttatal), Edda ii. 250 (Ed. Arna-Magn.); sva segir í bók þeirri er Edda heitir, at sá maðr sem Ægir hét spurði Braga …, 532 (MS. of the 14th century); hann (viz. Snorri) samansetti Eddu, he put together the Edda, Ann. 1241 (in a paper MS., but probably genuine). As the Skáldskaparmál ( Ars Poëtica) forms the chief part of the Edda, teaching the old artificial poetical circumlocutions (kenningar), poetical terms and diction, and the mythical tales on which they were founded, the Edda became a sort of handbook of poets, and therefore came gradually to mean the ancient artificial poetry as opposed to the modern plain poetry contained in hymns and sacred poems; it, however, never applies to alliteration or other principles of Icel. poetry: reglur Eddu, the rules of Edda, Gd. (by Arngrim) verse 2, Lil. 96, Nikulas d. 4; Eddu list, the art of Edda, Gd. (by Arni) 79;—all poems of the 14th century. The poets of the 15th century frequently mention the Edda in the introduction to their Rímur or Rhapsodies, a favourite kind of poetry of this and the following time, Reinalds R. I. 1, Áns R. 7. 2, Sturlaugs R., Sigurðar þögla R. 5. 4, Rimur af Ill Verra og Vest, 4, 3, Jarlmanns R. 7. 1, 5, II. 3, Dímis R. 2. 4, Konraðs R. 7. 5;—all these in vellum and the greater part of them belonging to the 15th century. Poets of the 16th century (before 1612), Rollants R. 9. 6, 12. 1, Pontus R. (by Magnus Gamli, died 1591), Valdimars R., Ester R. 2. 2, 6. 3, Sýraks R. 1. 2, 6. 2, Tobias R. I. 2; from the first half of the 17th century, Grett. R., Flores R. 6. 3, 9. 2, Króka Refs R. 1. 7, Lykla Pétrs R. 4. 2, 12. 1, Apollonius R. 1. 5, Flovents R. 6. 3, Sjö Meistara R. 1. 7, 2. 1, 3. 8;—all in MS. In these and many other references, the poets speak of the art, skill, rules, or, if they are in that mood, the obscure puerilities and empty phrases of the Edda, the artificial phraseology as taught and expounded by Snorri; and wherever the name occurs (previous to the year 1643) it only refers to Snorri’s book, and such is still the use of the word in Icel.; hence compd words such as Eddu-lauss, adj. void of Eddic art; Eddu-borinn, part. poetry full of Eddic phrases; Eddu-kenningar, f. pl. Eddic circumlocutions, Kötlu Draumr 85, e. g. when the head is called the ‘sword of Heimdal,’ the sword the ‘fire or torch of Odin,’ etc.; Eddu-kendr = Edduborinn; Eddu-bagr, adj. a bungler in the Eddic art, etc. The Icel. bishop Brynjolf Sveinsson in the year 1643 discovered the old mythological poems, and, led by a fanciful and erroneous suggestion, he gave to that book the name of Sæmundar Edda, the Edda of Sæmund; hence originate the modern terms the Old or Poetical and New or Prose Edda; in foreign writers Eddic has been ever since used in the sense of plain and artless poetry, such as is contained in these poems, opposed to the artificial, which they call Scaldic (Skald being Icel. for a poet); but this has no foundation in old writers or tradition. Further explanation of this subject may be seen in Ersch and Gruber’s Encyclopedia, s. v. Graagaas.

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(elda, eldr), v.

1) to light, kindle a fire (hann eldir undir katlinum); with dat. of the fuel (elda viði);

2) to kindle, light, set fire to, with acc.; elda vita, to kindle a beacon; fig., e. hug e-s, to kindle one’s mind; ek skal yðra húð e. knáliga með klungrum, I shall make you smart;

3) to heat, warm (elda hús, elda ofn til brauðs) to smelt; fig. elda grátt silfr, to be bad friends;

4) impers., eldi hér lengi af með þeim brœðrum, the spark of resentment was long felt among the brothers;

5) it clears up; eldi nokkut élit (acc.), the shower cleared up a little; nótt (acc.) eldir, the night brightens, the day dawns.

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d, mod. also að, [eldr], to light, kindle a fire, with dat. of the fuel; e. viði, Grág. ii. 211, 338; ef þeir e. görðum, grindum eðr andvirki, Gþl. 422: absol., at vér eldim úsparliga í Hvammi, Sturl. i. 67: to heat, warm, þá skulu þeir e. hús at manntali, Jb. 225; e. ofn, Hkr. iii. 115: metaph., elda hug e-s, to kindle one’s mind, Hom. 107; ek skal yðra húð e. knáliga með klungrum ( make you smart), Stj. 395; e. vita, to kindle a beacon, Orkn. 264; en þó eldi hér lengi af með þeim bræðrum, the spark of resentment was long felt among the brothers, Lv. 34; e. járn, to forge iron, Rkv.: the phrase, elda grátt silfr, to be bad friends, is a metaphor taken from smelting drossy silver that cannot stand the fire; þeir Stórólfr eldu löngum grátt silfr, en stundum vóru með þeim blíðskapir, Fb. i. 522.

2. to cook, or gener. to expose to a light fire.

II. reflex. to be kindled; má vera at eldisk hér langr óþokki af, it may be that long ill-feeling will be kindled therefrom, Lv. 50.

(-s, -ar), m. fire; taka eld, drepa (upp) eld, to strike fire: kveikja (upp) eld, to light a fire; bregða (koma, skjóta) eldi í e-t, láta (leggja) eld í e-t, to set fire to, to set on fire; e. varð lauss ok lék skjótt, a fire broke out and spread rapidly; e. hraut af sverðum þeirra, sparks of fire flew from their swords.

pp. grown old, worn by age; kvazt e. vera mjök frá úfriði, said that he was too old for fighting.

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m., gen. ellds, also spelt ellz, [a word that may be taken as a test of Scandin. races; Dan. ild; Swed. äld; for the Teut. nations use the word feuer, fire, which is wanting in Scandin., though used by old Icel. poets, who probably borrowed it from A. S.; on the other hand, Ulf. constantly renders πυρ by fon, Icel. funi, q. v.; in A. S. poetry and in Hel. äled = incendiary occurs a few times, and älan = Lat. urere (Grein and Schmeller); Rask suggests a Finn. origin]:—fire. In cold climates fire and life go together; hence the proverb, eldr er beztr með ýta sonum, ok sólar sýn, fire is best among the sons of men, and the sight of the sun, Hm. 67: in reference to the healing power of fire, eldr tekr við sóttum, fire consumes ( cures) fevers, 138; sá er eldrinn heitastr er á sjálfum brennr, Grett. 136 new Ed.: allit., e. né járn, fire nor iron, Edda 82; hvárki egg né eld, 162; eldr ( sparks of fire) hraut or sverðum þeirra, Flóv. 29; e. þótti af hrjóta er vápnin kómu saman, Sturl. iii. 187, vide Fms. i. 292, vi. 153, vii. 338 (MS. ell), viii. 74, 202, x. 29. Nj. 74, Eluc. 19, 625. 178.

β. the eruption of a volcano, Bs. i. 803, 804; jarð-eldr, ‘earth-fire,’ subterranean fire.

COMPDS: eldsbruni, eldsdaunn, eldsgangr, eldsglór, eldsgneisti, eldsgólf, eldsgögn, eldshiti, eldskveykja, eldslitr, eldslíki, eldsljós, eldslogi, eldsmatr, eldsneyti, eldsstólpi, eldsuppkváma, eldsvélar, eldsvimr, eldsvirki.

II. esp. in plur. a fire on the hearth; the proverbs, við eld skal öl drekka, by the fireside shalt thou drink ale, Hm. 82; allir eldar brenna út um síðir, all fires (beacons) burn out at last (of the death of an aged man): allit., eldr á arni (vide arinn). In the old halls in Scandinavia an oblong hearth was built in the middle of the hall, and the fires kindled were called langeldar, long fires, with an opening in the thatch called ljóri for a chimney; the benches in the hall were ranged on both sides of the langeldar, vide Edda 82 (the hall of king Adils); hence the phrase, bera öl um eld, to hand the ale round the fire, viz. to one’s cup fellow on the opposite bench, Fagrsk. ch. 219, Grett. ch. 10, new Ed. p. 23; elda-skálar vóru stórir á bæjuni, sátu menn við langelda á öptnum, þá voru borð sett fyrir menn fyrir (innan MS. Holm.), sváfu menn upp (út MS. Holm.) frá eldunum, Kristni S. ch. 2; þá vóru görvir eldar stórir eptir endilöngum skálanum, sem í þann tíma var títt, at drekka öl við eld, Bs. i. 42; cp. Orkn., eldar vóru á gólfinu, on the floor, ch. 18, where the fire seems to have been made in a pit (vide eldgróf) in the middle of the floor, cp. also kipti honum upp at pallinum, vide bakeldr: again, at the evening and morning meals people gathered round the ‘meal-fires’ (mál-eldar), hence the phrases, sitja við elda, to sit at the fire; vóru görfir máleldar hvert kveld í elda-skála sem siðr var til, sátu menn löngum við eldana áðr menn gengu til matar, Eb. ch. 52: máleldr, the ‘meal-fire’ or the small fire, is distinguished from langeldr, the great fire, 276; þat var í þann tíma er þeir Snorri sátu við málelda (yfir málborði, v. 1.), ch. 26; höfðu menn orðit vátir ok vóru görvir máleldar (langeldar, v. 1.), Nj. ch. 8; ok er skálabúinn var mettr sat hann við eld, Fs. 6; snýr at dyrum, er menn sátu við langelda ( in the evening), Korm. ch. 15; um kveldit er menn sátu við elda, Orkn. 448: the phrase, sitja milli elda, to sit between two fires, to be in a strait, vide Gm.

COMPDS: eldahús, eldaskáli, eldaskára, eldsgörð.

III. a beacon, bale-fire, Gs. 18.

IV. in old poetry the fire of wounds or of Odin = weapons, the fire of the sea = gold; hauga-eldar, magical fire in old cairns; maur-ildi, a glow-worm; hrævar-eldr, a Will o’ the wisp, ignis fatuus.

V. as a prefix to pr. names, Eld-grímr, Eld-járn, Eld-ríð, etc.: in names of places it denotes volcanic ground, Eld-borg, eld-fjall, eld-gjá, etc.