in the shape of...

(-s, -ir), m.

1) skin, slough; hleypa hömum, to cast the slough (of snakes);

2) shape, form; skipta hömum, to change one’s shape.

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m., pl. hamir, dat. hami, Vsp. 36, but ham, Höfuðl. (where ham, gram, and fram form a rhyme), as also Haustl. 2, Hkr. i. 228, all of them poems of the 10th century; [A. S. hama, homa; Hel. hamo; O. H. G. hemedi, whence mod. Germ. hemd; Dan. ham; akin to hamr is Ital. camisa, Fr. chemise, with a final s answering to hams below]:—a skin, esp. the skin of birds flayed off with feathers and wings; álptar-hamr, a swan’s skin; fugls-hamr, a bird’s skin; arnar-hamr, an eagle’s skin; gásar-hamr, a goose’s skin, etc.; hams, q. v., of snakes: ham bera svanir hvítfjaðraðan (of a swan’s skin), Fas. i. 471 (in a verse); hleypa hömum (of snakes), to cast the slough, Konr. 34; hlátra hamr, poët. laughter’s cover, the breast, Höfuðl. 19.

II. shape, esp. in a mythol. sense, connected with the phrase, skipta hömum, to change the shape, described in Yngl. S. ch. 7, Völs. S. ch. 7, 8, and passim; cp. also the deriv. ein-hamr, ham-farir, ham-ramr, ham-stola, hamingja, hamask, etc.,—an old and widespread superstition found in the popular lore and fairy tales of almost every country;—Óðinn skipti hömum, lá þá búkrinn sem sofinn eðr dauðr, en hann var þá fugl eða dýr, fiskr eða ormr, ok fór á einni svipstund á fjarlæg lönd, Yngl. S. l. c., Fas. i. 128 (Völs. S. l. c.); it is described in Völs. S. ch. 8,—þeir hafa orðit fyrir úsköpum, því at úlfa-hamir ( wolf-coats) héngu yfir þeim; it tíunda hvert dægr máttu þeir komask ór hömunum, etc.; þeir fundu konur þrjár ok spunnu lín, þar vóru hjá þeim álptar-hamir þeirra, Sæm. 88 (prose to Vkv.); fjölkyngis-kona var þar komin í álptar-ham, Fas. i. 373, cp. Helr. 6; víxla hömum, to change skins, assume one another’s shape, Skv. 1. 42; Úlf-hamr, Wolf-skin, the nickname of a mythol. king, Hervar. S., prob. from being hamramr; manns-hamr, the human skin, Str. 31; hugða ek at væri hamr Atla, methought it was the form or ghost of Atli, Am. 19; jötunn í arnar-ham, a giant in an eagle’s skin, Vþm. 37, Edda; í gemlis-ham, id., Haustl.; fjaðr-hamr, Þkv.; í faxa-ham, in a horse’s skin, Hkr. i. (in a verse); í trölls-hami, in an ogre’s skin, Vsp. 36; vals-hamr, a falcon’s skin, Edda (of the goddess Freyja): it remains in mod. usage in metaph. phrases, að vera í góðum, íllum, vondum, ham, to be in a good, bad, dismal frame of mind or mood; vera í sínum rétta ham, to be in one’s own good frame of mind; færast í annan ham, to enter into another frame of mind: in western Icel. an angry, ill-tempered woman is called hamr, hún er mesti hamr (= vargr): hams-lauss, adj. distempered, furious, esp. used in Icel. of a person out of his mind from restlessness or passion, the metaphor from one who cannot recover his own skin, and roves restlessly in search of it, vide Ísl. Þjóðs. passim.

COMPDS: hamdökkr, hamfagr, hamljótr, hamvátr, Hamðir.

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(gen. pl. augna), n.

1) eye;

lúka (bregða) upp augum, bregða augum í sundr, to open (lift up) the eyes;

lúka aptr augum, to shift the eyes;

renna (bregða, leiða) augum til e-s, to turn the eyes to;

leiða e-n augum, to measure one with the eyes;

berja augum í e-t, to take into consideration;

koma augum á e-t, to set eyes on, become aware of;

hafa auga á e-u, t have, keep, an eye upon;

segja e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, right in the face;

unna e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls;

e-m vex e-t í augu, one has scruples about;

náit er nef augum, the nose is neighbor to the eyes;

gløggt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp;

mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes;

eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot hide it if a woman loves a man;

2) hole, aperture in a needle (nálarauga), in a millstone (kvarnarauga) or an axe-head;

3) pit full of water.

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n., gen. pl. augna, [Lat. oculus, a dimin. of an obsolete ocus; Gr. οφθαλμός (Boeot. οκταλμός); Sanskr. aksha: the word is common to Sanskrit with the Slavonic, Greek, Roman, and Teutonic idioms: Goth. augo; Germ, auge; A. S. eâge; Engl. eye; Scot. ee; Swed. öga; Dan. öje, etc. Grimm s. v. suggests a relationship to Lat. acies, acutus, etc. The letter n appears in the plur. of the mod. northern languages; the Swedes say ‘ögon,’ oculi, the Danes ‘öjne;’ with the article ‘ögonen’ and ‘öjnene;’ Old Engl. ‘eyne;’ Scot. ‘een’]

I. an eye. It is used in Icel. in a great many proverbs, e. g. betr sjá augu en auga, ‘two eyes see better than one,’ i. e. it is good to yield to advice: referring to love, unir auga meðan á sér, the eye is pleased whilst it can behold (viz. the object of its affection), Fas. i. 125, cp. Völs. rím. 4. 189; eigi leyna augu, ef ann kona manni, the eyes cannot bide it, if a woman love a man, i. e. they tell their own tale, Ísl. ii. 251. This pretty proverb is an απ. λεγ. l. c. and is now out of use; it is no doubt taken from a poem in a dróttkvætt metre, (old proverbs have alliteration, but neither rhymes nor assonance, rhyming proverbs are of a comparatively late date): medic., eigi er sá heill er í augun verkir, Fbr. 75; sá drepr opt fæti ( slips) er augnanna missir, Bs. i. 742; hætt er einu auganu nema vel fari, he who has only one eye to lose will take care of it (comm.); húsbóndans auga sér bezt, the master’s eye sees best; glögt er gests augat, a guest’s eye is sharp; mörg eru dags augu, the day has many eyes, i. e. what is to be hidden must not be done in broad daylight, Hm. 81; náið er nef augum, the nose is near akin to the eyes (tua res agitur paries quum proximus ardet), Nj. 21; opt verðr slíkt á sæ, kvað selr, var skotinn í auga, this often happens at sea, quoth the seal, when he was shot in the eye, of one who is in a scrape, Fms. viii. 402. In many phrases, at unna ( to love) e-m sem augum í höfði sér, as one’s own eye-balls, Nj. 217; þótti mér slökt it sætasta ljós augna minna, by his death the sweetest light of my eyes was quenched, 187: hvert grætr þú nú Skarphéðinn? eigi er þat segir Skarphéðinn, en hitt er satt at súrnar í augum, the eyes smart from smoke, 200: renna, líta augum, to seek with the eyes, to look upon: it is used in various connections, renna, líta ástaraugum, vánaraugum, vinaraugum, trúaraugum, öfundaraugum, girndarauga, with eyes of love, hope, friendship, faith, envy, desire: mæna a. denotes an upward or praying look; stara, fixed; horfa, attentive; lygna, blundskaka, stupid or slow; blína, glápa, góna, vacant or silly; skima, wandering; hvessa augu, a threatening look; leiða e-n a., to measure one with the eyes; gjóta, or skjóta hornauga, or skjóta a. í skjálg, to throw a side glance of dislike or ill-will; gjóta augum is always in a bad sense; renna, líta mostly in a good sense: gefa e-u auga, oculum adjicere alicui; hafa auga á e-u, to keep an eye on it; segja e-m e-t í augu upp, to one’s face, Orkn. 454; at augum, adverb. with open eyes, Hervar. S. (in a verse), etc. As regards various movements of the eyes; ljúka upp augum, to open the eyes; láta aptr augun, to shut the eyes; draga auga í pung, to draw the eye into a purse, i. e. shut one eye; depla augum, to blink; at drepa titlinga (Germ. äugeln, blinzen), to wink, to kill tits with the suppressed glances of the eye; glóðarauga, a suffusion on the eye, hyposphagma; kýrauga. proptosis; vagl á auga, a beam in the eye; skjálgr, Lat. limus; ský, albugo; tekinn til augnanna, with sunken eyes, etc., Fél. ix. 192; a. bresta, in death: hafa stýrur í augum, to have prickles in the eyes, when the eyes ache for want of sleep: vatna músum, ‘to water mice,’ used esp. of children weeping silently and trying to hide their tears. As to the look or expression of the eyes there are sundry metaph. phrases, e. g. hafa fékróka í augum, to have wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, of a shrewd money getting fellow, Fms. ii. 84, cp. Orkn. 330, 188, where krókauga is a cognom.; kvenna-króka, one insinuating with the fair sex; hafa ægishjalm í augum is a metaphor of one with a piercing, commanding eye, an old mythical term for the magical power of the eye, v. Grimm’s D. Mythol. under Ægishjalmr: vera mjótt á milli augnanna, the distance between the eyes being short, is a popular saying, denoting a close, stingy man, hence mjóeygr means close: e-m vex e-t í augu (now augum), to shrink back from, of a thing waxing and growing before one’s eyes so that one dares not face it. As to the shape, colour, etc. of the eye, vide the adj. ‘eygr’ or ‘eygðr’ in its many compds. Lastly we may mention the belief, that when the water in baptism touches the eyes, the child is thereby in future life prevented from seeing ghosts or goblins, vide the words úfreskr and skygn. No spell can touch the human eye; en er harm sá augu hans (that of Loki in the shape of a bird), þá grunaði hann (the giant) at maðr mundi vera, Edda 60; í bessum birni þykist hón kenna augu Bjarnar konungs sonar, Fas. i. 51, vide Ísl. Þjóðs.

II. meton. and metaph. auga is used in a great many connections:

α. astron.; þjaza augu, the eyes of the giant Thiazi, is a constellation, probably the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux; the story is told in the Edda 47, cp. Harbarðsljóð 19; (Snorri attributes it to Odin, the poem to Thor.)

β. botan., auga = Lat. gemma, Hjalt. 38; kattarauga, cat’s eye, is the flower forget-me-not.

γ. the spots that form the numbers on dice, Magn. 530.

δ. the hole in a millstone; kvarnarauga, Edda 79, 221, Hkr. i. 121: the opening into which an axe handle is fastened, Sturl. ii. 91: a pit full of water, Fs. 45: nálarauga, a needle’s eye: vindauga, wind’s eye or window (which orig. had no glass in it), A. S. eag-dura (eye-door); also gluggi, q. v.: gleraugu, spectacles.

ε. anatom., the pan of the hip joint, v. augnakarl, Fms. iii. 392: gagnaugu, temples.

ζ. hafsauga, the bottom of the ocean, in the popular phrase, fara út í hafsauga, descendere ad tartara.

η. poët. the sun is called heimsauga, dagsauga, Jónas 119.

COMPDS either with sing. auga or pl. augna; in the latter case mod. usage sometimes drops the connecting vowel a, e. g. augn-dapr, augn-depra, augn-fagr, etc. auga-bragð (augna-), n. the twinkling of an eye, Hm. 77; á einu a., in the twinkling of an eye, Ver. 32, Edda (pref.) 146, Sks. 559, Rb. 568: a glance, look, snart a., Fms. ii. 174; mikit a., v. 335; úfagrligt a., Fs. 43; hafa a. af e-u, to cast a look at, Fbr. 49, Fms. xi. 424: in the phrase, at hafa e-n (or verða) at augabragði, metaph. to make sport of, to mock, deride, gaze at, Stj. 627, 567, Hm. 5, 29. auga-brun, f. the eye-brow. auga-staðr, m. an eye-mark; hafa a. á e-u, to mark with the eye. auga-steinn (augna-), m. the eye-ball, Hkr. iii. 365, Fms. v. 152. augna-bending, f. a warning glance, Pr. 452. augna-blik, n. mod. = augnabragð, s. augna-bólga, u, f. ophthalmia. augna-brá, f. the eye-lid, D. N. i. 216. augna-fagr and aug-fagr, adj. fair-eyed, Fas. ii. 365, Fms. v. 200. augna-fró, f. a plant, eye-bright, euphrasia, also augna-gras, Hjalt. 231. augna-fræ, n. lychnis alpina. augna-gaman, n. a sport, delight for the eyes to gaze at, Ld. 202, Bær. 17, Fsm. 5 (love, sweetheart). augna-gróm, n. (medic.) a spot in the eye; metaph., ekki a., no mere speck, of whatever can easily be seen. augna-hár, n. an eye-lash. augna-hvannr, m. the eye-lid. augna-hvita, u, f. albugo. augna-karl, n. the pan of the hip joint; slíta or slitna or augnaköllunum, Fas. iii. 392. augna-kast, n. a wild glance, Barl. 167. augna-kláði, a, m. psorophthalmi. augna-krókr, n. the corner of the eye. augna-lag, n. a look, Ld. 154. augna-lok, n. ‘eye-covers,’ eye-lids. augna-mein, n. a disease of the eye. augna-mjörkvi, a, m. dimness of the eye, Pr. 471. augna-ráð, n. expression of the eye. augna-skot, n. a look askance, Gþl. 286, Fs. 44 (of cats). augna-slím, n. glaucoma. augna-staðr, m. the socket of the eye, Magn. 532. augna-sveinn, m. a lad leading a blind man, Str. 46. augn-tepra, u, f. hippus. augna-topt, f. the socket of the eye. augna-verkr, m. pain in the eye, Hkr. ii. 257, Bs. i. 451, Pr. 471, Bjarn. 58. augna-vik, n. pl. = augnakrókr. augna-þungi, a, m. heaviness of the eye, Hkr. ii. 257.

(gen. -rs, pl. nykrar), m.

1) a fabulous water-being (mostly appearing in the shape of a grey horse);

2) the hippopotamus.

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m., gen. nykrs, [a word common to all Teut. languages; A. S. nicor; Engl. nick; Germ. nix; Dan. nök and nisse; mod. Norse nyk; Swed. näcken = a sea goblin; one is tempted to suggest that the Lat. Neptunus (p = g) may be related to this Teutonic word; cp. also Germ. neckisch, neckerei = whims, Dan. nykker]:—the ‘nick,’ a fabulous water-goblin, mostly appearing in the shape of a gray water-horse, emerging from lakes, to be recognised by its inverted hoofs, cp. the tale told in Landn. 2. ch. 10, as also Maurer’s Volksagen: poët., nykra borg = ‘nick-burrow,’ a lake, Lex. Poët. The nykr is the Proteus of the Northern tales, and takes many shapes, whence the gramm. term nykrat, part. a kind of kakemphaton, a change in a figure of speech, e. g. to call a sword first a ‘serpent’ and then a ‘wand,’ or to choose a verb which does not suit the trope in the noun; sá löstr er vér köllum nykrat eðr finngálknat … ok er þar svá skipt líkneskjum á hinum sama hlut, sem nykrinn skiptisk á margar leiðir, Skálda 187; en ef sverð er ormr kallaðr en síðan fiskr eða vöndr eðr annan veg breytt, þat kalla menn nykrat ok þykir þat spilla, Edda 123. In mod. Norse tales a water-goblin is called nykk or nök (nökken), see Ivar Aasen and Mr. Dasent’s Transl. of Asbjörnsen and Moe’s Norse Tales. The legend exists also in the Highlands of Scotland. In mod. Icel. tales the nykr is also called nennir or kumbr, q. v.; nykr-hestr, vatna-hestr.

II. the hippopotamus; nykrar svá stórir sem fílar, Al. 167, 171.

a. having eves of a certain kind; vel e., with fine eyes; mjök e., large-eyed.

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later form eygðr, which, however, is freq. in MSS. of the 14th century, adj. [auga]:— having eyes of a certain kind; vel e., with fine eyes, Stj. 460. I Sam. xvi. 12, Nj. 39: e. manna bezt, Ísl. ii. 190, Fms. vi. 438, xi. 79; mjök eygðr, large-eyed, Þorf. Karl. 422; eigi vel eyg, not good looking, Fms, iii. 216; e. mjök ok vel, with large and fine eyes, Eb. 30, Fb. i.545; e. forkunnar vel, with eyes exceeding fine, Fms. iv. 38; esp. freq. in compds: in the Sagas a man is seldom described without marking the colour, shape, or expression ol his eyes, fagr-e., bjart-e., dökk-e., svart-e., blá-e., grá-e., mó-e.; the shape also, opin-e., út-e., inn-e., smá-e., stór-e., etc.; the lustre of the eye, snar-e., fast-e., hvass-e., frán-e., dapr-e., etc.; expressing disease, vát-e., rauð-e., ein-e.; expressing something wrong in the eye, hjá-e., til-e., rang-e., etc., Fél. ix.192.

(old form ásjó, Niðrst. 5, Hom. 35), f., gen. ásjá, the mod. gen. úsjár seems only to occur in late or even paper MSS.

I. a looking after, help, protection; ætla til ásjá, to hope for it, Lv. 75, Ld. 42, Fms. i. 289; biðja e-n ásjá, to ask one for help, protection, Nj. 26 (Ed. ásjár prob. wrongly); sækja e-n til ásjá, to seek one’s help, Bs. i. 82 (ásjár the paper MSS.)

β. superintendence, inspection; með spekiráðum ok á., Fms. x. 178; með á. Magnúss konungs, Js. 23, Hom. 35.

II. one’s look, appearance, shape, Fms. i. 97; í manns ásjó, in the shape of man, Niðrst. 5 (= ásýnd).

COMPD: ásjámál.

(and -merki, Fas. ii. 336), n. a harbour mark, a kind of beacon, being a pyramid of stone or timber, or often a carved figure in the shape of a man, Bjarn. 33, Hkv. Hjörv., Bs. i. 563, Rb. 468; or in the shape of a cross, Bs. i. 607, ii. 80.

(gen. skjaldar, dat. skildi; pl. skildir, acc. skjöldu), m. shield;

hafa e-n at skildi fyrir sér, to have another as a shield before one;

bera efra (hærra) skjöld, to have the best of it, to gain the day;

þjóna undir þann skjöld, to serve under that standard;

leika tveim skjöldum, to play a double game;

koma í opna skjöldu, to attack in flank (from the left);

skjóta skildi yfir e-n, to protect one.

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m., gen. skjaldar, dat. skildi; an old dat. in poets skjaldi,—hj aldrs á mínum skj aldi, Eb. 27 new Ed. (in a verse); h aldorð í bug skj aldi, Fms. vi. (in a verse); h aldir fast ok skj aldi, Kormak: plur. skildir; acc. skjöldu, mod. skildi: [Ulf. skildus = θυρεός, Ephes. vi. 16; Dan. skjold; Swed. sköld; common to all Teut. languages: it is commonly derived from skjól, shelter, although the short root vowel and the final d of skild speak against this: ‘skillingr’ or ‘skildingr’ ( a shilling) may be a derivative from ‘skildus,’ from the shape, and from the painted or scratched ‘ring’ on the shields; see below: in fact, an old poet (Bragi) calls the shield ‘the penny of the hall of Odin.’]

A. A shield, the generic name; the special names are, rönd, rít, baugr, targa, lind; þeir höfðu ekki langa skjöldu, Fas. i. 379; góðan skjöld ok þjökkan á hálsi, Sks. 407; skjöld á hlið, Bjarn. 62, and so in countless instances.

II. special phrases; halda skildi fyrir e-m (e-n), to hold one’s shield, as a second in a holmganga, Glúm. 332, Korm. 88; or, fyrir e-n, Ísl. ii. 257; era héra at borgnara þótt hæna beri skjöld, Fms. vii. 116: hafa e-n at skildi, to have another as one’s shield, i. e. seek shelter behind him, Nj. 8; bera efra skjöld, to carry the highest shield, gain the day, Fas. i. 383, Fms. x. 394: þjóna undir þann skjöld, to serve under that shield, that standard, vii. 293; þjóna undir sama skjöld, viii. 109: binda öllum jafnan skjöld, to tie the same shield to all, treat all in one fashion (metaphor from a withy-shield?), Clem. 44: leika tveim skjöldum, to play with two shields, play a double game (metaphor from the red and white shields, see B), Am. 70, Hkr. i. (in a verse): koma í opna skjöldu, to fall into the open (hollow) shield, to attack in flank ( from the left), Fms. vi. 408, Stj. 365, Eg. 295, Fb. ii. 123; rennir sá maðr í kirkjugarð, ok sækir þingat skjöld, and seeks protection there, N. G. L. i. 352; múrr ok skjöldr, Mar.

III. of any shield-formed thing; tólgar-s., a round piece of tallow; also of shield-like spots on cattle or whales: of a white tablet in churches, Vm. 142, 162, 168, Ám. 55, Pm. 17: brjóst-skjöldr, a round brooch.

IV. a pr. name, Nj., Hkr. (of the son of Odin, the ancestor of the Danish kings); Skjöldungar, Edda; Skjöldr Skánunga goð, Fb. iii. 246.

COMPDS: skjaldarband, skjaldarbukl, skjaldarfetill, skjaldarjötunn, skjaldarrönd, skjaldarskirfl, skjaldarsporðr.

B. Remarks on the shield.—A shield was raised as a signal in time of war; a red shield betokened war (rauðr skjöldr, her-skjöldr), a white shield peace (hvítr skjöldr, friðar-skjöldr, a peace-shield); in a battle the red shield was hoisted, Hkv. 1. 33; but, bregða upp friðar skildi, to hoist the (white) shield of peace, was a sign that the battle was to cease; hann lét skjóta upp skildi hvítum, Fagrsk. 6l, Fms. vii. 23; hence also the phrase, bera herskjöld, or, fara herskildi, to harry, overrun a land with the ‘war shield,’ see frið-skjöldr and her-skjöldr (s. v. herr). War ships were lined from stem to stern with a wall of shields,—skip skarat skjöldum, or skjaldat skip; hann kom í Bjarnar-fjörð með al-skjölduðu skipi, síðan var hann Skjaldar-Björn kallaðr, Landn. 156. The halls of the ancients were hung all round with a row of shields, Gm. 9, Edda 2, Eg. 43, see the curious story in Fas. iii. 42. For the shield-wall in battles see skjald-borg. Ancient sayings; nú er skarð fyrir skildi, now there is a gap for a shield, a breach in the fence, of a heavy loss, such as the death of a person, nú er skarð fyrir skildi, nú er svanrinn nár á Tjörn, Jón Þorl.; höggva skarð í skildi e-s, to cut a notch in one’s shield, inflict a severe blow, Orkn. (in a verse). Shields were furnished with a painted or carved ‘ring’ representing mythological or heroic subjects; these rings are the earliest works of Northern art on record, hence come the names rít, baugr, rönd, of which rít points to scratching (whereas Bragi used ‘fá’ = to paint); rauðum skildi, rönd var ór gulli, Hkv. 1. 33. Such shields were a lordly gift, and gave rise to several ancient poems treating of the subjects carved or painted on the shield, such as the famous Haust-löng by Thjodolf, the Ragnars-kviða by Bragi, the two Beru-drápur (Shield-songs) by Egill; these ‘shield-lays’ were afterwards the sources of the writer of the Edda, but only a few fragments are preserved; (cp. the Greek lay on ‘the shield of Heracles,’ and the lay on Achilles’ shield in the Iliad.)

n. bread; hleifr brauðs, a loaf of bread.

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n. [A. S. bread; Engl. bread; Germ. brod; Dan. bröd]. This word, which at present has become a household word in all branches of the Teutonic, was in early times unknown in its present sense: Ulf. constantly renders αρτος as well as ψωμίον by hlaibs; Engl. loaf; A. S. hlâf; the old A. S. poetry also has hlâf, and the old heathen Scandin. poems only hleifr, Hm. 40, 51, Rm. 4, 28. In Engl. also, the words lord, lady,—A. S. hlâford, hlâfdige, which properly mean loaf-warder, loaf-maid,—bear out the remark, that in the heathen age when those words were formed, breâd, in the sense of panis, was not in use in England; in old A. S. the word is only used in the compd beobreâd of the honeycomb (Gr. κηρίον), cp. Engl. bee-bread; O. H. G. bibrod; Germ. bienenbrod; and this seems to be the original sense of the word. The passage in which doubtless the Goths used ‘braud,’ Luke xxiv. 42—the only passage of the N. T. where κηρίον occurs—is lost in Ulf. Down to the 9th century this word had not its present sense in any Teut. dialect, but was, as it seems, in all of them used of the honeycomb only. The Icel. calls thyme ‘bráð-björg’ or ‘broð-björg’ (sweet food?); cp. the Lat. ‘redolentque thymo fragrantia mella;’ the root of ‘brauð’ is perhaps akin to the Lat. ‘fragrare.’ The transition from the sense of honeycomb to that of bread is obscure: in present usage the ‘bread’ denotes the substance, ‘loaf’ the shape; b. ok smjör, Eg. 204; b. ok kál, Mar.; heilagt b., Hom. 137; the Icel. N. T. (freq.)

2. food, hence metaph. living, esp. a parsonage, (mod.) The cures in Icel. are divided into þinga-brauð and beneficia.

1) always, ever, = ei, æ;

2) not, = ei, eigi;

ey manni þat veit, no man knows.

(gen. eyjar, dat. ey and eyju; pl. eyjar), f. an island.

* * *

gen. eyjar; dat. eyju and ey, with the article eyinni and eyjunni; acc. ey; pl. eyjar, gen. eyja, dat. eyjum; in Norway spelt and proncd. öy; [Dan. öe; Swed. ö; Ivar Aasen öy; Germ. aue; cp. Engl. eyot, leas-ow, A. S. êg-land, Engl. is-land; in Engl. local names -ea or -ey, e. g. Chels-ea, Batters-ea, Cherts-ey, Thorn-ey, Osn-ey, Aldern-ey, Orkn-ey, etc.]:—an island, Fas. ii. 299, Skálda 172, Eg. 218, Grág. ii. 131, Eb. 12; eyjar nef, the ‘neb’ or projection of an island, Fb. iii. 316.

2. in various compds; varp-ey, an island where wild birds lay eggs; eyði-ey, a deserted island; heima-ey, a home island; bæjar-ey, an inhabited island; út-eyjar, islands far out at sea; land-eyjar, an island in an inlet, Landn.: a small island close to a larger one is called a calf (eyjar-kálfr), the larger island being regarded as the cow, (so the southernmost part of the Isle of Man is called the Calf of Man): it is curious that ‘islanders’ are usually not called eyja-menn ( islandmen), but eyjar-skeggjar, m. pl. ‘island-beards;’ this was doubtless originally meant as a nickname to denote the strange habits of islanders, Fas. i. 519 (in a verse), Fær. 151, 656 C. 22, Fms. ii. 169, viii. 283, Grett. 47 new Ed.; but eyja-menn, m. pl., Valla L. 228, Eb. 316 (and in mod. usage), cp. also Götu-skeggjar, the men of Gata, a family, Landn.; eyja-sund, n. a sound or narrow strait between two islands, Eg. 93, Fms. ii. 64, 298.

3. in local names: from the shape, Lang-ey, Flat-ey, Há-ey, Drang-ey: from cattle, birds, beasts, Fær-eyjar, Lamb-ey, Sauð-ey, Hrút-ey, Yxn-ey, Hafr-ey, Svín-ey, Kið-ey, Fugl-ey, Arn-ey, Æð-ey, Má-ey, Þern-ey, Úlf-ey, Bjarn-ey: from vegetation, Eng-ey, Akr-ey, Við-ey, Brok-ey, Mos-ey: from the quarters of heaven, Austr-ey, Norðr-ey, Vestr-ey, Suðr-ey (Engl. Sudor): an island at ebb time connected with the main land is called Örfiris-ey, mod. Öffurs-ey (cp. Orfir in the Orkneys): from other things, Fagr-ey, Sand-ey, Straum-ey, Vé-ey ( Temple Isle), Eyin Helga, the Holy Isle (cp. Enhallow in the Orkneys). Eyjar is often used κατ ἐξοχήν of the Western Isles, Orkneys, Shetland, and Sudor, hence Eyja-jarl, earl of the Isles (i. e. Orkneys), Orkn. (freq.); in southern Icel. it is sometimes used of the Vestmanna eyjar.

β. in old poets ey is a favourite word in circumlocutions of women, vide Lex. Poët.; and in poetical diction ey is personified as a goddess, the sea being her girdle, the glaciers her head-gear; hence the Icel. poetical compd ey-kona. For tales of wandering islands, and giants removing islands from one place to another, vide Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 209.

4. in female pr. names, Þór-ey, Bjarg-ey, Landn.: but if prefixed—as in Eyj-úlfr, Ey-steinn, Ey-mundr, Ey-vindr, Ey-dís, Ey-fríðr, Ey-vör, Ey-þjófr, etc.—ey belongs to a different root.

COMPD: eyjaklasi.

(gen. fjarðar, dat. fjarðar; pl. firðir, acc. fjörðu), m. firth, inlet.

* * *

m., gen. fjarðar; dat. firði; pl. firðir, gen. fjarða: acc. fjörðu, mod. firði: [Swed.-Dan. fjord; North. E. and Scot. firth, frith; Engl. ford is a kindred word, but not identical]:—a firth, bay, a Scandin. word; but a small crescent-formed inlet or creek is called vík, and is less than fjörðr, hence the saying, fjörðr milli frænda, en vík milli vina, let there be a firth between kinsmen, but a creek between friends, denoting that kinship is not always so trustworthy as friendship: the allit. phrase, fjall ok fjörðr, vide fjall; freq. in Icel. and Scandin. local names combined with some other word expressing the shape, etc., Breiði-f., Mjófi-f., Djúpi-f., Grunni-f., Eyja-f., Lima-f. or Eylíma-f., Arnar-f., Alpta-f., Vatns-f., etc. In Icel. and old Scandin. countries the shore districts are freq. divided into counties, bearing the name of the firth, just as the inland is divided into dales; thus Eyja-f. and Skaga-f. denote both the firth and the county bordering on the firth. The western and eastern parts of Icel. are called Vest-firðir and Aust-firðir; in Norway a county is called Firðir; cp. Rb. 324 sqq., where over a hundred names of Icel. fjords are recorded, Landn. (Index), and the Sagas: fjarða-gol, n. a breeze blowing off a fjord, Fær. 203, Fms. iv. 302; fjarðar-botn, m. the bottom or head of a fjord, Eb. 188; fjarðar-horn, n. the creek at the head of a fjord, Gísl. 55, also freq. as a local name; fjarðar-íss, m. fjord-ice, Eb. 242, Bs. i. 327; fjarðar-kjöptr or fjarðar-minni, n. the mouth ( opening) of a fjord, Sturl. i. 121, Hkr. iii. 118; fjarðar-menn, m. pl. the inhabitants of a fjord county, Sturl. ii. 199.

(gen. granar, pl. granar), f.

1) the hair on the upper lip, moustache (svá ungr, at eigi mun g. sprottin);

2) lip; legðu munn við g., lay thy mouth to his lips; e-m bregðr vá fyrir g., one is startled, alarmed; bregða grönum, to draw back the lips, grin; in pl. the lips of a cow or bull.

(gen. granar), f. pine-tree.

* * *

f., gen. granar, [mid. H. G. gran], the moustache; skegg heitir barð, grön eðr kanpar, Edda 109; líttú á ljúfan, legg þú munn við grön, Gkv. 1. 13; hann var ungligr maðr svá at honum var ekki grön sprottin, Ld. 272; láttu grön sía, sonr, sip, sift it through the beard, my son, Edda 148: in the phrase, e-m bregðr vá fyrir grön, a danger passes one’s beard, i. e. one is startled, alarmed, Fms. viii. 350, 417, Grett. 165 new Ed.; ek læt ýring skýra um grön, I sift the drink through my beard, Eg. (in a verse); ef maðr höggr nef af manni, … en ef svá er at grön fylgir, N. G. L. i. 171; kápu þeirri er gör var af grön jöfra, the cap which was made of kings’ beards, Fas. i. 284, cp. the tale in Tristr. S.; komað vín á grön mína, wine never wetted my beard, Þorf. Karls. 418: it is used in plur. denoting the beard of the upper and lower lips: in the saying, nú er eg svo gamall sem á grönum má sjá, in the nursery tale of the changeling, answering to the Germ. ‘nun bin ich so alt wie der Westerwald,’ see Grimm’s Märchen: the phrase, bregða grönum, to draw back the lips, grin, so as to shew the teeth, Nj. 199; cp. granbragð; fíla (or fýla) grön, to pout with the lips.

2. esp. in plur. the lips of a cow or bull; Egill hljóp þar til er blótneytið stóð, greip annarri hendi í granarnar en annarri í hornið, Eg. 508; Europa klappar um granar hans (of Jove in the shape of a bull), Bret. 12. grana-hár, n. the whiskers of cats and other beasts, Edda 73 (of an otter); in this sense still in use: of a beak, benmás granar, Höfuðl.

f., gen. granar, [Dan.-Swed. gran; Ivar Aasen gron], a pine-tree; hæri en grön er vex á hæsta fjalli, Hom. 152.

* * *

1) guardian spirit;

2) luck, good fortune.

* * *

u, f. luck, fortune; prop. in a personal sense, a guardian spirit, answering to the guardian angel of Christians; derived from hamr, for the guardian spirits of men—and every man had his hamingja—were believed to take the shape sometimes of animals, sometimes and more commonly of human beings, esp. that of women; but they were themselves supernatural beings; that the hamingjur were giant-females proceeding from the great Norns—who were the hamingjur of the world—is borne out by the passage in Vþm. 48, 49. Hamingja and fylgja or fylgju-kona (Hallfred S. ch. 11) seem to be nearly synonymous, as also gæfa, gipta, auðna, heill; but hamingja is the most personal word, and was almost symbolical of family relationship. At the hour of death the hamingja left the dying person and passed into a dear son, daughter, or beloved kinsman; cp. Hallfr. S. ch. 11, and esp. the charming tale in Glúm. ch. 9. One might also impart one’s own good luck to another, hence the phrase leggja sína hamingju með e-m, almost answering to the Christian, ‘to give one’s blessing to another.’ Examples: sögðusk mundu leggja til með honum hamingju sína, Ld. 74; h. ok gæfa, Fms. vi. 165; þú en ústöðuga h., Al. 23; h. konungsins, 22; ok mun kona sjá hans h. vera er fjöllum hærra gékk, Glúm. 345; etja hamingju við e-n, Fb. ii. 65; ok reyna hvat hamingjan vill unna þér, Fs. 4; vilnask ( hope) at h. mun fylgja, 23; vera má at þat sé til h. várrar ættar, 11; langæligar nytjar munu menn hafa hans hamingju, Bs. i. 229; forlög ekki forðumst ill | fram kemr það hamingjan vill, Úlf. 3. 69; meiri í hreysti en hamingju, Gullþ. 21; sigri eðr hamingju manns þessa, Fs. 10. It is still used in Icel. almost as Heaven, Providence; það má Hamingjan vita, God knows; eg vildi Hamingjan gæfi, would to Heaven! Guð og Hamingjan, God and Good Luck; treysta Guði og Hamingjunni; eiga undir Hamingjunni, to run the risk; and in similar phrases.

COMPDS: hamingjudrjúgr, hamingjuhjól, hamingjuhlutr, hamingjulauss, hamingjuleysi, hamingjumaðr, hamingjumikill, hamingjumót, hamingjuraun, hamingjusamligr, hamingjuskipti, hamingjuskortr, hamingjutjón.

* * *

(pl. tré, gen. trjá, dat. trjám), n.

1) tree (höggva t. í skógi); eigi felir t. við it fyrsta högg, the tree falls not at the first stroke;

2) the mast of a ship, = siglutré( á skipi Munans brotnaði tréit);

3) tree, rafter, beam, cf. þvertré;

4) the seat of a privy.

* * *

n., gen. trés, dat. acc. tré; pl. tré, gen. trjá; spelt treo, Stj. 14, 74, Barl. 138; dat. trjám; with the article tré-it, mod. tréð; [Ulf. triu = ξύλον; A. S. treow; Engl. tree; Dan. træ; Swed. trä, träd, the d representing the article; in Germ. this word is lost, or only remains in compds, see apaldr]:—a tree, Lat. arbor; askrinn er allra trjá mestr, Edda 10; hamra, hörga, skóga, vötn, tré ok öll önnur blót, Fms. v. 239; höggva upp tré, Gullþ. 50; rætr eins trés, Fms. x. 219; höggva tré í skógi, Grág. ii. 296, Glúm. 329; milli trjá tveggja, 656 B. 4; lauf af tré, Fs. 135; barr af limum trés þess, er …, Edda; tvau tré, Ask ok Emblu, id.; ymr it aldna tré, Vsp.: of trees used as gallows, ef ek sé á tré uppi, váfa virgil-ná, Hm. 158; skolla við tré, Fms. vii. (in a verse); cp. the Swed. allit. galge ok gren: hence of the cross, 655 xvi. A. 2, Fms. vi. 227, Vídal. passim; and so in mod. eccl. writers. Sayings, eigi fellr tré við it fyrsta högg, the tree falls not at the first stroke, Nj. 224; falls er ván at fornu tré, of a person old and on the verge of the grave, Ísl. ii. 415; tré tekr at hníga ef höggr tág undan, Am. 69.

II. wood (= Lat. lignum); hann sat á tré einu, Fms. i. 182; tré svá mikit at hann kemr því eigi ór flæðar-máli, Grág. ii. 351; at þar ræki tró sextugt … súlur er hann let ór trénu göra, Gísl. 140.

2. the mast of a ship; ok skyldi standa tréit, Fms. ix. 301; æsti storminn svá at sumir hjoggu tréin, x. 136; lét hann eigi setja hæra enn í mitt tré, Orkn. 260; viti hafði brenndr verit, ok var brunnit mjök tréit, Finnb. 232; á skipi Munans brotnaði tréit, Fms. viii. 209, (siglu-tré = mast.)

3. a tree, rafter, beam; sax eðr saxbönd, hvert tré þeirra er missir, N. G. L. i. 100; ok ef hús fellr niðr, þá skal ekki tré af elda, 240; þver-tré, a cross-tree, Nj. 201, 202.

4. the seat of a privy; gengr til kamars eðr setzk á tré, Grág. ii. 119.

B. IN COMPDS, made of wood. tré-bolli, a, m. a wooden bowl, Vm. 110. tré-borg, f. a ‘tree-burgh,’ wood-fort, Eg. 244, Fms. viii. 113. tré-bót, f. as a nickname, Sturl. tré-brú, f. a wooden bridge, Þjal. 53. tré-drumbr, m. a drum of wood, log, Fms. vi. 179, v. l. tré-fótr, m. a wooden leg, Eb. 66, Bs. i. 312; the phrase, ganga á tréfótum, to go on wooden legs, of a thing in a tottering, bad state, Fb. ii. 300; það gengr allt á tréfótum. tré-guð, n. wooden idols, MS. 4. 68. tré-hafr, m. a wood-goat, Fb. i. 320. tré-hús, n. a wooden house, Fms. vii. 100, D. N. ii. 152. tré-hválf, n. a wooden ceiling, Bs. i. 251. tré-höll, f. a wooden hall, Fms. ix. 326. tre-kastali, a, m. = treborg, Sks. 423. tré-kefli, n. a wooden stick, Orkn. 150, Sturl. i. 15. tré-ker, n. a wooden vessel, Stj. 268, Karl. 546. tré-kirkja, u, f. a wooden church, Fms. xi. 271, Hkr, ii. 180. tré-kross, m. a wooden cross, Vm. 38. tré-kumbr ( tré-kubbr), m. a log, Barl. 165. tré-kylfa, u, f. a wooden club, Sturl. i. 15. tré-kyllir, m. a ‘wood-bag,’ name of a ship, Grett., whence Trékyllis-vík, f. a local name. tré-köttr, m. a ‘wooden cat,’ a mouse-trap, mod. fjala-köttr; svá veiddr sem mús undir tréketti, Niðtst. 106. tré-lampr, m. a wooden lamp, Ám. 51, Pm. 108, tré-laust, n. adj. treeless, Karl. 461. tre-lektari, a, m. a wooden reading-desk, Pm. 6. tré-ligr, adj. of wood, Mar. tré-lurkr, m. a wood-cudgel, Glúm. 342. tré-maðr, m. a ‘wood-man,’ Fms. iii. 100; carved poles in the shape of a man seem to have been erected as harbour-marks, cp. the remarks s. v. hafnar-mark (höfn B); in Hm. 48, of a way-mark; a huge tré-maðr (an idol?) is mentioned in Ragn. S. fine, (Fas. i. 298, 299); the Ask and Embla (Vsp.) are also represented as ‘wood-men’ without living souls. tré-níð, n., see níð, Grág. ii. 147, N. G. L. i. 56. tré-reiði, a, m. wooden equipments, harness, Jb. 412, Sturl. iii. 71 (of a ship, mast, oars, etc.), K. Þ. K. 88 (of horse-harness). tré-ræfr, n. a wooden roof, Þjal. 53. tré-saumr, m. wooden nails, Ann. 1189. tré-serkr, m. a wooden coat; in tréserkja-bani, as a nickname, Fas. ii. 6. tré-skapt, n. a wooden handle, Grett. 141. tré-skál, f. a wooden bowl, Dipl. iii. 4. tré-skjöldr, n. a wooden shield, Gþl. 105. tré-skrín, n. a wooden shrine, Landn. 51 (Hb.), Vm. 54. tré-smiðr, m. a craftsman in wood, carpenter, Bs. i. 858, Karl. 396, Rétt. 2. 10. tré-smíði, n. and tré-smíð, f. craft in wood, wood-carving, Bs. i. 680; hann (the steeple) bar eigi miðr af öllum trésmíðum á Íslandi en kirkjan sjálf, 132; hagr á trésmíði, Stj. 561. tré-spánn, m. wood-chips, Ó. H. tré-spjald, n. a wooden tablet, such as was used in binding books; forn bók í tréspjöldum, Ám. 35, Pm. 131, Vm. 126. tré-stabbi (tré-stobbi, Ó. H. 72; -stubbi, Fb. i. 433), a, m. = trédrumbr, Fms. vi. 179. tre-stokkr, m. the ‘stock of a tree,’ block of wood, Fms. ii. 75. tré-stólpi, a, m. a wooden pillar, Fb. ii. 87. tré-telgja, u, f. a wood-carver, a nickname, Yngl. S. tré-toppr, m. a tree-top, Al. 174. tré-virki, n. a wooden engine, Sks 425, Bs. i. 872. tré-þak, n. a timber roof, Bs. i. 163. tré-ör, f. a wooden arrow, as a signal, N.G,L. i. 102, Gþl. 83.

II. plur., trjá-lauf, n. leaves of trees, Stj. trjá-heiti, n. pl. names of trees, Edda (Gl.) 85.

m. ‘blood eagle,’ in the phrase ‘rísta b.,’ to cut a blood eagle, a cruel method of putting to death in the heathen times, practised, as it seems, only on the slayer of one’s father if taken alive in a battle: the ribs were cut in the shape of an eagle and the lungs pulled through the opening, a sort of vivisection described in Orkn. ch. 8, Fas. i. 293, 354 (Ragn. S.): so king Ella was put to death by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, Fms. iii. 225: it is called a sacrifice to Odin of the victim, cp. the phrase, ok gaf hann Óðni til sigrs sér, Orkn. l. c.; the old rite ‘marka geirsoddi,’ q. v., is analogous, not identical; cp. also upon the subject Grimm D. R. A., and Hm. 139.

m. Norway, = Norvegr.

* * *

m., gen. Noregs; a later Noregis also occurs in Laur. S.; ‘Nurviag’ on the Jellinge stone; [mod. Norse Norge, sounded Norre]:—Norway, passim; that the word was sounded Nóregr with a long vowel is seen from rhymes in Vellekla (10th century), Nóregr, fóru; as also Nóregs, stórum, Sighvat (in a poem of 1038 A. D.); the full form Norð-vegr (with ð and w) never occurs in vernacular writers, but only in the Latinised form, Northwagia, which was used by foreign writers (North Germans and Saxons); even the v (Nor-vegr) is hardly found in good vellums, and is never sounded. The etymology of the latter part = vegr is subject to no doubt, and the former part nór is prob. from norðr, qs. the north way; yet another derivation, from nór = a sea-loch, is possible, and is supported by the pronunciation and by the shape of the country, a strip of land between sea and mountains, with many winding fjords. The popular but false etymology of the ancients is from a king Nór (Orkn. ch. 12), as Rome from Romulus:—Noregs-höfðingi, -konungr, -menn, -ríki, -veldi, the ruler, king, men, kingdom of Norway, Grág. ii. 401, Fms. vii. 293, Bs. i. 720, Sturl. ii. 55, Nj. 8, Ísl. ii. 234, passim.

n. and álaga, u, f. [leggja á]; in some cases, esp. dat. pl., it is often difficult to decide to which of these two forms a case may belong; they are therefore best taken together. In the neut. pl. the notion of spell, in the fem. pl. that of tax, burden, hardship prevails. In sing. both of them are very much alike in sense.

I. fem. pl. a tax, burden, burdensome impost; sagði at bændr vildi eigi hafa frekari álög (álögur?) af konungi en forn lög stæði til, Fms. xi. 224; undan þessum hans álögum … liggja undir slíkum álögum, tyranny, yoke, Bárð. ch. 2; gangit til ok hyggit at landsmenn, at ganga undir skattgjafar Ólafs konungs ok allar álögur, burdens, taxes, Fms. iv. 282, in the famous speech of Einar þveræing, (Ó. H. ch. 134; bað jarl vægja möunum um álögur, Fms. iv. 216; jarl hélt með freku öllum álögum, Orkn. 40; hvárt mun konungr sá ekki kunna hóf um álögur ok harðleiki við menn, Fms. vi. 37; þórstcinn kvað ekki um at leita, at Þórðr kæmist undan neinum álögum, burdens, oppressive conditions, Bjarn. 72.

2. a law term, an additional fine; með álögum ok leigum, duties and rents, Grág. i. 260; binda álogum, to charge, 384; hálfa fimtu mörk álaga, a fine of three marks, 391.

3. metaph. in plur. and in the phrase, í álögum, in straits, at a pinch, if needful, Vm. 18; vitr maðr ok ágætr í öllum álögum, a wise and good man in all difficulties, Fs. 120.

4. a metric. term, addition, supplement; þat er annat leyfi háttanna at hafa í dróttkvæðum hætti eitt orð eða tvau með álögum, cp. álagsháttr below, Edda 124.

5. theol. a visitation, scourge, Stj. 106, 647. 2 Kings xxi. 13 (answering to plummet in the Engl. transl.); sing. in both instances.

II. neut. pl. álög, spells, imprecations. In the fairy tales of Icel. ‘vera í álögum’ is a standing phrase for being spell-bound, esp. for being transformed into the shape of animals, or even of lifeless objects; leggja a., to bind by spells, cp. Ísl. Þjóðs. by Jón Árnason; var því líkast sem í fornum sögum er sagt, þá er konunga börn urðu fyrir stjúpmæðra álögum (v. l. sköpum), Fms. viii. 18 (Fb. ii. 539): hóri lýstr til hans með úlfs hanzka ok segir at hann skyldi verða at einuni híðbirni, ok aldri skáltn or þessuni álögum fara, Fas. (Völs. S.) i. 50, 404: sing. (very rare), þat er álag mitt, at þat skip skal aldri heilt af hafi koma er hér liggr út, Landn. 250. At present always in pl., cp. forlög, örlög, ólög.

COMPDS: álagsbœtr, álagsháttr, álögulaust.

* * *

(-ða, -t), v.

1) to accompany, help, with dat.; f. e-m at, f. e-s málum, to side with one, take one’s part;

2) to lead, guide one (yðr var fylgt í kornhlöðu eina);

3) to pursue (f. fast flóttamönnum);

4) to follow, be about one (konungr lét sveininn f. móður sinni);

5) to follow, observe (f. e-s ráðom, f. hirðsiðum);

6) to belong, or pertain to (segl ok reiði er fylgðu skipinu);

7) láta f., to add; þat lét hann f., at, he added that;

8) refl., fylgjast, to follow one another; fig. to hold together (hann bað sína menn f. vel, hold well together).

1) guidance (beiða e-n fylgju);

2) female guardian spirit; attendant spirit in animal form (þú munt vera feigr maðr ok muntu hafa sét fylgju þína).

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n, f. = fylgð, Grág. i. 343; bjóða e-m fylgju sína, ii. 56, v. l., Ísl. ii. 340; í förum ok fylgju með e-m, Stj. 135, 222; koma í fylgju með e-m, Rb. 356.

II. metaph. a fetch, a female guardian spirit of the heathen age, whose appearance foreboded one’s death, cp. Hkv. Hjörv. (the prose); þú munt vera feigr maðr ok muntú séð hafa fylgju þína, Nj. 62, Hallfr. S. ch. 11: also whole families had a fylgja (kyn-f., ættar-f.), get ek at þetta hafi engar konur verit aðrar en fylgjur yðrar frænda, Fms. ii. 195; eigi fara litlar fylgjur fyrir þér, x. 262, Vd. ch. 36; nú sækja at fylgjur Úsvífs, Nj. 20; manna-fylgjur, Bjarn. 48, Lv. 69; fuglar þeir munu vera manna-fylgjur, Ísl. ii. 196; marr ( a horse) er manns fylgja, Fs. 68; liggja fylgjur þínar til Íslands, thy guardian angels, good angels, point to Iceland, i. e. thou wilt go thither, Orkn. 14; þínar fylgjur mega eigi standask hans fylgjur, Gullþ. 11, Lv. 104; hafa þeir bræðr rammar fylgjur, Fs. 50:—in mod. lore (as also sometimes in the Sagas, e. g. Nj. l. c.) fylgja means a ‘fetch,’ an appearance in the shape of an animal, a crescent, or the like going before a person, only a ‘fey’ man’s fylgja follows after him.

2. = Lat. secundinae, a baby’s caul, cp. Germ. glückshaube; barns-f., Bs. ii. 168, freq. in mod. usage, cp. Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 354.

III. in pl. a law phrase, kvenna-fylgjur, abduction or elopement, Grág. i. 342 (cp. fylgja l. 4. below).

COMPDS: fylgjuengill, fylgjukona.

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1) steep snow-drift;

2) toppling sea;

3) beygja skaflinn, to make a wry mouth, of one crying.

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n. [from skafa], a snow-drift, a mass of snow, Fas, i. 116; standa sumir á skaflinum, Sturl. ii. 118; skafl var lagðr af hamrinum niðr á jöfnu, Þórð. 44; var kominn snjár á jörð í skafla á fjöllin, Fbr. 36; hann tók spjót sín ok rak í skaflinn, Sd. 163; snjó-skafl, passim; metaph. of waves white as drifted snow, báru-skafl, Hallfred; sjóvar-skaflar þeir sem brökuðu öllu megin at skipinu, Fas. ii. 76.

II. the pointed end of a sharp horse-shoe: skafla-járn, n. a sharp shoe: skafla-járna, að, to sharpen a shoe: skafla-járnaðr, adj. sharp-shod: hence the metaph. phrase, beygja skaflinn, to turn up the mouth in the shape of a horse-shoe, make a wry mouth, hence to cry (in mod. popular phrase, gera skeifu = make a horse-shoe, of children), Fb. i. 566, beygja af; skafl beygjattu skalli, þótt skúr á þik falli, Sturl. iii. (in a verse); hence,

2. the tusk of wild beasts; sökk tann-skaflinn djúpt, og reif með sér mikit af holdinu, Od. xix. 451.

f. [from vindr, adj., or vindr, m.(?)], the ‘wind-sheath,’ barge-rafter, the edge-boards at a gable end, prob. so called from being twisted in the shape of dragons twisting their tails at the top, while their heads are at the eaves, N. G. L. i. 101, Fs. 62, Eg. 749.

m. buck, he-goat.

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a, m. a buck, he-goat, Edda (Gl.): name of a giant, Fms. iii. 214. In Norway (Ivar Aasen), a lock of hair on the forehead of animals is called ‘ bruse.’ In Icel.

α. an earthen jar, to keep wine or spirits in (cp. Scot. greybeard, Scott’s Monastery, ch. 9), no doubt from their being in the shape of a bearded head. This has given rise to the pretty little poem of Hallgrím called Skeggkarlsvísur, Skyldir erum við Skeggkarl tveir, a comparison between Man and Greybeard (Skeggkarl = Beard-carle); cp. leir-brúsi = brúsi; flot-brúsi, Hym. 26.

β. a bird, columbus maximus, called so in the north of Icel., but else heimbrini, Eggert Itin. § 556.

II. a pr. name of a man, Landn.