norse

(gen. -rs), m. grief, sorrow; gera e-m angr, to do one harm; vera e-m at angri = angra e-n.

(gen. -rs), m. in Norse local names, bay, firth.

* * *

m. (now always n., Pass. 1. 4, and so Bs. i. 195); gen. rs, [cp. Engl. anger, Lat. angor.]

I. grief, sorrow; þann angr, Bær. 12; upp á minn a. ok skaða, Stj. 215; minn harm ok a., Bær. 14; með margskonar angri, Fms.x.401; sorg eðr a., Háv. 51; ekki angr(s), Hkv. Hjörv. 10.

II. in Norse local names freq. = bay, firth, e. g. Staf-angr, Harð-angr, etc. etc. (never in Icel.): all these local names are better derived from vangr (q. v., p. 678); kaupangr in Norway means a town, village, sinus mercatorius, [cp. the English ‘Chipping’ in Chipping Norton, Chipping Ongar, etc., and in London, ‘Cheapside,’] these places being situated at the bottom of the firths: fjörðr hardly ever occurs in local names in Norway, but always angr; cp. the pun on angr, moeror, and angr, sinus, Fas. ii. 91. The word is obsolete in the historical age and scarcely appears as a pure appellative, Edda (Gl.), Fms. xii, Munch’s Map and Geogr. of Norway. [Root probably Lat. ang- in ango, angustus, angiportus.]

(-s, -ar), m.

1) ash, ash-tree;

2) ash-spear;

3) small ship (þeir sigla burt á einum aski);

4) wooden vessel or dish (stórir askar fullir af skyri);

5) a Norse measure for liquids equal to four bowls (bollar), or sixteen ‘justur’.

* * *

s, m. [A. S. äsc, whence many Engl. local names; Germ. esche]

1. an ash, fraxinus, Edda (Gl.); a. ygdrasils, Edda 10, 11, Pr. 431.

2. anything made of ash:

α. a spear, prop. ashen spear shaft (cp. δόρυ μείλινον, εϋμμελίης), Þiðr. 304, Edda (Gl.)

β. a small ship, a bark (built of ash, cp. δόρυ, abies); en þeir sigla burt á einum aski, Fas. ii. 206, i. 421: it appears only two or three times in Icel. prose writers; hence may be explained the name of ascmanni, viking, pirate, in Adam Brem. ch. 212 [A. S. äscmen], cp. askmaðr.

γ. a small vessel of wood (freq. in Icel., and used instead of deep plates, often with a cover (asklok) in carved work); stórir askar fullir af skyri, Eg. 549, 550; cp. kyrnu-askr, skyr-askr.

δ. a Norse measure for liquids, equal to four bowls, or sixteen justur, Gþl. 525, N. G. L. i. 328, H. E. i. 396, Fms. vii. 203.

COMPDS: askasmiðr, askaspillir.

f. thanks, gratitude, satisfaction, pleasure;

kunna e-m aufúsu fyrir e-t, to be thankful, obliged to one, for a thing;

gefa e-m aufúsu, to thank;

e-m er aufusa á e-u, one is pleased, gratified, with;

ef yðr er þar nökkur aufusa á, if it be any pleasure to you;

var mönnum mikil aufusa á því, were much pleased by it.

* * *

u, f., in Norse MSS. spelt afusa, Dipl. i. 3; avusa, Str. 27, 54, Sks. 775 B; afuusa, N. G. L. i. 446. In Icel. always spelt with au, av, or ö, by changing the vowel, öfusa, aufusa, Ó. H. 155, where, however, some MSS. have aufussa, avfusa, Fms. viii. 39, 250; öfusa, Fs. 123; ofusa, 677. 3, Band. 6; öfussa, Bs. i. 481: the change of vowel is caused by the following f (v). The word is now quite obsolete, and its etymology is somewhat uncertain; it may be qs. á-fúss, or af-fúss, an ‘af-’ intens. and ‘fúss,’ willing, this last suggestion would best suit the Norse form. Its sense is thanks, gratitude, satisfaction, pleasure, and is almost exclusively used either as a supplement to ‘þökk’ or in such phrases as, kunna e-m au., or e-m er au. á e-u, to be pleased, gratified with; þakka með mikilli a., to thank heartily, Str. 27; ef yðr er þar nokkur a. á, if it be any pleasure to you, Fms. ix. 495; kunna e-m au. e-s, or with ‘at,’ to be thankful, Fb. ii. 257, Eg. 111, Ó. H. 56, Fms. viii. 1. c., Bs. i. 481, H. E. i. 432, Eg. 522, Sturl. iii. 125, Fær. 209, 677. 3; leggja at móti þökk ok au., Ó. H. 155; viljum vér au. gefa þeim góðum mönnum, we will thank them, Fms. viii. 250; var mönnum mikil ö. á því, much pleased by it, Fs. 123; hafa í móti þökk ok ö., Band. 19 new Ed.

COMPDS: aufusugestr, aufusuorð, aufvisusvipr.

* * *

(eyk, jók, jókum, aukinn), v.

1) to augment, increase (auka virðing e-s; auka ætt sína; auka vandræði);

to prolong (auka þing);

aukanda ferr am e-t, something goes on increasing;

eigi er þat aukit (it is no exaggeration) þó at hann sé sagðr ríkastr maðr á Íslandi;

orðum aukit, exaggerated;

aukin ( more than) þrjú hundruð manna;

2) to add, with dat. (jók ek því es mér varð síðar kunnara);

auka synd á synd ofan, to heap sin upon sin;

auka e-u við, to add;

aukast orðum við, to come to words, to converse;

with acc., auka ný vandræði (= nýjum vandræðum) á hin fornu, to add new difficulties to old ones;

impers., jók stórum hans harm, his grief increased greatly;

3) to surpass, exceed;

þat er eykr sex aura, þá á konungr hálft þat er eykr, if it exceeds six ounces, the king takes half the excess.

(að), v. (a Norse form) = the preceding.

* * *

jók, jóku (mod. juku), aukit [Lat. augere; Gr. αυξειν; Ulf. aukan; A. S. eacan or ecan; Engl. to eche or eke; O. H. G. auhon]; pres. ind. eyk; subj. eyki or yki, mod. jyki. A weak form (aukar, aukaði, aukat) also occurs, esp. in Norse, and (as a Norwegianism) in Icel. writers, esp. after the year 1260, e. g. aukaðu, augebant, Barl. 138; aukaðist, augebatur, aukaði, augebat. Barl. 180, Fms. i. 140, 184, x. 21 (MSS. aukuðu or aukaði, and some even jóku), Róm. 234; subj. aukaðist, augeretur, Fms. vii. 158 in three Icel. vellum MSS.; only one has ykist, the strong genuine form. Pres. aukar, auget, and aukast, augetur, instead of eykr, eykst, Stj. 32: part. aukat (= aukit), O. H. L. 46; aukuð, aucta, Fms. x. 236. Even Snorri in the Edda has aukaðist, p. 3, both in the vellum MSS. Ob. and Kb.,—a form which is thoroughly unclassical; the poets use the strong form, and so Ari, who has jókk = jók ek, in the preface to Íb.;—so also the great bulk of the classical literature. Since the Reformation the strong form is the only one used either in speaking or writing.

I. Lat. augere, to augment, increase, with acc., eykr hann þar ætt sína, Fms. iii. 82; jók Njáll ekki hjón sín, Nj. 59; hét hann þeim at auka virðing þeirra, Eg. 33; þessi orð jóku mjök sök Adams, Sks. 542; jók nafn hans, Hom. 51, Nj. 33; var þá síðan aukuð (= aukin) veizlan, Fms. x. 236: absol., þat hálft er eykr, that half which is over and above, Js. 75: in the phrase, aukanda ferr um e-t, a thing is increasing, Nj. 139.

II. Lat. addere, to add to the whole of a thing; with the thing added in the dat., ok jókk (= jók ek) því es mér varð síðan kunnara, Íb. (pref.): impers., jók miklu við, increased greatly, Ld. 54; þá eykst enn ellefu nóttum við, eleven nights are still added, Rb. 28: followed by ‘við,’ auka e-u við e-t, to add to it, Nj. 41; ‘til’ is rare and unclassical, and seems almost a Danism, as ‘föie til,’ þetta til aukist, Vm. 7: auka synd (dat.) á synd (acc.) ofan, to heap sin upon sin, Stj. 274: aukast orðum við, to come to words, speak, Eg. ch. 58, v. l. (rare); ef þú eykr orði, if tbou say’st a word more, Lex. Poët.

β. with acc. (a rare and unclassical Latinism), auka ny vandræði (= nyjum vandræðum) á hin fornu, Bs. i. 751.

γ. impers. in the phrase, aukar á, it increases, Róm. 234.

III. to surpass, exceed; þat er eykr sex aura, þá á konungr hálft þat er eykr, if it exceeds six ounces, the king takes half the excess, N. G. L. i. 281, Js. § 71; en ármaðr taki þat er aukit er, what is over and above, N. G. L. i. 165. Esp. used adverbially in the part. pass, aukit, aukin, more than, above, of numbers; aukin þrjú hundruð manna, three hundred men well told, Eg. 530, Fms. ix. 524, v. l.; með aukit hundrað manna, x. 184, Ld. 196; aukin hálf vætt, Grett. 141 new Ed.

β. in the phrases, þat er (eigi) aukat (aukit), it is no exaggeration, Jd. verse 22, the Ed. in Fms. xi. 169 has ‘árla’ (a false reading); pat er aukat, O. H. L. 1. c.; orðum aukið, exaggerated, Thom. 73.

m., pl. austmenn, in Icel. and in the northern part of the British Islands a standing name of those who came from the Scandinavian continent, esp. Norse merchants, vide the old Irish chronicles, and the Sagas, passim. The English used ‘easterling’ in the same sense, and sterling is an abbreviation of the word from the coin which the ‘easterlings’ brought with them in trade. Eyvindr austmaðr, Landn., Nj. 81, Eg. 744, Ísl. ii. 192, 128, Sturl. ii. 47, Lv. 23, Valla L. 216, Landn. 36, 290, 305, Eb. 104, 196, etc. In the Norse GÞl. 450 it is used of Swedes in Norway: austmanna-skelfir, m. ‘skelper’ (conqueror, terror) of the east men, a nickname, Landn. 305.

1) acicular leaves, needles of the fir or pine (wrongly applied by Snorri, who speaks of the ‘barr’ of the ash);

2) barley.

* * *

n. [Norse and Swed. barr means the needles of the fir or pine, opp. to ‘lauf’ or leaves of the ash, eon; cp. barlind, taxus baccaia, and barskógr, ‘needle-wood,’ i. e. fir-wood, Ivar Aasen].

I. the needles or spines of a fir-tree; the word is wrongly applied by Snorri, Edda II, who speaks of the ‘barr’ of an ash;—Icel. has no trees. In Hm. 50 (Norse poem ?) it is correctly used of a pine, hrörnar þöll er stendr þorpi á, hlýrat henni börkr ne b., Hkv. Hjörv. 16, Edda 11.

II. = barley, [Scot. and North. E. bear, A. S. bere, is four-rowed barley, a coarse kind; bigg in North. E. and Scot. is six-rowed barley, also a coarse kind: cp. ‘the Bigg-market,’ a street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne: barlog, sweet wort, made of barley, Ivar Aasen]; bygg heitir með mönnum, en barr með goðum, men call it ‘bygg,’ but gods ‘bear,’ which shews that barr sounded foreign, and that bygg was the common word, Alvm. 33; Edda (Gl.) 231 has b. under sáðsheiti, v. Lex. Poët. Common phrases in Icel., as bera ekki sitt barr, of one who will never again bear leaves or flourish, metaph. from a withered tree: so Persarum vigui rege bcatior is rendered, lifs míns blómgaðra bar, en buðlungs Persa var, Snot 129. barlegr, adj. vigorous, well-looking.

f. pl. an απ. λεγ. in a verse in Hervar. S. (Ed. 1847), p. 56; bauð ek þér bróðir basmir óskerðar, fé ok fjöld meiðma; a dub. word, cp. Germ. besem, Engl. besom; mod. Germ. besen, North Germ. besemer, Dan. bismer (Icel. reizla), which are all connected. Ivar Aasen records a Norse word basm or basma; the Norse basm means twenty threads of the warp ( basm here means loom?):—the Ed. in Fas. i. 207 gives a wrong spelling óskir tvær (qs. óskertar), and skips the word basrnir.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) ring, armlet (of gold or silver) worn on the wrist, esp. the sacred ring (stallahringr) on the altar in heathen temples, cf. baugeiðr;

2) in olden times, before minted gold or silver came into use, such rings were commonly used as a medium of payment; hence ‘baugr’ simply means money;

3) fine of varying amount for manslaughter, weregild;

4) gaff-hook?

5) in the phrase, eiga (kost) á baugi, to have a (single) chance left; ef sá væri á. baugi, if there were no other chance; þú munt eiga slíkan á baugi brátt, thou wilt soon have the very same chance or lot (viz. death);

6) the painted circle on a round shield.

* * *

m. [the root bjúg—baug—bog; A. S. beág; O. H. G. pouc = armilla; lost in N. H. G. and in Engl.]

I. a ring, armlet, esp. in olden times to be worn on the wrist plain, without stones:

α. the sacred temple ring (stallahringr) on the altar in heathen temples; all oaths were’ to be made by laying the hand upon the temple ring; at sacrificial banquets it was to be dipped in the blood, and was to be worn by the priest at all meetings. The ring was either of gold or silver, open (mótlaus), its weight varying between two, three, and twenty ounces (the last is the reading of Eb. new Ed. p. 6, v. 1., the classical passages in the Sagas are—Eb. l. c. (and cp. 44), Glúm. 388, Landn. (Hb.) 258, Þórð. S. 94 (Ed. 1860); cp. also the note at the end of the new Ed. of Eb., referring to an interesting essay of the Norse Prof. Holmboe upon the matter, Christiania, A. D. 1864.

β. baugr is at present in Icel. used of a spiral ring without a stone (e. g. a wedding ring); the third finger is called baugfingr, transl. from Lat. digitus annuli, for the wearing of wedding rings is not in use in Icel. (unless as a Dan. imitation). Icel. also say einbaugr, tvibaugr, a single or double spiral ring.

II. metaph. in olden times, before minted gold or silver came into use, the metals were rolled up in spiral-formed rings, and pieces cut off and weighed were used as a medium of payment; hence, in old times, baugr simply means money, used in the poets in numberless compounds; hringum hreytti, hjó sundr baug, Rm. 35; cp. baugbroti, baugskyndir, baugskati, baughati, one who breaks, throws, hates gold, epithets of princes, etc., v. Lex. Poët. A. S. poetry abounds in epithets such as, beaggeafa, dator auri; the Heliand speaks of ‘vunden gold.’ In the law the payment of weregild is particularly called baugr, v. the compounds: baugatal is the Icel. section of law treating of the weregild, Grág. ii. 171–188; höfuôbaugr, lögbaugr ( a legal baug, lawful payment). In the Norse law vide esp. N. G. L. i. 74 sqq., 184 sqq.

2. the painted circle on the round shield (clypeus); á fornum skjöldum var títt at skrifa rönd þá er b. var kallaðr, ok er við þann baug skildir kendir, Edda 87, Eg. 699; often embellished with scenes from the mythical age. Some poems arc preserved or on record, describing such shields, two Berudrápur by Egil (bera, a shield), Haustlöng by Thjodolf, Ragnarsdrápa by Bragi Gamli (of the 9th and 10th centuries). Some of these poems were among the chief sources used by Snorri in composing the Edda. The shield is metaph. called baugr, Edda (Gl.)

3. a fish-hook; man eigi þú draga Leviathan á öngli eðr bora kiðr hans með baugi (very rare, if not an απ. λεγ.), Post. 686 C. 2.

4. the phrase, eiga (kost) á baugi, to have (a single) chance left; þótti þat vera et mesta hætturáð at berjast, en sá mun á baugi, ef eigi er sæzt, there will be no other chance unless we come to terms, Sturl. iii. 244; þú munt eiga slíkan á baugi brátt, thou wilt soon have the very same chance (viz. death), the turn will come to thee, Nj. 58; nú mun ek eiga þann á baugi, at …, there will be no other chance for me, than …, Orkn. 46; cp. einbeygðr kostr, dira necessitas, 58; kvaðst þá heldr vilja liggja hjá henni, ef sá væri á baugi, if there were no other chance, Fas. ii. 150. The explanation of this metaphor is doubtful, cp. Vkv. verses 5 and 7 (?), or is the metaphor taken from the weregild?

5. baugr also occurs in mod. usage in many compds, astron. and mathem., spor-baugr, the ecliptic; hádegisbaugr, a meridian.

COMPDS: baugabrot, baugamaðr, baugatal, baugshelgi.

s, m., pl. ir: [the etymology of this word has been much contested; some—upon the authority of Snorri, hans menn fóru ‘brynjulausir,’ Hkr. i. 11—derive it from ‘berr’ ( bare) and ‘serkr’ [cp. sark, Scot. for shirt]; but this etymology is inadmissible, because ‘serkr’ is a subst. not an adj.: others derive it from ‘berr’ (Germ. bär = ursus), which is greatly to be preferred, for in olden ages athletes and champions used to wear hides of bears, wolves, and reindeer (as skins of lions in the south), hence the names Bjálfi, Bjarnhéðinn, Úlfhéðinn, (héðinn, pellis,)—‘pellibus aut parvis rhenonum tegimentis utuntur,’ Caes. Bell. Gall. vi. 22: even the old poets understood the name so, as may be seen in the poem of Hornklofi (beginning of 10th century), a dialogue between a Valkyrja and a raven, where the Valkyrja says, at berserkja reiðu vil ek þik spyrja, to which the raven replies, Úlfhéðnar heita, they are called Wolfcoats, cp. the Vd. ch. 9; þeir berserkir er Úlfhéðnar vóru kallaðir, þeir höfðu vargstakka ( coats of wild beasts) fyrir brynjur, Fs. 17]:—a ‘bear-sark,’ ‘bear-coat,’ i. e. a wild warrior or champion of the heathen age; twelve berserkers are mentioned as the chief followers of several kings of antiquity, e. g. of the Dan. king Rolf Krake, Edda 82; a Swed. king, Gautr. S. Fas. iii. 36; king Adils, Hrólf. Kr. S. ch. 16 sqq.; Harald Hárfagri, Eg. ch. 9, Grett. ch. 2, Vd. l. c. (Hornklofi, v. above); the twelve sons of Arngrim, Hervar. S. ch. 3–5, Hdl. 22, 23; the two berserkers sent as a present by king Eric at Upsala to earl Hakon of Norway, and by him presented to an Icel. nobleman, Eb. ch. 25. In battle the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy, called berserks-gangr (furor bersercicus, cp. the phrase, ganga berserksgang), when they howled like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth and gnawed the iron rim of their shields; during these fits they were, according to popular belief, proof against steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy; but when the fever abated they were weak and tame. A graphical description of the ‘furor bersercicus’ is found in the Sagas, Yngl. S. ch. 6, Hervar. S. l. c., Eg. ch. 27, 67, Grett. ch. 42, Eb. ch. 25, Nj. ch. 104, Kristni S. ch. 2, 8 (Vd. ch. 46); cp. also a passage in the poem of Hornklofi | grenjuðu berserkir, | guðr var þeim á sinnum, | emjaðu Úlfhéðnar | ok ísarn gniiðu—which lines recall to the mind Roman descriptions of the Cimbric war-cry. In the Icel. Jus Eccles. the berserksgangr, as connected with the heathen age, is liable to the lesser outlawry, K. Þ. K. 78; it is mentioned as a sort of possession in Vd. ch. 37, and as healed by a vow to God. In the Dropl. S. Major (in MS.) it is medically described as a disease (v. the whole extract in the essay ‘De furore Bersercico,’ Kristni S. old Ed. in cake); but this Saga is modern, probably of the first part of the 17th century. The description of these champions has a rather mythical character. A somewhat different sort of berserker is also recorded in Norway as existing in gangs of professional bullies, roaming about from house to house, challenging husbandmen to ‘holmgang’ ( duel), extorting ransom (leysa sik af hólmi), and, in case of victory, carrying off wives, sisters, or daughters; but in most cases the damsel is happily rescued by some travelling Icelander, who fights and kills the berserker. The most curious passages are Glúm, ch. 4, 6, Gísl. ch. 1 (cp. Sir Edm. Head’s and Mr. Dasent’s remarks in the prefaces), Grett. ch. 21, 42, Eg. ch. 67, Flóam. S. ch. 15, 17; according to Grett. ch. 21, these banditti were made outlaws by earl Eric, A. D. 1012. It is worth noticing that no berserker is described as a native of Icel.; the historians are anxious to state that those who appeared in Icel. (Nj., Eb., Kr. S. l. c.) were born Norse (or Swedes), and they were looked upon with fear and execration. That men of the heathen age were taken with fits of the ‘furor athleticus’ is recorded in the case of Thorir in the Vd., the old Kveldulf in Eg., and proved by the fact that the law set a penalty upon it. Berserkr now and then occurs as a nickname, Glúm. 378. The author of the Yngl. S. attributes the berserksgangr to Odin and his followers, but this is a sheer misinterpretation, or perhaps the whole passage is a rude paraphrase of Hm. 149 sqq. In the old Hbl. 37 berserkr and giant are used synonymously. The berserkers are the representatives of mere brute force, and it therefore sounds almost blasphemous, when the Norse Barl. S. speaks of Guðs berserkr (a ‘bear-coat’ or champion of God), (Jesus Kristr gleymdi eigi hólmgöngu sins berserks), 54, 197. With the introduction of Christianity this championship disappeared altogether.

* * *

(pl. bœndr, gen. bónda), m.

1) husbandman, farmer, peasant (dóttir eins lítils bónda); a yeoman, franklin, landowner (hinir stœrri bœndr);

2) master, head of a household (= húsbóndi);

3) husband (nú er bóndi dauðr, en kona lifir eptir).

* * *

a, m.: older form búandi, or even bóandi, pl. búendr or bóendr; gen. búanda, bóanda; dat. buöndum, bóöndum, Edda 28, Grág. i. 370, 371. Ó. H. 203, 209–211, 215, Nj. 14, 220; búanda (gen. pl.), 211, 212, 215–217, 220; búöndum, 219; bóandi, Grág. i. 114, 157, 187, 377, Nj. 52; but the common Icel. form is bóndi, pl. bændr; gen. dat. pl. in old writers either bónda, bóndum, or as at present keeping the æ throughout all plur. cases (bænda, (gen.) bændum): properly a part. act. from búa (turned into a noun subst., cp. frændi, fjándi), A. S. buan; Germ. bauer, and therefore originally a tiller of the ground, husbandman, but it always involved the sense of ownership, and included all owners of land (or bú, q. v.). from the petty freeholder to the franklin, and esp. the class represented by the yeoman of England generally or the statesman of Westmoreland and Cumberland: hence it came to mean the master of the house, A. S. bond and hûsbond, Engl. husband.

1. a husbandman. The law distinguishes between a grið-maðr a labourer, búðsetu-maðr a cottager, and a búandi or bóndi a man who has land and stock. In the Icel. Commonwealth only the b. (but neither cottager or labourer) could act as judge or neighbour who gave witness in acquittal of a culprit (cp. þingheyjandi); the griðmaðr could only partly be admitted to the tylptarkviðr, not to the búakviðr, Grág. i. 35, 114; ek ryð þessa tvá menn ór kviðburðinum fyrir þá sök, at þeir eru búðsetu-menn en eigi bændr, Nj. 236; cp. l. c. below, where the distinction between both is defined. The Norse law, on the other hand, distinguishes between hersir or lendir menn ( barons) and búandi, cp. the interesting passage Fms. vi. 279 (verðr mér þá lends manns nafn ekki at virðingu; nú vil ek heldr heita bóndi sem ek á ætt til); the Norse hauldr- or óðals-bóndi nearly answers to the Engl. ‘yeoman.’ In the more despotic Norway and Denmark, as in continental Europe, ‘bóndi’ became a word of contempt, denoting the common, low people, opp. to the king and his ‘men’ (hirð), the royal officers, etc.; just as the Engl. boor degenerated from A. S. gebur, Germ. bauer, Dutch boer; and in mod. Dan. bönder means plebs, a boor; such is the use of bóndi in the Fms., esp. Sverr. S. and Hák. S. In the Icel. Commonwealth the word has a good sense, and is often used of the foremost men—Sighvatr bóndi, Sturl. ii. 78; Rafn bóndi (i. e. Sveinbjarnarsson), Bs. i. Rafn. S. several times; Rútr talaði þá til Marðar, hugsa þú svá um bóndi (Mord Gigja), Nj. 3; optar hefir þú glaðari verit, búndi, en nú, 174 (of Flosi); Njáll bóndi, id.; Þorsteinn bóndi, Illugi bóndi, Gunnl. S. Ísl. ii; Björn bóndi, Safn i. 657; Björn bóndi Einarsson (Jórsalafari), Ann. 1393; Ari bóndi, Daði bóndi, Bs. ii. 474, 505; it is only opp. to the clerks (clergy) or knights, etc. This notion of the word ( a franklin) still prevails in the mind of Icelanders.

2. a husband, A. S. hûsbond; eigi var skegglauss Þorvaldr bóandi þinn, Nj. 52, Grág. i. 371, 377, Fms. i. 149; hjá hvílu búanda þíns, Nj. 14. [The learned Icel. clergyman Eyjulf on Vellir (died A. D. 1747) has written a short essay upoii the word bóndi, Icel. MSS. Bodl. no. 71.]

COMPDS:—(in mod. use always bænda- if pl., bónda- if sing.)—bónda-bani, a, m. a slayer of a bóndi, Fms. vi. 104. bónda-ból, n. (bónda-bær, m.), a farm, Grett. 96 A. bónda-dóttir, f. a bóndi’s daughter, Eg. 24, Snót 18. bónda-eiðr, m. a bundi’s oath, Gþl. 67. bónda-far, n. a bóndi’s ferry-boat, Hkr. ii. 292. bónda-fé, n. a provincial fund, Gþl. 11. bónda-fólk, n. a class of bændr, Fms. vii. 293. bónda-fylking (búanda-), f. a host of bændr, Fms. viii. 126. bónda-herr, m. an army of bændr, Fms. i. 162. bónda-hlutr. m. = bóndatíund. Fr. bónda-hus, n. a bóndi’s house, K. Þ. K. 26. bónda-hvíla, u, f. a bóndi’s bed, El. 9. bónda-kirkja (búanda-), u, f. the church belonging to the bóndi in Thingvalla, where the parliament was held; and búanda-kirkjugarðr, m. the churchyard to that church, vide Nj. and Grág. This church was erected about the middle of the 11th century, vide Kristni S., Fms. vi. 266. bónda-kona, u, f. a good wife of a bóndi, Gþl. 511. bónda-laus, adj. husband-less, widowed, Stj. 420. bónda-lega, u, f. the burial place of bændr, N. G. L. i. 368. bónda-lið, n. = bóndaherr, Fms. ii. 48. bónda-ligr, adj. farmer-like. bónda-múgr, m. a crowd, host of bændr, Fms. xi. 248. bónda-nafn, n. the name, title of bóndi, Fms. vi. 279, Gþl. 106. bónda-réttr (búanda-), m. the right of a bóndi, Fms. ix. 135. bónda-safnaðr (- samnaðr) = bóndamúgr, Hkr. ii. 307, Fms. vii. 320. bónda-skapr, m. the state of the bændr, opp. to the clergy, Bs. i. 590. bónda-son, m. the son of a bóndi, Eg. 232. bónda-tala, u, f., vera í b., to be told or counted among bændr, Fas. ii. 326. bónda-tíund, f. tithe to be paid by bændr, Vm. 104. bónda-ungi, a, m. a young bóndi, Hkr. iii. 275. bónda-val, n. the elite of bændr; var þá gott b., there were choice bændr to be found, Sturl. i. 130, Landn. 236. bónda-ætt, f. a bóndi’s extraction, Fms. vi. 278.

(-s, -ar), m. oath; vinna, sverja eið, to take (swear) an oath; rjúfa eið, to break an oath; ganga til eiða, to proceed to the taking of oaths; eigi verðr einn eiðr alla, a single oath does not clear all men.

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m. [Ulf. aiþs; A. S. að; Engl. oath; North. E. aith; Swed. ed; Dan. eed; Germ. eid]

I. an oath; vinna eið, but also sverja eið, to take an oath, to swear, Glúm. 387, Nj. 36, Grág., Sdm. 23; ganga til eiða, to proceed to the taking an oath, Nj., Grág.; eiðar, orð ok særi, Vsp. 30; fullr e., a full, just oath, Grett. 161; rjúfa eið, to break an oath (eið-rofi); perjury is mein-særi, rarely mein-eiðr (Swed.-Dan. men-ed, Germ. mein-eid); eiðar úsærir, false, equivocal oaths, Sks. 358; hence the proverb, lítið skyldi í eiði úsært, with the notion that few oaths can bear a close scrutiny, Grett. 161; trúnaðar-e., hollustu-e., an oath of fealty, allegiance: cp. the curious passages in Sturl. i. 66 and iii. 2, 3; dýr eiðr, a solemn oath; sáluhjálpar-e., sverja dýran sáluhjálpar-eið, to swear an oath of salvation (i. e. as I wish to be saved). In the Norse law a man was discharged upon the joint oath of himself and a certain number of men (oath-helpers, compurgators, or oath-volunteers); oaths therefore are distinguished by the number of compurgators,—in grave cases of felony (treason etc.), tylptar-e., an oath of twelve; in slighter cases of felony, séttar-e., an oath of six, (in N. G. L. i. 56, ch. 133, ‘vj á hvára hönd’ is clearly a false reading instead of ‘iij,’ three on each side, cp. Jb. Þb. ch. 20); grímu-eiðr, a mask oath, a kind of séttar-e.; lýrittar-e., an oath of three; and lastly, ein-eiði or eins-eiði, an oath of one, admissible only in slight cases, e. g. a debt not above an ounce; whence the old law proverb, eigi verðr einn eiðr alla, a single oath is no evidence for all ( cases), Sighvat, Fms. iv. 375, v. l., Bjarn. 22, Nj. 13: other kinds of oaths, dular-e., an oath of denial; jafnaðar-e., an oath of equity, for a man in paying his fine had to take an oath that, if he were plaintiff himself, he would think the decision a fair one: vide N. G. L. i. 56, 254–256, 394, Jb. and Js. in many passages. In the Icel. law of the Commonwealth, oaths of compurgators are hardly mentioned, the kviðr or verdict of neighbours taking their place; the passage Glúm. ch. 24, 25 is almost unique and of an extraordinary character, cp. Sir Edmund Head’s remarks on these passages in his notes to the Saga, p. 119, cp. also Sturl. iii. 2; but after the union with Norway the Norse procedure was partly introduced into Icel.; yet the Js. ch. 49 tries to guard against the abuse of oaths of compurgators, which led men to swear to a fact they did not know. As to the Icel. Commonwealth, it is chiefly to be noticed that any one who had to perform a public duty (lög-skil) in court or parliament, as judge, pleader, neighbour, witness, etc., had to take an oath that he would perform his duty according to right and law (baug-eiðr ring-oath, bók-eiðr gospel-oath, lög-eiðr lawful-oath), the wording of which oath is preserved in Landn. (Mantissa) 335, cp. Þórð. S. (Ed. 1860) p. 94, Band. (MS.)

COMPDS: eiðabrigði, eiðafullting, eiðakonur, eiðalið, eiðamál, eiðasekt, eiðatak.

II. a pr. name, Landn.

f. girl, lass.

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u, f. a girl; a special Norse word not used in Icel. and not found in old writers earlier than the 14th or 15th century, unless ‘getta’ in the verse in Hálfs S. be the same or kindred word; hvað líðr nú grautnum, genta, Fas. iii. 382, 389, 393 (Eg. Einh. S.), is the only passage where it is used in Icel. writers. In many languages the equivalents are curious, Engl. girl, Swed. flicka, Norse genta (proncd. yenta, vide Asbjörnsen’s Tales), Icel. stúlka, Dan. pige,—all words that baffle etymologers. The Germans seem to have no such word, as mädchen and mädel are plain enough. The Lapps have ganda = a girl, which may be the origin of genta.

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(-tta, -tt), v.

1) to watch, take care of, guard, with gen.; g. skóklæða e-s, to take care of one’s shoes; g. dura í höllinni, to guard the door of the hall; g. kúa, hesta, to tend cows, horses; g. dóma, to observe justice; g. ráðsins, to take heed to the advice; g. til e-s, to mind, take care of, attend to (svá gættu þeir til, at ekki varð at);

2) refl., ok um þat gættust, and took counsel together.

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tt, (gjáta, Hom. 34, 156, esp. in Norse MSS.), [ gæte = to find sheep, Ivar Aasen]:—to watch, tend, take care of, with gen.; at gæta eigna sinna, Fms. i. 245; gætum vandliga þessa burðar, viii. 8; Guð gæti mín, God protect me! ix. 482; gæta skipa sinna, 484; þá látum en hafit gæta vár, Orkn. 108; þeir létu myrkrit gæta sín, Fs. 85; Þórir bað sína menn hlífa sér ok gæta sín sem bezt, Gullþ. 24; ok báðu hann gæta lífs síns, Orkn. 164; gjáta laga ok landsréttar, Hom. 34; þá er at gæta ráðsins, then take heed to the advice, Nj. 61; gæta dóma, to observe justice, Sks. 658:— to tend [cp. Norse gæte], gæta kúa, to tend cows, Fms. vi. 366, Ld. 98; gæta hesta, to tend horses, Fb. ii. 340, Fs. 88; hón gaetir dura í Valhöllu, Edda 21; Móðguðr er nefnd mær sú er gætir brúarinnar, 38; hann sitr þar við himins-enda at gæta brúarinnar fyrir bergrisum, 17; gæta segls, to take care of the sail, Fms. vii. 340 (in a verse); gæta skips, Anal. 191:—absol., stofan gætti ( guarded) at baki þeim, Eg. 91; því at rekendrnir gættu fyrir utan, Fms. vii. 184; gættu ( take care) ok vinn eigi á Kálfi, Fb. ii. 360; gæta sín, to be on one’s guard.

β. with prep., gæta til, to take care of, mind; var eigi betr til gætt en svá, at …, Orkn. 210; svá gættu þeir til, at ekki varð at, Nj. 57; gætið hér til Önundar húsbónda yðvars, at eigi slíti dýr né fuglar hræ þeirra, Eg. 380; hann skyldi til gæta at eigi slægisk aptr liðit, Ó. H. 215; sá er til saka gætir, Sks. 28, Rb. 396; ef þú kannt til at gæta, if thou behave well, Eg. 96; mun ek þá ekki taka af þér eignir þínar, ef þu kannt til gæta, id., Fms. ii. 178: in mod. usage also, gæta að e-u, to observe a thing: to heed, Guðs vegna að þér gæt min sál, Pass. 8. 16.

II. reflex., Þorleikr kvaðsk ekki mundu hafa mikit fé, því at úsýnt er hversu mér gætisk til, because it is uncertain how I may keep it, Ld. 300: cp. geta A. IV.

III. [cp. geta with gen., signif. B], getask um e-t, to deliberate or take counsel about …; ok um þat gættusk, hvárt …, and took counsel together, whether …, Vsp. 6, 9, 27, 29; gætask e-s, to tell of, mention a thing; gættisk ok Glaumvör, at væri grand svefna, G. told that she had dreary dreams, Am. 20; gættisk þess Högni, at árna ánauðgum, H. spoke of interceding for the bondsman, 60.

IV. part. gætandi, a keeper, Edda 94.

m. a pr. name, a family name within the old house of the Norse kings; as an appel. it seems to answer to A. S. heagestald, Germ. hagestolz, Icel. drengr, and to be identical with the mod. provincial Norse haaman (Ivar Aasen), a young, unmarried man.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) a place of abode, a region or world (níu man ek heima); spyrja e-n í hvern heim, to ask one freely;

2) this world (segðu mér ór heimi, ek man ór helju); koma í heiminn, to be born; fara af heiminum, to depart this life; liggja milli heims ok heljar, to lie between life and death;

3) the earth; kringla heimsins, the globe.

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m. [Ulf. heimos (fem. pl.) = κώμη; A. S. hâm; cp. Eng. home, and in local names -ham; O. H. G. haim; Germ. heim; Dan. hjem; Swed. hem]:—prop. an abode, village, and hence land, region, world:

I. abode, land,

1. partly in a mythol. sense, each heimr being peopled with one kind of beings, gods, fairies, men, giants, etc.; níu man ek heima, I remember nine abodes, Vsp. 2, and also Alm. 9 sqq., Vþm. 45, refer to the mythol. conception of nine heavens, nine kinds of beings, and nine abodes, cp. Goð-heimr, God-land, Yngl. S., Stor.; Mann-heimar, Man-land, the abode of men, Yngl. S.; Jötun-heimar, Giant-land; Álf-heimr, Elf-land, Fairy-land; Nifl-heimr, Mist-land, the world below, Edda, Gm.; Undir-heimar, the nether world, Fms. iii. 178, Fas. iii. 391; Upp-heimr, the ‘Up-land,’ Ether, Alm. 13; cp. also Sól-heimar, ‘Sun-ham,’ Sunniside, freq. as a local name, Landn.; vind-h., ‘wind-ham,’ the heaven, Vsp. 62; sá heimr er Múspell heitir, Edda 3; heyrir blástr hans í alla heima, 17: the phrase, spyrja einn í alla heima, to ask one freely; er slíkt harla úhöfðinglegt at spyrja úkunna menn í hvern heim, Fb. i. 211.

2. the region of the earth or sky; Austr-heimr, the East; Norðr-h., the North; Suðr-h., the South; Vestr-h., the West; Jórsala-heimr, Palestine: poët., dvalar-heimr, a dwelling-place, Sól. 35; ægis-h., 33; alda-h., the abode of men, 41; heimar goða, the abode of gods, Hkm. 13; munar-h., a place of bliss, Hkv. Hjörv. 42; ljóð-h., the abode of men, Gg. 2; myrk-h., the mirky abode, Akv. 42; sólar-h., the sun’s abode, heaven, Geisli.

3. a village, in local names, Engl. -ham, Germ. -heim; but in mod. Dan., Norse, and Swed. local names contracted to -om or -um, so that in many instances it is doubtful whether it is from heim or a dat. pl. in um, thus Veom, Viom may be Véheimr or Véum; Sæ-heimr = mod. Norse Sæm; Há-heimr = Hæm; Fors-heimr = Forsum, Munch, Norge’s Beskr. Pref.: in Icel. not very freq., Sól-heimar, Man-heimar (cp. Safn i. 353 note), Vind-h.: the mythical Glaðs-h., ‘Bright-ham,’ Þrym-h., Þrúð-h., Gm. 4, 8, 11.

II. this world, opp. to Hel or other worlds; fyrst fólkvíg í heimi, Vsp. 26; segðu mér ór heimi ek man ór Helju, Vtkv. 6, Hkv. Hjörv. 40, Skv. 3, 62, Vþm. 49, Am. 83, Stor. 19, Vsp. 46, Helr. 4; koma í heiminn, to be born, Fas. ii. 513; þessa heims, in this world, 623. 48, Gþl. 42, Hom. 48; opp. to annars heims, in the other world; þessa heims ok annars, Nj. 200, Sks. 354; kringla heimsins, the globe, orbis terrarum, Hkr. (init.); um allan heim, Grág. i. 169; heimr er bygðr, Ísl. ii. 381; spor þín liggja lengra út í heim en ek fæ séð, Orkn. 142; var heimrinn allr greindr í þriðjunga, Al. 117, Sks. 194, Rb. 134; al-heimr, the universe; minni-h., microcosmos, Eluc. 19.

2. phrases, liggja (vera) milli heims ok Heljar, to lie between life and death, in extreme illness, Fb. i. 260 (of a swoon); lá Þorsteinn þá milli heims ok heljar ok vætti sér þá ekki nema dauða, Fas. ii. 437; þá sigaði svá at honum, … ok lá náliga í milli heims ok heljar, Grett. 114; sýna e-m í tvo heimana, to make one look into two worlds, i. e. to treat a person roughly; cp. laust hann svá at hann vissi lítið í þenna heim, he struck him so that he nearly swooned, Karl. 35.

3. eccl. the world, mundus; heims ágirni, Hom. 73; stíga yfir heiminn, to overcome the world, 49, N. T. passim, e. g. John xvi. 8, 11, 20, 33; heims börn, the children of the world, Pass.; heims dýrð, the glory of the world, Post.; heims skraut, the pomp of the world, Hom. 83; hold ok heimr, the flesh and the world, N. T. 4. denoting people, only in the compd þing-heimr, an assembly, cp. Fr. monde.

COMPDS: heimsaldr, heimsálfa, heimsbrestr, heimsbygð, heimsendi, heimskringla, heimsskapan, heimsskaut, heimsslit, heimssól, heimsstaða, heimsstjórn, heimsstýrir, heimsvist, heimsþriðjungr.

(-is, -ar), m. a local chief lord (in Norway).

* * *

m. [akin to hérað and herr], a chief, lord, the political name of the Norse chiefs of the earliest age, esp. before the time of Harold Fairhair and the settlement of Iceland: respecting the office and authority of the old hersar the records are scanty, as they chiefly belonged to the prehistorical time; they were probably not liegemen, but resembled the goðar (vide goði) of the old Icel. Commonwealth, being a kind of patriarchal and hereditary chiefs: in this matter the old Landnáma is our chief source of information;—Björn Buna hét hersir ágætr í Noregi, son Veðrar-Gríms hersis í Sogni, móðir Gríms var Hervör dóttir Þorgerðar Eylaugs-dóttur hersis ór Sogni, Landn. 39; Arinbjörn h. ór Fjörðum, 66; Ási h., 76, 303, and another of the same name, 109; Ketill Veðr h. af Hringaríki, 94; Hrólfr h. af Ögðum, 48, 126; Ketill Raumr hét h. ágætr í Raumsdal, 173; Gormr h. ágætr í Svíþjóð, 195; Grímr h., 204; Þorsteinn Höfði h. á Hörðalandi, 228; Þórir Hauknefr h., 237; Úlfr Gildir h. á Þelamörk, 292; Veðr-Ormr h., 314; Arinbjörn h., Eg., Ad. 3; Vigfúss h. af Vörs, Glúm.; Klyppr h. á Hörðalandi, Fb. i. 19; Dala-Guðbrandr h., Ó. H. 106; Björn h. á Örlandi, Eg. 154; Þórir h. í Fjörðum, 155, cp. Rm. 36; hann var sem konungr væri yfir Dölunum, ok var þó h. at nafni, Ó. H. l. c., cp. Fb. i. 23; hersar hafa verit fyrri frændr mínir, ok vil ek ekki bera hærra nafn en þeir, Fms. i. 299: it is also prob. that by ágætr and göfugr (q. v.) the Landnáma means a hersir. At the time of Harold Fairhair the old hersar gradually became liegemen (lendir menn) and were ranked below a jarl ( earl), but above a höldr ( yeoman), the scale being konungr, jarl, hersir, höldr, búandi, see the record in Hkr. i. 80 (Har. S. Hárf. ch. 6), as also Edda 93; the name then becomes rare, except that hersir and lendr maðr are now and then used indiscriminately, heita þeir hersar eða lendir menn, Edda l. c. The old Norse hersar were no doubt the prototype of the barons of Normandy and Norman England.

COMPDS: hersisheiti, hersisnafn.

1) gate, gateway (h. heitir á garði);

2) wide gap;

3) space, interval (var hvergi h. í milli);

4) space of time; pause, halt (eptir þat varð h. á orrostunni).

(pl. -ar), f. side; standa á aðra h. e-m, to stand on one side of one; á tvær hliðar e-m, on either side of one; á allar hliðar, on all sides.

* * *

f., in mod. usage pl. hlíðar, but hlíðir in old writers, e. g. Landn. 224, Fms. vi. 197 (in a verse), Hkv. 1. 43, Sighvat: [A. S. hlîð; Norse li; lost in Dan.; cp. Lat. clivus; akin to Gr. and Lat. κλίνω, clino]:—a slope, mountain side, Edda 110; svá at sær var í miðjum hlíðum eða stundum vatnaði land, Ó. H. 149, Landn. 25, v. l.; út með hlíðum, Gullþ. 68; fjalls-hlið, a fell-side, q, v.; fagrar hlíðir grasi vaxnar, Grett. 137; ek mun ríða inn með hlíðinni, Glúm. 361, 362; út með hlíðinni, upp í miðjar hlíðar, etc., passim: hlíðar-brún, f. the edge of a h.: hlíðar-fótr, m. the foot of a h.: hlíðar-garðr, m. a fence on a fell-side dividing the pastures of two farms, Dipl. v. 25.

II. local names; Fljóts-hlíð and Hlíð, Landn. passim; Norse Lier, Lie, Landn., Nj.: Hlíðar-sól, f. sun of the Hlíð, nickname of a fair lady, Landn.: Hlíðar-menn or Hlíð-menn, m. pl. the men from Hlíð, Landn.

III. freq., in poët. circumlocutions, of a woman; hringa-hlíð, falda-h., bauga-h., and then in dat. and acc. hlíði, e. g. falda hlíði, vella hlíði (feminae), Skáld H. 5. 24, and in a mod. ditty; héðan ekki fer eg fet | frá þér silki-hlíði.

n. heathen temple.

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n. [in A. S., Hel., and O. H. G. hof means a hall, Lat. aedes, (whence mod. Germ. hof = a farm, answering to Icel. bær or Norse ból,) and spec. the court or king’s household, (in the old Scandin. languages this sense is unknown); Ulf renders ναός and ἱερόν by alhs; in Danish local names -vé prevails, but in Norse and Icel. Hof still survives in many local names, Hof, Hof-garðr, Hof-staðir, Hofs-fell, Hofs-teigr, Hofs-vágr, Landn., Munch’s Norg. Beskriv.; and as the temple formed the nucleus of the old political life (see goði and goðorð), all these names throw light on the old political geography; cp. Hofland near Appleby in Engl.]:—a temple; distinction is made between hof, a temple ( a sanctuary with a roof), and hörgr, an altar, holy circle, or any roofless place of worship: passages referring to hof and worship are very numerous, e. g. for Norway, Hkr. Yngl. S. ch. 12, Hák. S. Aðalst. ch. 16, Ó. T. ch. 76 (by Odd Munk ch. 41), Ó. H. (1853) ch. 113–115, O. H. L. ch. 36, Fær. ch. 23, Nj. ch. 88, 89, Fas. i. 474 (Hervar. S.); for Iceland, Landn. 1. ch. 11, 21, 2. ch. 12, 3. ch. 16 (twice), 4. ch. 2, 6 (interesting), 7, 5. ch. 3 (p. 284), 8 (interesting), 12, Eb. ch. 3, 4, 10, Glúm. ch. 25, Harð. ch. 19, 37, Vd. ch. 15, 17, Hrafn. ch. 2, Eg. ch. 87, Gullþ. ch. 7, Vápn. pp. 10, 11, Dropl. pp. 10, 11, Kristni S. ch. 2, etc.; cp. also Vsp. 7, Vþm. 38, Hkv. Hjörv. 4: poët., orð-hof, the word’s sanctuary = the mouth, Stor.

2. a hall (as in Germ. and Saxon), Hým. 33 (απ. λεγ.)

COMPDS:

I. with gen., hofs-dyrr, n. pl. temple-doors, Fms. i. 97. hofs-eiðr, m. a temple-oath, Glúm. 388. hofs-goði, a, m. = hofgoði, Eg. 754. hofs-helgi, f. = hofhelgi. hofs-hurð, f. a temple-door ( janua), Fms. i. 302. hofs-höfðingi, a, m. a temple-lord, Post. 645. 90. hofs-mold, f. temple-earth, holy mould, see Landn. 254. hofs-teigr, m. a strip of temple-land, glebe, Landn. 241.

II. hof-garðr, m. a temple-yard, a local name, Landn. hof-goði, a, m. a temple-priest (see goði), Landn. 254, Hkr. i. 6, Eb. 12, 14, 16 new Ed. hof-grið, n. pl. asylum in a sanctuary, Landn. 80, v. l. hof-gyðja, u, f. a priestess, Vápn. 10, Landn. 265, v. l. hof-helgi, f. a temple-holiday, feast; halda h., Ísl. ii. 15: the sanctity of a hof, Bret. 38, Eg. 251. hof-prestr, m. a temple-priest, Stj. hof-staðr, m. a ‘temple-stead,’ sanctuary, Eb. 26, Fms. ii. 73. hof-tollr, m. a temple-toll, rate, Vápn. 10, Eb. 6, 12 new Ed., Bs. i. 6, Gullþ. 11, answering to the modern church-rate.

B. A court, almost solely in compds, and not earlier than the 14th century, from Romances: hof-ferð, f. pride, pomp, Bs. ii. 122. hof-ferðugr, adj. proud. hof-fólk, n. pl. courtiers, Thom. 322, 479, Grett. 161, Karl. 51, Pass. 21. 8. hof-frakt, n. pomp, Fas. i. 46, Snót 86. hof-garðr, m. a lordly mansion, Thom., Bév., Rétt. hof-list, f. pomp, Thom. 479. hof-lýðr, m. = hoffólk, Clar. hof-maðr, m. a courtier; in pl. hofmenn, lords; hertogi greifi ok aðrir hofmenn, Ann. 1303; gentry, chiefly in the ballads of the Middle Ages, Ungan leit eg hofmann, Fkv. In the old dancing parties the leader of the gentlemen was styled hofmann (cp. Germ. Hoffmann). Before dancing began, men and maids having been drawn up in two rows, he went up to the ladies, and the following dialogue ensued: Hér er Hofmann, hér eru allir Hofmanns sveinar.—Hvað vill Hofmann, hvað vilja allir Hofmanns sveinar?—Mey vill Hofmann, mey vilja allir Hofmanns sveinar. Then each dancer engaged his lady for the dance; það var hlaup, og það var hofmanns hlaup, Safn i. 689. A plain in the neighbourhood of the alþingi, where the people met, is still called Hofmanna-flöt, f. ‘Gentry’s Lea.’ hof-móðugr, adj. haughty, Pass. 18. 5. hof-tyft, f. urbanity, Clar. hof-verk, n. a great feat, Safn i. 71. hof-þénari, a, m. a court servant, Fas. iii. 408.

1) rugged ground, wilderness;

2) lava field, lava.

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n. [akin to hruni, hrjóna, and hrynja (q. v.), and thus from a lost strong verb jó, au, u; hrjúfr, hrúðr, hreysi, hrjóstr (q. v.) seem all to be akin]:—prop. a rough place, a wilderness, and is used so esp. by Norse writers and in the oldest poems: in Norse local names, Raunen, bare rocks in the sea, as opp. to hólmr, a grassy islet, Fritzner s. v.: a giant is in poetry called hraun-búi, -drengr, -hvalr, -skjöldungr, = the dweller, hero, whale, king of the wilderness, Hým., Hkv. Hjörv., Haustl., Fas. ii. 306.

B. In volcanic Iceland the word came to mean a lava field when cold, a burnt place (not the fresh glowing lava), freq. in the Sagas as well as in mod. usage, Bjarn. 36, 52, Nj. 248, Grág. ii. 282, Landn. 280, Hrafn. 26, Eb. 132–138, Bs. i. 540; um hvat reiddusk goðin, er hér brann hraunit er nú stöndum vér á (Bs. i. 22), the famous words of Snorri in the parliament of A. D. 1000; the place of the alþingi being a burnt out lava field.

II. in Icel. local names freq., Hraun, Hraun-dalr, -fjörðr, -gerði, -holt, -höfn, etc., Landn.: esp. in relation to fields of lava, Borgar-hraun, id.; Berserkja-hraun, Eb.; Beruvíkr-hraun, Bjarn.; Staðar-hraun in Mýra-sýsla; Garða-hraun near Reykjavík, etc.: Ódáða-hraun, the wilderness in the inner part of Icel. (see Ísl. Þjóðs.), which was supposed to be peopled by miscreants and outlaws.

COMPDS: Hraundælir, Hraunfirðingr, Hraungerðingr, Hraunsverjar.

2. as appell., hraun-gata, u, f. a path through a hraun, Bjarn. 36, Pr. 411. hraun-gjóta, u, f. a lava pit or hole. hraun-grýti, n. lava rocks. hraun-klettr, m. a lava crag, Sks. 127. hraun-skeggi, a, m. a hraun dweller, Fs. 155; cp. eyjarskeggi.

☞ The whole of Icel. may be said to be a burnt out lava field, from eruptions previous to the peopling of the country. The following eruptions which have happened since the settlement, beside those of Hekla (q. v.), are mentioned in writers previous to A. D. 1430:—an eruption in Borgar-hraun in Mýra-sýsla about the beginning of the 10th century, Landn. 2. ch. 5; in Ölfus A. D. 1000, Kristni S. ch. 11; in the sea about Reykjanes A. D. 1211, 1226, 1238, 1240, 1422, Ann. s.a.: but esp. in the southern glaciers in Trölla-dingjur A. D. 1151, 1188; in Sólheima-jökull A. D. 1245, 1262; in Síða A. D. 1332; in Hnappafells-jökull A. D. 1332, 1350; in Herðubreið etc. A. D. 1340; in three places in Skaptafells-sýsla A. D. 1362,—the great eruption which destroyed the church in Rauðilækr; in Höfðár-jökull A. D. 1416, see Ísl. Ann. In later centuries the greatest eruptions are those of the Kötlu-gjá in 1755, and esp. the terrible eruption of Skaptár-jökull on the 20th of June, 1783. In this century that of Eyjafjalla-jökull, 1821.

(dat. höfði, gen. pl. höfða), n.

1) head (höggva höfuð af e-m);

láta e-n höfði skemmra, to behead one;

strjúka aldrei um frjálst höfuð, to be never free, never at ease;

skera e-m höfuð, to make a wry face at one;

heita í höfuð e-m, to be called after a person;

hætta höfði, to risk one’s life;

leggja við höfuð sitt, to stake one’s head;

fœra e-m höfuð sitt, to surrender oneself to an enemy;

drepa niðr höfði, to droop the head;

þoku hóf af höfði, the fog lifted;

stíga yfir höfuð e-m, to overcome one;

hlaða helium að höfði e-m, to leave one dead on the spot;

ganga milli bols ok höfuðs e-s or á e-m, to hew of one’s head, to kill outright;

senda e-n til höfuðs e-m, to send one to take another’s head;

leggja fé til höfuðs e-m, to set a price on one’s head;

leggjast e-t undir höfuð, to put aside, neglect (Þ. lagðist eigi þessa ferð undir höfuð);

vera höfði hærri, to be taller by a head;

2) head, chief (höfuð lendra manna);

Þrándheimr hefir lengi verið kallaðr höfuð Noregs, the chief district of Norway;

3) ornamental prow of a ship (skip með gyltum höfðum);

ornamental head on a bridle (slitnaði sundr beizlit, ok týndist höfuð, er á var).

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n., dat. höfði; gen. pl. höfða, dat. höfðum; in Norse MSS. often spelt hafuð, Anecd. 4 (without umlaut); the root-vowel seems in very early times (8th century) to have been a diphthong; thus Bragi uses the rhymes, laufi—haufði, and rauf—haufuð, Edda; the old ditty with a half rhyme, höfðu vér í haufði, Hkr. i. 104, wou’d be faulty unless we accept a diphthong in the latter word: in good old MSS. (e. g. Sæm. Cod. Reg.) the word is always spelt with ꜹ or au, never o, and probably never had a diphthongal sound; the Norse spelling havuð however points to a short vowel; and later Icel. MSS. spell o or , e. g. Hb. in Vsp. l. c. It is probable that the short vowel originated in the contracted form, as haufði sounds hard; [cp. Goth. haubiþ; A. S. heâfod; Engl. head; Hel. hôbid; O. H. G. houpit; mid. H. G. houbet; mod. G. haupt; Dan. hôved; Swed. hufvud; Ormul. hæfedd (the single f marks a preceding long vowel); thus all old Teut. languages except the Icel. agree in the length of the vowel, whereas Lat. căput, Gr. κεφαλή have a short root vowel.]

A. A head, Vsp. 38, Sdm. 14, Vþm. 19, Þkv. 16, 19, Skm. 23, Nj. 19, 275, Grág. ii. 11, Fms. x. 381, Eg. 181, Edda 59, passim; mátti svá at kveða, at náliga væri tvau höfuð á hverju kvikendi, Hrafn. 22 (of a great increase in stock); Grímr rakaði bratt fé saman, vóru tvau höfuð á hvívetna því er hann átti, Ísl. ii. 14.

II. phrases and sayings, láta höfði skemra, to make one a head shorter, behead, Hým. 15, Fm. 34; strjúka aldrei frjálst höfuð, to stroke never a free head, be never free, never at ease; (sagði) at þeir mundi aldrei um frjálst höfuð strjúka, er vinir hans væri, meðan Þórðr væri höfðingi í Ísafirði, Sturl. ii. 124; eg má aldrei um frjálst höfuð strjúka, I never have any time to spare; sitja aldrei á sárs höfði, to be always quarrelling; skera e-m höfuð, to make a wry face at one, Grett. 17; heita í höfuðit e-m, to be called after a person; hón jós sveininn vatni ok kvað hann skyldu heita í höfuð föður sínum, ok var hann kallaðr Gestr, Bárð. 24 new Ed.: the mod. usage distinguishes between heita í höfuð á e-m, when a person is alive when the child was born, and heita eptir e-m, when that person is dead; halda höfði, to hold one’s head up, Flóv. 43, Og.; bera hátt höfuð, to bear one’s head high, Sturl. iii. 147, Sighvat; hefja höfuðs, to lift one’s head, Thom. 535; drepa niðr höfði, to droop one’s head, Bs. i. 625; þoku hóf af höfði, the fog lifted, Ld. 74; búa hvárr í annars höfði, to be at loggerheads, Sks. 346; fara huldu höfði, to go with a hidden head, in disguise, to hide oneself, Fms. vi. 12; færa e-m höfuð sitt, to surrender oneself to an enemy, Eg. ch. 62, 63, Fms. x. 261; stíga yfir höfuð e-m, to pass over one’s head, overcome one, 304; er á engri stundu örvænt nær elli stígr yfir h. mér, Eb. 332; hlaða hellum at höfði e-m, to leave one dead on the spot, Dropl. 18; ganga milli bols ok höfuðs, ‘to gang between bole and head,’ i. e. to kill outright, Eb. 240; hætta höfði, to risk one’s head, Hm. 106; leggjask e-t undir höfuð, to lay under one’s pillow, to put aside; leggjask ferð undir höfuð, Fær. 132, Orkn. 46; þú munt verða fátt undir höfuð at leggjask ef ek skal við þér taka, Sturl. i. 27; vera höfði hærri, to be a head taller, Fms. x. 381; setja höfuð á höfuð ofan, to set head upon head, Bs. i. 73, (viz. to consecrate a second bishop to a see, which was against the eccl. law); cp. kjósa annan konung í höfuð Davíð, Sks. 801.

III. in a personal sense, in poets, a person, = Lat. caput, Gr. κάρα, κεφαλή; fárgjarnt höfuð, thou fearful woman! Fas. ii. 556; hraustara höfuð, a bolder man, 315; berjask við eitt höfuð, 49; heiptrækt höfuð, Ýt. 25; andprútt höfuð, high-minded man! Sighvat; tírar h., glorious man; leyfðar h., id., Geisli 56; vina höfuð = cara capita, Bm. 2; frænda höfuð, kinsmen, Skáld H. 3. 40; hvarfúst h., thou fickle woman! Hel. 2.

2. a number, tale, head, of animals; fádygt höfuð, of a fox, Merl. 1. 39: head, of cattle, þeir eiga at gjalda þingfarar-kaup, er skulda-hjóna hvert hefir höfuð, kú skuldalausa eða kúgildi, Grág. (Kb.) i. 159, referring to the old way of taxation, which is still the law in Icel., that a freeholder has to pay tax (skattr) only if he has more head of cattle (kúgildi, q. v.), than persons to support.

IV. a head, chief; höfuð lendra manna, Fms. vii. 273; h. ok höfðingi, Stj. 457; Þrándheimr er h. Noregs, Fms. vi. 38; höfuð allra höfuð-tíða (gen.), Leiðarvís. 23.

V. of head-shaped things:

1. a beak, of a ship; með gylltum höfðum, Fms. viii. 385, x. 10, 417, passim; dreka-höfuð, q. v.: the beak was usually a dragon’s head, sometimes a bison’s, Ó. H.; a steer’s, Landn. 5. ch. 8; or it was the image of a god, e. g. of Thor, Fms. ii. 325, (Ó. T. ch. 253); or of a man, Karl-höfði, Ó. H., the ship of St. Olave; cp. the interesting passage, þat var upphaf enna heiðnu laga, at menn skyldu eigi hafa höfuðskip í hafi, en ef þeir hefði, þá skyldi þeir af taka höfuð áðr þeir kæmi í lands-sýn, ok sigla eigi at landi með gapandum höfðum eðr gínandi trjónum, svá at landvættir fældisk við, Landn. (Hb.) 258, Fms. vi. 180 (in a verse), vii. 51 (in a verse). 2. the capital of a pillar, Al. 116, Fb. i. 359 (of tent poles): of carved heads in a hall, sér þú augun útar hjá Hagbarðs-höfðinu? Korm. ch. 3: heads of idols carved on chairs, Fbr. ch. 38: carved heads on high-seats, Eb. ch. 4: that these figures sometimes represented fairies or goddesses is shewn by the word brúða (q. v.) and stólbrúða; heads of bedsteads seem to have been carved in a similar way; cp. also Korm. 86, see tjasna.

3. the head-piece of a bridle; týndi maðr höfði á beisli því er görsema-vel var gört, Bs. i. 314, v. l.; the head of a rake, hrífu-h., etc.

COMPDS: höfðabúza, höfðafjöl, höfðalag, höfðaskip, höfðatal, höfðatala, höfuðband, höfuðbani, höfuðbein, höfuðburðr, höfuðbúnaðr, Höfuðdagr, höfuðdúkr, höfuðfaldr, höfuðfatnaðr, höfuðfetlar, höfuðgerð, höfuðgjarnt, höfuðgull, höfuðhlutr, höfuðhögg, höfuðlausn, höfuðlauss, höfuðleðr, höfuðlín, höfuðmein, höfuðmikill, höfuðmundr, höfuðórar, höfuðrót, höfuðsár, höfuðskél, höfuðskip, höfuðskjálfti, höfuðsmátt, höfuðsnauðr, höfuðsótt, höfuðsteypa, höfuðsundl, höfuðsvími, höfuðsvörðr, höfuðtíund, höfuðverkr, höfuðvíti, höfuðvörðr, höfuðþváttr, höfuðþyngsl, höfuðærr, höfuðærsl.

B. Chief, capital, found like the Gr. ἀρχι- in countless COMPDS: höfuðatriði, höfuðá, höfuðárr, höfuðátt, höfuðbarmr, höfuðbaðmr, höfuðbarmsmaðr, höfuðbaugr, höfuðbenda, höfuðbiti, höfuðbitarúm, höfuðblót, höfuðborg, höfuðból, höfuðbæli, höfuðbær, höfuðdrottning, höfuðefni, höfuðengill, höfuðfaðir, höfuðfirn, höfuðfól, höfuðgersemi, höfuðgjöf, höfuðglæpr, höfuðgoð, höfuðgrein, höfuðgæfa, höfuðhátíð, höfuðhetja, höfuðhof, höfuðinnihald, höfuðísar, höfuðíþrótt, höfuðkempa, höfuðkennimaðr, höfuðkirkja, höfuðklerkr, höfuðkonungr, höfuðkostr, höfuðkvöl, höfuðlist, höfuðlýti, höfuðlæknir, höfuðlærdómr, höfuðlöstr, höfuðsmaðr, höfuðmeistari, höfuðmerki, höfuðmusteri, höfuðnafn, höfuðnauðsyn, höfuðniðjar, höfuðprestr, höfuðráð, höfuðráðgjafi, höfuðskáld, höfuðskepna, höfuðskutilsvein, höfuðskömm, höfuðskörungr, höfuðsmiðr, höfuðspekingr, höfuðstaðr, höfuðstafn, höfuðstafr, höfuðstjarna, höfuðstóll, höfuðstólpi, höfuðstyrkr, höfuðsynd, höfuðsæti, höfuðtunga, höfuðvápn, höfuðveizla, höfuðvél, höfuðvindr, höfuðvinr, höfuðþing, höfuðætt.