staua

m. ‘doom-ring,’ ‘judgment-ring;’ (cp. also vé-bönd, the sacred bounds or bar): the courts of heathen times were surrounded by the dómhringr, about a bow-shot from the centre where the benches were placed; no evil-doer might enter this hallowed ring, or commit an act of violence within it; if he did so, he was called a vargr í véum (lupus in sanctii); the Engl. law term ‘bar’ answers to this old word, cp. Gr. δρύφακτοι, Lat. cancelli; the Goth. staua, = court and judge, properly means a staff, bar; the bar was, according to Eg. l. c., a pole of hazel-wood, hesli-stengr: classical passages referring to this,—þar sér enn dómhring þann, er menn vóru dæmdir í til blóts, í þeim hring stendr Þórs steinn, etc., Eb. ch. 10; þar stendr enn Þórs steinn … ok þar ‘hjá’ (better) er sá domhringr er ( in which) menn skyldi til blóts dæma, Landn. 98: another classical passage is Eg. ch. 57 beginning; cp. also Fas. iii. Gautr. S. ch. 7, Edda 10, though the ‘ring’ is not expressly mentioned in these last two passages: hann gengr í dómhringinn ok setzk niðr, Band. 6; en þeir eigu at rísa ór dóminum ok sitja í dómhring innan meðan um þá sök er dæmt, Grág. i. 78, cp. 17, 26: in early heathen times this sacred circle was formed by a ring of stones, cp. dóm-steinar: no doubt some of the so-called Celtic or Druidical stone circles are relics of these public courts, e. g. the Stones of Stennis in the Orkneys; cp. Scott’s last note to the Pirate, referring to this subject: even in later times, when the thing was obsolete, the name still remained.

(-s, -ir), m.

1) staff, post in a building, = uppstöðutré;

2) stave of a cask;

3) staff, stick (ganga við staf);

4) written letter, stave;

5) pl. stafir, lore, wisdom (fornir stafir).

* * *

m., gen. stafs, old pl. stafar, Hom. 97. Plac. 48, Korm. 178, 246 (in a verse); stafana (acc.). Fms. x. 16, v. l., [Ulf. stabs = στοιχειον, cp. staua = κρίσις; a word common to all Teut. languages]:—a staff, post, esp. in a building, as is still seen in Norway; bundinn við staf einn, Eg. 232; þrír aurar við staf hvern, ok svá fyrir staflægju hverja, N. G. L. i. 101; ása, stafi, þvertré, syllur, Dipl. iii. 8; hit nyrðra megin við innstafana sat konungr, the inner posts in a hall, Fms. x. 16, v. l.; Egill tók höndum í axlir honum ok kneikti hann upp at stöfum, Eg. 552; hann hafði lagt af sér kápuna uk vápnin ok sat upp til stafa, Ld. 282; kastalarnir vóru svá görvir, at stafir fjórir stóðu upp ok syllr upp í milli ok þar arinn á, en hurðir milli stafanna, … hann bar kaðalinn um einn kastala-stafinn … tók þá kastalinn at ríða mjök, Fms. viii. 429; cp. Ivar Aasen, s. v. stav-hus, stav-kyrkja, stave-naust; horn-stafir, dyri-s. (q. v.)

2. a stave of a vat or cask; færa ker út af stöfum, Grág. ii. 339; tunnu-stafr, detta í stafi, to fall into staves, i. e. to pieces, also metaph. of amazement.

3. a staff, stick, to walk with; ganga við staf, Nj. 219; hringr var í stafnum, … hann hélt tveim höndum um stafinn en beit í hringinn, Landn. 251; staf þann er þú heldr á, Stj. 197; staf ok skreppu, H. E. i. 243: of a beggar’s staff, see Skíða R.: of a crozier, Bs. i. 489: of a staff used in a horse-fight, Nj. 91, Bs. i. 633, 634; stafs-broddr, Landn. 251; stafs-endi, Sturl. ii. 180; stafs högg, Rd. 304, Fær. 239; brodd-s., klafa-s., göngu-s.: of a magical wand, hafa í húsi sínu staf eðr stalla, N. G. L. i. 383; kerti s., Dipl. v. 18, Pm. 17.

II. written letters, staves, originally derived from the magic twigs and rods used for enquiring into fate, see the remarks s. v. rún: of magic staves, Hm. 143 (stinna stafi, stóra stafi); þurs ríst ek þér ok þrjá stafi, ergi, æði, óþola, Skm. 36.

2. lore, wisdom; forna stafi, Vþm. 1, 55; sanna stafi, Sdm. 14; laun-stafir, hidden staves, Eg.; staðlausu stafi, Hm.

3. letters (Germ. buch-stabe), Skálda 174, Mar., passim; bók-stafr, hljóð-s., raddar-s., a vowel; mál-s., a consonant; upphafs-s., an initial letter; höfuð-s., Látínu-s., q. v.

COMPDS: stafanöfn, stafasetning, stafsetning, stafasetningarregla, stafaskipti, stafasnúning.