to the life

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(dat. fjörvi), n. life; eiga fótum fjör at launa, to make the heels save the head.

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n., dat. fjörvi, mod. fjöri, [Ulf. renders κόσμος by fairvus; A. S. feorh, pl. feoru = life; Hel. firah; obsolete in Engl., Germ., Swed., and Dan.]:—life, Vsp. 33; með fjörvi, 623. 49: esp. freq. in allit. phrases, eiga fótum fjör at launa; fjör ok fé, Fms. iv. 77, Grág. ii. 21, Sl. 1; frekr er hver til fjörsins, Þorst. St. 54, Nj. 124; allt er fjörvi firr, Ld. 266.

2. in poetry it seems to be used of the vital parts, the body; fleinn hitti fjör, Höfuðl. 9, Hm. 7, Vellekla Hkr. i. 175, Gh. 18, Skm. 20; cp. Germ. leib, leben, and the Goth. and A. S. sense of this word.

3. in mod. usage freq. in the sense of vitality, vigour, energy, spirits; thus, fjör-fiskr, m., vide fiskr: fjör-kálfr, m. one bounding with life as a young calf,—hann er mesti fjörkálfr; vera með fullu fjöri, to be in the full vigour of life; fjör-lauss, adj. life-less, listless: fjör-maðr, m. a vigorous man: fjör-mikill, adj. full of life.

II. in poetry fjör is used in a great many compds, chiefly those denoting loss of life, death, e. g. fjör-bann, -grand, -lag, -lát, -lot, -nám, -rán, -spell, -tál: the heart is fjör-segi, a, m. the ‘life-clod,’ Fm. 32.

(-ar, -ir, acc. -u), m.

1) custom, habit (þat mun hér vera s., at menn ganga vápnlausir fyrir konung);

2) conduct, moral life (spilla ill mál góðum siðum);

3) religion, faith; inn forni s., the ancient (heathen) faith; inn nýi s., the new (Christian) faith; kristinn s., the Christian religion; heiðinn s., heathenism; í fornum sið, in the olden, or heathen, times.

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m., gen. siðar, dat. sið, pl. siðir, acc. siðu, mod. siði, [Ulf. sidus = ήθος; Hel. sidu; O. H. G. situ; Germ. sitte; Dan. sæd; Swed. sed]:—custom, habit, manner, Lat. mos, a word of importance and wide use; sjá, kanna annarra manna siðu, Sks. 17; sem þá var víða siðr til, Bs. i. 41; þat mun hér vera siðr, Eg. 110; sæmileikr hennar ok siðir, Str. 21; konungliga siðu, kaupmanna siðu, lærðra manna siðu, … siðu ok athæfi, Sks. 5; lands-siðr, the custom of the land; í fyrnskunni var sá siðr, at …, N. G. L. ii. 416: conversation, falla í sið með mönnum, to live sociably, Þiðr. 149 (sið-blendinn).

2. conduct, moral life [Lat. mores]; góðir siðir, þat er upphaf allra góðra siða at elska Guð, N. G. L. ii. 419; hann tók at semja heima-manna siðu ok híbýla-háttu, Bs. i. 102; sjá ok nema góða siðu, 271; at hvergi hefði þeir séð fegri siðu, id.; siða-tjón, Sks. 352; ó-siðir, ill manners, a wicked life, Bs. i. 62, N. G. L. ii 419; það er ó-siðr, ‘tis ill-breeding.

3. siðr (also in plur.) is the old and expressive word for religion, faith, as it appears in the life, laws, habits, and rites of a people; thus, inn Forni siðr, the ancient (heathen) faith; inn Nýi siðr, the new (Christian) faith; Kristinn siðr, the Christian religion; Heiðinn siðr, heathenism, etc.; snúa öllum til Kristins siðar, 655 iii. 3; eptir því sem mér skilsk, eru mjök sundrlausir siðir várir, Bs. i. 38; skurðgoða-blót ak allan heiðinn sið, 43; at þeir mætti sjá atferði siðar þess, er Kristnir menn höfðu, Ld. 174; er þat ok nær mínu hugborði, at þú, Kjartan, hafir betra sið þá er þú siglir af Noregi enn þá er þu komt hegat, 172; geldr at nýbreytni konungs, ok þessa ens nýja siðar er goðin hafa reiðsk … hversu ertú fúss, frændi, at taka við trú þeirri er konungr býðr?—Ekki em ek þess fúss, segir Bolli, þvíat mér lízt siðr þeirra veykligr mjök, 168, 170; kom þat ásamt með þeim, at níta sið þeim er konungr bauð, 166; Ólafr konungr boðaði siða-skipti þar í landi, Fms. ii. 26; þat spurðisk þar með at siða-skipti var orðit í Noregi, höfðu þeir kastað enum forna sið … Ok ef þeir menn koma út hingat er þann sið bjóða, þá skal ek þat vel flytja, Nj. 156; þeir hafa Ebreska tíða-görð ok alla siðu, Symb. 57; þeir biskup fóru með nýjan sið, Fs. 76; með nýjum sið ok boðorðum. 91; siðar þess er várir foreldrar hata haft, O. H. L. 23; í fornum sið, in the olden times, in the heathen times: hann var göfgastr allra herkonunga ok bezt at sér í fornum sið, Fb. i. 349. The same term was afterwards used of the Reformation (the Reformed faith as opp. to the Roman Catholic faith), [cp. Germ. die alte Sitten]; féllu þeir helzt í sið með herra Gizuri biskupi, sira Gísli Jónsson …, Bs. ii. 250; nokkuð ágrip um gömlu siðina, 247; hann tók af alla Pápista siðu, 249; vegna þeirra nýju siða, Safn i. 682.

4. a rite, ceremonial, esp. in plur.; brúðkaups-siðir, bridal ceremonies; kirkju-siðir. church rites; hirð-siðir, court ceremonies; borð-siðir, table ceremonies.

COMPDS: siðabót, siðamaðr, siðasamr, siðaskipti, siðavandr, siðavendni.

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n. pl.

1) reason, ground, origin (nú skal segja, af hverjum rökum heiðnir menn héldu jól);

2) wonder, marvel; forn r., great things of yore; firrist (imperat.) æ forn r. firar, let bygones be bygones; stór r., mighty things, great marvels; tíva r., the life and doings of the gods; þjóða r., origin, creation of mankind; í aldar r., at the end of the world; ragna r., see ragnarök.

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n. pl. [O. H. G. rahha = sentence, judgment; the word is prob. akin to rakna, rak-, rekja, réttr]:—a reason, ground, origin; segja nokkur rök frá Dróttins-degi, Leiðarv. 5; nú skal tína nokkut um rök tiðanna, 625. 164; af þessum rökum hófsk sjá hátíð, Hom. 132; enn eru regulares, er upp hefjask af enum sömum rökum, Rb. 124; ek skal víss verða af hverjum rökum úrar-horn er upp runnit, Fas. iii. 633; nú skal segja af hverjum rökum heiðnir menn héldu Jól sín, Fb. i. 564, Hom. (St.); nú eru þessi rök til, hví Guð vildi, Mar.; Dróttinn sýndi þeim flest rök sinnar dýrðar á þessum degi, Hom. (St.); fvrra dag sögðum vér nakkvat frá tvennum rökum hátíðar þeirrar, id.

2. a wonder, sign, marvel; vér vitum at hann (Christ) var borinn með myklum rökum, en þó var hann með meirum tákmun skírðr, Hom. 56; önnur rök þau sem Guðspjöll segja, 686 B. 14; spá-sögur ok þau rök er hann (Christ) sýndi í heimi, 625. 163; forn rök, great things of yore; var haldit fyrir speki ok spádóm flest þat er hón (the prophetess) sagði af fornum rökum, Fb. i. 77; firrisk æ forn rök fírar, i. e. let bygones be bygones, Ls. 25; stór rök, mighty things; stór verða rök, rignir bióði, Merl. 2. 31; sjá þessi rök þrennar aldir, 2. 77; ráða mörg rök, to foretell many events, 1. 2:—alda rök, the beginning, the creation of the world, Edda i. 36; but also of the end of the world, dooms-day, Vþm. 39; þjóða rök, the origin, creation of mankind; sv;á þundr um reis (not reist?) fyrir þjóða rök, thus Th. arose ere the memory of man, Hm. 146; tíva rök, the life and doings of the gods, Vþm. 38, 40, 42.

3. the old phrase, ragna rök, the history of the gods and the world, but esp. with reference to the last act, the last judgment, doom’s-day, weird of gods and the world; feigum munni mælta ek mína forna stafi ok um ragna rök, with ‘fey’ mouth I spake my old saws of the life and fate of the gods, Vþm. 55; eru þat svik ein er ek sjá þykkjumk eða ragna rök, ríða menn dauðir, is what I behold a delusion or is it the last day, do dead men ride? Hkv. 2. 38, 39; unz ragna rök rjúfendr koma, Vtkv. 14; fram sé ek lengra um ragna rök röm, Vsp. 40; görðisk (= görðusk) rök ragna, it was as if the world’s end was at hand, Am. 22,—thus always in old poems, with the sole exception of Ls. 39, see rökr.

m. ‘life-money,’ a law term, a fee amounting to a mark, to be paid by a convict of the lesser degree to the executive court (féránsdómr); and if this was not paid, the convict was henceforth a full outlaw::—hence the convict is called fjörbaugs-maðr and the lesser outlawry or conviction fjörbaugs-garðr, m., because within a fixed space (garðr), the convict was safe, having paid the life-money, vide esp. Grág. Þ. Þ. ch. 32 sqq., ch. 40, Nj. 240, and the Sagas and laws passim. In two passages, viz. Flóam. S. ch. 10 and Glúma ch. 24, fjörbaugsgarðr is used in the same sense as þing-helgi, q. v., viz. of the sacred boundary of a meeting, regarded by the heathens as a sanctuary, cp. Eb. ch. 4 fine; in the Edit. of Flóam. S. the passage ‘til Lóns’ is false, the probable reading being ‘til Lopz,’ i. e. Lopts; in the old MS. Vatnshyrna the shank of the p was prob. obliterated so as to make it look like n, and so one transcriber read ‘Lóns,’ another ‘Jóns;’ the reading ‘Lopts’ is born out by the historical context, cp. also Landn. 5, ch. 8; the word fjörbaugr is diffusely commented on in H. E. i. 137 sqq.

COMPDS: fjörbaugssekt, fjörbaugssök.

(bið; bað, báðum; beðinn), v.

1) to ask, beg a thing of one (biðja e-n e-s);

with infin., to beg one to do a thing;

inn bið þú hann ganga, ask him to step in;

with the infin. sign ‘at’, to beg leave;

biðr hann at fara norðr á Hálogaland, asked for furlough to go to H.;

with ‘at’ and a subj. (biðja viljum vér, at þú sér í liðsbóninni með oss);

biðja e-s, to beg for a thing (biðja miskunnar, matar);

biðja e-m e-s, to beg for a thing on behalf of one;

biðja e-m lífs, griða, to beg for one’s life, to sue for quarter for another;

biðja sér ölmusu, to ask for alms;

biðja (sér) konu, to ask in marriage;

biðja fyrir e-m, to intercede (pray) for one;

2) to pray to God (biðja til guðs);

biðja bœn sína (bœnar sinnar, bœn sinni), to say one’s prayer;

3) refl., biðjast fyrir, to say one’s prayers;

biðjast undan, to excuse oneself (from doing a thing).

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bað, báðu, beðit; pres. bið; imperat. bið and biddu; poët. forms with suff. neg. 1st pers. pres. biðkat ek, Gísl. (in a verse): [Ulf. bidian = αιτειν, ερωταν; A. S. biddian; Old Engl. bid, bede (in bedes-man), and ‘ to bid one’s beads;’ Germ. bitten, beten; cp. Lat. petere]:—to beg; with gen. of the thing, dat. of the person; or in old writers with infin. without the particle ‘at;’ or ‘at’ with a subj.:

α. with infin., Jarl bað þá drepa hann, … bað hann gefa Hallfreði grið, Fms. iii. 25; hann bað alla bíða, Nj. 196; bað þá heila hittast, Eg. 22, Fms. vii. 351; Skapti bað Gizur (acc.) sitja, Nj. 226; Flosi bað alla menn koma, Nj. 196, Hdl. 2; inn bið þú hann ganga, Skm. 16, Ls. 16; b. e-n vera heilan, valere jubere, Gm. 3, Hkv. 1, 2: still so in the Ór. 65 (biðr ek Ólaf bjarga mér) of the end of the 14th century; mod. usage prefers to add the ‘at,’ yet Hallgrímr uses both, e. g. hann bað Pétr með hryggri lund, hjá sér vaka um eina stund, Pass. 4. 6; but, Guð bið eg nú að gefa mér náð, id.

β. with ‘at’ and a subj., b. viljum vér þik, at þú sér, Nj. 226, Jb. 17: without ‘at,’ Pass. 6. 13, 3. 12.

γ. with gen., b. matar, Grág. i. 261; er þér þess ekki biðjanda. Eg. 423; b. liðs, liðveizlu, föruneytis, brautargengis, Nj. 226, 223, Ísl. ii. 322; bænar, Fms. iv. 12; b. e-m lífs, griða, góðs, böls, to beg for the life … of one, Háv. 39, Fms. iii. 25, Edda 38, Hm. 127; b. fyrir e-m, to beg, pray for one, Nj. 55; b. e-n til e-s, to request one to do a thing, Grág. i. 450, Fms. v. 34: spec. to court (a lady), propose, with gen. as object of the thing and person here coincide, b. konu, b. sér konu, Eg. 5, Nj. 2, Rm. 37.

2. to pray (to God), absol., hann bað á þessa lund, Blas. 41; b. til Guðs, Sks. 308, Fms. iii. 48; b. bæn sinni (dat.), to pray one’s prayer, 655 xvi, Hom. 114; b. bæn sína, id., Blas. 50.

β. reflex., biðjask fyrir, to say one’s prayers, Nj. 196; er svá baðst fyrir at krossi, Landn. 45, 623. 34, Orkn. 51; biðjast undan, to excuse oneself, beg pardon, Fms. vii. 351: the reflex. may resume the infin. sign ‘at,’ and even an active may do so, if used as a substitute for a reflex., e. g. biðr Þórólfr at fara norðr á Hálogaland, Th. asked for furlough to go to H., Eg. 35.

(bregð; brá, brugðum; brugðinn), v. with dat.

1) to cause to move (quickly);

bregða sverði, knífi, to draw a sword, knife;

bregða fingri, hendi í e-t, to put (thrust) the finger, hand, into;

hón brá hárinu undir belti sér, she put (fastened) her hair under her belt;

bregða kaðli um e-t, to pass a rope round a thing;

bregða augum sundr, to open the eyes;

bregða e-m á eintal, to take one apart;

bregða sér sjúkum, to feign illness;

2) to deviate from, disregard (vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum);

3) to alter, change;

bregða lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale;

bregða e-m í e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape (þú brátt þér í merar líki);

4) to break up, leave off, give up;

bregða tjöldum, to strike the tents;

bregða samvist, to leave off living together;

bregða ráðahag, to break off an engagement (wedding);

bregða boði, to countermand a feast;

bregða sýslu, to leave off working;

bregða svefni, blundi, to awake;

bregða tali, to break off talking;

bregða orrustu, kaupi, to break off a battle, bargain;

5) to break (bregða trúnaði, heiti, sáttmáli);

6) bregða e-m e-u, to upbraid, reproach one with a thing (Kálfr brá mér því í dag);

7) with prepp.,

bregða e-m á loft, to lift one aloft;

bregða e-u á, to give out, pretend (hann brá á því, at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar);

absol., bregða á e-t, to begin (suddenly) doing a thing;

bregða á leik, to begin playing or sporting;

Kimbi brá á gaman, took it playfully, laughed at it;

þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing;

hestrinn brá á leik, broke into play, ran away;

hönd bregðr á venju, is ready for its old work;

þá brá Ingimundr til útanferðar, I. started to go abroad;

bregða e-u undan, to put it out of the way, to hide it;

bregða upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand;

bregða e-u við, to ward off with (bregða við skildi); fig. to put forth as an example, to praise, wonder at (þínum drengskap skal ek við bregða);

absol., bregða við, to start off, set about a thing without delay;

brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went;

8) refl., bregðast;

9) impers., e-u bregðr, it ceases, fails;

svá hart, at nyt bregði (to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail to give milk;

veðráttu brá eigi, there was no change in the weather;

of a sudden appearance, kláða brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids began to itch;

þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, then from L. there burst flashes of light;

ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye;

with preps., bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of other seals;

e-m bregðr í brún, one is amazed, startled (nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök);

e-m bregðr til e-s, one person takes after, resembles another;

en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father;

þat er mælt, at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of a man;

e-m bregðr við e-t = e-m bregðr í brún;

brá þeim mjök við, er þeir sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much when they saw him come in;

en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, this news most affected M.’s nurse.

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pret. sing. brá, 2nd pers. brátt, later brást; pl. brugðu, sup. brugðit; pres. bregð; pret. subj. brygði: reflex, (sk, z, st), pret. brásk, bráz, or brást, pl. brugðusk, etc.: poët. with the neg. suff. brá-at, brásk-at, Orkn. 78, Fms. vi. 51.

A. ACT. WITH DAT.

I. [A. S. bregdan, brædan; Old Engl. and Scot. to brade or braid; cp. bragð throughout]:—to move swiftly:

1. of a weapon, to draw, brandish; b. sverði, to draw the sword, Gísl. 55, Nj. 28, Ld. 222, Korm. 82 sqq., Fms. i. 44, ii. 306, vi. 313, Eg. 306, 505; sverð brugðit, a drawn sword, 746; cp. the alliterative phrase in Old Engl. Ballads, ‘the bright browne (= brugðinn) sword:’ absol., bregð (imperat.), Korm. l. c.: b. knífi, to slash with a knife, Am. 59; b. flötu sverði, to turn it round in the band, Fms. vii. 157; saxi, Bs. i. 629: even of a thrust, b. spjóti, Glúm. 344.

2. of the limbs or parts of the body, to move quickly; b. hendi, fingri, K. Þ. K. 10, Fms. vi. 122; b. augum sundr, to open the eyes, iii. 57, cp. ‘he bradde open his eyen two,’ Engl. Ballads; b. fótum, Nj. 253; b. fæti, in wrestling; b. grönum, to draw up the lips, 199, Fms. v. 220.

3. of other objects; b. skipi, to turn the ship (rare), Fms. viii. 145, Eb. 324; b. e-m á eintal, einmæli, to take one apart, Fms. vi. 11, Ölk. 35; b. sér sjúkum, to feign sickness, Fagrsk. ch. 51; bregða sér in mod. usage means to make a short visit, go or come for a moment; eg brá mér snöggvast til …, etc.

4. adding prepp.; b. upp; b. upp hendi, höndum, to hold up the hand, Fms. i. 167; b. upp glófa, 206, Eb. 326: b. e-m á lopt, to lift aloft, Eg. 122, Nj. 108; b. e-u undan, to put a thing out of the way, to hide it, Fas. i. 6; undir, Sturl. ii. 221, Ld. 222, Eb. 230: b. e-u við (b. við skildi), to ward off with …, Vápn. 5; but chiefly metaph. to put forth as an example, to laud, wonder at, etc.; þínum drengskap skal ek við b., Nj. 18; þessum mun ek við b. Áslaugar órunum, Fas. i. 257; nú mun ek því við b. ( I will speak loud), at ek hefi eigi fyr náð við þik at tala, Lv. 53: b. e-u á, to give out, pretend; hann brá á því at hann mundi ríða vestr til Miðfjarðar, Sturl. iii. 197, Fms. viii. 59, x. 322. β. to deviate from, disregard; vér höfum brugðit af ráðum þínum, Fær. 50, Nj. 13, 109, Ísl. ii. 198, Grág. i. 359; b. af marki, to alter the mark, 397.

5. to turn, alter, change; b. lit, litum, to change colour, to turn pale, etc., Fms. ii. 7, Vígl. 24; b. sér við e-t, to alter one’s mien, shew signs of pain, emotion, or the like, Nj. 116; b. e-m í (or b. á sik) e-s líki, to turn one (by spell) into another shape, Bret. 13; at þú brátt þér í merar líki, Ölk. 37; hann brá á sik ýmissa dýra líki, Edda (pref.) 149.

II. to break up or off, leave off, give up; b. búi, to give up one’s household, Grág. i. 153, Eg. 116, 704; b. tjöldum, to break up, strike the tents, Fms. iv. 302; b. samvist, to part, leave off living together, ii. 295; b. ráðahag, to break off an engagement, esp. wedding, 11; b. boði, to countermand a feast, 194; b. kaupi, to break off a bargain, Nj. 51, Rd. 251; b. sýslu, to leave off working, Fms. vi. 349; b. svefni, blundi, to awake, Sdm. 2; smátt bregðr slíkt svefni mínum, Lv. 53; b. tali, to break off talking, Vápn. 22; b. orustu, to break off the battle, Bret.: esp. freq. in poetry, b. hungri, föstu, sulti, to break or quell the hunger (of the wolf); b. gleði; b. lífi, fjörvi, to put to death, etc., Lex. Poët.

2. to break faith, promise, or the like; b. máli, Grág. i. 148; trúnaði, Nj. 141; brugðið var öllu sáttmáli, Hkr. ii. 121; b. heiti, Alvm. 3: absol., ef bóandi bregðr við griðmann ( breaks a bargain), Grág. i. 153.

3. reflex., bregðask e-m (or absol.), to deceive, fail, in faith or friendship; Gunnarr kvaðsk aldri skyldu b. Njáli né sonum hans, Nj. 57; bregðsk þú oss nú eigi, do not deceive us, Fms. vi. 17; vant er þó at vita hverir mér eru trúir ef feðrnir b., ii. 11; en þeim brásk framhlaupit, i. e. they failed in the onslaught, vii. 298; þat mun eigi bregðask, that cannot fail, Fas. ii. 526, Rb. 50; fáir munu þeir, at einörð sinni haldi, er slíkir brugðusk við oss, Fms. v. 36, Grett. 26 new Ed.

III. [A. S. brædan, to braid, braider], to ‘braid,’ knot, bind, the band, string being in dat.; hann bregðr í fiskinn öðrum enda, he braided the one end in the fish, Finnb. 220; hón brá hárinu undir belli sér, she braided her hair under her belt; (hann) brá ( untied) brókabelti sínu, Fas. i. 47; er þeir höfðu brugðið kaðli um, wound a cable round it, Fms. x. 53; hefir strengrinn brugðizk líttat af fótum honum, the rope had loosened off his feet, xi. 152: but also simply and with acc., b. bragð, to braid a braid, knit a knot, Eg. (in a verse); b. ráð, to weave a plot, (cp. Gr. ράπτειν, Lat. suere), Edda (in a verse); in the proper sense flétta and ríða, q. v., are more usual.

2. in wrestling; b. e-m, the antagonist in dat., the trick in acc., b. e-m bragð (hæl-krók, sveiflu, etc.)

3. recipr., of mutual strife; bregðask brögðum, to play one another tricks; b. brigzlum, to scold one another, Grág. ii. 146; b. frumhlaupum, of mutual aggression, 13, 48; bregðask um e-t, to contest a thing, 66, cp. i. 34.

4. part., brugðinn við e-t, acquainted with a thing; munuð þit brátt brugðnir við meira, i. e. you will soon have greater matters to deal with, Fs. 84; hann er við hvárttveggja b., he is well versed in both, Gísl. 51.

IV. metaph. to upbraid, blame, with dat. of the person and thing; fár bregðr hinu betra, ef hann veit hit verra (a proverb), Nj. 227; Þórðr blígr brá honum því ( Thord threw it in his face), á Þórsnesþingi, at …, Landn. 101; Kálfr brá mér því í dag, Fms. vi. 105; b. e-m brizglum, Nj. 227.

B. NEUT. OR ABSOL. without a case, of swift, sudden motion.

I. b. á e-t, as, b. á leik, gaman, etc., to start or begin sporting, playing; Kimbi brá á gaman, K. took it playfully, i. e. laughed at it, Landn. 101; b. á gamanmál, Fms. xi. 151; þeir brugðu á glímu ok á glens, they started wrestling and playing, Ld. 220; bregðr hann (viz. the horse) á leik, the horse broke into play, ran away, Fms. xi. 280; Glúmr svaraði vel en brá þó á sitt ráð, Glum gave a gentle answer, but went on in his own way, Nj. 26, Fas. i. 250: the phrase, hönd bregðr á venju, the hand is ready for its old work, Edda (Ht.) verse 26, cp. Nj. ch. 78 (in a verse).

2. b. við, to start off, set about a thing without delay, at a moment’s notice, may in Engl. often be rendered by at once or the like; brá hann við skjótt ok fór, he started off at once and went, Fms. i. 158; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok varð þeim mjök við felmt, i. e. they took to their heels in a great fright, Nj. 105; þeir brugðu við skjótt, ok fara þaðan, 107; bregðr hon við ok hleypr, Grett. 25 new Ed., Bjarn. 60; hrossit bregðr nú við hart, id.; en er Ólafr spurði, at Þorsteinn hafði skjótt við brugðit, ok hafði mikit fjölmenni, Ld. 228.

β. b. til e-s, þá brá Ingimundr til utanferðar, Ingimund started to go abroad, Sturl. i. 117; b. til Grænlands ferðar, Fb. i. 430.

II. reflex, to make a sudden motion with the body; Rútr brásk skjótt við undan högginu, Nj. 28, 129; b. við fast, to turn sharply, 58, 97; bregðsk (= bregðr) jarl nú við skjótt ok ferr, the earl started at once, Fms. xi. 11; hann brásk aldregi við ( he remained motionless) er þeir píndu hann, heldr en þeir lysti á stokk eðr stein, vii. 227.

2. metaph. and of a circumlocutory character; eigi þætti mér ráðið, hvárt ek munda svá skjótt á boð brugðisk hafa, ef …, I am not sure whether I should have been so hasty in bidding you, if …, Ísl. ii. 156; bregðask á beina við e-n, to shew hospitality towards, Fms. viii. 59, cp. bregða sér above.

β. b. yfir, to exceed; heyra þeir svá mikinn gný at yfir brásk, they heard an awful crash, Mag. 6; þá brásk þat þó yfir jafnan ( it surpassed) er konungr talaði, Fms. x. 322, yet these last two instances may be better read ‘barst,’ vide bera C. IV; bregðask úkunnr, reiðr … við e-t, to be startled at the novelty of a thing, v. 258; b. reiðr við, to get excited, angry at a thing, etc.

C. IMPERS.

I. the phrase, e-m bregðr við e-t, of strong emotions, fear, anger, or the like; brá þeim mjök við, er þau sá hann inn ganga, it startled them much, when they saw him come in, Nj. 68; Flosa brá svá við, at hann var í andliti stundum sem blóð, 177; en þó brá fóstru Melkorku mest við þessi tíðindi, i. e. this news most affected Melkorka’s nurse, Ld. 82; aldri hefi ek mannsblóð séð, ok veit ek eigi hve mér bregðr við, I wot not how it will touch me, Nj. 59; brá honum svá við, at hann gerði fölvan í andliti … ok þann veg brá honum opt síðan ( he was oft since then taken in such fits), þá er vígahugr var á honum, Glúm. 342; en við höggit brá Glæsi svá at …, Eb. 324; Þorkell spurði ef honum hefði brugðit nokkut við þessa sýslu.—Ekki sjám vér þér brugðit hafa við þetta, en þó sýndist mér þér áðr brugðit, Fms. xi. 148.

β. bregða í brún, to be amazed, shocked, Fms. i. 214; þá brá Guðrúnu mjök í brún um atburð þenna allan saman, Ld. 326, Nj. 14; þat hlægir mik at þeim mun í brún b., 239; nú bregðr mönnum í brún mjök ( people were very much startled), því at margir höfðu áðr enga frétt af haft, Band. 7.

II. with prepp. við, til, í, af; of appearances, kynligu, undarliga bregðr við, it has a weird look, looks uncanny, of visions, dreams, or the like; en þó bregðr nú kynligu við, undan þykir mér nú gaflaðit hvárt-tveggja undan húsinu, Ísl. ii. 352, Nj. 62, 197, Gísl. 83; nú bregðr undrum við, id., Fms. i. 292.

III. e-m bregðr til e-s, one person turns out like another, cp. the Danish ‘at slægte en paa;’ þat er mælt at fjórðungi bregði til fóstrs, the fostering makes the fourth part of the man, Nj. 64; en því bregðr mér til foreldris míns, in that I am like my father, Hkr. iii. 223; er þat líkast, at þér bregði meir í þræla ættina en Þveræinga, it is too likely, that thou wilt show thyself rather to be kith and kin to the thrall’s house than to that of Thweræingar, Fb. i. 434; b. til bernsku, to be childish, Al. 3.

β. bregðr af vexti hans frá öðrum selum, his shape differs from that of any other seals, Sks. 41 new Ed. (afbrigði).

IV. to cease; e-u bregðr, it ceases; svá hart … at nyt (dat.) bregði, ( to drive the ewes) so fast that they fail ( to give milk), Grág. ii. 231; þessu tali bregðr aldri (= þetta tal bregzk aldri), this calculation can never fail, Rb. 536; veðráttu (dat.) brá eigi, there was no change in the weather, Grett. 91; skini sólar brá, the sun grew dim, Geisü 19; fjörvi feigra brá, the life of the ‘feys’ came to an end (poët.), Fms. vi. 316 (in a verse); brá föstu, hungri, úlfs, ara, the hunger of wolf and eagle was abated, is a freq. phrase with the poets.

V. of a sudden appearance; kláða (dat.) brá á hvarmana, the eye-lids itched, Fms. v. 96: of light passing swiftly by, þá brá ljóma af Logafjöllum, Hkv. 1. 15; ljósi bregðr fyrir, a light passes before the eye; mey brá mér fyrir hvarma steina, a maid passed before my eyes, Snót 117; þar við ugg (dat.) at þrjótum brá, i. e. the rogues were taken by fear, 170.

(gen. dags, dat. degi; pl. dagar), m.

1) day;

at kveldi skal dag leyfa, at eventide shall the day be praised;

dagr kemr upp í austri, sezt í vestri, the day rises in the east, sets in the west;

öndverðr dagr, the early day, forenoon;

miðr dagr, midday;

hallandi dagr, declining day;

at kveldi dags, síð dags, late in the day;

sannr sem dagr, true as day;

í dag, today;

á (or um) daginn, during the day;

sama dags, the same day;

annan dag, the next day;

annars dag, another day;

hindra dags, the day after, tomorrow;

dag frá degi, hvern dag frá öðrum, from day to day;

dag eptir dag, day after day;

nótt ok dag, night and day;

dögunum optar, more times than there are days, over and over again;

á deyjanda degi, on one’s death-day;

2) pl., days, times;

ef aðrir dagar (better days) koma;

góðir dagar, happy days;

3) esp. pl., lifetime;

á dögum e-s, um daga e-s, in the days of, during or in the reign of;

eptir minn dag, when I am dead (gaf honum alla sína eign eptir sinn dag);

mátti hann eigi lengr gefa en um sína dagi, than for his lifetime;

ráða (taka) e-n af dögum, to put to death.

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m., irreg. dat. degi, pl. dagar: [the kindred word dœgr with a vowel change from ó (dóg) indicates a lost root verb analogous to ala, ól, cp. dalr and dælir; this word is common to all Teutonic dialects; Goth. dags; A. S. dag; Engl. day; Swed.-Dan. dag; Germ. tag; the Lat. dies seems to be identical, although no interchange has taken place]

I. a day; in different senses:

1. the natural day:—sayings referring to the day, at kveldi skal dag leyfa, at eventide shall the day be praised, Hm. 80 ; allir dagar eiga kveld um síðir; mörg eru dags augu, vide auga; enginn dagr til enda tryggr, no day can be trusted till its end; allr dagr til stefnu, Grág. i. 395, 443, is a law phrase,—for summoning was lawful only if performed during the day; this phrase is also used metaph. = ‘plenty of time’ or the like: popular phrases as to the daylight are many—dagr rennr, or rennr upp, and kemr upp, the day rises, Bm. 1; dagr í austri, day in the east, where the daylight first appears; dagsbrún, ‘day’s brow,’ is the first streak of daylight, the metaphor taken from the human face; lysir af degi, it brightens from the day, i. e. daylight is appearing; dagr ljómar, the day gleams; fyrir dag, before day; móti degi, undir dag, about daybreak; komið at degi, id., Fms. viii. 398; dagr á lopti, day in the sky; árla, snemma dags, early in the morning, Pass. 15. 17; dagr um allt lopt, etc.; albjartr dagr, hábjartr d., full day, broad daylight; hæstr dagr, high day; önd-verðr d., the early day = forenoon, Am. 50; miðr dagr, midday, Grág. i. 413, 446, Sks. 217, 219; áliðinn dagr, late in the day, Fas. i. 313; hallandi dagr, declining day; at kveldi dags, síð dags, late in the day, Fms. i. 69. In the evening the day is said to set, hence dag-sett, dag-setr, and dagr setzt; in tales, ghosts and spirits come out with nightfall, but dare not face the day; singing merry songs after nightfall is not safe, það kallast ekki Kristnum leyft að kveða þegar dagsett er, a ditty; Syrpuvers er mestr galdr er í fólginn, ok eigi er lofat at kveða eptir dagsetr, Fas. iii. 206, Ísl. Þjóðs. ii. 7, 8: the daylight is symbolical of what is true or clear as day, hence the word dagsanna, or satt sem dagr, q. v.

2. of different days; í dag, to-day, Grág. i. 16, 18, Nj. 36, Ld. 76, Fms. vi. 151; í gær-dag, yesterday; í fyrra dag, the day before yesterday, Háv. 50; í hinni-fyrra dag, the third day; annars dags, Vígl. 23, Pass. 50. I; hindra dags, the hinder day, the day after to-morrow, Hm. 109; dag eptir dag, day after day, Hkr. ii. 313; dag frá degi, from day to day, Fms. ii. 230; hvern dag frá öðrum, id., Fms. viii. 182; annan dag frá öðrum. id., Eg. 277; um daginn, during the day; á dögunum. the other day; nótt ok dag, night and day; liðlangan dag, the ‘life-long’ day; dögunum optar, more times than there are days, i. e. over and over again, Fms. x. 433; á deyjanda degi, on one’s day of death, Grág. i. 402.

β. regu-dagr, a rainy day: sólskins-dagr, a sunny day; sumar-dagr, a summer day; vetrar-dagr, a winter day; hátíðis-dagr, a feast day; fegins-dagr, a day of joy; dóms-dagr, the day of doom, judgment day, Gl. 82, Fms. viii. 98; hamingju-dagr, heilla-dagr, a day of happiness; gleði-dagr, id.; brúðkaups-dagr, bridal-day; burðar-dagr, a birthday.

3. in pl. days in the sense of times; aðrir dagar, Fms. i. 216; ek ætlaða ekki at þessir dagar mundu verða, sem nú eru orðnir, Nj. 171; góðir dagar, happy days, Fms. xi. 286, 270; sjá aldrei glaðan dag (sing.), never to see glad days.

β. á e-s dögum, um e-s daga eptir e-s daga, esp. of the lifetime or reign of kings, Fms.; but in Icel. also used of the lögsögumaðr, Jb. repeatedly; vera á dögum, to be alive; eptir minn dag, ‘after my day,’ i. e. when I am dead.

γ. calendar days, e. g. Hvíta-dagar, the White days, i. e. Whitsuntide; Hunda-dagar, the Dog days; Banda-dagr, Vincula Petri; Höfuð-dagr, Decap. Johannis; Geisla-dagr, Epiphany; Imbru-dagar, Ember days; Gang-dagar, ‘Ganging days,’ Rogation days; Dýri-dagr, Corpus Christi; etc.

4. of the week-days; the old names being Sunnu-d. or Drottins-d., Mána-d., Týs-d., Öðins-d., Þórs-d., Frjá-d., Laugar-d. or Þvátt-d. It is hard to understand how the Icel. should be the one Teut. people that have disused the old names of the week-days; but so it was, vide Jóns S. ch. 24; fyrir bauð hann at eigna daga vitrum mönnum heiðnum, svá sem at kalla Týrsdag Óðinsdag, eðr Þórsdag, ok svá um alla vikudaga, etc., Bs. i. 237, cp. 165. Thus bishop John (died A. D. 1121) caused them to name the days as the church does (Feria sccunda, etc.); viz. Þriði-d. or Þriðju-d., Third-day = Tuesday, Rb. 44, K. Þ. K. 100, Ísl. ii. 345; Fimti-d., Fifth-day—Thursday, Rb. 42, Grág. i. 146, 464, 372, ii. 248, Nj. 274; Föstu-d., Fast-day = Friday; Miðviku-d., Midweek-day = Wednesday, was borrowed from the Germ. Mittwoch; throughout the 12th and 13th centuries, however, the old and new names were used indiscriminately. The question arises whether even the old names were not imported from abroad (England); certainly the Icel. of heathen times did not reckon by weeks; even the word week (vika) is probably of eccl. Latin origin (vices, recurrences). It is curious that the Scandinavian form of Friday, old Icel. Frjádagr, mod. Swed.-Dan. Fredag, is A. S. in form; ‘Frjá-,’ ‘Fre-,’ can hardly be explained but from A. S. Freâ-, and would be an irregular transition from the Norse form Frey. The transition of ja into mod. Swed.-Dan. e is quite regular, whereas Icel. ey (in Frey) would require the mod. Swed.-Dan. ö or u sound. Names of weekdays are only mentioned in Icel. poems of the 11th century (Arnór, Sighvat); but at the time of bishop John the reckoning by weeks was probably not fully established, and the names of the days were still new to the people. 5. the day is in Icel. divided according to the position of the sun above the horizon; these fixed traditional marks are called dags-mörk, day-marks, and are substitutes for the hours of modern times, viz. ris-mál or miðr-morgun, dag-mál, há-degi, mið-degi or mið-mundi, nón, miðr-aptan, nátt-mál, vide these words. The middle point of two day-marks is called jafn-nærri-báðum, in modern pronunciation jöfnu-báðu, equally-near-both, the day-marks following in the genitive; thus in Icel. a man asks, hvað er fram orðið, what is the time? and the reply is, jöfnubáðu miðsmorguns og dagmála, half-way between mid-morning and day-meal, or stund til (to) dagmála; hallandi dagmál, or stund af ( past) dagmálum; jöfnu-báðu hádegis og dagmúla, about ten or half-past ten o’clock, etc. Those day-marks are traditional in every farm, and many of them no doubt date from the earliest settling of the country. Respecting the division of the day, vide Pál Vídal. s. v. Allr dagr til stefnu, Finnus Johann., Horologium Island., Eyktamörk Íslenzk (published at the end of the Rb.), and a recent essay of Finn Magnusson.

II. denoting a term, but only in compounds, dagi, a, m., where the weak form is used, cp. ein-dagi, mál-dagi, bar-dagi, skil-dagi.

III. jis a pr. name, Dagr, (freq.); in this sense the dat. is Dag, not Degi, cp. Óðinn léði Dag (dat.) geirs síns, Sæm. 114.

COMPDS: dagatal, dagsbrun, dagshelgi, dagsljós, dagsmark, dagsmegin, dagsmunr.

(gen. seiðs or seiðar), m. spell, charm, enchantment, incantation; seiða (efla, magna) seið, to work a spell, practise sorcery.

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m., gen. seiðar, dat. seiði; the fem. seið sina (sinn), Fms. ii. 136, and seiðit, Fas. iii. 319, are false forms:—a spell, charm, enchantment, incantation, which in the heathen times was solemnly performed at night; the wizards or witches were seated with certain solemn rites on a scaffold (seiðhjallr), from which they chanted their spells and songs; the ‘seidr’ was performed either to work any kind of good or evil to another person, or to be a kind of oracle or fortune-telling, to foreshow future events, such as the life and fate of those present, the weather, or the like; of the evil kind is the charm in Gísl. l. c., Ld. 152; fá at seið, Hkr. i. 21; Ingjaldr ok völvan ætluðu til seiðar mikils um nóttina, Fas. ii. 507; Freyja kenndi fyrst með Ásum seið, 8; fremja seið, Þorf. Karl. 376; efla seið, Eg. 403, Fas. ii. 72; magna seið, Gísl. 116; konungr bað hann hætta seiði, Fms. i. 10: hón bað fá sér konur er kunnu fræði þat sem til seiðsins þarf, Þorf. Karl. 378; var þangat at heyra íll læti er þeir frömdu seiðinn (seiðit Ed. wrongly), Fas. iii. 319: seiðis-hús, the house where the spell was worked. Fas. iii. 166, v. l.; in Yngl. S. ch. 7 the charm of ‘seidr’ is attributed to Odin; Óðinn kunni þá íþrótt, er mestr máttr fylgdi, ok framði sjálfr, er seiðr heitir, en af því mátti hann vita örlög manna ok úorðna hluti, svá ok at göra mönnum bana eðr úhamingju eða vanheilindi, svá ok at taka frá mönnum vit eðr afl ok gefa öðrum, en þessi fjölkyngi, er framið er, fylgir svá mikil ergi, at eigi þótti karlmönnum skammlaust við at fara, ok var gyðjunum kennd sú íþrótt, Yngl. S. ch. 7; as to the rites and ceremonies of the ‘seidr’ see esp. the interesting account in Þorf. Karl. S. ch. 3, compared with that in Vd. ch. 10 and Örvar Odds S. ch. 2 and 3; even the old poem Völuspá is framed as a song delivered by a prophetess working a spell. The witch scene in Macbeth is an echo of the ancient ‘seidr’ as it survived in tradition in Shakespeare’s time, though the devilry and the cauldron are later additions.

n. scald, poet.

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n., pl. skáld; the word is in poetry rhymed as skald (with a short vowel), skald and kalda, aldri and skaldi, Kormak, and so on; but the plural is always spelt skáld, not sköld; the mod. Dan. skjald is borrowed from the Icel.: [the etymology and origin of this word is contested; Prof. Bergmann, in Message de Skirnir, Strasburg, 1871, p. 54, derives it from the Slavonic skladi = composition, skladacz = compositeur; but the earliest usages point to a Teutonic and a different root. In the ancient law skáldskapr meant a libel in verse, and was synonymous with flimt, danz, níð, q. v.; the compds skáld-fífl, leir-skáld (q. v.) also point to the bad sense as the original one, which is still noticeable in popular Icel. usages and phrases such as skálda (the verb), skáldi, skældinn ( libellous), see also skáldmær below. On the other hand, skálda, Germ. schalte, means a pole (sec skálda, skáld-stöng below); libels and imprecations were in the ancient heathen age scratched on poles, see the remarks s. v. níð, níðstöng. The word is therefore, we believe, to be traced back to the old libel-pole, ‘scald-pole;’ if so, Engl. scold = to abuse, Germ. schelten, may be kindred words; the old Lat. phrase (of Mart. Capella) barbara fraxineis sculpatur runa tabellis may even refer to this scratching of imprecations on pieces of wood.]

B. A poet, in countless instances; þeir vóru skáld Haralds komings ok kappar, Fas. i. 379; forn-skáld, þjóð-skáld, níð-skáld, hirð-skáld, leir-skáld, krapta-skáld, ákvæða-skáld, as also sálma-skáld, rímna-skáld; in nicknames, Skáld-Helgi, Skáld-Hrafn, Skáld-Refr, Landn., names given to those who composed libellous love-songs (?); Svarta-skáld, Hvíta-skúld. Some of the classical passages in the Sagas referring to poets, esp. to the hirð-skáld, are Har. S. hárf. ch. 39, Hák. S. Góða ch. 32, Eg. ch. 8, Gunnl. S. ch. 9, Ó. H. ch. 52–54, 128, 203, 205, O. H. L. ch. 57, 58, 60–62, Har. S. harðr. (Fms. vi.) ch. 24, 101, 108, 110. The Egils S., Korm. S., Hallfred. S., Gunnl. S. are lives of poets; there are also the chapters and episodes referring to the life of the poet Sighvat, esp. in the Fb., cp. also Sturl. 1. ch. 13, 9. ch. 16; for imprecations or libels in verse see níð.

COMPDS: skáldagemlur, skáldaspillir, Skáldatal.

(-s, -ar), m.

1) freebooter, sea-rover, pirate, viking (Flóki Vilgerðarson hét maðr, hann var v. mikill);

2) in later times, robber, highwayman.

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m. a freebooter, rover, pirate, but in the Icel. Sagas used specially of the bands of Scandinavian warriors, who during the 9th and 10th centuries harried the British Isles and Normandy: the word is peculiarly Norse, for although it occurs in A. S. in the poem Byrnoth (six or seven times), it is there evidently to be regarded as a Norse word; and prob. so too in the poem ‘Exodus,’ in the words rondas bærun sæwicingas, over saltne mere; lastly, in ‘Widsith,’ as the name of a people, and Liðvicingas (= Liðungar? q. v.) The word ‘víkingr’ is thought to be derived from vík ( a bay), from their haunting the bays, creeks, and fjords;—or it means ‘the men from the fjords,’ the coincidence that the old Irish called the Norsemen ‘Lochlannoch.’ and Norway ‘Lochlan,’ is curious.

B. A few selected references will illustrate the word:—Naddoddr hét maðr, hann var víkingr mikill, Landn. 26; Flóki Vilgerðarson hét maðr, hann var v. mikill, 28; slógusk í Eyjarnar víkingar ok herjuðu ok ræntu víða, 41; Úlfr víkingr ok Ólafr bekkr fóru samskipa til Íslands, 202; en er þeir lágu til hafs kómu at þeim víkingar ok vildu ræna þá, en Gautr laust stafnbúann þeirra við hjálmun-veli, ok lögðu víkingar við þat frá, siðan var hann kallaðr Hjálmun-gautr, 223; Hrafn hafnar-lykkill var víkingr mikill, hann fór til Íslands ok nam land …, 269; Ölvir barna-karl hét maðr ágætr í Noregi, hann var víkingr mikill, hann lét eigi henda börn á spjóta-oddum sem þá var víkingum títt, því var hann barna-karl kallaðr, 308; maðr hét Þorsteinn, gamall maðr ok sjónlítill, hann hafði verit rauða-víkingr (q. v.) í æsku sinni, Þorst. S.; Þorkell miðlangr, hann er rauðr víkingr ok í missætti við Hákon jarl, Fms. xi. 121; her-víkingr, a pirate, i. 225 (p. 259); víkings efni, víkinga höfðingi, konungr, Eg. 190, Fms. vi. 389, Fas. ii. 132; víkinga lið, Stj.; víkinga skip, skeið, snekkja, Hkr. i. 296, Korm. 236, Fms. i. 289; víkinga bæli, Eg. 251; víkinga rán, Fms. vi. 291; Bera kvað Egil vera víkings-efni … þegar hann hefði aldr til ok honum væri fengin herskip, Eg. 190 (and the following verse—þat mælti mín móðir, at mér skyldi kaupa fley ok fagrar árar, fara í hring með víkingum …); af Gizori má göra þrjá menn, hann má vera víkinga höfðingi …, þá má hann ok vera konungr …, með þriðja hætti má hann vera biskup, ok er hann bezt til þess fallinn af þessum þremr, Fms. vi. 389: on Swed. Runic stones, sá var víkinga-vörðr með Gauti, Baut. 267; allir víkingar, Brocm. 197. Of old poems the Hkv. Hund. well illustrates the life and warfare of Vikings of the 9th and 10th centuries, where also the word itself occurs (verpr vígroða um víkinga); as also vinr víkinga, in the song in Hervar. S.; víkingr Dana, Helr. 11; the saying, víkingar fara ekki at lögum.

2. in after times the word fell into discredit, and is used, esp. in eccl. legends, as = robber, being applied by a misnomer even to highwaymen, Stj. passim; víkingsins Alexandri, Al. 98; Besso þeim vánda víkingi, 122; víkinga dráp, Grett. 100; þessum vansignaða víkingi, Stj. 463 (of Goliath), so in Grág. ii. 136; or even in the Landn., Þorbjörn bitra hét maðr, hann var v. ok íllmenni, 159. For the laws of the ancient Vikings, their discipline and manners, see esp. Hálfs S. ch. 10, Jómsvík. ch. 24 (Fms. xi), Flóam. S. ch. 2, Vd. ch. 2, Yngl. S. ch. 34, 41, Eg. ch. 48, Ó. T. (Hkr.) ch. 101, 102, Ó. H. ch. 21, the Orkn. S. (Sweyn Asleifson) ch. 115, Þorvalds S. Víðf. ch. 1 (Bs. i. 36, 37): records of their wars and voyages, the Landn. passim, the first chapters of Eg., Eb., Ld., Grett., Orkn., Hkr. i. passim.

II. Víkingr, a pr. name, Landn. and several times on the Swed. Runic stones; cp. Súð-víkingr, a man from Súðavík, Bs.

u, f. ‘house-farewell;’ at Icel. funerals of persons of note, a brief sermon is delivered at the home of the deceased when the body is removed from the house (see hefja A. 3); this sermon is called húskveðja, and a brief account is therein given of the life, character, family, pedigree, etc. of the deceased; when the ‘house-farewell’ is ended, the body is carried out of the house, the last verses of the 25th Passion hymn (En með því út var leiddr), and the following verses on John xix. 5, being sung; after which the coffin is carried to the church, which is sometimes a long way off. See a description of the funeral of an Icel. lady in Þjóðólfr, 17th Aug. 1869, p. 166.

(dat. refli, pl. reflar), m. tapestry, hangings.

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m., dat. refli, pl. reflar, tapestry, hangings round the walls of ancient halls; refil sextögan at lengd, Gísl. 21; ok skyldu tjalda húsin … vel kæmi oss nú reflarnir þeir hinir góðu, 27; hann fal sik á bak reflunum, MS. 4. 41; Þyri lét taka ofan allan hallar-búning, en síðan lét hón tjalda í staðinn blám reflum, þar til er altjölduð var höllin, Fms. xi. 17; refla sæmiliga, Bs. i. 877. The churches in the Roman Catholic times were hung with such tapestry; reflar um kirkju, reflar um alla kirkju are standing phrases in the má’dagar; kirkja á refil er tekr um fram-kirkju alla, Vm. 46; fornan refil um kór, 21; refill fjórar álnir ok tuttugu ok er á Karlamagnús Saga (of hangings with embroidery from the Life of Charlemagne), Jm. 32; reflar um alla kirkju ok engi tjöld undir, Pm. 16; fornir reflar vándir, fimm reflar góðir, Dipl. iii. 4; refil-stubbr, a fragment of a refil, Vm. 157. In poetry a lady is called refla grund, brú, brík, Lex. Poët.: the shield is refill Óðins, Edda ii. 428: of sails, Fas. iii. 204 (in a verse).

II. [cp. refr], a serpent (?), whence the name of a sword, Edda 73.

III. the pr. name of a sea-king, Edda.

(dett; datt, duttum; dottinn), v. to drop, fall;

detta niðr dauðr, to drop down dead;

duttu þær ofan, they tumbled down;

sauðfénaðr datt niðr unnvörpum (dropped down, died suddenly, in heaps) í megrð;

spjót dettr ór hendi e-m, the spear drops out of one’s hand;

dauðinn dettr á, comes on suddenly;

datt norðanveðrit í logn, the north wind fell altogether;

láta e-t detta niðr, to let a matter drop.

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pret. datt, 2nd pers. dazt, pl. duttu; part. dottinn; pres. dett; pret. subj. dytti:—to drop, fall: d. niðr dauðr, to drop down dead, Fms. iii. 132; of a bird when shot, 179; þeir tóku brandana jalhskjótt sem ofan duttu, Nj. 201; spjótið datt ór hendi, El. 91; duttu þær ofan, they tumbled down, Fas. ii. 84; draga þá stundum upp, en láta stundum d., Karl. 161: to drop, die suddenly, sauðfénaðr datt niðr unnvörpum í megrð, Bs. i. 873; þau hafa nú niðr dottið í hor, the cattle dropped down from starvation, 875: to sink, of the heart, Fbr. 108: metaph., líf dettr ór e-m, the life drops out of one, Fms. iii. 214: denoting to come on suddenly, daudinn dettr á, Al. 90; láttu nidr d., engu er nýtt, drop it, it is all false, Fs. 159: the phrases, e-m dettr e-t í hug, a thing drops into one’s mind, i. e. one recollects it suddenly; d. ofan yfir e-n, to be overwhelmed, amazed; d. í stafi, to fall in pieces (as a tub without hoops), to be amazed: cp. datta, dotta.

m. the life of an anchoret, hermit’s life.

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n. pl.

1) reason, ground, origin (nú skal segja, af hverjum rökum heiðnir menn héldu jól);

2) wonder, marvel; forn r., great things of yore; firrist (imperat.) æ forn r. firar, let bygones be bygones; stór r., mighty things, great marvels; tíva r., the life and doings of the gods; þjóða r., origin, creation of mankind; í aldar r., at the end of the world; ragna r., see ragnarök.

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n. [rjúka], the splashing, foaming sea, Skíða R. 203, passim.

f. the granting the life or pardon to one, Fs. 7, Anal. 201, Fms. iii. 161, vi. 224.

mod. líf-himna, u, f. the ‘life-membrane,’ the peritoneum, Fas. iii. 138.

að, dimin. from morð, to mangle: in the phrase, murka lífið úr e-m, to rack the life out of one.