to+know+one

(sónn, satt), a.

1) true (sónn saga); hón sagði þór satt frá Geirróði, she told Thor the truth about G.; nú skal ek segja þér it sanna, now I will tell thee the truth; hafa e-t fyrir satt, to be sure (convinced) of; hafa sannara, to be in the right (skal konungr um segja, hvárir sannara hafi); gøra e-t satt, to make good, prove (hvern veg gørir þú þat satt); s. sem dagr, true as day, clear as noonday (= dagsannr); sönnu sagðr, justly charged; með sönnu, at sönnu, in truth, truly; til sanns, certainly, for certain (vita e-t til sanns);

2) meet, proper (væri þat sannara, at þú værir drepinn);

3) s. at e-u, convicted of, (proved) guilty of (s. at sökinni).

1) truth (vita sann á e-u); fœra e-m heim sanninn, to tell one the bitter truth;

2) fairness; e-t er nær sanni, is fair or reasonable; ástir þeirra vóru at góðum sanni, they loved each other fittingly;

3) estimation; bœtta e-t við góðra manna sann, according to the estimate of good men.

* * *

m. (saðr, Am. 6). justice, equity, as also evidence, proof; kenn mér engan sann, do not teach me any lessons, Fms. iii. 85; færa e-m heim sanninn, to tell one the bitter truth or the real state of things, Lv. 20; e-t er nær sanni, near the truth, fair, reasonable, moderate, Fb. iii. 451, Fms. vii. 238 (x. 420); ástir þeirra vóru at góðum sanni, they loved one another fairly, Bjarn. 12; vil ek bæta þat með sann ( estimation) góðra manna, Sturl. iii. 139, Fbr. 43 new Ed.; skulu þeir göra þér sæmðir við várn sann, as we may deem fair, Sturl. iii. 151; Þorgils skyldi sæma Halldór nokkuru eptir því sem sannr hans (i. e. Th.’s) væri til, 168; eigi vitu vér sann á því, we know not the truth thereof, have no proof of it, Fms. vii. 275; mjök þykki mér hann bera sinn sann á þetta, Fs. 46; hón kvaðsk hafa sinn sann við (for sitt satt), 170.

(vör. vart), a.

1) aware; verða e-s varr, verða varr við e-t, to be aware of, learn, hear; gera e-n varan við e-t, to warn a person; gera vart við e-t, to draw attention to a thing;

2) wary, cautious; vera varr um sik, to be on one’s guard; varr við e-t, on one’s guard against.

* * *

vár, várt, mod. vor, a possess. pron. This word has undergone several changes, starting from an original form uns, Goth. unsar, which was contracted into ús, cp. órir, p. 469; next the s changed into r (as in vera, heyra, eyra, járn), thus it became ûrr or ór-r, cp. A. S. ûre, Engl. our; lastly, the initial vowel was turned into the cognate consonant v, prob. from being confounded with the personal pronoun vér. The old poets seem only to know the vowel form, as is always seen in alliteration, Vþm. 4, 7, Hým. 33, Hkv. Hjörv. 23; and so in rhymes, stórr, órar, Kormak. Thorodd cites this form, órar eru ú-rækðir órar; and the earliest vellums use it throughout. About A. D. 1200 várr begins to appear, an innovation prob. imported from abroad; thus in Clem. S. (Arna-Magn. 645), p. 147, ‘ór,’ ‘órum,’ six times (ll. 1, 4, 9, 12, 13, 28), but ‘várra,’ ‘vár,’ twice (ll. 6, 25); in a few poems of the 12th century, preserved in late vellums, the spelling is ‘vórr,’ whereas the alliteration and rhyme demand ó, e. g. Líkn. 24, Harms. 53, 54, 58; in Ls. 52 ‘vömmin vár’ is an exception and otherwise corrupt, for ‘vár’ could not have existed at the time when that poem was composed. In this way the modern várr arose, being quite peculiar to the Scandinavian: [Dan. vor, Swed. vår; whereas Goth. unsar, Germ. unser, answer to the obsolete Icel. ossir; and A. S. ûre, Engl. our, answer to early Icel. órr]:—our.

B. USAGES.—Our; várt höfuð, Fms. x. 7; várs herra, Stj.; várrar, id.; með vórum afla, Hkr. ii. 92; várra glæpa, Stj.

2. neut. as subst.; [cp. Engl. ours]; láta slíka sitja yfir váru, Ísl. ii. 224.

3. with another pron.; várr skal hverr eina konu eiga, N. G. L. i. 20; várr skal engi blandask við búfé, each of us, 18; skipi hvert várt stýrði, Am. 96; einn várn, one of us, Fms. vi. 165; hverjum várum, each of us Ó. H. 61; kvað hvern várn skyldu falla þveran of annan, Fms. vi. 313 (in a verse); sjám hverr várr ( who of us) fái fyrst búnar snekkjur. Fas. i. 350 (in a verse); engum várum, none of us, Glúm. 332; fundir várir Hákonar, our meetings, i. e. of H. and myself, Fms. vii. 256.

I) (vil, vilda, viljat), v.

1) to will, wish, with infin. (nú vil ek spyrja yðr); Austmaðr kvazt vildu (pret. infin.) fyrir hafa land, the Easterling said he wished to have land for (the ship); with the infin. left out or understood; vildi Aðalráðr hann ekki þar, A. wished him not (to be) there; hón vildi hann feigan, she wished him dead; with subj., viltu, at ek fara til eyjanna, wilt thou that I shall go to the islands;

2) with acc. to wish, want (eigi vil ek þessa); hvat vilt þú honum, what dost thou want with him?; v. hverjum manni gott, to wish good to everybody; v. heldr, to prefer (viltu heldr dóminn?);

3) impers., var sigit inn eptir firðinum svá sem vera vildi, as best might be, at random; þá er vel vildi, when the luck was fair;

4) v. e-m, to favour one (þat er ván, at þér mundi sœmdin v.);

5) v. til, to happen (ef þat á. til at v.);

6) refl., þeir viljast eigi við oss, they bear no good will towards us.

II) from vili, will.

* * *

:—the FORMS of this verb,

α. the 1st pers. pres. indic, was originally dissyllabic, like the pres. subj., both in Goth. and Icel.; the only form used in the Saga-times (10th century) being prob. vilja; vilja’k hljóð, Eyvind (Edda i. 248; the v. l. ‘vilra’ and ‘vilka’ shew that the scribes did not know the old form); eiga vilja heldr, Alm. 7 (but ek vil in the following verse); segðú mér þat ek vilja vita, Skm. 3; vilja ek sofna, Vkv. 31; né ek þik vilja níta, 37; ek vilja’k, Hým. 9; vilja ek þat líta, Am, 58: in prose, enn þó vilja ek heldr einn staf ríta, Skálda (Thorodd): in law formulas, at ek vilja skilja við félaga minn, = Gr. ὄτι βούλομαι; þat villag, Fms. vi. 205, v. l.: the monosyll. form is later, vil’k eigi ek, I will not, Gkv. 2. 27; accordingly the ‘ek vil’ in Alm. 8 should be restored to ‘allt þatz ek vilja’k vita,’ as is required by the preceding verse; so also in Vsp. 1 the true reading may be ‘vilja ek’ valfoður (see foot-note 5 in Bugge, l. c.)

β. 2nd pers. pres. is monosyll. vill and vilt; þú vill, Vþm. 11, Hbl. 55, Gkv. 2. 8, 33; vill þú, Ls. 28: the older vellums have vill, the later vilt, ef þú vilt, Hm. 130, Ísl. ii. 214 (thrice), Nj. 41, 77, and so in mod. usage (ek vil, þú vilt, hann vili).

γ. 3rd pers. vill, Skv. 1. 4, Hm. 63.

δ. pret. vilda; part. viljat; pret. infin. vildu, Nj. 259, Ld. 216, Mork. 168.

ε. forms with suffix; with pers. pron., 2nd pers. vil-du [Chaucer willow], wilt thou, Post. 134, 135, 231; but in mod. usage, viltu, and so Fb. i. 222, l. 36: with neg. suff., vilka ek, Am. 13; vilkat ek, I will not, Skv. i. 26; þú vill-at, thou willest not, Hm. 114; vildigak, I would not, Gkv. 2. 40; er ek vildigak, Helr. 13 (all the references to Bugge’s edition). [Ulf. wiljan = θέλειν, βούλεσθαι; A. S. willan; Engl. will; Dan. ville; Swed. vilja; Lat. velle; Gr. βούλεσθαι.]

B. USAGES.—To will, wish:

I. with infin., sá maðr hefir viljat villa leitina fyrir oss, Fms. i. 72; Guðrún kvaðsk vildu (pret. infin.) vita hvat þeir vildu at hafask, Ld. 216; hverjum vilt þú heldr gipta dóttur þína … ef þú vilt eigi … hverju þú vilt svara, Ísl. ii. 214; spurði ef hann vildi ríða, Gunnlaugr kvaðsk þat vilja, … hví býðr þú mýr eigi þat er ek vil þiggja, 212, 213; Austmaðr kvezk vildu ( said he would) fyrir hafa land, Nj. 259; hann létzk eigi þat vildu, Mork. 168; nú vil ek spyrja yðr, Nj. 35; hví vildo ljúga, Clem. 134; enda vildu trúa þá mundu miskunn fá, 135; hér vil ek bjóða fyrir góð boð, Nj. 77; sumir vilja skilja, 673. 51; Þorgeirr játaði því sem Kári vildi beitt hafa, Nj. 257.

β. denoting futurity; maðr er andask vill, a person about to die, Hom. 155 (in a Norse vellum); in mod. Danish this usage has prevailed, but is hardly known in the old language, for in Icel. vilja always implies a notion of volition; hvárn þú vill (vilt, v. l.) hafa valit, Post. (Unger) 20.

2. with subj., þat vilda ek bróðir, at þú, Nj. 2; vildir þú at ek stæða upp, … þá vildi (= vilda) ek, Fms. vi. 205; viltu at ek fara til eyjanna, Fb. i. 222.

3. with acc., vita skyldir þú hvat þú vildir, Ísl. ii. 214; eigi vil ek þessa, 215; þú vilt eigi þessa kosti, Nj. 77; hvat vilt þú hánum, what do you want him for? 41; hvað viltú mér? vilja hverjum manni gott, to will (wish) good to everybody, Fms. i. 21.

4. ellipt. an infin. being left out or understood; vildi Aðalráðr hann ekki þar, A. wished him not [ to be] there, Fms. xi. 419; ek vilda ekki vistir hans hér í landi, Eg. 523; hón vildi hann feigan, wished him dead, Nj. 269; ok skýra þat hvat hverr þeirra vill lög um þat mál, what he thinks to be the law, Grág. (Kb.) i. 214; ek vil á fund Ólvis, I wish to go, Nj. 41; ef hann vildi upp ór gröfinni, Eg. 234; hvárt sem heldr vildi (viz. göra), Nj. 251; vildi alþýðan hann til konungs, Fms. ix. 8; út vilja vegar þínir til Íslands, Fb. i. 222.

5. impers., var siglt inn eptir firðinum svá sem vera vildi, as it would be, at random, Fms. ix. 22; sjaldan fór svá þá er vel vildi, seldom went it thus when the luck was fair, x. 408, Ld. 290 (of a bad omen); svá kann ok stundum at verða ef eigi vill vel, when matters go wrong, Sks. 323.

6. vilja e-m, to favour one; þat er ván at þér mundi sæmðin vilja, Karl. 230.

7. with prepp., vilja til, to happen; ef þat á til at vilja, Fas. i. 11.

II. reflex., viljask e-t, to with for, Fr.

2. to bear good will to one;(þeir) viljask eigi við oss, they bear no good will towards us, Fas. ii. 337 (but rare).

3. part. viljandi, willing; göra e-t viljandi, Greg. 41, and passim.

4. past pret. neut. vilt, q. v.

(gen. völu; pl. völur), f. prophetess, sibyl, wise woman, witch (fóru þá um landit spákonur, er kallaðar vóru völur).

* * *

u, f., also spelt völfa, gen. völu, pl. völur; völfu. or also völfur or voluur; gen. pl. does not occur; the nom. Vala is erroneous: [the etymology as well as the origin of this word is uncertain; but may not the Norse Völva and the Gr. σίβυλλα be relations? the identity in sense at least is very striking; the Gr. word first occurs in Aristoph., and then in Plato; may it not have been adopted from some Scythian tribe, for a word like this, if Greek, could hardly fail to occur in Homer? in völva an initial s, we suppose, has been lost (qs. svölva); in the Greek the ĭ would be an inserted vowel]:—a prophetess, sibyl, wise woman; völva, seiðkona, spákona (qq. v.) are synonymous. The ancient Sagas contain many remarkable records of the heathen wise-women or sibyls, who were held in honour and reverence; at the great feasts and sacrifices in the autumn, the völva (often a woman of rank) went with her troop of maidens through the country, where she, so to say, crowned the feast; she was seated on a high seat (seiðhjallr) in the hall, where she wrought her spells and sang her ‘weird-songs’ (varðlokur), after which the guests went past her one by one, and she told each his fate, or whatever else one wanted to know, e. g. the course of the coming winter and the like. The former part of the Völuspá is evidently conceived as the inspired song of a völva, seated on her high seat, and addressing Odin, while the gods listen to her words; and the latter part of the poem appears to be a kind of necromancy, or the raising of a dead völva, as also is the lay Vegtamskviða; sú kona var þar í bygð er Þorbjörg hét, ok var kölluð lítil völva, hón hafði áttar sér níu systr, ok vóru allar spákonur, en hón var ein þá á lífi, þat var háttr Þorbjargar um vetrum, at hón fór á veizlur ok buðu þeir menn henni mest heim er forvitni var á at vita forlög sín eða árferð, Þorf. Karl. Names of such wise women, Gróa völva, Edda; Heimlaug völva, Gullþ.; Heiðr völva, Landn. 173; Huldr völva, Yngl. S., Hkr. i. 21; to which add the ‘Weleda’ of Tacitus: class. passages are Þorf. S. ch. 3 (exceedingly interesting), Örvar-Odds S. ch. 3 (Fas. ii. 506), Vd. ch. 10: völu vél-spá, Vsp.; eru völfur allar frá Víðólfi, Hdl.; völva ok vís kona. Vtkv.; þá kom til völva sú er Gróa hét, Edda 58; var á því landi spákona sú er sagði fyrir örlög manna, … þeir fara til móts við völunna, Fb. ii. 28; ek fór í skóg til þín í völvu líki, Fas. i. 135; þóttusk menn vita at þar mundi verst hafa völu-leiði, Ld. 328; þá reið Óðinn fyrir austan dyrr þar er hann vissi völu leiði, Vtkv.; úrsvöl Gýmis völva, of Rán the goddess, Edda (in a verse); at hás völva valdi því bölvi, Kormak; in a bad sense, völva and skollvis kona, Hkv. 1. 34; Tacitus (Germ. ch. 8, 46, and Hist. iv. 61, 65, v. 22, 24) speaks of these practices, as also does Plutarch, Caesar ch. 19,— τα μαντεύματα των ἱερων γυναικων.

COMPDS: Völuspá, Völvustaðir.

* * *

(dey; dó, dóum; dáinn), v. to die (deyr fé, deyja frændr); hann dó af eitri, ór sárum, he died of poison, from wounds; á deyjanda degi, on one’s dying day, on one’s deathbed of a limb (dó fótleggrinn allr); of inanimate things, dáinn arfr, an inheritance left to the heir.

* * *

pret. dó, 2nd pers. dótt, later dóst, pl. dó, mod. dóu; part. dáinn; pres. dey, 2nd pers. deyr (in mod. familiar use deyrð): pret. subj. dæi; in the south of Icel. people say dæði, inserting a spurious ð; old poems with neg. suffix, deyr-at, dó-at; a weak pret. form deyði ( died) occurs in the Ann. 1400–1430, and was much used in biographies of later centuries, but is borrowed from Dan. döde, unclassical and unknown in the spoken tongue; Icel. always say dó: [the root is akin to dá, q. v., Gr. θάνατος, etc.; Ulf. uses a part. divans, by which he sometimes renders the Gr. θνητός, φθαρτός; undivans = αθάνατος, αφθαρτος; undivanei = αθανασία; but the Gr. θνήσκειν he renders not by divan but by ga-sviltan; Hel. uses dôjan, but rarely; the A. S. seems not to know the word, but uses sviltan, whereas in Icel. svelta means to starve, die of hanger; the Engl. perhaps borrowed the verb to die from the Scandin., whereas to starve (used by Chaucer = Germ. sterben) now means to die of hunger or cold]:—to die: deyr fé, deyja frændr, Hm. 76; hann dó af eitri, 623. 27; er þat sögn manna, af hón hafi af því dáit, Korm. 164; hann dó ór sárum, Fs. 120; þeir dó allir, Landn. 294; dó þar undir ellifu naut, Bs. i. 320; hann dó litlu síðarr, Fms. i. 108; þat áttu eptir sem erfiðast er, ok þat er at d., Nj. 56: betra er at d. með sæmð en lifa með skömm, Orkn. 28: the proverb, deyja verðr hverr inn sinn, omnes una manet nox: the allit. phrase, á deyjanda degi, Ld. 106, Grág. ii. 207, Hkr. iii. 50: eccl., dauða deyja, Gen. iii. 3, Matth. xv. 4, ‘let him die the death,’ Engl. A. V.; d. góðum, illum dauða, to die a good, bad death, etc.: it sometimes has in it a curious sense of motion, hann kaus at d. í Mælifell, Landn. 192; þeir Selþórir frændr dó í Þórisbjörg, 78; trúði at hann mundi deyja í fjallit, Eb. 7 new Ed., v. l., where it means to die (i. e. pass by death) into the fell, i. e. they believed that after death they would pass into the fell; cp. hinnig deyja ór Helju halir, Vþm. 43.

β. medic. to die, of a limb, Pr. 239.

γ. of inanimate things; dáinn arfr, a law phrase, a dead inheritance, i. e. left to the heir, Gþl. 263; hence dánar-fé, dánar-arfr, q. v.

* * *

(dyl; dulda; duldr, duliðr, dulinn), v.

1) to keep (one) in ignorance of a thing;

dylja e-n e-s (eigi skalt þú þat gera at dylja þik sjálfan sanninda);

dylja e-s, to conceal, deny, disavow, Þórir dylr þess ekki, Thor does not deny it;

Eysteinn duldi þeirra orða fyrir sik, E. professed that he had never said any stuch thing;

allir duldu, at né eitt vissi til Hrapps, all pretended ignorance about Hrapp;

vera, ganga, duldr (duliðr, dulinn) e-s, to be unaware of, to be kept in ignorance of (hefir hon verit alls þessa duld; veit engi ætt mína ok ganga þess allir duldir);

dulið (dulin) ertu, Hyndla, H., thou art mistaken (deceived);

duliðr (dulinn) at e-m, mistaken about one;

2) refl., dyljast, to conceal (hide) oneself;

at þat sé flugumenn ok vili dyljast (disguise themselves) undir munka búnaði;

dyljast í e-u, to conceal a thing from oneself, be ignorant of = ganga duldr e-s (Eiríkr konungr þarf nú ekki at dylja í því, at);

dyljast við e-t, to refuse to acknowledge, to ignore;

trúit þessu eigi, meðan þér megit dyljast, as long as you can ignore it, till you get full evidence;

en Sveinn duldist við þat, but S. shrank from believing it.

* * *

pret. duldi and dulði, part. duldr, duliðr, Fms. ii. 97; dulinn, Fb. i. 11 (Hdl. 7), Fs. 97 (MS. Arna-Magn. no. 132); [Swed. dölja; Dan. dölge]

I. to conceal, hide, with acc. of the person, gen. of the thing concealed; d. e-s, to disavow, deny, dissemble; ætla ek því alla (þá varla ?) kunna at dylja þessa ráða, they can hardly deny it, Eg. 49; Þórir dylr þess ekki, 173; Eysteinn duldi ok þeirra orða fyrir sik, E. said he had never said such a thing, Fms. ix. 329; þó duldu þeir ekki illvirkja sinna, they denied not their guilt, confessed it, Sks. 583: with following subj., en allir duldu at né eitt vissi til Hrapps, all dissembled, Nj. 133; en ef umboðsmaðr dylr ( disavows), at hann hafi við umboði tekið, Gþl. 375.

II. reflex. to conceal, hide oneself; ok kendi brátt … þó at hann dyldisk, Fms. ii. 173; ok fékk hann svá dulzk fyrir honum, at eigi vissi jarl …, he hid himself ( his thoughts) so well, that …, viii. 16; at þat sé flugumenn, ok vili dyljask ( disguise themselves) undir múnka búnaði, vi. 188.

2. metaph., d. við e-t, to conceal for oneself; þurfu vér eigi at dyljask við, at …, Fms. v. 1; megu þeir þá eigi við dyljask, at ek hefi drepit hann, Grett. 155 A; en Sveinn duldisk við þat, S. shrank from believing it, Orkn. 298; ekki dyljumk ek við (I don’t disavow) skuldleika okkra, Ld. 40; en ef goði dylsk við ( disavows) þingfesti þess manns, Grág. i. 23; trúit þessu eigi meðan þér megit við dyljask, believe it not as long as you can disavow it, i. e. till you get full evidence, Fms. ix. 477: dyljask í e-u; Eiríkr konungr þarf nú ekki at d. í því, at …, king E. cannot conceal it for himself, that …, Eg. 424, Þiðr. 118, 191, 196.

III. part. pass., the phrase, vera (ganga) duliðr (duldr, dulinn) e-s, or vera d. at e-u, to be unaware, to be kept in ignorance of a thing; hefir hon verið alls þessa duld, Vígl. 33; en at þú gangir lengr duliðr þess er skylt er at vita, than that thou shouldest be longer ignorant of things which all people ought to know, Edda 13; veit engi ætt mína, ok ganga þess allir duldir, Fms. viii. 21; dulin ertú Hyndla, H., thou art mistaken, Hdl. 7; ok ertú of mjök dulinn at honum, herra, thou, my lord, art too much mistaken about him, i. e. trustest him too well, Fs. 97, cp. Fms. ii. 57: the phrase, e-t fer, gengr, dult, is hidden, kept secret.

* * *

1) stuff, material (svá skildu þeir, at allir hlutir væri smíðaðir af nökkuru efni); ek em görr af ústyrku efni, I am made of frail stuff; cf. biskups-, brúðar-, fægðar-, konu-, konungs-, mágs-, manns-, mungáts-, smíðar-efni;

2) matter of discourse, subject, theme (þryti mér fyrr stundin til frásagnar en efnit til umrœðu) eigi með sönnu e., with untrue statement, falsely; nú er úti mitt e., now my story is at an end;

3) matter, affair (segir konungr frá öllu þessu e.); fátt er betr látit en e. eru tíl, few things are reported better than they really are;

4) cause, reason; látast báðir af því e., both die from this cause; fyrir þat e. (for that reason) keypti hann landit

5) state, condition, affair; sagði, hver e. í vóru, he told how matters stood; ek veit eigi görla e. Gunnlaugs, how G.’s affairs stand; kominn í úvænt e., into a critical condition; óttalauss í öllu e., in every respect; er þessi hlutr kom til efnis, when this came aboitt; berr þat til efnis, at, it happens that;

6) pl., means; ok bjuggust um eptir þeim efnum, sem þeir höfðu til, according to their means; engi vóru e. annars, þar vóru engi e. önnur, there was no other chance or choice.

* * *

n. [Swed. ämne = stuff, materia, and Dan. ævne = achievement]:—a stuff, originally like Lat. materia, timber; and so the stuff or material out of which a thing is wrought; auðskæf mærðar e., Ad. 16; at allir hlutir væri smíðaðir af nokkru efni, that all things were wrought ( created) of some stuff, Edda 147 (pref.); skapa af engu efni, to create from nothing (of God), Fms. i. 304; efni ( materials) til garðbóta, Grág. ii. 263, Sks. 287 (of a cloth); ek em görr af ústyrku efni, I am made of frail stuff, 543, Barl. 140, Stj. 17, 67; smíðar-efni, materials; efni-tré, a block, tree; efni í ljá, orf, etc., or of any piece fitted as materials.

β. in a personal sense; manns-efni, a promising young man: karls-efni, a thorough man, a nickname, Landn.: the proverb, engi veit hvar sæls manns efni sitr, of youths of whom no one can tell what may be hidden in them; þegns e. = manns-efni, Stor. 11: gott manns-e., gott bónda-e., promising to be an able man; and on the other hand, ónýtt, illt manns-e., in whom there is nothing.

γ. merely in temp. sense, applied to persons designate or elect; konungs-e., a crown prince; biskups-e., a bishop-elect; brúðar-e., a bride-elect; konu-e., one’s future wife.

δ. a subject, of a story, book, or the like, Lat. argumentum, plot; yrkis e., Íd. 11; e. kvæða, a plot, subject for poetry; sögu-e., a subject for tales or history; in old writers it rarely occurs exactly in this sense: the contents of a written thing, bréfs-e., efni í bók; hence efnis-laust, adj. void, empty writing; efnis-leysa, u, f. emptiness in writing; Björn hafði ort flim um Þórð, en þau vóru þar efni í, at …, but that was the subject of the poem, that …, Bjarn. 42; þótti mönnum þar mikit um, hversu mikil efni þar vóru til seld, i. e. people thought the tale interesting, Ld. 200; eigi með sönnu efni, falsely, with untrue statements, Sturl. iii. 305: hvárt efni þeir höfðu í um rógit, how they had made ( mixed) their lies up, Eg. 59; meir en efni sé til seld, i. e. ( related) more than what was true, the tale was overdone, Bs. i. 137; talar af sama efni ( subject) sem fyrrum, Fms. ix. 252.

2. metaph. a matter, affair; til sanninda um sagt e., Dipl. i. 8; segir konungi frá öllu þessu e., Sturl. i. 3; er þat merkjanda í þessu e., Rb. 250; fátt er betr látið enn efni eru til (a proverb), few things are reported better than they really are, Band. 2; fyrir hvert efni, for this reason.

β. a cause, reason; látask báðir af því e., both died from this cause, Ísl. ii. 197; með hverju e. Sturla hefði þessa för gört, what was the reason of S.’s doing so? Sturl. ii. 132; gleði e., sorgar e., matter of joy, sorrow, etc.: the proverb, en hvert mál, er maðr skal dæma, verðr at líta á tilgörð með efnum ( causes), Eg. 417; fyrir þat efni ( for that reason) keypti hann landit, Hrafn. 22, H. E. i. 471; en þetta efni ( cause) fundu þeir til, Sks. 311.

γ. a state, condition, affair; Rútr sagði allt e. sitt, Nj. 4; í úvænt efni, a hopeless state, Band. (MS.) 13, Ísl. ii. 225; ek veit eigi görla efni Gunnlaugs, I know not how Gunlaug’s matters stand, 240; Helgi kvað eigi þat efni í, at láta lausan þjóf fjölkunnigan, H. said that it would never do, to let a thief and wizard go, Sturl. i. 62; ef þess eru efni, if that be so, Grág. i. 76; sér, hvers efni í eru, he saw how matters stood, Band. (MS.) 11; sagði hver efni í voru, said how matters stood, Nj. 99; mér þykir sem málum várum sé komið í únýtt efni, ef …, 150; munu ill efni í, some mischief may have happened, Fs. 144; gott, þungt e., Karl. 402, Bs. i. 815; e-t gengr, kemr svá til efnis, happens so and so, Mar. (Fr.); skipta sitt líf í betra e., to repent, id.; bera til efnis, to happen, Pr. 410.

3. plur. means, ability; minni nytjamenn af meirum efnum en hann, Sturl. i. 126; eptir sínum efnum, to the best of their ability, Hom. 123; ok bjoggusk um eptir þeim efnum sem þeir höfðu til, Orkn. 360; sjái þér nökkuð ráð ( possibility) eðr efni vár ( means), 358; grunar mik, at Þórólfr muni eigi görr kunna at sjá efni sín, i. e. I fear that Th. will overrate his own means, power, Eg. 76; þá væri þat efni nú í vóru máli, it would be a chance for us, Fms. ix. 239; þar vóru engi efni önnur, there was no other chance, xi. 144; nú eru þess eigi efni, if that be impossible, Grág. ii. 140; hér eru engin efni til þess at ek muna svíkja hann, i. e. I will by no means deceive him, it is out of the question that I should do so, Eg. 60.

β. in mod. usage, means, property, riches.

COMPDS: efnafæð, efnalauss, efnaleysi, efnalítill, efnaskortr.

m. hat, = höttr.

* * *

m., gen. háttar, dat. hætti, pl. hættir, acc. háttu, [akin to hagr, qs. hagtr], manner, habit:

I. a mode of life, habit; ríkra manna háttr, Nj. 268; fara vel með sínum háttum, to conduct oneself well, Eg. 65; ráða sjálfr háttum sínum, to be one’s own master, Fms. vii. 199; fornmennis-háttr, ii. 59; riddaraligr háttr, x. 230; víkinga-háttr, Fb. i. 412; þat er háttr skálda at ( it is the fashion of poets to) lofa þann mest er þá eru þeir fyrir, Hkr. (pref.): hátta-góðr, adj. well-mannered, Eb. 258: halda teknum hætti, to go on in one’s usual way, persevere, Fb. ii. 85, Eb. 77.

2. conduct; vanda um háttu manna, Fb. ii. 37.

II. a mode, way of doing a thing; kunna hátt á e-u, to know how to do a thing, Barl. 101:—answering to Lat. hoc modo, hunc ad modum, hann reist örn á baki honum með þeima hætti, at …, Hkr. i. 108; hann stóð upp ok svaraði erendi konungs með þessum hætti ( as follows), Fms. i. 33; með hverjum hætti, in what manner? how? með ymsum hætti, etc.

2. appearance, manner; hversu vóru þeir menn í hátt, how did those men look? Stj. 396; jörðin ok dýrin ok fuglarnir höfðu saman eðli í sumum hlutum, en þó ólík at hætti, but unlike in manners, Edda 144 (pref.): manner, kind, sá er annarr háttr jarldóms, N. G. L. ii. 403.

3. moderation, measure; ágirni kann engan hátt, Hom. 18; hófsemi er háttr alls lífs, 28.

4. adverbial usages answering to Lat, - modi in hujusmodi, ejusmodi:

α. gen., mikils háttar, Fms. vi. 20, 144, 229, viii. 198, x. 234; lítils háttar, insignificant, vi. 7, 229, viii. 198; minna háttar, i. 160; alls-háttar, of every kind, iii. 184; nokkurs háttar, in some way, Stj. 178; þess-háttar, of that kind, Edda 149 (pref.), passim; engis-háttar, in nowise, Stj. 81; margs-háttar, of many kinds, Stj. passim.

β. acc., á allan hátt, in every respect, Bs. i. 857; á engan hátt, by no means; á ymsan hátt, in various respects; á hvárigan hátt, etc.

γ. eptir hætti, duly, tolerably, as may be expected.

III. a metre; þenna hátt fann fyrst Veili, Edda (Ht.) 131; þeir létu vera fimm vísur með hverjum hætti, Orkn. 304, cp. Edda (Ht.) passim; eptir hætti, in the proper metre, Edda 131. Names of metres, Kviðu-háttr, the epic metre (as the Völuspá), Skálda; Ljóða-h. or Ljóðs-h., the trimeter in old saws and didactic poems (as the Háva-mál); Mála-h., Ref-hvarfa-h., Orðskviða-h., Draugs-h., Flagða-h., Dýri-h., Nýi-h., Álags-h., Hátt-lausa: derived from the names of men, Egils-h., Braga-h., Torf-Einars-h., Fleins-h.; Núfu-h., Edda; of countries, Grænlenzki-h., expounded in Edda (Ht.) and Háttat. Rögnvalds, Skálda: a saying is called máls-háttr.

COMPDS: háttaföll, háttalykill, háttaskipti, háttatal.

* * *

n. pl.

1) recognition; bera kennsl á e-n, to know, recognize one;

2) a charge made on evidence; hafa kennsl á e-m, bera kennsl á hendr e-m, to charge one with a thing.

* * *

n. pl., in the phrase, bera kennsl á e-t, to recognise, identify, Ó. H. 72, Fms. xi. 85, Mag. 97.

II. a charge made on evidence, N. G. L. i. 72; bar konungr á hendr bændum þessi kennsl, Ó. H. 103; vóru þá þessi k. borin á hendr honum, en hann synjaði þverliga ok bauð skírslur fyrir, Fms. vii. 186; þat var kennt Margretu dróttningu at hón hefði ráðit mann til at svíkja konunginn í drykk, þann mann tóku Birkibeinar ok höfðu þessi kennsl á honum, en hann setti þar syn fyrir ok bauð skírslur …, ix. 5. kennsla-mál, n. cases of circumstantial evidence; dular-eiðar ok um kennsla-mál, þar sem eigi eru lögleg vitni til, Gþl. 199; þar at skyldu allir eiða sverja um kennslamál öll, Ísl. ii. 403,—for these cases were disposed of by an oath of compurgators or by ordeal.

f., esp. in pl. mishaps, a miscarriage, accident, Bs. i. 200, Karl. 52, Fær. 194: in Grág. i. 224 misfarar is used of a crew perishing one after another, a case analogous to that told in Ld. ch. 18, and bearing on the old law of inheritance, by which all persons aboard a ship were one another’s heirs; so that it was important to know in what order they died, and who had been the last survivor, cp. kjolsvarf in the early Swed. law: the phrase, fara misförum, to have miscarried.

f. necessily, need; ef mik nauðr um stendr, if I am in need.

* * *

f.; this is perh. the only fem. of the 1st decl. which has retained the inflexive r as in Goth.; for the feminines with i in acc. and dat., see Gramm. p. xvii, col. 2 (III. at the bottom), are of a different declension; [Scot. neide, see nauð]:—necessity, only used in nom.; ef mik nauðr um stendr, Hm. 155; nauðr um skildi, need made them part, Vkv. 3; nauðr er at nýta eiða, ‘tis needful to keep one’s oath, Orkn. (in a verse); rak hann þó engi n. til þess, there was no necessity for him, Skálda 164; mun þik þó n. til reka, Nj. 61, Fs. 127; n. er á e-u, eigi drap ek Gauk fyrr en mér væri nauðr á, Nj. 227; enda sé þó n. at skilja ( one must needs know) hvat þeir stoða í málinu, Skálda 165; mun eigi n. at minnask Jökuls fræada várs, Fs. 23; þótti þeim n. til bera, Fms. vi. 38.

n. pl.

1) truth, verity (ef hann vill heldr trúa lygi en sannindum); e-t er með sannindum, it is true (biskup trúði, at þat mundi með sannindum, er sagt var frá); fara með sannindum, to tell the truth; reynast með sannindum, to prove true; með sannindum at segja, to tell the truth; unna e-m sanninda um e-t, to give one his due;

2) evidence, proof (engi önnur s. hafa menn till þess, nema þau); til sanninda e-s, um e-t, as a proof of.

* * *

n. pl. (sing., Sks. 500, 505, 570, Hom. 117, but rare), sannendi, sannyndi, sooth, truth, verity; með sannendum, for sooth, K. Á. 200; með sannindum at segja, Ísl. ii. 201; vita með sannindum, to know for sooth, Fms. ii. 260; er þat sagt með miklum sannindum, Ísl. ii. 344; ef hann vill heldr trúa lygi en sannindum ok einurð, Eg. 63; manndómr ok s., Fms. ix. 333; unna e-m sanninda um e-t, to give one his due, viii. 149; flytja mál af skynsemi ok sannindum, ix. 451.

2. an evidence, proof; engi önnur sannindi hafa menn til þess, Eb. 332; vér sám ok vissum fyrir full s., with full certainty, Dipl. ii. 16; en vita hver s. til eru, af þeim er þér kennit málit, Lv. 77; nú er þat meirr til sanninda þessa fundar, as a token of this battle, Fs. 18; en þó þykki mér þat merkiligast til sanninda, er berum orðum er sagt á kvæðum … ef eigi væri kvæði bæði ný ok forn, þau er menn tæki þar af s. fræðinnar, proof of, Ó. H. (pref.); með sannindum, Sks. 593; görit sem yðr finnask s. til, Eg. 66; sem honum þætti þar engin s. til, 39; innti hann upp hver s. hann hafði í tilkalli fjár þess, 341; þeir gengu þar til er dómrinn sat, at flytja fram s. sín, 340.

COMPDS: sannindamaðr, sannindasamliga, sannindasögn, sannindisumræða.

(-s, -ar), m. wolf; ala e-m úlfa, to breed wolves for one, plan mischief (spyr ek þat frá, at Danir muni enn ala oss úlfa); fig. enemy.

* * *

m., úlf-gi, Ls. 39; [Ulf. wulfs; A. S. and Hel. wulf; Engl.-Germ. wolf; North. E. Ulf-, in pr. names, Ulpha, Ulverston; Dan.-Swed. ulv; cp. Lat. lupus and vulpes; Gr. λύκος]:—a wolf, Grág. ii. 122; lýsa þar vígi, … kallask hvárki úlfr né björn nema svá heiti hann, N. G. L. i. 6l; úlfa þytr mér þótti íllr vera hjá söngvi svana, Edda (in a verse); úlfa hús, wolf-pits, Gþl. 457: freq. in poets, where ‘to feed the wolf,’ ‘cheer the wolf’ are standing phrases, see Lex. Poët.: a warrior is hence called úlf-brynnandi, -gæðandi, -grennir, -nestir, -seðjandi, -teitir, i. e. the refresher, cheerer, … gladdener of the wolf; úlf-vín, wolf’s wine, i. e. blood, Lex. Poët.

2. sayings, fæðisk úlfr í skógi, the wolf is born in the wood, Mkv.; etask af úlfs munni, and úlfar eta annars eyrindi, see eta (2. δ); eigi hygg ek okkr vera úlfa dæmi, at vér mynim sjálfir um sakask, Hðm. 30; fangs er ván at frekum úlfi, see fang (III. 4); auðþekktr er úlfr í röð; þar er mér úlfs ván er ek eyru sé’k, I know the wolf when I see the ears, Fm. 35, Finnb. 244; hafa úlf undir bægi, evidently from the fable of the wolf in sheep’s clothes; sem úlfr í sauða dyn, Sd. 164; ala e-m úlfa, to breed wolves to one, brood over evil; spyr ek þat frá, at Danir muni enn ala oss úlfa, Fms. viii. 303, Kormak; sýna úlfs ham, to appear to a person in a wolf’s skin, i. e. savagely; eigi heldr þykkisk eg honum eðr öðrum fátækum prestum þann úlfs ham sýnt hafa, at þeir megi eigi mér opinbera neyð sína, H. E. iii. 438 (in a letter of bishop Gudbrand); hafa úlfs hug við e-n, má vera at Guðrúnu þykki hann úlfs hug við okkr hafa, Fas. i. 211; skala úlf ala ungan lengi, Skv. 3. 12; annas barn er sem úlf at frjá, Mkv.; úlfr er í ungum syni, Sdm. 35: for legends of were-wolves cp. Völs. S. ch. 8.

3. úlfa þytr, howling; þær báðu honum ílls á móti, var inn mesti úlfa þytr ( wailing) til þeirra at heyra, Grett. 98; finnr Sigmundr menn ok lét úlfs röddu, Fas. i. 131; úlfum líkir þykkja allir þeir sem eiga hverfan hug, Sól. 31.

II. in poets, wolves are the ‘steeds’ on which witches ride through the air during the night, Edda. At nightfall wizards were supposed to change their shape, hence the nickname kveld-úlfr, evening wolf, of a were-wolf; in Icel. the fretful mood caused by sleepiness in the evening is called kveld-úlfr; thus the ditty, Kveldúlfr er kominn hér | kunnigr innan gátta | sólin líðr sýnisk mér | senn er mál að hátta, Icel. Almanack 1870; or, Kveldúlfr er kominn í kerlinguna mína, the evening wolf has entered my child, a lullaby, Sveinb. Egilsson’s Poems, cp. en dag hvern er at kveldi kom, þá görðisk hann styggr, svá at fáir menn máttu orðum við hann koma; hann var kveld-svæfr, þat var mál manna at hann væri mjök hamramr, hann var kallaðr Kveldúlfr, Eg. ch. 1. In the mythology there is the wolf Fenrir, Edda; whence Úlfs-bági, the ‘Wolf’s foe’ = Odin, Stor.; Úlfs-faðir, the Wolf’s father = Loki, Ls.: mock suns were imagined to be wolves persecuting the sun, Gm. 37; hence in popular Icel., úlfa-kreppa, u, f. ‘wolf-strait,’ when the sun is surrounded by four mock suns (sól í úlfa kreppu), Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 658.

III. freq. in pr. names, Úlfr, Úlfarr, Úlf-hamr, Úlf-héðinn, Úlf-ljótr, Úlf-kell; women, Úlf-hildr, Úlf-eiðr, Úlf-rún; esp. as the latter part in men’s names, being then sounded (and often spelt) -ólfr, Ás-ólfr, Auð-ólfr, Bót-ólfr, Brynj-ólfr, Björg-ólfr, Eyj-ólfr, Grím-ólfr, Ing-ólfr, Ís-ólfr, Herj-ólfr, Þór-ólfr, Þjóð-ólfr, Stein-ólfr, Rún-ólfr, Ljót-ólfr, Örn-ólfr, Móð-úlfr, etc.: contracted are, Snjólfr = Snæ-úlfr, Hrólfr = Hróð-úlfr, Sjólfr = Sæ-úlfr, Bjólfr = Bý-úlfr = A. S. Beowulf (Bee-wolf, i. e. honey-thief, a name of the bear, from popular tales, in which the bear, being fond of honey, is made to rob hives; the name has of late been thus explained by Mr. Sweet).

1) willing, inclined; nú væra ek á þat v. at, I should like to; skal ek eigi vera verr v. en hann, I shall not be less eager (less ready) than he;

2) intentioned, disposed (at drottning mundi miklu verr viljuð); vera e-m vel v., well disposed towards one; e-m er lítt viljat til e-s, one does not like a person; játta því nökkuru, er þeim væri eigi vel viljat, not to their liking.

* * *

adj. (prop. a part.), willing, inclined; nú væra ek á þat viljaðr, at …, I should like to …, Sturl. i. 6l, 67; (á-viljaðr), Fb. i. 63; skal ek eigi verr v. (less eager, less ready), en hann, Fms. vii. 275; at allir mundi vel til viljaðir at styrkja hans ríki, viii. 104; engi skal vera v. betr enn ek ( more eager than I) at vera úþarfr þeim búöndum, Ó. H. 209; augu jafnt viljuð til allrar umsjá, 655 xiii. A. 2.

2. intentioned, disposed; at drottning mundi miklu verr viljuð, Eg. 339; vera e-m vel viljaðr, well disposed, Ísl. ii. 325; yðr vel viljuð í því er ek mætta, Boll. 356; vitrastir ok bazt viljaðir, Sks. 640 B; mann yðr vel viljaðan, Lv. 7; ok mér bezt viljaða, Fms. vi. 5: e-m er (lítt) viljað til e-s, to like, like not, Stj. 169; svara því sem vér vitum at honum er vel viljat, to answer what we know to be most to his liking, 137; játta því nökkuru er þeim væri eigi vel viljað, not to their liking, Fms. ix. 445; þér eruð allir viljaðir til líkamans en eigi til sálarinnar, Barl. 5: in mod. usage obsolete except in the phrase vel viljaðr, well-wishing.

I) (older form es), rel. part. in old poems and in law phrases ‘es’ is suffixed to a demonstrative or interrogative word, pron. or adv., as s: sás, sús, þats, þeims, þærs; þars, þás, þegars, síðans, hveims, hvars, &c., = sá es, sú es, þar es, þá es, &c.

I. used as a rel. pron., indecl., who, which, that;

1) Mörðr hét maðr, er (nom.) kallaðr var gígja;

grös fögr, er (acc.) hón hafði í hendi;

aðra hluti þá, er (gen.) menn vildu visir verða;

þann einn son, er (dat.) hann ann lítit;

2) with a prep. placed at the end of the sentence;

land, er hann kom frá, the land he came from;

jötunn, er ór steini var höfuðit á (viz. honum), whose head was of stone;

3) ellipt., the prep. being understood;

ór þeim ættum, er mér þóttu fuglarnir fljúga (viz. ór), from the quarter that I thought the birds flew from;

þeir hafa nú látit líf sitt, er mér þykkir eigi vert at lifa (viz. eptir), whom I think it is not worth while to outlive;

4) a personal or demonstr. pron. may be added to the rel. part., er þú, er þik; er hann, er hón, er hana, er hans, er hennar, er þeim, er þeiri, er þeira, etc.;

œrr ertu, Loki, er þú (who) yðra telr ljóta leiðstafi;

sá maðr, er hann vill, that man who wishes;

nema ein Goðrún, er hón æva grét, who never wept;

ekkja heitir sú, er búandi hennar (whose husband) varð sóttdauðr;

þann konung, er undir honum eru skatt-konungar, that king under whom are tributary kings;

5) in the fourteenth century added to the int. pron., hverr;

þat herbergi, í hverju er hann ( in which = er hann í því) hefir sitt ráð ok ræðr;

II. as a conj. and adv.

1) local, er, þar er, there where;

hann sá á eldinum fölskann, er netit hafði brunnit, where the net had been burnt;

Ó. gekk þar til, er H. lá, to the spot where H. lay;

2) of time, er, þá er, when;

ok er, and when;

en er, but when;

þar til er, until;

í því er, just when;

eptir (þat) er, when;

þegar er, as soon as (þegar er lýsti, stóð konungr upp);

síðan er, since;

meðan er, while;

næst er vér kómum, next when we came;

þá lét í hamrinum, sem er reið gengr, as when it thunders;

3) = at, that;

ok fannst þat á öllu, er hón þóttist vargefin, that she thought she was thrown away;

ek em þess sæll, er okkart félag sleit, I am happy that;

skyldi fara fyrst leyniliga, en þó kom þar, er allir vissu, but it came to this, that every one knew of it.

II) from vera.

* * *

pl., and it, dual, spelt ier, Ó. H. 147 (twice), 205, 216 (twice), 227; [Goth. jus = ὑμεις; A. S. ge; Engl. ye, you; Germ. ihr; Swed.-Dan. I]:—ye, you. That ér and not þér is the old form is clear from the alliteration of old poems and the spelling of old MSS.: allit., ér munuð allir eiða vinna, Skv. 1. 37; it (σφώ) munut alla eiða vinna, 31; hlaðit ér jarlar eiki-köstinn, Gh. 20; lífit einir ér þátta ættar minnar, Hðm. 4; æðra óðal en ér hafit, Rm. 45 (MS. wrongly þér); ér sjáið undir stórar yðvars Græðara blæða, Lb. 44 (a poem of the beginning of the 13th century). It is often spelt so in Kb. of Sæm.; hvers bíðit ér, Hkv. 2. 4; þó þykkisk ér, Skv. 3. 36; börðusk ér bræðr ungir, Am. 93; urðu-a it glíkir, Gh. 3; ef it, id.; en ér heyrt hafit, Hým. 38; þá er ( when) ér, ye, Ls. 51; er it heim komit, Skv. 1. 42: ér knáttuð, Edda 103 (in a verse): in very old MSS. (12th century) no other form was ever used, e. g. er it, 623. 24: þat er ér ( that which ye) heyrit, 656 A. 2. 15; ér bræðr …, mínnisk ér, ye brethren, remember ye, 7; treystisk ér, 623. 32; hræðisk eigi ér, 48. In MSS. of the middle of the 13th century the old form still occurs, e. g. Ó. H., ér hafit, 52; ér skolu, 216; þegar er ér komit, so soon as ye come, 67; sem ér mynit, 119; ér hafit, 141; til hvers er ér erot, that ye are, 151; ef ér vilit heldr, 166; ér erot allir, ye are all, 193; sem ér kunnut, 196; sem ier vilit, 205; sem ér vitoð, as ye know, 165; ef ér vilit, 208; þeim er ér sendoð, those that ye sent, 211: the Heiðarv. S. (MS. of the same time)—unz ér, (Ísl. ii.) 333: ef ér þurfut, 345; er it farit, 346 (twice); allz ér erut, id.; er ér komið, as ye come, id.; en ér sex, but ye six, 347; ok ér, and ye, 361; ér hafit þrásamliga, 363; eða it feðgar, 364: Jómsvík. S.—ef ér, (Fms. xi.) 115, 123: Mork. 9, 63, 70, 98, 103, 106, passim. It even occurs now and then in Njála (Arna-Magn. 468)—ér erut, ye are, 223; hverrar liðveizlu ér þykkisk mest þurfa, 227: ér ertuð hann, Skálda 171; Farið-a ér, fare ye not, Hkr. i. (in a verse). It is still more freq. after a dental ð, t, þ; in old MSS. that give þ for ð it runs thus—vitoþ ér, hafiþ ér, skoluþ ér, meguþ er, lifiþ ér, etc., wot ye, have ye, shall ye, may ye, live ye, etc.; hence originates by way of diæresis the regular Icel. form þér, common both to old and mod. writers; vide þú, where the other forms will be explained.

að, to pry into, enquire; f. e-t, Sks. 183 B; f. um e-t, to enquire about, 6, 182 B.

2. reflex., forvitnask e-t, to enquire, Bret. 94, Fms. i. 147, 252, vii. 258, Eg. 764, Ld. 268: absol., Lv. 15; f. til e-s, id., Fær. 53; f. um e-t, id., Landn. 51, Grett. 96, 160.

3. impers., e-n forvitnar e-t, or with infin., it makes one curious to know, Fær. 54, Sks. 182 B, Fas. i. 22.

(or -ki after t or s), a particle suffixed to nouns and adverbs.

A. In a positive sense [Lat. - que], ever, Lat. -que, -cunque:

1. with the pronoun hverr ( quis) through all cases, answering to the Lat. quis-que: out of the Laws we can nearly make a full paradigm:—nom. hverr-gi or hver-gi, Lat. quis-que, qui-cunque, Grág. Kb. i. 14, 31, 45, 85, 171 (twice), 183, 195, 221, ii. 7, 23, 82, 101: nom. and acc. neut. hvat-ki ( quod-que). i. 34, 155, 162, 183, 244, ii. 77, 140, 154, Jómsv. 15, Íb. 3; also hvárt-ki, id., Grág. Kb. i. 61 (twice): gen. hvers-kis (cujus-que), 238: dat. hverjun-gi (cui-que), 31, 156: acc. masc. hvern-gi (quem-que), 147, 155, 221, 225, 245, ii. 47, 66: abl. hve-gi or hví-gi, however, i. 147, 195, ii. 64, 101, 128, 151, Jómsv. 14:—plur. acc. neut. hver-gi (quae-que): dual dat. sing. hvárun-gi megin, on both sides (of a river), Grág. Kb. ii. 93:—even in historical prose, því at hit næsta sumar gat hvergi ber á Íslandi, the following summer every man gathered berries in Iceland (to make some kind of wine), Bs. i. 135, (or are we to read hvar-gi, everywhere?).

2. with adverbs; hvert-ki (quocun-que modo), Grág. ii. 50; nær-gi, whenever ( ubi-cunque), i. 191; hvar-gi, wherever, 25, 166, 240, ii. 128, 212.

B. In a negative sense, with a few pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and rarely in old poems with substantives:

1. with nouns, in the pr. name Lopt-ki, an απ. λεγ., Ls. 19: with appellatives, þörf-gi, no need, an απ. λεγ., Hkv. Hjörv. 39; freq. in mann-gi, no man, cp. Lat. nēmo, Íb., which is even used in mod. writers and poets; væt-ki, naught; vettu-gi (dat.) and vetter-gis (gen.), Vsp.: with adjectives, ein-gi (q. v.), none, a common word; otherwise rare, sjálf-gi, ‘self-not,’ i. e. not oneself, Ls. 29, an απ. λεγ.: with a dat. case of langr, þá löngu-gi, then not for a long time, Konr. (MS.): with pronouns, in the dual, hvárr-gi, neither, Lat. neuter, Grág. Kb. i. 46, ii. 93, 151; gen. hvárs-kis ( neutrius), freq.; dat. hvárun-gi ( neutri), i. 215; hvárum-gi, ii. 63: neut. hváru-gi, 216; hitt-ki, ne illud quidem, Hm. 21, 23; þat-ki, Hbl. 6; þat-ki at ek fá ( not even that I get) mála minn falslausan, Mork. 83.

2. with adverbs, only in poetry or laws or very old prose; svá-gi, not so, Grág. Kb. ii. 99, Mork. 83; þá-gi, then not; þey-gi, though not, qs. þó-gi; æva-gi, never: again, hver-gi (q. v.), nowhere; ei-gi (q. v.), not; aldri-gi (q. v.), never; hvár-ki (q. v.), neither, are common words in prose and in speech. The negative -gi can never be suffixed to verbs (vide ‘-at,’ p. 2); therefore býð-gi, non jubeo (in Íslands-vaka 61, a poem of the last century, Fél. i. 236), is a spurious imitation of the old idiom; neither can -at be put to nouns; ráð-at hann kunni, Jónas 105, ought therefore to be ráð hann kunni-t, issue be knew not.

C. In an indefinite sense; in a few instances -gi seems to be used almost like Latin quidem with a preceding negative: eigi miklo-gi minna, ne multo quidem minus, Heiðar. S., Ísl. ii. 360; eigi stóru-gi meiri, ne multo quidem majora, 386; engi miklo-gi görr …, nemo multo quidem plus …, Grág. i. 209; cp. also the adverbs öllun-gis or öldun-gis, quite, altogether (allr, -gi); einun-gis, only, solely (einn, -gi). both formed from dat. sing.: the obsolete vil-gi (qs. vel-gi) is ambiguous, being used both in a neg. sense = not well, and posit. = well, bene quidem, cp. Bs. i. 393, note; Hm. 66, málun-gi, is doubtful;—prob. þyrftig-at málun-gi mat should be read, -at being taken not as a prep. but as a negative verbal suffix, and -gi as a positive suffix; Icel. now say, hann á ekki málungi matar, he does not know where to look for his next meal.

☞ The negative -gi is peculiar to Scandin., and no traces of it are found in any Saxon nor German idioms; whereas, as a positive suffix, it is common to all Teutonic tongues, and remains in the Engl. many and any; ‘many’ being qs. man-y = man-ever, ‘homo-cunque,’ Goth. manags, and ‘any’ qs. ane-y = every-one; so also is the g in Icel. margr and hvárigr, which are remnants—the former of the positive, the latter of the negative -gi.

n. pl. passage (ór kastala vóru göng upp í kirkju).

* * *

n. pl. [gangr], a passage, lobby; en ór kastala vóru göng upp í kirkju, Fms. ix. 523: freq. in mod. usage, of a narrow passage, baðstofu-göng, esp. when leading from the door to the sitting-room: metaph., gefa e-m göng, to give one free passage, xi. 283; kunna göng at orostu, to know the ways of fighting, vi. 387.

(old gen. hvess, dat. hví), neut. pron.

I. int. pron.

1) what (h. sýnist þér ráð?); h. er þér, Hjálmar? what is the matter with thee, H.?; expressing wonder, what sort of? (h. Øgmundr ertu?); with gen., h. er þat fira, flagða, drauma, fiska? what sort of men. witches, dreams, fishes? h. manna ertu? what sort of a man art thou?; with dat., hann spurði, h. mönnum þeir væri, what kind of men they were;

2) implying an answer in the negative, to what end? of what use? (h. skal rögum manni langt vápn?)

3) how, = hve, hversu; fréttir hann nú, h. liði bónorðs-málum, how the was going on;

II. indef. pron.

1) each, every; h. at öðru, ‘each with the other’, everything; þat lið, er honum fylgdi, flýr sér hvat, scattered in all directions; h. bíðr sinnar stundar, there is a time for everything;

2) = hvatki, with the relat. part. ‘er (es)’ or ‘sem’; h. sem or h. es, whatsoever;

3) with compar., ever so much; hann var til hans h. betr en til sinna barna, he was ever so much kinder to him than to his own children.

* * *

neut. pron. of an obsolete hvar; for the other kindred forms see hverr, hví, and hót.

A. Interrog. direct and indirect, what; eiga at bíða hvat ek skal á kveða, Nj. 3; vita, hvat hann skal við kveða, Hm. 28, Vþm. 55; veit ek eigi hvat til annars kemr, Band. 36 new Ed., passim.

β. = Germ. was für ein …? North. E. what for a …? for what sort of a …? expressing wonder or the like; hvat Ögmundr ertú, what sort of an O. art thou? Fas. ii. 534; hvat fé er þat? Nj. 55: indirectly, þeir vissu eigi hvat lið þat var, Hkr. i. 268.

2. with gen., hvat er manna þat mér ókunnra? Vtkv. 5; hvat er þat fíra, flagða, drauma, fiska, what sort of men, witches, dreams, fishes? Alm. 2, 5, Skv. 2. 1, Fsm. 2, Em. i; hvat mun enn verða æfi minnar? Skv. 1. 12, 14, 18; hvat manna ertú, what sort of a man art thou? Fms. ix. 55; hvat kvenna ertú? Dropl. 4; hvat karla er þat? Fms. vii. 152; hvat íþrótta er þat? Edda 31; hvat undra varð þess? 623. 35: indirect, hann spurði hvat manna Hallfreðr var, Fms. ii. 54, vii. 166; hvat sveina þat myndi vera, x. 219; hann spurði hvat væri ráðs hennar, he asked what she intended to do, i. 186; hvat hann vildi ráða sinna, vii. 154; spurði hvat veðrs væfi, Bjarn. 54.

β. with dat., hvat liði er þetta? Fms. ix. 50; hvat rani var þat? Ísl. ii. 142; hvat húsi stendr þar? Hkr. iii. 187, Stj. 626, 650: indirect, spurði hvat mönnum þeir væri, Eg. 162; hann spyrr hvat mönnum þeir sé, Fær. 64; vita hvat mönnum þeir væri, Hkr, i. 268; hvat erendum, Fs. 11; er hestrinn kenndi hvat hrossi þetta var, Edda 26; Þá þóttisk þórr skilja hvat látum verit hafði um nóttina. 29; hvat matvistum, Str. 81.

3. what, why, how? in asking, denoting surprise, indignation, or expecting an answer in the negative, Lat. numquid? hvat skal rögum manni langt vápn, to what use? hvat skaltú sveinn í sess minn? Eg. (in a verse); hvat hæfir ykkr með mér at vera? Stj. 420; hvat þarftú at spyrja at nafni minu? 399, 410, 476; hvat ek veit, segir Gunnarr, hvárt …? Nj. 85; hvat mun ek þat vita, how should I know that? Bs. ii. 104.

4. how = hve; fréttir hann nú hvat liði bónorðs-málum, Ld. 92; hvat hlýðnir landsmenn vóro, Íb. 16; hvat grimm, how cruel! Mar.

5. causal, why? hvat spyrr þú mik? Hom.; hvat lystr þú mik? id., freq.

B. Indef. pron. each, every, with the particle er (es) or sem, whatso- ever; hvat sem, or hvat es, whatsoever; hvat dýr sem er, Gþl. 457, Fms. vii. 29; hvat sem hann kostaði til, Edda 29; hvat fjarlægr sem…, howsoever remote…, Stj. 93: with suffixed es, hvaz or hvats, id., see er, p. 131.

2. with the possess, pron. sinn; hvat bíðr sinnar stundar, Lat. horam quodque suam expectat, there is a time for everything, Nj. 79; flýr sér hvat, they run each his own way, i. e. were scattered in all directions, Fms. x. 268.

3. hvat af öðru, from one to another, in succession, Fms. i. 128; hvat af hverju, ‘what from which,’ i. e. soon; hans er von hvað af hverju, he is expected every moment, (mod.)

4. with compar. ever so much; hann var til hans hvat betr enn til sinna barna, he was ever so much kinder to him than to his wn children, Ld. 304.

II. as interj., hú, há, eðr hvat! Sks. 365 B; vaknaði hann alltrautt ok mælti nær í úvitinu, hvat! hvat! Fms. ix. 24.

(pl. -ir), f. hope, expectation, prospect;

mér er ván, at, I expect that;

er ván e-s, it is to be expected;

sliks var ván, this was to be looked for;

þeim var ills ván at Þór, they apprehended evil from Th.;

sem hann hafði áðr sagt á ván, as he had given to understand;

sem ván var at, as was to be expected;

vita sér engis ótta vánir, to apprehend no danger;

konungs var þangat ván, the king was expected there;

e-t stendr til vánar, it bids fair;

e-t er at vánum, it is what could be looked for (ok er þat at vánum við skaplyndi Þorgeirs);

vita ván til e-s, to expect;

hann vissi enga ván, at, he had no expectation that;

eiga barn í vánum, to have a child in prospect;

draga e-t í ván, to hold out a prospect of;

mörgum þykkir fyrir ván komit, many think it is past all hope;

þá er allar vánir vóru rannsakaðar, when all likely places were searched;

dat., vánu, with compar., vánu bráðara, skjótara, sooner than expected;

vánu verr, worse than might be expected.

* * *

(vón, von), f., old nom. v́n with umlaut, Skálda (Thorodd); old dat. vánu, with compar., see below; ónu, Ls. 36; tungan er málinu vn en at tönnunum er bitsins v́n, Thorodd: vón, spónum make a rhyme, Gísl.; ón, Am. 67, Hom. 60: dat. ónu, Ls. 36: [Ulf. wêns = ἐλπίς; A. S. wên, cp. Engl. ween; Germ. wahn; the Dan. haab, Swed. hopp are mod. and borrowed from the Germ.]:—a hope, expectation; er mikil ván, at …, Fms. xi. 13; mér er ván, at …, I expect, apprehend, that …, Eg. 353; sem hann hafði áðr sagt á ván um, given to understand, Fms. xi. 87; eiga ván til e-s, 623. 17; allar þjóðir munu hafa ón mikla ( a high hope) til namns hans, Hom. 60; slíks var ván, Nj. 5; engi ván er til þess, Eg. 157: sem ván var at, as was to be expected. Glúm. 337; vita sér engis ótta vánir, to apprehend no danger, Fms. xi. 46, Orkn. 414, Eg. 74; konungs var þangat ván, the king was expected, Fms. x. 323; þar var ván féfangs mikils, Eg. 265; ván er borin, past hope, Ld. 258; ván er þrotin, Eg. 719; ván rekin, id., Ld. 216; e-t stendr til vánar, bids fair, Eg. 173; e-t er at vánum, it is what could be expected, Nj. 255; but, eptir vonum, as good as could be expected, very good indeed; eiga e-t í vuniim, to have a thing expected; eiga barn í vánum, Grág.

2. spec. usages; ef hann görir aðrar vánir yfir land annars manns, Gþl. 449; þá er allar vánir vóru rannsakaðar, all places where it could be expected to be found, Fms. v. 216; cp. leita af sér vonina, to seek until one is satisfied it cannot be found.

3. dat. vánu, with compar.; vánu bráðara, sooner than expected, i. e. quickly, at once, Fms. ix. 408, xi. 112; vánu skjótara, x. 408; ónu verr, worse than might be expected, quite bad, bad indeed, Ls. 36; yrkja kann ek vánu verr, Mkv.; vánu betr, well indeed; vita e-t vánu nær, to know quite, Sks. 183 B.

II. eccl. hope, N. T., Pass., Vídal. passim.

III. in a few instances, esp. in a few compds (vánar-völr, see below), ván seems to denote despair, cp. also the name of the myth. river Ván, despair, agony: Ván and Víl were the rivers produced by the slaver from the mouth of the fettered wolf Fenrir, who is hence called Vánar-gandr, the monster of the water W., Edda.

COMPDS: vánarlauss, vánarmaðr, vánarvölr.