1 FORN
adj. [Ulf. fairnis = παλαιός; A. S. fyrn; Hel. furn; Swed. forn; lost in Engl.]:—old; forn vinátta, Eg. 729; forn fjándskapr, old enmity, Nj. 49; forn rök, Ls. 25; fornt vín, old wine, Pr. 472; en forna fold, the old earth, Hým. 24; forn timbr, the old timbers, Akv. 42: inn forni fjándi, the old fiend, Satan, 686 C. 2; forn jötunn, the old giant, Hým. 13; fornar tóptir, old abodes. Gm. 11: stores preserved from the past year are called forn, forn mjöðr, old mead, Skm. 37; fornari hey, K. Þ. K. 163.
2 FORN
2. with the notion of old, worn, rotten, or the like; byrðings-segl várt hið forna, Fms. iv. 259; forn mörr, Bjarn. 29 (in a verse).
3 FORN
3. old, in temp. sense; in the Icel. Commonwealth the old priesthoods were called forn goðorð and forn goðorðsmaðr, an old priest, opp. to the priesthoods instituted along with the Fifth Court, which were termed ‘new.’
4 FORN
4. time-honoured, old; forn lög, forn lands-siðr, Bs. i. 682.
5 FORN
5. at fornu, formerly, in times past, Eg. 767, K. Á. 152, D. I. i. 635; til forna, id., cp. Dan. til forn.
6 FORN
6. in old writers forn is often used of the heathen times with the old mythical lore; forn siðr, the old (heathen) rite, Fb. i. 215; fornir menn, the men of old, Eb. 132; á fornum skjöldum, on shields of old, Edda 87; fornar frásagnir, old tales, Hkr. pref.; forn-menn, forn-tíðindi, forn-sögur, the men, lore, or saws of the olden age, (forn-fræði, id.; forn-spjöll); forn átrúnaðr, forn trúa, the old creed, heathenism; forn-kveðit mál or hið forn-kveðna is a standing phrase for an ‘old saw,’ proverb, the Sagas passim, and vide below.
7 FORN
β. metaph. old, i. e. versed in old lore or witchcraft; hann var forn mjök (he was a great wizard) ok hafði jafnan úti setið, Orkn. 234; fróð ok forn í skapi, Ísl. ii. 332, Fb. i. 250 (forneskja).