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Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Embla

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Definitions

Definitions

1 definitions

1 Embla

(in Ub. spelt Emla), u, f. a mythol. word, which only occurs in Vsp. 17; and hence in Edda (where it is said that the gods found two lifeless trees, the askr (ash) and the embla; of the ash they made man, of the embla woman), it is a question what kind of tree the embla was; some suggest a metathesis, qs. emla from ahnr, elm, but the compound emblu-askr, in one of Egil’s poems, seems to shew that the embla was in some way related to the ash.
Similar Words

Similar Words

Runic Inscription

Runic Inscription

Embla

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark

The runic text above represents the Old Norse word "Embla" as it might appear in runic inscriptions from the Viking Age (c. 800-1100 CE).

Abbreviations Used

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

ch
chapter.
f.
feminine.
id
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
l.
Linnæus.
mythol
mythology, mythological.
mythol.
mythology, mythological.
p.
page.
qs.
quasi.

Works & Authors

Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Ub.
Uppsala-bók. (C. I.)
Vsp.
Völuspá. (A. I.)

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