Definitions
Definitions
1 ofn-stofa
u, f. an ‘oven-closet,’ close stove, bath-room, Fms. vi. 440, where it is stated that king Olave the Quiet (1066–1093) was the first who introduced ovens or stoves (ofn-stofa) into the hall instead of the old open fires, see eldr (II); these stoves served for bathing and for heating the rooms; hann lét ok fyrst göra ofnstofur ok steingólf vetr sem sumar. The account of the death of the Berserkers in Eb. ch. 28, referring to the 10th century, may therefore be an anachronism and not an historical fact, for it is reported as extraordinary for Iceland that a bishop of Hólar (a Norseman) in the year 1316 built a ‘stone-oven’ (brick-oven) in his house, Laur. S. l. c.
Runic Inscription
Runic Inscription
ofn-stofa
The runic text above represents the Old Norse word "ofn-stofa" as it might appear in runic inscriptions from the Viking Age (c. 800-1100 CE).