VÁN

Definitions

1 VÁN

(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 VÁN

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 VÁN

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.

4 VÁN

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

5 VÁN

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.

6 VÁN

COMPDS: vánarlauss, vánarmaðr, vánarvölr.

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.
compar.: comparative.
cp: compare.
cp.: compare.
Dan: Danish.
Dan.: Danish.
dat.: dative.
eccl: ecclesiastical.
eccl.: ecclesiastical.
Engl: English.
Engl.: English.
esp: especially.
esp.: especially.
f.: feminine.
Germ: German.
Germ.: German.
gl: glossary.
gl.: glossary.
i. e.: id est.
id: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
id.: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
l.: Linnæus.
m.: masculine.
mod: modern.
mod.: modern.
n.: neuter.
nom.: nominative.
opp: opposed to.
p.: page.
S.: South, Southern.
s. v.: sub verbo.
spec.: specially.
Swed: Swedish.
Swed.: Swedish.
Ulf.: Ulfilas.
v.: vide, verb.

Works & Authors

Am.: Auðunnar-máldagi. (J. I.)
Edda: Edda. (C. I.)
Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Gísl.: Gísla Saga. (D. II.)
Glúm.: Víga-Glúms Saga. (D. II.)
Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)
Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)
Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Ls.: Loka-senna. (A. I.)
Mkv.: Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)
N. T.: New Testament.
Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)
Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
Pass.: Passiu-Sálmar.
Skálda: Skálda. (H. I.)
Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
Vídal.: Vídalíns-Postilla.

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VÁN