Old Norse Dictionary Entry

VARGR

Old Norse Dictionary Entry

Definitions

3 definitions

1 VARGR

m. [A. S. wearg; Hel. warag; the root-word is preserved in Germ. er-würgen, whence virgull, q. v., and Engl. worry; vargr and úlfr are said to be from the same root]:—a wolf; berr björn, bítr vargr, N. G. L. i. 341; riða á vargi, Hkv. Hjörv.; trollkona sat á vargi, Fms. vi. 403; marga varga, Nj. 95; vaða vargar með úlfum, a saying, Fas. i. 11; sem menn viðast varga reka (prop. allit. varga vreka), as wide as wolves are hunted, Grág.: sem vargr í sauða-dun, Sd. 164: poët. of any beast of prey, varga vinr, Hkv. 1. 6 (of ravens); hann barg fjörvi varga, Vellekla: the saying, sjaldan vægir vargrinn, the wolf spares not; vargarnir etask þar til er at halanum kemr, Band.; vargs-hamr, -hár, -hold, a wolf’s skin, hair, flesh, Str. 32, Fas. i. 199, Fms. i. 273; vargs-líki, -rödd, Edda 8, Fas. i. 130; varga flokkr, a flock of wolves, iii. 77; varga matr, i. 139; varga-þytr, a howling of wolves, 205: varga leifar, a ‘wolf’s homestead’(see leif), i. e. the wood, the wilderness, Gkv. 2. 11: in Icel. vargr is used of the fox.

2 VARGR

II. a law phrase, metaph. an outlaw, who is to be hunted down as a wolf, esp. used of one who commits a crime in a holy place, and is thereon declared accursed; hann hafði vegit í véum ok var hann vargr orðinn, Eg. 259; vargr í véum, a wolf in the sanctuary, Fms. xi. 40 (goð-vargr): also of a truce-breaker, hann skal svá víða v. heita sem veröld er bygð, Grág. (cp. grið-vargr); armr er vára vargr, Sdm.; eyða vörgum, to destroy miscreants, Fms. xi. (in a verse); úvísa-vargr, see p. 667.

3 VARGR

2. in mod. usage, a violent, ill-tempered person; hón er mesti vargr, a fury of a woman; geð-vargr, skap-vargr, a fury: poët. compds, varg-fæðandi, -fæðir, -hollr, -nistir, -teitir, a feeder, … cheerer of the wolf, i. e. a warrior, Lex. Poët.

Similar Words

Runic Inscription

VARGR

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark

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

Abbreviations Used

Common Abbreviations

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.
allit.: alliteration, alliterative.
ch: chapter.
cp: compare.
cp.: compare.
Engl: English.
Engl.: English.
esp: especially.
esp.: especially.
Germ: German.
Germ.: German.
gl: glossary.
gl.: glossary.
Hel.: Heliand.
i. e.: id est.
Icel: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
id: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
l.: Linnæus.
lit: literally.
lit.: literally.
loc: local, locally.
m.: masculine.
metaph.: metaphor, metaphorical.
mod: modern.
mod.: modern.
p.: page.
poët.: poetical, poetically.
prop: properly.
prop.: properly.
q. v.: quod vide.
S.: South, Southern.
v.: vide, verb.

Works & Authors

Band.: Banda-manna Saga. (D. II.)
Edda: Edda. (C. I.)
Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Gkv.: Guðrúnar-kviða. (A. II.)
Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)
Hkv.: Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)
Hkv. Hjörv.: Helga-kviða Hjörvarðssonar. (A. II.)
Lex. Poët.: Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)
Sd.: Svarfdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Sdm.: Sigrdrífu-mál. (A. II.)
Str.: Strengleikar. (G. II.)

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