Blá-maðr

Old Norse Dictionary - blá-maðr

Meaning of Old Norse word "blá-maðr"

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

blá-maðr
m. a black man, negro, i. e. an Ethiopian, Al. 51, Orkn. 364 (referring to A. D. 1152), distinguished from the Saracens and Arabians; three ‘blámenn’ were sent as a present to the German emperor Frederic the Second, FmS. x. 3: in romances blámenn are mentioned as a kind of ‘berserkers,’ q. v., Finnb. ch. 16, KjalneS. S. ch. 15; cp. Scott’s Ivanhoe, note B.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛒᛚᛅ-ᛘᛅᚦᚱ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements

Abbreviations used:

A. D.
Anno Domini.
ch.
chapter.
cp.
compare.
i. e.
id est.
l.
line.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
q. v.
quod vide.
S.
Saga.
v.
vide.

Works & Authors cited:

Al.
Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)
Finnb.
Finnboga Saga. (D. V.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Orkn.
Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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