Bruna-öld

Meaning of Old Norse word "bruna-öld" (or bruna-ǫld)

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

bruna-öld (bruna-ǫld)

f. the Burning-age, i. e. the heathen time when the dead were burnt, preceding the Hauga-öld (Cairn-age) according to Snorri, Hkr. pref.; at vér munim hafna átrúnaði várum þeim er feðr várir hafa haft fyrir oss, ok allt foreldri, fyrst um Bruna-öld, ok síðan um Hauga-öld, i. 141: the ‘Burning-age’ is in Scandin. pre-historical; relics are only found in the mythological time (v. above s. v. bál) and in law phrases and old sayings, such as branderfð, q. v., til brands ok báls, v. brandr: ‘brendr’ is synonymous to ‘dead’ in the old Hm.; at kveldi skal dag leyfa, konu er brend er, praise no wife till she is ‘burnt’ (i. e. buried), 70; and blindr er betri en brendr sé, nýtr mangi nás, better to be blind than burnt, i. e. better blind than dead and buried, 80; but it does not follow that burning was used at the time when the poem was composed; the saving had become proverbial.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, bruna-öld may be more accurately written as bruna-ǫld.

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

Similar entries:

• Bruna-öld (I)