Grýla

Meaning of Old Norse word "grýla"

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

Old Norse word grýla can mean:grýla

grýla

u, f. an ogre, answering to the Gr. μορμώ, Lat. lamia, used to frighten children with, represented as an old hag with a bag kidnapping and devouring naughty children—over the good she has no power: the songs Grýlu-kvæði, n. (vide Snót 286–298, 2nd Ed.), are great favourites in popular lore: in olden times grýla was sometimes described as a fox with many tails; the fox is in Edda (Gl.) called grýla; a giantess also in Edda (Gl.) is so called; cp. the rhymes in Sturl. ii. 59,—hér fer Grýla í garð ofan | ok hefir á sér hala fimtán; and the mod.,—Grýla reið fyrir ofan garð, hafði hala fimtán | en í hverjum hala hundrað belgi, en í hverjum belgi börn tuttugu, etc.

grýla

II. a bugbear; ekki hirði ek um grýlur yðrar, Þórð. 26 new Ed.; þótti þeir hafa gört sér grýlur um sumarit, Sturl. iii. 244; hví mun ek eigi fara hina skemri leiðina ok hræðask ekki grýlur Bruna, Fas. ii. 118; kölluðu menn því enn fyrra hlut (of a book) grýlu, at margir töluðu at þá efnaðisk nokkurr ótti eðr hræðsla, … en mundi skjótt niðr falla ok at alls engu verða, Fb. ii. 534. For the mod. popular tales of Grýla see esp. Ísl. Þjóðs. i. 218–221.

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