Hand-björg

Old Norse Dictionary - hand-björg

Meaning of Old Norse word "hand-björg" (or hand-bjǫrg)

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

hand-björg (hand-bjǫrg)
f. ‘hand-supply;’ esp. in phrases, lifa við h. sína, to live from hand to mouth, Fas. iii. 538; eiga allt undir h. sinni, id.,m. 290; færa e-n fram með h. sinni, to support a person by one’s labour, Jb. 267; whence handbjargar-úmagi, a, m. (-maðr, m.), a person supported by another’s labour, id.

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

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

Abbreviations used:

esp.
especially.
f.
feminine.
id.
idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation
m.
masculine.

Works & Authors cited:

Fas.
Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Jb.
Jóns-bók. (B. III.)
Róm.
Rómverja Saga. (E. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Back