Hörtl

Meaning of Old Norse word "hörtl" (or hǫrtl)

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

hörtl (hǫrtl)

n. [qs. hörkl or hörkull?], the roughness of frozen ground; það er hörtl í götunum, hörtl að ríða.

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

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