Nöf

Meaning of Old Norse word "nöf" (or nǫf)

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

Old Norse word nöf can mean:nöf

nöf (nǫf)

f., pl. nafar. later nafir, [A. S. nafu], the clasps, naves, rings by which the projecting ends of beams at the corners of walls were welded together, and when they were torn or broken the wall gave way; þeir skutu öðrum endanum út í hyrninguna svá hart, at nafarnar (nafarnir Ed.) hrutu af fyrir utan, ok hlupu í sundr veggirnir, Eg. 91; þeir hlupu þá á veggina svá at af gengu nafarnar af timbr-stokkunum, FaS. ii. 43 (Hálfs S. in Bugge’s Ed., Cod. nafarnir); hann átti lokrekkju görva af timbr-stokkum ok brutu berserkirnir þegar upp svá at af gengu nafarnar fyrir útan, Eb. 41 new Ed.

nöf (nǫf)

2. a wheel-nave; hann kallar bauginn nöf hjólsins, Edda.

nöf (nǫf)

3. metaph. the pole of the world; tveir eru hvirflar heimsins er fornir spekingar kölluðu nöfina nörðri ok ena syðri, Pr. 476.

nöf (nǫf)

4. hjól-nöf, a wheel-nave; baug-nöf, the ‘circle-nave’ of a shield, Bragi: the phrase, vera kominn á fremstu nöf, on the uttermost verge, brink (in extremis), at the end of one’s resources.

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

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