Norðr-ljós

Old Norse Dictionary - norðr-ljós

Meaning of Old Norse word "norðr-ljós"

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

norðr-ljós
n. [Dan. nordlys], the northern lights, polar light, aurora borealis, in mod. usage only in plur.: an ancient description of the northern lights is given in the Sks. ch. 19 (by a Norwegian writer). From the words—eða þat er Grænlendingar kalla norðrljós, Sks. 74—it appears that the Icel. settlers of Greenland were the first who gave a name to this phenomenon; the author of the Sks. also describes the northern lights as they appeared in Greenland.

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

Abbreviations used:

ch.
chapter.
Dan.
Danish.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
l.
line.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
plur.
plural.

Works & Authors cited:

Sks.
Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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