Ófreskja

Old Norse Dictionary - ófreskja

Meaning of Old Norse word "ófreskja"

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

ófreskja
u, f. a monster; the word is not recorded in old writers, but is freq. in mod. usage; it originally meant an apparition which can only be seen by people endued with second sight (see ófreskir); ófreskja and skrímsl are used synonymously; eg heiti ekki náðugr herra, svaraði ófreskjan, en eg heiti skrímsl, … Já, svaraði skrímslið, góðgjarn er eg, en eg er ófreskja, … Til eru margar manneskjur sem eru meiri ófreskjur en þér, Kveldv. ii. 162 sqq. in the tale of the Beauty and the Beast.

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

Abbreviations used:

f.
feminine.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
mod.
modern.
v.
vide.

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