Sif
Old Norse Dictionary - sif
Meaning of Old Norse word "sif"
As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:
Old Norse word sif can mean:sif
- sif
- f., pl. sifjar; [Ulf. sibja. Gal. iv. S. Rom. ix. 4; A. S. and Scot. sib; Engl. gos-sip = god-sib; Hel. sibbia; O. H. G. sibba; Germ. sippe]:—affinity.
- sif
- 2. in sing. the word is only used as a pr. name ot the goddess Sif, gen. sifjar (dat. sifju, Edda i. 340). Sif, the golden-haired goddess, wife of Thor, betokens mother earth with her golden sheaves of grain; she was the goddess of the sanctity of the family and wedlock, whence her name, see Edda and the old poems passim.
- sif
- 3. plur. ‘sib’, affinity, connection, by marriage; the word is used in ancient poems and in the law, and in compds; byggja sifjar, to marry; jafnnáit skal byggja sifjar ok frændsemi, Grág. i. 308; eigi skulu vera skyldri sifjar með þeim enn fimmta manni, i. e. no marriage nearer than the fifth degree, 310; sifjar (affinity) is opp. to frændsemi (blood relationship), flest stórmenni var bundit í frændsemi eða sifjum við hann, FmS. vii. 299, v. l.; spilla sifjum, to commit adultery; munu systrungar sifjum spilla, cousins will ‘spoil the sib,’ referring to adulterous intercourse with near relations in law, Vsp.; slíta sifjum = spilla sifjum, Merl. 154: again, þyrma sifjum, to hold the sifjar holy, Skv. 3. 28: hence sifja-slit and sifja-spell, n. pl. violation of the law of affinity, adultery; frændsemis-spell ok sifja-spell, Grág. i. 341, SkS. 338 B; þat eru sifjaslit en meiri, er maðr liggr með systrungum tveim, Grág. i. 358; í manndrápum ok í sifjasliti, Edda. The word sifjar also remains in bú-sifjar (q. v.), Landn. 147, Eg. 750, FS. 31; guð-sifjar (q. v.), as also guð-sefi, guð-sifja (q. v.), a gossip, sponsor: in karl-sift, kvenn-sift, q. v.; cp. also barna sifjar, the bond or unity arising from having had children together, or = adoption (?), cp. Ulf. suniwe-sibja = υἱοθεσία, Gal. iv. 5, LS. 16: lastly, the phrase, blanda sifjum, to blend sifjar together, to blend souls together (?), Hm. 125 (akin to sefi, q. v.)
Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛋᛁᚠ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements
Abbreviations used:
- A. S.
- Anglo-Saxon.
- Engl.
- English.
- f.
- feminine.
- Germ.
- German.
- gl.
- glossary.
- Hel.
- Heliand.
- l.
- line.
- m.
- masculine.
- O. H. G.
- Old High German.
- pl.
- plural.
- S.
- Saga.
- Scot.
- Scottish.
- Ulf.
- Ulfilas.
- v.
- vide.
- dat.
- dative.
- gen.
- genitive.
- n.
- neuter.
- pr.
- proper, properly.
- sing.
- singular.
- cp.
- compare.
- i. e.
- id est.
- opp.
- opposed.
- plur.
- plural.
- q. v.
- quod vide.
- v. l.
- varia lectio.
Works & Authors cited:
- Edda
- Edda. (C. I.)
- Eg.
- Egils Saga. (D. II.)
- Fms.
- Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
- Fs.
- Forn-sögur. (D. II.)
- Grág.
- Grágás. (B. I.)
- Hm.
- Hává-mál. (A. I.)
- Landn.
- Landnáma. (D. I.)
- Ls.
- Loka-senna. (A. I.)
- Merl.
- Merlinus Spa. (A. III.)
- Sks.
- Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)
- Skv.
- Sigurðar-kviða. (A. II.)
- Vsp.
- Völuspá. (A. I.)