Sónar-göltr

Meaning of Old Norse word "sónar-göltr" (or sónar-gǫltr)

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

sónar-göltr (sónar-gǫltr)

m. the ‘atonement-boar,’ consecrated to the sun-god Frey. The ancient sacrifice of atonement (sónar-blót) was thus performed:—the largest boar that could be found in the kingdom was on Yule-eve led before the king and his men assembled in the hall; the king and his men then laid their hands on the boar’s bristly mane and made a solemn vow, strengja heit at Braga-falli. The animal being sacrificed, divination took place, probably by chips shaken in the boar’s blood; for descriptions see Herv. S. ch. 10 (FaS. i. 531, 532), Hkv. Hjörv. (the prose), Yngl. S. ch. 21 (ganga til sónar-blóts til fréttar). The boar’s head at Yule-tide in Queen’s College, Oxlord, is probably a relic of this ancient heathen sacrificial rite.

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

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