Úlfr

Old Norse Dictionary - úlfr

Meaning of Old Norse word "úlfr"

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

Old Norse word úlfr can mean:úlfr

úlfr
m., úlf-gi, LS. 39; [Ulf. wulfs; A. S. and Hel. wulf; Engl.-Germ. wolf; North. E. Ulf-, in pr. names, Ulpha, Ulverston; Dan.-Swed. ulv; cp. Lat. lupus and vulpes; Gr. λύκος]:—a wolf, Grág. ii. 122; lýsa þar vígi, … kallask hvárki úlfr né björn nema svá heiti hann, n. G. l. i. 6l; úlfa þytr mér þótti íllr vera hjá söngvi svana, Edda (in a verse); úlfa hús, wolf-pits,l. 457: freq. in poets, where ‘to feed the wolf,’ ‘cheer the wolf’ are standing phrases, see Lex. Poët.: a warrior is hence called úlf-brynnandi, -gæðandi, -grennir, -nestir, -seðjandi, -teitir, i. e. the refresher, cheerer, … gladdener of the wolf; úlf-vín, wolf’s wine, i. e. blood, Lex. Poët.
úlfr
2. sayings, fæðisk úlfr í skógi, the wolf is born in the wood, Mkv.; etask af úlfs munni, and úlfar eta annars eyrindi, see eta (2. δ); eigi hygg ek okkr vera úlfa dæmi, at vér mynim sjálfir um sakask, Hðm. 30; fangs er ván at frekum úlfi, see fang (III. 4); auðþekktr er úlfr í röð; þar er mér úlfs ván er ek eyru sé’k, I know the wolf when I see the ears, Fm. 35, Finnb. 244; hafa úlf undir bægi, evidently from the fable of the wolf in sheep’s clothes; sem úlfr í sauða dyn, Sd. 164; ala e-m úlfa, to breed wolves to one, brood over evil; spyr ek þat frá, at Danir muni enn ala oss úlfa, FmS. viii. 303, Kormak; sýna úlfs ham, to appear to a person in a wolf’s skin, i. e. savagely; eigi heldr þykkisk eg honum eðr öðrum fátækum prestum þann úlfs ham sýnt hafa, at þeir megi eigi mér opinbera neyð sína, H. E. iii. 438 (in a letter of bishop Gudbrand); hafa úlfs hug við e-n, má vera at Guðrúnu þykki hann úlfs hug við okkr hafa, FaS. i. 211; skala úlf ala ungan lengi, Skv. 3. 12; annas barn er sem úlf at frjá, Mkv.; úlfr er í ungum syni, Sdm. 35: for legends of were-wolves cp. VölS. S. ch. 8.
úlfr
3. úlfa þytr, howling; þær báðu honum ílls á móti, var inn mesti úlfa þytr (wailing) til þeirra at heyra, Grett. 98; finnr Sigmundr menn ok lét úlfs röddu, FaS. i. 131; úlfum líkir þykkja allir þeir sem eiga hverfan hug, Sól. 31.
úlfr
II. in poets, wolves are the ‘steeds’ on which witches ride through the air during the night, Edda. At nightfall wizards were supposed to change their shape, hence the nickname kveld-úlfr, evening wolf, of a were-wolf; in Icel. the fretful mood caused by sleepiness in the evening is called kveld-úlfr; thus the ditty, Kveldúlfr er kominn hér | kunnigr innan gátta | sólin líðr sýnisk mér | senn er mál að hátta, Icel. Almanack 1870; or, Kveldúlfr er kominn í kerlinguna mína, the evening wolf has entered my child, a lullaby, Sveinb. Egilsson’s Poems, cp. en dag hvern er at kveldi kom, þá görðisk hann styggr, svá at fáir menn máttu orðum við hann koma; hann var kveld-svæfr, þat var mál manna at hann væri mjök hamramr, hann var kallaðr Kveldúlfr, Eg. ch. 1. In the mythology there is the wolf Fenrir, Edda; whence Úlfs-bági, the ‘Wolf’s foe’ = Odin, Stor.; Úlfs-faðir, the Wolf’s father = Loki, LS.: mock suns were imagined to be wolves persecuting the sun, Gm. 37; hence in popular Icel., úlfa-kreppa, u, f. ‘wolf-strait,’ when the sun is surrounded by four mock suns (sól í úlfa kreppu), Ísl. ÞjóðS. i. 658.
úlfr
III. freq. in pr. names, Úlfr, Úlfarr, Úlf-hamr, Úlf-héðinn, Úlf-ljótr, Úlf-kell; women, Úlf-hildr, Úlf-eiðr, Úlf-rún; esp. as the latter part in men’s names, being then sounded (and often spelt) -ólfr, Ás-ólfr, Auð-ólfr, Bót-ólfr, Brynj-ólfr, Björg-ólfr, Eyj-ólfr, Grím-ólfr, Ing-ólfr, Ís-ólfr, Herj-ólfr, Þór-ólfr, Þjóð-ólfr, Stein-ólfr, Rún-ólfr, Ljót-ólfr, Örn-ólfr, Móð-úlfr, etc.: contracted are, Snjólfr = Snæ-úlfr, Hrólfr = Hróð-úlfr, Sjólfr = Sæ-úlfr, Bjólfr = Bý-úlfr = A. S. Beowulf (Bee-wolf, i. e. honey-thief, a name of the bear, from popular tales, in which the bear, being fond of honey, is made to rob hives; the name has of late been thus explained by Mr. Sweet).

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
cp.
compare.
Dan.
Danish.
Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
freq.
frequent, frequently.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Gr.
Greek.
Hel.
Heliand.
i. e.
id est.
l.
line.
L.
Linnæus.
Lat.
Latin.
m.
masculine.
n.
neuter.
North. E.
Northern English.
pr.
proper, properly.
S.
Saga.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
ch.
chapter.
v.
vide.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
esp.
especially.
etc.
et cetera.

Works & Authors cited:

Edda
Edda. (C. I.)
Grág.
Grágás. (B. I.)
Gþl.
Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)
Lex. Poët.
Lexicon Poëticum by Sveinbjörn Egilsson, 1860.
Ls.
Loka-senna. (A. I.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Fas.
Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)
Finnb.
Finnboga Saga. (D. V.)
Fm.
Fafnis-mál. (A. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Hðm.
Hamðis-mál. (A. II.)
H. E.
Historia Ecclesiastica Islandiae. (J. I.)
Mkv.
Málshátta-kvæði. (A. III.)
Sd.
Svarfdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Sdm.
Sigrdrífu-mál. (A. II.)
Skv.
Sigurðar-kviða. (A. II.)
Völs. S.
Völsunga Saga. (C. II.)
Grett.
Grettis Saga. (D. II.)
Sól.
Sólarljóð. (A. III.)
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Gm.
Grímnis-mál. (A. I.)
Ísl. Þjóðs.
Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.
Stor.
Sona-torrek. (A. III.)
➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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