n. [for the root vide fá]

I. a catching, fetching:

1. catching fish, fishing, Eb. 26, Ám. 32; halda til fangs, to go a-fishing, Ld. 38: a take of fish, stores of fish, hann bað þá láta laust fangit allt, þat er þeir höfðu fangit, Fms. iv. 331; af öllu því fangi er þeir hljóta af dauðum hvölum, Ám. 36; f. þat er þeir áttu báðir, cp. veiði-fang, her-fang, prey.

2. in plur.,

α. baggage, luggage, Nj. 112; föng ok fargögn, luggage and carriage, 266; ok er þeir höfðu upp borit föngin, carriage, Orkn. 324: stores, forn korn ok önnur föng, Fms. iv. 254.

β. provisions, esp. at a feast; öll vóru föng hin beztu, Fms. iv. 102; kostnaðar-mikit ok þurfti föng mikil, Eg. 39; Þórólfr sópask mjök um föng, 42; veizla var hin prúðlegsta ok öll föng hin beztu, 44; hann leitaði alls-konar fanga til bús síns, 68, Fs. 19, 218; hence, borð með hinum beztum föngum, board with good cheer, Fms. i. 66; búa ferð hennar sæmiliga með hinum beztum föngum, x. 102.

γ. metaph. means, opportunity; því at eins at engi sé önnur föng, Fms. iv. 176; meðan svá góð föng eru á sem nú, 209; hafa föng á e-u, or til e-s, to be enabled to do a thing, viii. 143, x. 388, Eb. 114, Gullþ. 30, Eg. 81, Ld. 150, Odd. 18; urðu þá engi föng önnur, there was no help (issue) for it (but that …), Fms. vii. 311; af (eptir) föngum, to the best of one’s power, x. 355; af beztu föngum býr hón rúmið, Bb. 3. 24; at-föng, q. v.; bú-föng (bú-fang), q. v.; öl-föng, vín-föng, store of ale, wine.

3. the phrase, fá konu fangi, to wed a woman, N. G. L. i. 350: fangs-tíð, n. wedding season, 343; hence kván-fang, ver-fang, marriage.

II. an embryo, fetus, in sheep or kine; ef graðungr eltir fang ór kú, Jb. 303: the phrase, láta fangi, to ‘go back,’ of a cow.

β. a metric. fault, opp. to fall, Fb. iii. 426 (in a verse).

III. that with which one clasps or embraces, the breast and arms; kom spjótið í fang honum, the spear pierced his breast, Gullþ. 23, Fms. ii. 111; reka í fang e-m, to throw in one’s face, Nj. 176; hafa e-t í fangi sér, to hold in one’s arms, Bdl. 344; hné hón aptr í f. honum, Ísl. ii. 275; taka sér í fang, to take into one’s arms, Mark x. 16; cp. hals-fang, embraces.

2. an apron, Edda (Gl.)

3. færask e-t í fang, to have in one’s grip, metaph. to undertake a thing, Fms. vii. 136; færask e-t ór fangi, to throw off, refuse, Sturl. iii. 254: the phrase, hafa fullt í fangi, to have one’s hands full.

4. wrestling, grappling with, Ísl. ii. 445, 446, 457; taka fang við e-n, Edda 33; ganga til fangs, Gþl. 163: the saying, fangs er ván at frekum úlfi, there will be a grapple with a greedy wolf, Eb. 250, Ld. 66, Fms. v. 294, Skv. 2. 13.

β. the phrases, ganga á fang við e-n, to grapple with one, provoke one, Ld. 206; ganga í fang e-m, id., Band. 31; slíka menn sem hann hefir í fangi, such men as he has to grapple with, Háv. 36; fá fang á e-m, or fá fang af e-m, to get hold of one; fékk engi þeirra fang á mér, Nj. 185, Fms. x. 159; sá þeir, at þeir fengu ekki f. af Erlingi, they saw that they could not catch E., vii. 300, xi. 96.

5. an armful; skíða-fang, viðar-fang, an armful of fuel: Icel. call small hay-cocks fang or föng, hence fanga hey upp, to put the hay into cocks: fanga-hnappr, m. a bundle of hay, armful.

IV. in the compds vet-fangr, hjör-fangr, etc. the f is = v, qs. vet-vangr, hjör-vangr, vide vangr.

COMPDS: fangabrekka, fangafátt, fangahella, fangakviðr, fangalauss, fangaleysi, fangalítill, fangamark, fangaráð, fangastakkr, fangaváttr.