Yrða

álfr

nafnorðkarlkyn
s, [ ælf, munt-ælfen, sæ-ælfen, wudu-ælfen, ; elf, elves, in Shakespeare ouphes are ‘fairies;’ alb and elfen, Erl- in Erlkönig (Göthe) is, according to Grimm, a corrupt form from the Danish Ellekonge Elver-konge]; in the west of also pronounced álbr:
I. mythically, an elf, fairy; the distinguishes between Ljósálfar, the elves of light, and Dökkálfar, of darkness (the last not elsewhere mentioned either in fairy tales or in old writers), 12; the Elves and Ases are fellow gods, and form a favourite alliteration in the old mythical poems, 53, 144, 161, 4, 2, 13, 7, 7, 17, 18. In the Alvismál Elves and Dwarfs are clearly distinguished as different. The abode of the elves in the is Álfheimar, fairy land, and their king the god Frey (the god of light), 12; see the poem 12, Álfheim Frey gáfu í árdaga tívar at tannfé. In the fairy tales the Elves haunt the hills, hence their name Huldufólk, hidden people: respecting their origin, life, and customs, v. i. I In old writers the Elves are rarely mentioned; but that the same tales were told as at present is clear;—Hallr mælti, hvi brosir þú nú? þórhallr svarar, af því brosir ek, at margr hóll opnast ok hvert kvikindi býr sinn bagga bæði smá ok stór, ok gera fardaga (a foreboding of the introduction of Christianity), ii. 197, landvættir; álfamenn, elves, i. 417, i. 313, 96; hóll einn er hér skamt í brott er álfar búa í, 216: álfrek, in the phrase, ganga álfreka, cacare, means dirt, excrements, driving the elves away through contamination, 12, 97, iv. 308, 4: álfröðull, elfin beam or light, a name of the sun; álfavakir, elf-holes, the small rotten holes in the ice in spring-time in which the elves go a fishing; the white stripes in the sea in calm weather are the wakes of elfin fishing boats, : álfabruni is an eruption in the face, ix. 186: mentions ‘alvgust, alveblaastr, alveld,’ the breath, fire of elves ( St. Vitus’ dance or St. Anthony’s fire); ‘alvskot,’ a sort of cancer in the bone:—græti álfa, elfin tears, I, is dubious; it may mean some flower with dew-drops glittering in the morning sun, vide glýstamr (glee-steaming). Jamieson speaks of an elf’s cup, but elf tears are not noticed elsewhere; 39. In Sweden, where the worship of Frey prevailed, sacrifices, álfa-blót, were made to the elves, stóð húsfreyja í dyrum ok bað hann (the guest) eigi þar innkoma, segir at þau ætti álfa blót, ii. 124 (referring to the year 1018), 22.
2. , as the elves had the power to bewitch men, a silly, vacant person is in called álfr; hence álfalegr, silly; álfaskapr and álfaháttr, silly behaviour.
II. in historical sense, the Norse district situated between the two great rivers Raumelfr and Gautelfr (Alhis Raumarum, et Gotharum) was in the mythical times called Álfheimar, and its inhabitants Álfar, i. 413, 384, 387, i. 23, vide also P. A. Munch, Beskrivelse over Norge, p. 7. For the compds v. above.
Skammstafanir og tilvitnanir
  • m.karlkyn (e. masculine)
  • A. S.Anglo-Saxon.
  • etc.et cetera.
  • Engl.English.
  • Germ.German.
  • qs.quasi.
  • Icel.Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
  • mod.modern.
  • e. g.exempli gratia.
  • sqq.following.
  • cp.compare.
  • ch.chapter.
  • poët.poetically.
  • medic.medicine, medically.
  • s. v.sub voce.
  • metaph.metaphorical, metaphorically.
  • EddaEdda. (C. I.)
  • Vsp.Völuspá. (A. I.)
  • Hm.Hává-mál. (A. I.)
  • Gm.Grímnis-mál. (A. I.)
  • Ls.Loka-senna. (A. I.)
  • Þkv.Þryms-kviða. (A. I.)
  • Skm.Skírnis-mál. (A. I.)
  • Sdm.Sigrdrífu-mál. (A. II.)
  • Ísl. Þjóðs.Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.
  • Fms.Fornmanna sögur. (E. I.)
  • Bs.Biskupa sögur. (D. III.)
  • Fas.Fornaldar sögur. (C. II.)
  • Km.Kráku-mál. (A. III.)
  • Eb.Eyrbyggja saga. (D. II.)
  • Landn.Landnáma. (D. I.)
  • Bárð.Bárðar saga. (D. V.)
  • Fél.Félags-rit.
  • Ivar AasenIvar Aasen’s Dictionary, 1850.
  • Hðm.Hamðis-mál. (A. II.)
  • Hkr.Heimskringla. (E. I.)
  • Korm.Kormaks saga. (D. II.)
  • Fb.Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)