Á-lag

Old Norse Dictionary - á-lag

Meaning of Old Norse word "á-lag" in English.

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

á-lag Old Norse word can mean:

á-lag: n. and álaga, u, f. [leggja á]; in some cases, esp. dat. pl., it is often difficult to decide to which of these two forms a case may belong; they are therefore best taken together. In the neut. pl. the notion of spell, in the fem. pl. that of tax, burden, hardship prevailS. In sing. both of them are very much alike in sense.

á-lag: I. fem. pl. a tax, burden, burdensome impost; sagði at bændr vildi eigi hafa frekari álög (álögur?) af konungi en forn lög stæði til, FmS. xi. 224; undan þessum hans álögum … liggja undir slíkum álögum, tyranny, yoke, Bárð. ch. 2; gangit til ok hyggit at landsmenn, at ganga undir skattgjafar Ólafs konungs ok allar álögur, burdens, taxes, FmS. iv. 282, in the famous speech of Einar þveræing, (Ó. H. ch. 134; bað jarl vægja möunum um álögur, FmS. iv. 216; jarl hélt með freku öllum álögum, Orkn. 40; hvárt mun konungr sá ekki kunna hóf um álögur ok harðleiki við menn, FmS. vi. 37; þórstcinn kvað ekki um at leita, at Þórðr kæmist undan neinum álögum, burdens, oppressive conditions, Bjarn. 72.

á-lag: 2. a law term, an additional fine; með álögum ok leigum, duties and rents, Grág. i. 260; binda álogum, to charge, 384; hálfa fimtu mörk álaga, a fine of three marks, 391.

á-lag: 3. metaph. in plur. and in the phrase, í álögum, in straits, at a pinch, if needful, Vm. 18; vitr maðr ok ágætr í öllum álögum, a wise and good man in all difficulties, FS. 120.

á-lag: 4. a metric. term, addition, supplement; þat er annat leyfi háttanna at hafa í dróttkvæðum hætti eitt orð eða tvau með álögum, cp. álagsháttr below, Edda 124.

á-lag: 5. theol. a visitation, scourge, Stj. 106, 647. 2 Kings xxi. 13 (answering to plummet in the Engl. transl.); sing. in both instanceS.

á-lag: II. neut. pl. álög, spells, imprecations. In the fairy tales of Icel. ‘vera í álögum’ is a standing phrase for being spell-bound, esp. for being transformed into the shape of animals, or even of lifeless objects; leggja a., to bind by spells, cp. Ísl. ÞjóðS. by Jón Árnason; var því líkast sem í fornum sögum er sagt, þá er konunga börn urðu fyrir stjúpmæðra álögum (v. l. sköpum), FmS. viii. 18 (Fb. ii. 539): hóri lýstr til hans með úlfs hanzka ok segir at hann skyldi verða at einuni híðbirni, ok aldri skáltn or þessuni álögum fara, FaS. (VölS. S.) i. 50, 404: sing. (very rare), þat er álag mitt, at þat skip skal aldri heilt af hafi koma er hér liggr út, Landn. 250. At present always in pl., cp. forlög, örlög, ólög.

á-lag: COMPDS: álagsbœtr, álagsháttr, álögulaust.

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

Abbreviations used:

dat.: dative.

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

fem.: feminine.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

neut.: neuter.

pl.: plural.

sing.: singular.

ch.: chapter.

v.: vide.

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

plur.: plural.

cp.: compare.

metric.: metrically.

Engl.: English.

gl.: glossary.

theol.: theological, theologically.

transl.: translation.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

S.: Saga.

v. l.: varia lectio.

Works & Authors cited:

Bárð.: Bárðar Saga. (D. V.)

Bjarn.: Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Ísl. Þjóðs.: Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Völs. S.: Völsunga Saga. (C. II.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

Also available in related dictionaries:

This headword also appears in dictionaries of other languages descending from Old Norse.