Bjarga

Old Norse Dictionary - bjarga

Meaning of Old Norse word "bjarga" in English.

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

bjarga Old Norse word can mean:

bjarga: barg, burgu, borgit; pres. bergr, pl. björgum; imperat. bjarg; pret. subj. byrga: in mod. use after the Reformation this verb is constantly used weak, bjarga, að, pres. bjargar, pret. bjargat; the only remnant of the old is the sup. borgit, etc. In Norway this weak form occurs very early, e. g. bjargar, servat, Hom. 17; in Icel. the weak seldom occurs before the 15th century; bjargaðist, FS. 143, and bjargat (sup.) = borgit, Lv. 11, are probably due to these passages being left in paper MSS.; the weak bjargaði, however, occurs in a vellum MS. of the 15th century, Þorf. Karl. 388; 1st pers. pres. bjarga, FmS. xi. 150 (MS. 13th century) seems to be a Norse idiom, [Goth. bairgan; Hel. bergan; A. S. beargan; cp. birgr]:—to save, help; with dat., bergr hverjum sem eigi er feigr (a proverb), Sturl. iii. 220; sá er öldum bergr, who saves mankind, viz. against the giants, i. e. Thor, Hým. 22; nema Þorgeirr byrgi honum, Rd. 295: absol., Guð barg (by God’s grace) er konungrinn varð eigi sárr, FmS. v. 268: in theol. sense, vildu þeir eigi snúast til mín at ek byrga þeim, 656 C. 23, Hom. l. c.: impers., e-m er borgit, is saved, comes safe and sound out of danger, Fær. 178, Hkv. Hjörv. 29.

bjarga: 2. a law term; b. sök, máli, to find a point of defence; hann bergr þeim kosti sökinni, at …, Grág. i. 40; bergsk hann við bjargkviðinn, he is free by virtue of the verdict, 36; borgit mun nú verða at lögum, i. e. there will be some means of putting it right, Lv. 11, Nj. 36.

bjarga: 3. special phrases; b. skipshöfn, to pick up the shipwrecked, Þorf. Karl. l. c., FmS. xi. 412; skipi, to haul a ship out of the reach of tides and waves, Grág. ii. 385; hval, to drag a dead whale ashore, Gþl. 461: to help labouring women (v. bjargrúnar), Sdm. 9; b. nám (v. nábjargir), to render the last service to a dead body, 33; b. kúm, to attend cows casting calf, Bjarn. 32; b. búfé, to milk ewes, n. G. l. i. 10; b. brókum, cacare, FmS. xi. 150.

bjarga: II. recipr. of mutual help; bjargast at allir saman, to be saved all in common, Hkr. ii. 347.

bjarga: III. reflex., bjargask vel, to behave well, keep the heart up, esp. in cold or hunger; Oddr bargst vel á fjallinu (in snow storm), Sturl. iii. 215, Orkn. 324, of one shipwrecked; b. úti, of cattle, to graze, n. G. l. i. 25; b. sjálfr, to gain one’s bread, Grág. i. 294; b. á sínar hendr (spýtur), to support oneself with one’s own hands, FmS. ii. 159: of food or drink, cp. bergja; Snorri goði fann, at nafni hans bargst lítt við ostinn, that he got on slowly eating the cheese, Eb. 244; hann spurði, hví hann byrgist svá lítt (v. l. mataðist svá seint), … why he ate so slowly, id.; verði þér nú at bjargast við slíkt sem til er, you must put up with what you can get, Germ. für lieb nehmen, Eg. 204; hon bað fyrir þær matar ok burgust þær við þat, Clem. 26; hon bjargaðist (= bargst) lítt við þá fæðu er til var, she could hardly eat the food they had (v. l. hjúkaðist), FS. 174. Part. borginn, used as adj. and even in compar.; impers., erat héra (héri = hegri = duck) at borgnara þótt hæna beri skjöld, the drake is none the better off though a hen shield him, metaph. of a craven, FS. 174, FmS. vii. 116: [Early Engl. to borrow = to save, ‘who borrowed Susanna out of wo,’ Sir Guy of Warwick.]

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

Abbreviations used:

absol.: absolute, absolutely.

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

cp.: compare.

dat.: dative.

e. g.: exempli gratia.

etc.: et cetera.

f.: feminine.

Goth.: Gothic.

Hel.: Heliand.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

i. e.: id est.

imperat.: imperative.

impers.: impersonal.

l.: line.

l. c.: loco citato.

m.: masculine.

mod.: modern.

pers.: person.

pl.: plural.

pres.: present.

pret.: preterite.

S.: Saga.

subj.: subjunctive.

sup.: supine.

s. v.: sub voce.

theol.: theological, theologically.

v.: vide.

viz.: namely.

L.: Linnæus.

n.: neuter.

pr.: proper, properly.

recipr.: reciprocally.

adj.: adjective.

compar.: comparative.

Engl.: English.

esp.: especially.

Germ.: German.

gl.: glossary.

id.: idem, referring to the passage quoted or to the translation

metaph.: metaphorical, metaphorically.

reflex.: retlexive.

v. l.: varia lectio.

Works & Authors cited:

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Fær.: Færeyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Hkv.: Helga-kviða Hundingsbana. (A. II.)

Hkv. Hjörv.: Helga-kviða Hjörvarðssonar. (A. II.)

Hom.: Homiliu-bók. (F. II.)

Hým.: Hýmis-kviða. (A. I.)

Karl.: Karla-magnús Saga. (G. I.)

Lv.: Ljósvetninga Saga. (D. II.)

Rd.: Reykdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Sturl.: Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)

Þorf. Karl.: Þorfinns Saga Karlsefnis. (D. II.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

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

Gþl.: Gulaþings-lög. (B. II.)

N. G. L.: Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)

Sdm.: Sigrdrífu-mál. (A. II.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

Clem.: Clements Saga. (F. III.)

Eb.: Eyrbyggja Saga. (D. II.)

Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)

Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. 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.