Gjöf

Old Norse Dictionary - gjöf

Meaning of Old Norse word "gjöf" (or gjǫf) in English.

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

gjöf Old Norse word can mean:

gjöf (gjǫf)
f., gen. gjafar, pl. gjafar, later gjafir; dat. gjöfum: [Ulf. giba; A. S. gifu, geofu; Engl. gift; Germ. gabe, whence mod. Swed. gåfua, Dan. gave, and Icel. gáfa]:—a gift, Nj. 7, 163, Eg. 33, FmS. i. 296, iv. 105, x. 47, BS. i. 76, 143, n. G. l. i. 8, passim: in mod. usage Icel. distinguish between gjöf and gáfa, using the latter of the gifts of nature, gifts of mind, cleverness, but gjöf in a material sense. The ancients were fond of exchanging gifts, which were either a part of hospitality or tokens of friendship; the former were munificent, the latter might be small, Hm. 51: at a feast (wedding, funeral, or the like) the host used to make gifts to all his more honoured guests at departure; the technical phrase for this was, leysa menn út með gjöfum, to dismiss with gifts; vóru allir menn með gjöfum brott leystir; hence útlausnir, departure from a feast, Sturl. iii. 268: a departing friend or visitor had to be dismissed with a gift (kynnis-gjöf, FmS. vi. 358). The gifts consisted chiefly of weapons and costly clothes; but favourite gifts were a steed (Bjarn. 55, 58) or oxen of a fine breed (Sturl. i. 106), hawks, tents, sails, white bears (Ó. H. ch. 114, FmS. vi. ch. 72–75, 100, Hung. ch. 2), in short anything that was rare and costly, görsimi, metfé. Again, friends had to exchange gifts, so as to cement their friendship, cp. Hávamál passim,—vápnum ok váðum skulu vinir gleðjask; gefendr ok endrgefendr erusk lengst vinir, 40; gjalda gjöf við gjöf, 41; geði skaltú við hann (viz. the friend) blanda ok gjöfum skipta, 43; glík skulu gjöld gjöfum, 45; sýtir æ glöggr við gjöfum, 47. Gifts were obligatory, and were a token of grace and goodwill on the part of giver and receiver. A gift when received was called the ‘nautr’ of the giver, e. g. a ring or sword presented by a king was konungs-nautr. The instances in the Sagas are very many, e. g. Eg. ch. 36, 81, Ld. ch. 7, 27, 43, 45, Sturl. passim, Glúm. ch. 6, 25, Vápn. p. 19, Hrafn. 23, Lv. ch. 14, 15, Ó. H. ch. 114, Har. S. Gilla ch. 16, Hung. ch. 13, 17, PálS. S. ch. 16, and last, not least, the curious Gautr. S.; the remark of Tacit. Germ. ch. 21, gaudent muneribus, sed nec data imputant nec acceptis obligantur, is only partly true; ást-gjafar, love-gifts; vin-gjafar, friend-gifts, cp. Gr. ξένια, Ó. H. 125; hefndar-gjöf, a fatal gift; Jóla-gjöf, a Yule present, Eg. ch. 70; sumar-gjafir, summer-gifts, on the day when summer beginS.
gjöf (gjǫf)
COMPDS: gjafalaust, gjafaleysi, gjafaskipti.

Orthography: The Cleasby & Vigfusson book used letter ö to represent the original Old Norse vowel ǫ. Therefore, gjöf may be more accurately written as gjǫf.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.
Anglo-Saxon.
ch.
chapter.
cp.
compare.
Dan.
Danish.
dat.
dative.
e. g.
exempli gratia.
Engl.
English.
f.
feminine.
gen.
genitive.
Germ.
German.
gl.
glossary.
Gr.
Greek.
Icel.
Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.
l.
line.
L.
Linnæus.
m.
masculine.
mod.
modern.
n.
neuter.
pl.
plural.
S.
Saga.
Swed.
Swedish.
Ulf.
Ulfilas.
v.
vide.
viz.
namely.

Works & Authors cited:

Bjarn.
Bjarnar Saga. (D. II.)
Bs.
Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)
Eg.
Egils Saga. (D. II.)
Fms.
Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)
Gautr.
Gautreks Saga. (C. II.)
Glúm.
Víga-Glúms Saga. (D. II.)
Hm.
Hává-mál. (A. I.)
Hrafn.
Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)
Hung.
Hungr-vaka. (D. III)
Ld.
Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)
Lv.
Ljósvetninga Saga. (D. II.)
N. G. L.
Norges Gamle Love. (B. II.)
Nj.
Njála. (D. II.)
Ó. H.
Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)
Sturl.
Sturlunga Saga. (D. I.)
Vápn.
Vápnfirðinga Saga. (D. 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.

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