Hefja

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

hefja Old Norse word can mean:

hefja

pret. hóf, pl. hófu; part. hafinn, but also hafiðr (weak); pres. indic. hef; pret. subj. hæfi, with neg. suff. hóf-at, Korm.; [Ulf. hafjan; A. S. hebban; Engl. heave, pret. hove; O. H. G. hafan; Germ. heben; Dan. hæve; Swed. häfva; cp. Lat. capere, in-cipere.]

hefja

A. To heave, lift, raise; hefja stein, to lift a stone, Eg. 142; ok munu nú ekki meira hefja fjórir menn, 140; (hón) hóf hann at lopti, hove him aloft, Ýt. 9; hefja e-n til himins, Edda 61 (in a verse); hóf hann sér af herðum hver, Hym. 36; þá er hefja af hvera (mod. taka ofan pott, to take the pot off), Gm. 42; hóf sér á höfuð upp hver Sifjar verr, Hým. 34; hón hófat augu af mér, she took not her eyes off me, Korm. 16; hann hóf upp augu sín, he lifted up his eyes, 623. 20; hefja sik á lopt, to make a leap, Nj. 144.

hefja

2. phrases, hefja handa, to lift the hands (for defence), Nj. 65, Ld. 262; h. höfuðs, to lift the head, stand upright, be undaunted; sá er nú hefir eigi höfuðs, Nj. 213: h. sinn munn í sundr, to open one’s mouth, Sturl. iii. 189: hefja graut, skyr, etc., to lift the porridge, curds, etc., eat food with a spoon, FmS. vi. 364; Rindill hóf (Ed. hafði wrongly) skyr ok mataðisk skjótt, Lv. 63.

hefja

3. hefja út, to lift out a body, carry it from the house (út-hafning), Eg. 24; er mik út hefja, Am. 100; var konungr hafiðr dauðr ór hvílunni, Hkr. iii. 146. The ceremony of carrying the corpse out of the house is in Icel. still performed with solemnity, and followed by hymns, usually verses 9 sqq. of the 25th hymn of the Passíu-Sálmar; it is regarded as a farewell to the home in which a person has lived and worked; and is a custom lost in the remotest heathen age; cp. the Scot. to lift.

hefja

β. hefja (barn) ór heiðnum dómi, to lift (a bairn) out of heathendom, is an old eccl. term for to be sponsor (mod. halda undir skírn), Sighvat (in a verse); n. G. l. i. 350 records three kinds of sponsorship—halda barni undir primsignan, önnur at hefja barn ór heiðnum dómi, þriðja at halda á barni er biskup fermir: to baptize, skal þat barn til kirkju færa ok hefja ór heiðnum dómi, 12; barn hvert er borit verðr eptir nótt ina helgu, þá skal haft vera (baptized) at Páskum, id.

hefja

4. to exalt, Ad. 20, cp. with Yngl. S. ch. 10; hóf hann Jóseph til sæmðar, SkS. 454; hafðr til ríkis, 458; upp hafðr, 451; önd hennar var upp höfð yfir öll engla fylki, Hom. 129; hann mektaðisk mjök ok hóf sik of hátt af þeim auðæfum, Stj. 154; at hann hæfi upp (exaltaret) Guðs orð með tungunni, Skálda 208; konungr hóf hann til mestu metorða, 625. 31: er hans ríki hóf, 28.

hefja

II. imperS.,

hefja

1. to be heaved, hurled, drifted, by storm, tide, or the like; þá hóf upp knörr (acc.) undir Eyjafjöllum, a ship was upheaved by the gale, BS. i. 30; hóf öll skipin (acc. the ship drifted) saman inn at landinu, Hkr. i. 206; þetta hóf (drifted) fyrir straumi, iii. 94; þeir létu hefja ofan skipin forstreymis, let the ship drift before the stream, FmS. vii. 253; Birkibeina hefr undan, the B. went back, ix. 528.

hefja

2. medic., en er af henni hóf öngvit (acc. when she awoke, of one in a swoon), Bjarn. 68; þá hóf af mér vámur allar (acc. all ailments left me), svá at ek kenni mér nú hvergi íllt, Sturl. ii. 54; ek sé at þú ert fölr mjök, ok má vera, at af þér hafi, I see thou art very pale, but may be it will pass off, Finnb. 236; hóf honum heldr upp brún (acc. his face brightened), Eg. 55.

hefja

III. reflex. to raise oneself, to rise; hefjask til ófriðar, to raise war, rebel, Eg. 264.

hefja

β. to be raised; hefjask til ríkis, to be raised to the throne, FmS. i. 99; hefjask hátt, to be exalted, FS. 13; hann hafði hafisk af sjálfum sér, he had risen by himself, Eg. 23; féll Hákon en hófsk upp Magnúss konungr, Sturl. i. 114; Þórðr hófsk (rose) af þessu, Landn. 305, Hom. 152.

hefja

2. phrases, hefjask við, to lay to, a naut. term; lét þá jarl hefjask við ok beið svá sinna manna, FmS. viii. 82; hefjask undan, to retire, draw back, Sd. 144: in the phrase, hefjask af höndum e-m, to leave one; hefsk nú aldregi af höndum þeim, give them no rest, FmS. xi. 59.

hefja

3. part., réttnefjaðr ok hafit upp í framanvert, Nj. 29.

hefja

B. Metaph. to raise, begin, Lat. incipere:

hefja

1. to raise; hefja flokk, to raise a party, a rebellion, FmS. viii. 273; h. rannsókn, to raise an enquiry, Grág. ii. 193; h. ákall, to raise a claim, Eg. 39; h. brigð, to make a reclamation, Gþl. 295.

hefja

2. to begin; hefja teiti, FmS. vii. 119; h. gildi, Sturl. i. 20; h. Jóla-hald, to begin (keep) Yule, FmS. i. 31; h. boðskap, ii. 44: of a book, þar hefjum vér sögu af hinum helga Jóni biskupi, BS. i. 151; h. mál, to begin one’s speech, Ld. 2; h. ferð, to start, Fb. ii. 38; h. orrustu.

hefja

β. with prep. upp, (hence upp-haf, beginning); hóf Helgi upp mál sitt, Boll. 350; Egill hóf upp kvæðit, E. began his poem, 427; hann heyrði messu upp hafna, FmS. v. 225; hefja upp sálm, to begin a hymn, 623. 35; Flosi hóf upp suðrgöngu sína, F. started on his pilgrimage, Nj. 281; h. upp göngu sína, to start, Rb. 116.

hefja

γ. hefja á rás, to take to one’s feet; síðan hefr hann á rás ok rann til bæjarins, Eg. 237; hinir Gautsku höfðu (thus weak vide hafa C. 2) á rás undan, FmS. iv. 120.

hefja

δ. absol., hann hóf svá, he began thus, FmS. i. 33; þar hef ek upp, vii. 146; þar skal hefja upp við arftöku-mann, start from the a., Grág. i. 62.

hefja

II. imperS. to begin; hér hefr Þingfara-bólk (acc.), Gþl. 5; hér hefr upp Kristindóms-bólk, 39, 75, 378; hér hefr Landnáma-bók, Landn. 24; hér hefr upp landnám í Vestfirðinga fjórðungi, 64, 168 (v. l.), 237 (v. l.); hér hefr Kristni-Sögu, BS. i. 3; nú hefr þat hversu Kristni kom á Ísland, id.; hér hefr sögu af Hrafni á Hrafnsevri, 639; hér hefr upp ok segir frá þeim tíðindum, er …, FmS. viii. 5; áðr en hefi sjálfa bókina, Gþl.; hér hefr sögu Gísla Súrs-sonar, Gísl. (begin.), v. l.: with upp, ok upp hefr Skáldskapar-mál ok Kenningar, Edda (Arna-Magn.) ii. 427; hér hefr upp Konunga-bók og hefr fyrst um þriðjunga-skipti heimsins, Hkr. Cod. FriS. 3; hann kom til Túnsbergs er upp hóf Adventus Domini, FmS. ix. 338.

hefja

III. reflex. to begin; þar hefsk saga Harðar, Landn. 62; hvaðan hefir hafizk sú íþrótt, whence originates that art? Edda 47; hér hefjask upp landnám, Landn. 275; hófsk ríki Haralds konungs, king H.’s reign began, Ld. 2; áðr Rómverja-ríki hófsk, Rb. 402; hófusk (höfðusk, Ed. wrongly) þá enn orrostur af nýju, FmS. xi. 184; hvernig hafizk hefir þessi úhæfa, Al. 125; nú hefsk önnur tungl-öldin, Rb. 34; þá hefsk vetr, 70–78, 436.

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

Also available in related dictionaries:

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

• Old Icelandic - Geir Zoëga's Dictionary
• Old Norwegian - Johan Fritzner's Dictionary