Her-fjöturr

Old Norse Dictionary - her-fjöturr

Meaning of Old Norse word "her-fjöturr" (or her-fjǫturr) in English.

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

her-fjöturr (her-fjǫturr): m. a mythical term, ‘war-fetter:’ a valiant man who in the stress of battle feels himself spell-bound, and unable to stir, was in old lore said to be caught in a ‘war-fetter;’ this was attributed to the weird sisters of battle (the Valkyrias), as is shewn by the fact that one of them was called Herfjöturr, Shackle, Edda (Gl.); they were the messengers of Odin, by whom the warriors were doomed to death (kjósa val); the passages referring to this lore are FmS. viii. 170, Sturl. ii. 233, Ísl. ii. 104 twice (Harð. S.):—a similar belief appears in the Greek, see Od. xxii. 297 sqq., Iliad xiii. 358–360, xxii. 5 sqq.

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

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

Abbreviations used:

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

S.: Saga.

Works & Authors cited:

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Harð. S.: Harðar Saga. (D. II.)

Od.: Odysseifs-kvæði, prose, 1829.

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

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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