Hraun

Old Norse Dictionary - hraun

Meaning of Old Norse word "hraun" in English.

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

hraun Old Norse word can mean:

hraun: n. [akin to hruni, hrjóna, and hrynja (q. v.), and thus from a lost strong verb jó, au, u; hrjúfr, hrúðr, hreysi, hrjóstr (q. v.) seem all to be akin]:—prop. a rough place, a wilderness, and is used so esp. by Norse writers and in the oldest poems: in Norse local names, Raunen, bare rocks in the sea, as opp. to hólmr, a grassy islet, Fritzner s. v.: a giant is in poetry called hraun-búi, -drengr, -hvalr, -skjöldungr, = the dweller, hero, whale, king of the wilderness, Hým., Hkv. Hjörv., Haustl., FaS. ii. 306.

hraun: B. In volcanic Iceland the word came to mean a lava field when cold, a burnt place (not the fresh glowing lava), freq. in the Sagas as well as in mod. usage, Bjarn. 36, 52, Nj. 248, Grág. ii. 282, Landn. 280, Hrafn. 26, Eb. 132–138, BS. i. 540; um hvat reiddusk goðin, er hér brann hraunit er nú stöndum vér á (BS. i. 22), the famous words of Snorri in the parliament of A. D. 1000; the place of the alþingi being a burnt out lava field.

hraun: II. in Icel. local names freq., Hraun, Hraun-dalr, -fjörðr, -gerði, -holt, -höfn, etc., Landn.: esp. in relation to fields of lava, Borgar-hraun, id.; Berserkja-hraun, Eb.; Beruvíkr-hraun, Bjarn.; Staðar-hraun in Mýra-sýsla; Garða-hraun near Reykjavík, etc.: Ódáða-hraun, the wilderness in the inner part of Icel. (see Ísl. ÞjóðS.), which was supposed to be peopled by miscreants and outlawS.

hraun: COMPDS: Hraundælir, Hraunfirðingr, Hraungerðingr, Hraunsverjar.

hraun: 2. as appell., hraun-gata, u, f. a path through a hraun, Bjarn. 36, Pr. 411. hraun-gjóta, u, f. a lava pit or hole. hraun-grýti, n. lava rocks. hraun-klettr, m. a lava crag, SkS. 127. hraun-skeggi, a, m. a hraun dweller, FS. 155; cp. eyjarskeggi.

hraun: ☞ The whole of Icel. may be said to be a burnt out lava field, from eruptions previous to the peopling of the country. The following eruptions which have happened since the settlement, beside those of Hekla (q. v.), are mentioned in writers previous to A. D. 1430:—an eruption in Borgar-hraun in Mýra-sýsla about the beginning of the 10th century, Landn. 2. ch. 5; in Ölfus A. D. 1000, Kristni S. ch. 11; in the sea about Reykjanes A. D. 1211, 1226, 1238, 1240, 1422, Ann. S.a.: but esp. in the southern glaciers in Trölla-dingjur A. D. 1151, 1188; in Sólheima-jökull A. D. 1245, 1262; in Síða A. D. 1332; in Hnappafells-jökull A. D. 1332, 1350; in Herðubreið etc. A. D. 1340; in three places in Skaptafells-sýsla A. D. 1362,—the great eruption which destroyed the church in Rauðilækr; in Höfðár-jökull A. D. 1416, see Ísl. Ann. In later centuries the greatest eruptions are those of the Kötlu-gjá in 1755, and esp. the terrible eruption of Skaptár-jökull on the 20th of June, 1783. In this century that of Eyjafjalla-jökull, 1821.

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

Abbreviations used:

esp.: especially.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

opp.: opposed.

prop.: proper, properly.

q. v.: quod vide.

s. v.: sub voce.

v.: vide.

A. D.: Anno Domini.

freq.: frequent, frequently.

mod.: modern.

etc.: et cetera.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

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

cp.: compare.

f.: feminine.

ch.: chapter.

S.: Saga.

Works & Authors cited:

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Haustl.: Haustlöng. (A. I.)

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

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

Hým.: Hýmis-kviða. (A. I.)

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

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

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

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Hrafn.: Hrafnkels Saga. (D. II.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Nj.: Njála. (D. II.)

Ísl. Þjóðs.: Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.

Fs.: Forn-sögur. (D. II.)

Sks.: Konungs Skugg-sjá. (H. II.)

Ann.: Íslenzkir Annálar. (D. IV.)

Kristni S.: Kristni Saga. (D. I. III.)

➞ See all works cited in the dictionary

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