Jón

Old Norse Dictionary - jón

Meaning of Old Norse word "jón" in English.

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

jón Old Norse word can mean:

jón: m. (Jónn, Fb.), a pr. name, contraction of the older dissyllabic Jóann, John, Johannes, see Íb. 17: of the same origin are Jóhann, Jóhannes, Jens, which have come into use since the Reformation, whereas Jón or Jóan appears in Icel. at the middle of the 11th century, and soon afterwards became so popular that in the K. Á. (of 1276) it is made to serve for m. m. (n. or m.) in the baptismal formula, as also in the law formula, yfir höfði Jóni, against M. M., see Njála. Jóns-bók, f. John’s book, the code of laws of 1281, named after John the lawyer (lögmaðr), who brought the book from Norway to Icel., Ann. 1281, Árna S.

jón: II. St. John Baptist’s Day (June 24) is in the northern countries a kind of midsummer Yule, and was in Norway and Sweden celebrated with bonfires, dances, and merriment; and tales of fairies and goblins of every kind are connected with St. John’s eve in summer as well as with Yule-eve in winter. The name of the feast varies,—Jóns-dagr, m., Jóns-messa, u, f., Jónsvöku-dagr, m. the day, mass of St. John = the 24th of June; Jóns-nótt, f., Jóns-vaka, u, f., St. John’s eve, ‘John’s-wake,’ Rb. 530, Sturl. iii. 59, n. G. l. i. 340, 343, FmS. viii. 357, ix. 7: Jónsvöku-skeið, FmS. x. 49: Jónsvöku-leyti, id. In Norway the feast is at present called Jonsoka = Jónsvaka, and the fires Jonsoku-brising (cp. the Brisinga-men of the Edda). The origin of this feast is no doubt heathen, being a worship of light and the sun, which has since been adapted to a Christian name and the Christian calendar. For the fairy tales connected with this feast, see Ísl. ÞjóðS., which tales again call to mind Shakspeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream: Jónsmessu-öl, n. ale brewed for St. John’s day, n. G. l. i. 137; þá var sumar-tíð ok hátíð mikil Jónsvöku-nótt, Bær. 17. 2. Jóns-dagr, Jóns-messa are also used to signify the day or mass of the Icel. bishop John (died A. D. 1121), April 23 and March 3, see BS.: Jóns-höfuð, Jóns-skript, f. the head, tablet of St. John, B. K., Vm., etc.: Jóns-stúka, u, f. chapel of St. John, Sturl. i. 125.

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

Abbreviations used:

f.: feminine.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

n.: neuter.

pr.: proper, properly.

S.: Saga.

A. D.: Anno Domini.

cp.: compare.

etc.: et cetera.

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

L.: Linnæus.

Works & Authors cited:

Ann.: Íslenzkir Annálar. (D. IV.)

Árna S.: Árna Saga. (D. III.)

Fb.: Flateyjar-bók (E. I.)

Íb.: Íslendinga-bók. (D. I.)

K. Á.: Kristinn-réttr Árna biskups. (B. III.)

B. K.: Björgynjar Kálfskinn. (J. II.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

Bær.: Bærings Saga. (G. II.)

Edda: Edda. (C. I.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Ísl. Þjóðs.: Íslenzkar Þjóðsögur.

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

Rb.: Rímbegla. (H. III.)

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

Vm.: Vilkins-máldagi. (J. I.)

➞ 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.