Víkingr

Old Norse Dictionary - víkingr

Meaning of Old Norse word "víkingr" in English.

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

víkingr Old Norse word can mean:

víkingr: m. a freebooter, rover, pirate, but in the Icel. Sagas used specially of the bands of Scandinavian warriors, who during the 9th and 10th centuries harried the British Isles and Normandy: the word is peculiarly Norse, for although it occurs in A. S. in the poem Byrnoth (six or seven times), it is there evidently to be regarded as a Norse word; and prob. so too in the poem ‘Exodus,’ in the words rondas bærun sæwicingas, over saltne mere; lastly, in ‘Widsith,’ as the name of a people, and Liðvicingas (= Liðungar? q. v.) The word ‘víkingr’ is thought to be derived from vík (a bay), from their haunting the bays, creeks, and fjords;—or it means ‘the men from the fjords,’ the coincidence that the old Irish called the Norsemen ‘Lochlannoch.’ and Norway ‘Lochlan,’ is curiouS.

víkingr: B. A few selected references will illustrate the word:—Naddoddr hét maðr, hann var víkingr mikill, Landn. 26; Flóki Vilgerðarson hét maðr, hann var v. mikill, 28; slógusk í Eyjarnar víkingar ok herjuðu ok ræntu víða, 41; Úlfr víkingr ok Ólafr bekkr fóru samskipa til Íslands, 202; en er þeir lágu til hafs kómu at þeim víkingar ok vildu ræna þá, en Gautr laust stafnbúann þeirra við hjálmun-veli, ok lögðu víkingar við þat frá, siðan var hann kallaðr Hjálmun-gautr, 223; Hrafn hafnar-lykkill var víkingr mikill, hann fór til Íslands ok nam land …, 269; Ölvir barna-karl hét maðr ágætr í Noregi, hann var víkingr mikill, hann lét eigi henda börn á spjóta-oddum sem þá var víkingum títt, því var hann barna-karl kallaðr, 308; maðr hét Þorsteinn, gamall maðr ok sjónlítill, hann hafði verit rauða-víkingr (q. v.) í æsku sinni, Þorst. S.; Þorkell miðlangr, hann er rauðr víkingr ok í missætti við Hákon jarl, FmS. xi. 121; her-víkingr, a pirate, i. 225 (p. 259); víkings efni, víkinga höfðingi, konungr, Eg. 190, FmS. vi. 389, FaS. ii. 132; víkinga lið, Stj.; víkinga skip, skeið, snekkja, Hkr. i. 296, Korm. 236, FmS. i. 289; víkinga bæli, Eg. 251; víkinga rán, FmS. vi. 291; Bera kvað Egil vera víkings-efni … þegar hann hefði aldr til ok honum væri fengin herskip, Eg. 190 (and the following verse—þat mælti mín móðir, at mér skyldi kaupa fley ok fagrar árar, fara í hring með víkingum …); af Gizori má göra þrjá menn, hann má vera víkinga höfðingi …, þá má hann ok vera konungr …, með þriðja hætti má hann vera biskup, ok er hann bezt til þess fallinn af þessum þremr, FmS. vi. 389: on Swed. Runic stones, sá var víkinga-vörðr með Gauti, Baut. 267; allir víkingar, Brocm. 197. Of old poems the Hkv. Hund. well illustrates the life and warfare of Vikings of the 9th and 10th centuries, where also the word itself occurs (verpr vígroða um víkinga); as also vinr víkinga, in the song in Hervar. S.; víkingr Dana, Helr. 11; the saying, víkingar fara ekki at lögum.

víkingr: 2. in after times the word fell into discredit, and is used, esp. in eccl. legends, as = robber, being applied by a misnomer even to highwaymen, Stj. passim; víkingsins Alexandri, Al. 98; Besso þeim vánda víkingi, 122; víkinga dráp, Grett. 100; þessum vansignaða víkingi, Stj. 463 (of Goliath), so in Grág. ii. 136; or even in the Landn., Þorbjörn bitra hét maðr, hann var v. ok íllmenni, 159. For the laws of the ancient Vikings, their discipline and manners, see esp. Hálfs S. ch. 10, Jómsvík. ch. 24 (FmS. xi), Flóam. S. ch. 2, Vd. ch. 2, Yngl. S. ch. 34, 41, Eg. ch. 48, Ó. T. (Hkr.) ch. 101, 102, Ó. H. ch. 21, the Orkn. S. (Sweyn Asleifson) ch. 115, Þorvalds S. Víðf. ch. 1 (BS. i. 36, 37): records of their wars and voyages, the Landn. passim, the first chapters of Eg., Eb., Ld., Grett., Orkn., Hkr. i. passim.

víkingr: II. Víkingr, a pr. name, Landn. and several times on the Swed. Runic stones; cp. Súð-víkingr, a man from Súðavík, BS.

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

Abbreviations used:

A. S.: Anglo-Saxon.

ch.: chapter.

Icel.: Iceland, Icelander, Icelanders, Icelandic.

l.: line.

m.: masculine.

prob.: probably.

q. v.: quod vide.

S.: Saga.

v.: vide.

n.: neuter.

Swed.: Swedish.

eccl.: ecclesiastical.

esp.: especially.

f.: feminine.

gl.: glossary.

cp.: compare.

pr.: proper, properly.

Works & Authors cited:

Baut.: Bautil. (K. II.)

Brocm.: Brocman. (K. II.)

Eg.: Egils Saga. (D. II.)

Fas.: Fornaldar Sögur. (C. II.)

Fms.: Fornmanna Sögur. (E. I.)

Helr.: Helreið Brynhildar. (A. II.)

Hervar. S.: Hervarar Saga. (C. II.)

Hkr.: Heimskringla. (E. I.)

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

Korm.: Kormaks Saga. (D. II.)

Landn.: Landnáma. (D. I.)

Stj.: Stjórn. (F. I.)

Al.: Alexanders Saga. (G. I.)

Bs.: Biskupa Sögur. (D. III.)

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

Flóam. S.: Flóamanna Saga. (E. I.)

Grág.: Grágás. (B. I.)

Grett.: Grettis Saga. (D. II.)

Hálfs S.: Hálfs Saga. (C. II.)

Ld.: Laxdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Orkn.: Orkneyinga Saga. (E. II.)

Ó. H.: Ólafs Saga Helga. (E. I.)

Ó. T.: Ólafs Saga Tryggvasonar. (E. I.)

Vd.: Vatnsdæla Saga. (D. II.)

Yngl. S.: Ynglinga Saga. (C. 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.