The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson Part 60

BIFROST, BIF-RAUST, the Tremulous-bridge of the Aerial-bridge, signifying also aerial: a certain s.p.a.ce, a mile, a rest.

BIL, a moment, an interval, an interstice.

BILEYGR, endowed with fulminating eyes, a tempest, especially a fulminating tempest or thunder-storm.

BILSKIRNIR, sometimes stormy, and sometimes serene; which, as Thor's mansion prob. denotes the atmosphere, would be a very appropriate term; or storm-stilling, _i.e._ imparting serenity to the tempest.

BIVAURR, BIVORR, or BIFUR, the Tremulous.

BODN, originally signified an offer-table or altar; an oblation; also one of the jars in which the dwarfs' poetical beverage was kept.

BOLTHORN, lit. Calamitous or Evil-thorn.

BOR, prop. BORR, and BUR, prop. BURR or BURI, means _born_, to bear; whence also the _Old G._ barn, and the _Scotch, bairn_, a child.

BRAGI, the name of the G.o.d of Poetry; from braga, to glisten, to s.h.i.+ne, or from bragga, to adorn; ph. cog. with _G_. pracht, splendour.

BREIDABLIK: lit. Broad-blink--wide-glancing, Expanded splendour, to blink.

BRIMIR, prob. from brimi, flame.

BRISINGR, may prob. mean flaming.

BYLEISTR, a dwelling, a town; to destroy, to break to pieces.

BYRGIR, prob. from v. byrgja, to conceal; _E._ to bury, whence barrow, a tumulus.

DAINN, prob. the Soporiferous; from da, a swoon, or complete repose.

DELLINGR--a _day-ling_. with the dawn, daybreak.

DIS, pi. DISIR, it originally sig. a female, but was afterwards used in the sense of Nymph and G.o.ddess. It enters into the composition of several female names, as Thordis, Freydis, Vegdis, &c.

DOLGTHRASIR: a dolgr, a warrior; contentious, obstinate, persisting, from the v. thrasa, to litigate, to quarrel.

DRAUPNIR, from the v. drupa, to droop, or the v. drjupa, to drip.

DROMI, strongly binding.

DUNEYRR, a hollow sound, from the v. dynja, to sound, to resound.

DURATHROR. The first sylb. may be derived either from dur, a light sleep, or from dyr, a door; and the last, either from the v. threyja, to expect, to wait for; or from throa, to increase, to enlarge.

DURINN, prob. from dur, a light sleep, to fall asleep; whence prob.

the _E._ to doze, and ph. also dusk.

DVALJNN, from dvali, sleep.

EIKINSKJALDI, furnished with an oaken s.h.i.+eld, scarlet oak.

EIKTHYRNIR. Eik is the ilex or scarlet oak; thyrnir, a thorn; metaphorically for a stag's antlers.

EINHERJAR, a hero; select, chosen heroes.

EIR, to befriend, to tranquilize.

ELDHRIMNIR: eldr, elementary flre: brim, congealed vapour, rime, also soot; hence (a kettle) sooty from flre.

ELIVAGAR, stormy waves; a storm; the sea; an estuary; water; wave.

ELLI, old age.

ELVIDNIR, ph. from el, a storm; and vidr, wide.

EMBLA. The etymologies of the name of the first woman given by the _E.E._ are merely _conjectural_. Grimm says the word embla, emla, signifies a busy woman, from amr, ambr, amil ambl, a.s.siduous labour; the same relation as Mes.h.i.+a and Mes.h.i.+ane, the ancient Persian names of the first man and woman, who were also formed from trees.

FALHOFNIR, a nail, a lamina, hoof.

FARMAGUD, the G.o.d of Carriers and Sea-farers.

FENRIR, FENRIS-ULFR, may mean dweller in an abyss, or the monster wolf.

FENSALIR, lit. Fen-saloon, from fen, a fen, but which it would appear may also be made to sig. the watery deep, or the sea; and salr, a hall, mansion, saloon. _See_ Valhalla.

FIMBUL. From fimbulfambi comes the _E._ provincialism, to fimble-famble; and the _D._ famle, to stammer, to hesitate in speaking.

FIMBULTHUL. Thulr means an orator or reciter, to speechify.

FIMBULVETR: vetr, winter; according to Grimm's explanation of fimbul, _the Great Winter_.

FJALARR and FJOLNIR. Multiform: in composition fjol, many.

FJOLSVIDR or FJOLSVITHR, to scorch: or ph. from svithr, wise, powerful, potent, strong.

FJORGYN. Grimm, we think, has satisfactorily shown that fjorg is the _G._ berg, a mountain.

FOLKVANGR, lit. the folk's field, or habitation.

FORSETI, lit. the Fore-seated, _i.e._ the Judge.

FRANANGURS-FORS, prob. from frann, glittering, and ongr, narrow.

FREKI, _G._ frech, froward: the word has also the sig. of voracious.