Comments on: My Favorite Norse Proverbs and Sayings

By: Noah

Noah — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:35:50 +0000

Hi there, I know it has been asked before but I can’t seem to find the correct answer. I too am trying to translate the proverb “Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi” into Younger Futhark. I’m stuck between

ᛒᛅᚱ ᛅᚱ ᚼᚢᛅᚱ ᛅᚦ ᛒᛅᚴᛁ ᚾᛅᛘᛅ ᛋᛅᚱ ᛒᚱᚢᚦᚢᛦ ᛅᛁᚴᛁ
and
ᛒᛅᚱ ᛁᚱ ᚼᚢᛅᚱ ᛅᚦ ᛒᛅᚴᛁ ᚾᛁᛘᛅ ᛋᛅᚱ ᛒᚱᚢᚦᚢᛦ ᛅᛁᚴᛁ

Could anyone check the translation and let me know which one is more correct, or point out any mistakes if I made any? Thank you :)

By: Oli

Oli — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 11:09:21 +0000

Icelandic: “Feigum er ekki forðað”
A translation might be: “Marked cannot escape”
Background:
Feigr is a word that has changed from its original meaning almost everywhere but in Iceland over the centuries.
In iceland it means marked for death.
The word in germanic it is “fegh” and in Danish it is “fej” and means something like having a bad character.
In english I believe it was “fey” in old english and changed from there to the fey we know today. However, I remember I read somewhere that fey or a very similar word in scottish means “doomed” or similar.

I remember reading in the sagas about a man replying to the taunts of another with “Thu talar feigum munni” or “You speak with a marked mans mouth”.

The word is bound with a kind of belief in that your way in life is set in general terms and when you are set to die, you will.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 09:02:44 +0000

two rune stones laid in the churchyard wall at Gjerde Church until the 1820s -1830s when they were taken to the Historical Museum in Bergen. The inscription has been dated back to the time around the year 1100. On one is written “Erlend wrote down these runes from his father, Olve” Does anuone have this in younger futhark or can find a picture of the stone?

By: Scandinavia House

Scandinavia House — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 07:48:45 +0000

I was looking for proverbs about the house, but I didn’t find them here. Where they can be found?

By: Bob Middleton

Bob Middleton — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 07:33:48 +0000

In reply to Viking Rune.

My Mother used to say a Norwegian prayer to us, that I am trying to remember and obtain.
A part of the prayer was “say toe me ten air”.
Do you have any ideas that may help me find that complete prayer.?
Thanks !!

By: Vincent

Vincent — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 23:43:46 +0000

im trying to find the old Norse text for this quote from Volunga Saga “Fear not death for the hour of your doom is set and none may escape it”. That might not be an exact quote, but i think its close.

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 18:07:56 +0000

Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi. – Bare is the back of a brotherless man. How would this have been written in rune?

By: Johannes

Johannes — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 10:37:12 +0000

Hello, norwegian here

I believe they are written like this:

“They grow in body but not in brains” = “De vokser i kropp, men ikke i sinn”
“Sardines and old shoes” = “Sardiner og gamle sko”

I truly hope this helps

By: Ratatoskr

Ratatoskr — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 01:41:16 +0000

In reply to Viking Rune.

‘Am’ or ’em’ could perhaps be used in Old English. This is not used in Norse, except in the form ‘um’, where it tentatively means ‘about,’ as in ‘thereabout’ or ‘lauying about,’ for instance as it’s known in the Norse words ‘um-kring’ or ‘kring-um.’ In Norse ‘I am’ it is written ‘Ek er.’
Heil ok sæl!
Ratatoskr

By: Karsten Mungo Madsen

Karsten Mungo Madsen — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 16:31:30 +0000

Hi – Being a Dane, I just want to say, that there was no grammar or right way of spelling words a thousand years ago, when runes where used for writing. The spelling must have been more or less phonetic in which way the writer felt was right. So feel free to spell words in runes as you like.