skjǫldr

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *skelduz ‎(“shield”). Cognate with Old English scield, scyld, Old Frisian skeld, Old Saxon skild, Old High German skild, skilt, Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌳𐌿𐍃 ‎(skildus). The different case and number forms show various sound changes: breaking (e > ja), u-umlaut (ja > jǫ), and i-umlaut (e > i).

Pronunciation

• (12th century Icelandic) IPA^(key): /ˈskjɒldr̩/

Noun

skjǫldr m (genitive skjaldar, dative skildi, plural skildir)

1. a shield
   • Sverris saga konungs 95, in 1834, F. Magnússon, C.C. Rafn, Fornmanna sögur. Volume VIII. Copenhagen, page 232:

     Þeir skutu skildi undir líkit, ok hófu upp í skutina þá, er konúngr var á.

     They put a shield under the corpse, and lifted it up into the ship where the king was.

Declension

  Declension of skjǫldr (strong u-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	skjǫldr	skjǫldrinn	skildir	skildirnir
accusative	skjǫld	skjǫldinn	skjǫldu	skjǫlduna
dative	skildi	skildinum	skjǫldum	skjǫldunum
genitive	skjaldar	skjaldarins	skjalda	skjaldanna

Related terms

• skjalda ‎(“to cover with a shield”)

• skjǫldungr ‎(“sheldrake”)

Derived terms

Terms derived from skjǫldr

• * skjaldarband ‎(“shield-strap”)
• * skjaldarbukl ‎(“shield-boss”)
• * skjaldarfetill ‎(“shield-strap”)
• * skjaldarrǫnd ‎(“shield-rim”)
• * skjaldarsporðr ‎(“lower part of a shield”)
• * skjaldaskirfl ‎(“old worn-out shields”)
• * skjaldborg ‎(“wall of shields”)

• * skjaldfimr ‎(“dexterous with a shield”)
• * skjaldhvalr ‎(“a kind of whale”)
• * skjaldjǫtunn ‎(“war-engine”)
• * skjaldmær ‎(“amazon”)
• * skjaldrim ‎(“shield-rim”)
• * skjaldsveinn ‎(“shield-bearer”)
• * skjaldþili ‎(“wainscotting”)

Descendants

• Danish: skjold c (Old Danish skiold m)
• Elfdalian: stjöld m
• Faroese: skjøldur m
• Icelandic: skjöldur m

• Norwegian Bokmål: skjold m
• Norwegian Nynorsk: skjold m
• Swedish: sköld c (Old Swedish skiolder m)

References

• skjǫldr in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, R. Cleasby and G. Vigfússon, Clarendon Press, 1874, at Internet Archive.
• skjǫldr in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, G. T. Zoëga, Clarendon Press, 1910, at Internet Archive.