gandr

== Old Norse == === Alternative forms === gandʀ === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɡandr̩/ === Etymology 1 === From an earlier gandʀ (pre 11th c.), from Proto-Norse *ᚷᚨᚾᛞᚨᛉ (*gandaʀ), as attested in adjective ᚢᚾᚷᚨᚾᛞᛁᛉ (ungandiʀ, “not bewitched”), from Proto-Germanic *gandaz. Root sense, “magic”? or “spirit”?, is unknown. Unclear relations to Etymology 2. ==== Noun ==== gandr m (genitive gands) that of black magic, witchery; bewitchment; further: that (potentially) caused by witchery Hyponym: gandferð (“witchcraft-travel”) nausea, heartache (potentially caused by witchery) tempest, storm, that of wind (potentially caused by witchery) (figuratively) that of harm (potentially caused by witchery) “gand”; foul spirit, a witch’s familiar Fóstbrǿðra saga (“The Saga of the Sworn Brothers”), chapter 23 Þiðreks saga, chapter 394 (352) objects which a witch rides on: serpent, wolf, horse Hyponym: Vánagandr (“wolf of the river Ván: Fenrir”) wolf, outlaw Synonym: vargr ===== Usage notes ===== This word, though commonly glossed simply as “staff” or “wand” (see Etymology 2), is by no means a neutral term. In Historia Norwegiae (1200), written in Latin, it is exclusively used in the context of a peculiar type of sorcery. Here follows translations by Peter Fischer (2003) of the relevant sections; for the original Latin text, see the entry for Latin gandus: There are some who are worshipped by the ignorant masses as though they were prophets, since, whenever questioned, they will give many predictions to many folk through the medium of a foul spirit which they call “gand”, and these auguries come true. Furthermore they attract to themselves desirable objects from distant parts in an astounding fashion and miraculously reveal hidden treasures, even though they are situated a vast distance away. Next they consulted another specialist in the magic arts as to what had happened in each case. This individual went through all his practices in similar fashion, though with a different outcome: the hostess arose in sound health and then he revealed to them that the sorcerer had died in the following way: his gand, having taken on the likeness of a whale, was shooting rapidly through a lake when it had the misfortune to encounter a hostile gand, which had transformed itself into sharply pointed stakes; these stakes, hidden in the depths of the lake, penetrated the repulsed creature's belly, and this was also manifested by the death of the magician in the house. Its descendants includes the objects which a witch rides on, including serpents, wolves and horses, and their magic staffs, potentially related to the later myth of witches riding brooms. Compare also “gand-fly” (Old Norse gandfluga, Icelandic ganfluga, Norwegian Nynorsk gandfluge, Swedish ganfluga), “magic force in form of a fly”, usually a disease sent through air by a wizard. Also as Old Norse galdrafluga (literally “galder-fly”). ===== Declension ===== ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== ganða ===== Descendants ===== Faroese: gandur (“black magic”) Faroese: gan- (“black magic”) (in gankona) Icelandic: gandur (“a riding animal; (archaic) a wolf, a dangerous beast”) Icelandic: gan- (“black magic”) (in ganfluga) ⇒? Icelandic: gandal- (in gandalfar, “witchcraft-travel”) Norn: *gandr (“black magic; galder”) → Scots: (Shetland) gander (“noisy speech, figurative squawking speech; strong loud wind; nausea, heartache; bewitchment”) ⇒? Scots: ganfer, gamfer (“ghost, spook; supernatural phenomenon; atmospheric sign”) (from gandferð, “magic travel”?; compare dialectal Norwegian gannfar, gandferd) → English: ganfer (“type of ghost”) Norwegian: gand, gann, gan (“black magic”) Old Swedish: gander, gand, gan Swedish: (old/dialectal) gand, gan, gane- (“black magic”) → Southern Sami: gane- (“black magic”) (in gane-čurek, compare Swedish ganfluga) → Latin: gandus === Etymology 2 === Unclear etymology. Potentially the same as Etymology 1, derived from a witch's magic staff or wand. Potentially derived or intermixed with a root word for wooden branch and stem etc, related to Welsh cang (“big branch”), Irish geagh (“tree-branch”), geagach (“branchy”), compared to descendants like Swedish gangel, gångel (“branch”). ==== Noun ==== gandr m (genitive gands) based on descendants: staff, wand; staff-like objects (straight, cut branch/stem) Hyponym: spágandr magic staff, wand tiller, whipstaff (based on a descendant for “helm”); further: helm (figurative, poetic) serpent (snake or dragon) Hyponym: Jǫrmungandr (“the world serpent”) ==== Declension ==== ==== Related terms ==== ganða ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Icelandic: gandur (“a magic staff; (obsolete) helm”) ⇒ Icelandic: göndull (“big penis”) Norwegian: ganne (“cut straight tree branch, stem; log cabin/blockhouse?”) Old Swedish: gander, gand Swedish: (old/eastcoast) gånder, gångel, gangel (“tree branch”), (Öland, Åboland) gand, ganda, gander (“snag, dry stem/branch”) ⇒ Swedish: (Åboland, verb) gandra (“to raise a gand-stem”) === Sources === Sveinbjörn Egilsson (1791-1852) (1860), Lexicon poëticum antiquæ linguæ Septentrionalis, page 221