svalr

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swalaz (“cool, [originally: burningly] cold”), from *swelaną (“to burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation”), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to shine, warm up, burn”). Akin to German schwül (“sultry”), Dutch zwoel (“sultry”), and Ancient Greek σέλας (sélas, “luminous”).

Adjective

svalr (comparative svalari, superlative svalastr)

1. cool, cold
   • Vǫluspá, stanza 3, lines 3–4:

     […] vara sandr né sær
     né svalar unnir […]

     […] there was no sand nor sea
     nor cool waves […]

Declension

Strong declension of svalr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalr	svǫl	svalt
accusative	svalan	svala	svalt
dative	svǫlum	svalri	svǫlu
genitive	svals	svalrar	svals
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalir	svalar	svǫl
accusative	svala	svalar	svǫl
dative	svǫlum	svǫlum	svǫlum
genitive	svalra	svalra	svalra

Weak declension of svalr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svali	svala	svala
accusative	svala	svǫlu	svala
dative	svala	svǫlu	svala
genitive	svala	svǫlu	svala
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svǫlu	svǫlu	svǫlu
accusative	svǫlu	svǫlu	svǫlu
dative	svǫlum	svǫlum	svǫlum
genitive	svǫlu	svǫlu	svǫlu

Declension of comparative of svalr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalari	svalari	svalara
accusative	svalara	svalari	svalara
dative	svalara	svalari	svalara
genitive	svalara	svalari	svalara
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalari	svalari	svalari
accusative	svalari	svalari	svalari
dative	svǫlurum	svǫlurum	svǫlurum
genitive	svalari	svalari	svalari

Strong declension of superlative of svalr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalastr	svǫlust	svalast
accusative	svalastan	svalasta	svalast
dative	svǫlustum	svalastri	svǫlustu
genitive	svalasts	svalastrar	svalasts
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalastir	svalastar	svǫlust
accusative	svalasta	svalastar	svǫlust
dative	svǫlustum	svǫlustum	svǫlustum
genitive	svalastra	svalastra	svalastra

Weak declension of superlative of svalr

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svalasti	svalasta	svalasta
accusative	svalasta	svǫlustu	svalasta
dative	svalasta	svǫlustu	svalasta
genitive	svalasta	svǫlustu	svalasta
plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	svǫlustu	svǫlustu	svǫlustu
accusative	svǫlustu	svǫlustu	svǫlustu
dative	svǫlustum	svǫlustum	svǫlustum
genitive	svǫlustu	svǫlustu	svǫlustu

Related terms

• svala

Descendants

• Icelandic: svalur
• Faroese: svalur
• Norwegian: sval
• Old Swedish: sval
  • Swedish: sval
• Old Danish: swal
  • Danish: sval

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “svalr”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive