1897-1059 Old Norse-Icelandic veðrviti: Weathervane or standard, status marker? Sayers William author Cornell University 05bnh6r87 Correspondence to: William Sayers ws36@cornell.edu 20 02 2026 Volume 143, Issue 1 2026 27 41 Copyright © 2026 2026 The thirteenth-century form veðrviti represents a folk etymology with a recast signification. Despite the misnomer of the literate period, the <em>veðrviti</em> of early Norse letters was not a ship’s weathervane atop the mast but a stem-mounted metal marker of the worth and thus identity of the most prominent man on board. This eminence was also expressed in ship and crew size, and outfitting, and opulent ornamentation of highly visible, richly symbolic, more than functionally essential ship’s parts and gear. The principal evidence for this lexical evolution is drawn from the sagas of Norwegian kings. 1 Androshchuk F. 2024. In search of Haraldr hardraði’s treasures. – S. Jakobsson, Þ. Jónsson Hraundal, D. 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(eds.). Olafs saga hin helga, from Flateyjarbok: en samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. Christiana: Malling. 9 Fagrskinna: Nòregs Kononga Tal. 1902–1908. – Jónsson F. (ed.). Copenhagen: Møllers. 10 Falk H. 1912. Altnordisches Seewesen. Heidelberg: C. Winter. 11 Fritzner J. 1886–1896. Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog. Kristiania: Møllers. 12 Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, Hákonar saga böglunga, Magnúss saga lagaboetis. 2013. – Hauksson Þ., Jakobsson S., Ulset T. (eds.). [= Íslenzk fornrit 31–32]. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag. 13 Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson. 2009. Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Lausavísur 2b. – Gade K.E. (ed.). Poetry from the Kings’ sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. [= Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2]. Turnhout: Brepols: 35–56. 14 Gade K.E. 2009. Haraldr harðráði Sigurðarson, Gamanvísur. – Gade K.E. (ed.). Poetry from the Kings’ sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. [= Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2]. Turnhout: Brepols: 35–41. 15 Heggestad L., Hødnebó F., Simensen E. 1993. Norrøn ordbok. [4th ed.]. Oslo: Det norske samlaget. 16 Karlamagnus saga ok kappa hans. Fortællinger om keiser Karl Magnus og hans jævninger. 1860. – Unger C.R. (ed.). Christiania: H. J. Jensen. 17 Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic chronicle of the Norwegian kings (1030–1157). 2000. [transl. by T.M. Andersson, K.E. Gade]. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 18 Morkinskinna. 2011. – Jakobsson Á., Guðjónsson Þ.I (eds.). [= Íslenzk fornrit 23]. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag. 19 Orkneyinga saga. 1955. – Guðmundsson F. (ed.). [= Íslenzk fornrit 34]. Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag. 20 Örvar-Odds saga. 1888. – Boer R.C. (ed.). Leiden: Brill. 21 Ǫrvar-Odds saga I. 1950. – Jónsson G. (ed.). Fornaldar sögur Norðrlanda. [vol. 2]. Reykjavík: Edda. 22 Saga Ólafs konungs hins helga: den store saga om Olav den hellige. 1941. – Johnsen O.A., Helgason J. (eds.). Oslo: Dybwad. 23 Sayers W. 2019. Old Norse víking: Etymology, semantics, semiotics. – Journal of Indo-European Studies 47.3–4: 507–519. 24 Sayers W. 2021. Command performance: Coercion, wit, and censure in Sneglu-Halla þáttr. – Mediaevistik 34: 25–48. 25 Sayers W. 2022. The etymology and early meaning of Old Norse edda. – Journal of Indo-European Studies 50.3–4: 301–306. 26 Sayers W. 2023a. The Old Norse poetic meter Kviðuháttr as a medium for history’s verdict. – Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 83.2: 146–164. 27 Sayers W. 2023b. Rigging Norse ships in Vinland, ca. 1000 AD: The Halyard Block. – The Northern Mariner 33.4: 369–382. 28 Sayers W. (forthcoming). Old Norse nautical terminology in Snorri Sturluson and its relevance to marine archaeology and the construction of replicas. 29 Sigfús Blöndal. 1920–1924. Íslensk-dönsk orðabók. Copenhagen: Aschehoug. 30 Snorri Sturluson 1998. Skáldskaparmál. – Faulkes A. (ed.). London: Viking Society for Northern Research: 127–129. 31 Snorri Sturluson. 2017. Skipa heiti. [ed. and transl. by E. Gurevich]. – Gade K.E. (ed.). Poetry from treatises on poetry. [= Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3]. [part 2]. Turnout: Brepols: 861–877. 32 Sturla Þórðarson. 1835. Saga Hákonar Hákonarsonar frá falli Skúla hertoga; Brot sögu Magnúss Lagabætis. – Magnússon F., Rafn C.C. (eds.). [= Fornmanna sögur 10]. Copenhagen: Andreas Seidelin. 33 Valgarðr á Velli. 2009. Poem about Haraldr harðráði 10. – Gade K.E. (ed.). Poetry from the Kings’ sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. [= Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2]. Turnhout: Brepols: 308–309.