Snót, brúðr, svanni, svarri, sprakki,
fljóð, sprund, kona, feima, ekkja,
rýgr, víf ok drós, ristill, sæta,
man, svarkr ok hæll, mær ok kerling.
Snót, brúðr, svanni, svarri, sprakki, fljóð, sprund, kona, feima, ekkja, rýgr, víf ok drós, ristill, sæta, man, svarkr ok hæll, mær ok kerling.
Snót, bride, lady, haughty woman, lively one, matron, dame, woman, lass, widow, mighty woman, wife and girl, gentlewoman, grass-widow, maid, proud woman and widow, maiden and old woman.
[4] feima (f.) ‘lass’: Lit. ‘shy’. The heiti refers to ‘a bashful girl, a young lass’ (so CVC: feima; cf. ModIcel. feiminn ‘timid, modest’; see also Note to Vígf Lv 1/2I). In Snorri’s words (Skm, SnE 1998, I, 107): Feima er sú kǫlluð er ófrǫm er svá sem ungar meyjar, eða þær konur er ódjarfar eru ‘One who is retiring, such as young girls or those women who are shy, is called feima’. However, the word may be related to OE fæmne ‘maid’ (see AEW: feima). This term is found only in poetry, and only rarely there. Feima is also the name of a giantess in Gríms saga loðinkinna (FSN II, 145-8).