Norn

¹

[ nawrn ]

noun

1. an extinct Norse dialect, spoken until early modern times in the Shetland and Orkney Islands and in parts of northern Scotland.

Norn

²

[ nawrn ]

noun

, Scandinavian Mythology.

1. any of three goddesses of fate, the goddess of the past Urd, the goddess of the present Verdandi, and the goddess of the future Skuld.

Norn

¹

/ nɔːn /

noun

1. the medieval Norse language of the Orkneys, Shetlands, and parts of N Scotland. It was extinct by 1750

Norn

²

/ nɔːn /

noun

1. Norse myth any of the three virgin goddesses of fate, who predestine the lives of the gods and men

Word History and Origins

Origin of Norn¹

< Old Norse norrœnn, earlier northrœnn Norwegian, literally, northern

Word History and Origins

Origin of Norn¹

C17: from Old Norse norŕœna Norwegian, from northr north

Origin of Norn²

C18: Old Norse

Example Sentences

It’s called the Norn cell, named after the Norse deities who were believed to control human fate.

From New York Times

“You have the ability to see images of the past, present, and future as you knit. Events left on the threads of the universe. Like the Norns of old.”

From Literature

He portrays all three of the Norns, the daughters of Erda who foretell destiny.

From Washington Times

The islands were pledged to Scotland by Norway in 1468, and the Norn language - a form of Old Norse spoken on the islands - died out in the mid-19th Century.

From BBC

There are enjoyably antic bits, as when the three future-telling Norns, wielding pieces of their broken rope, sing a trio offering sage advice to women to “hogtie your man.”

From New York Times