ᛡᚱᛡᚷᛖᚢ

From Proto-Germanic *argijǭ, jōn-stem derivative of *argaz (“unmanly, cowardly”). This word may have coexisted with the ancestor of Old Norse ergi, or even be the ancestor of it through a change in the declension.

The A present in between r and g represents a svarabhakti (epenthetic) vowel, which however is not seen in the Old Norse orthography (arg-/erg-) or in cognate words (such as Old English earg, Old High German arg). Compare ᚢᚦᛡᚱᛡᛒᛡ (uþᴀrᴀbᴀ /⁠ūþarᵃβa⁠/), ᚺᚨᚱᚨᛒᚨᚾᚨᛉ (harabanaʀ /⁠hᵃrabᵃnaʀ⁠/).

ᛡᚱᛡᚷᛖᚢ (ᴀrᴀgeu /arᵃgju/) f (dative/instrumental singular)

1. effeminacy, unmanliness, wickedness; see ergi
   • 7th century, Stentoften runestone

     […] ᚺᛖᚱᚼᛗᚼᛚᚼᛋᚼᛦᚼᚱᚼᚷᛖᚢᚹᛖᛚᚼᛞᚢᛞᛋᚼᚦᚼᛏᛒᚼᚱᛁᚢᛏᛁᚦ
     […] herᴀmᴀlᴀsᴀʀᴀrᴀgeuwelᴀdudsᴀþᴀtbᴀriutiþ

     […] herᵃmalausaʀ arᵃgiu wēladaud sa þat bᵃriutiþ.

     […] restless because of effeminacy, [afflicted] with insidious death, [will be] he who destroys this.

   • 7th century, Björketorp runestone:

     […] ᚼᚱᚼᚷᛖᚢ ¶ ᚺᚼᛖᚱᚼᛗᚼᛚᚼᚢᛋᛉ ¶ ᚢᛏᛁᚼᛉᚹᛖᛚᚼᛞᚼᚢᛞᛖ ¶ ᛋᚼᛉᚦᚼᛏᛒᚼᚱᚢᛏᛉ
     […] ᴀrᴀgeu ¶ hᴀerᴀmᴀlᴀusʀ ¶ utiᴀʀwelᴀdᴀude ¶ sᴀʀþᴀtbᴀrutʀ

     […] arᵃgiu hearᵃmalausʀ [utiᴀʀ] wēladauðē, sa’ʀ þat bᵃrȳtʀ.

     […] restless because of effeminacy, [utiᴀʀ,] [afflicted] with insidious death, [will be] he who destroys this.

• Old Norse: ergja f
  • Icelandic: ergja f
• >? Old Norse: ergi