ógnir

Ógnir is the Icelandic plural noun meaning fears, terrors, or anxieties. It is formed from the singular ógn, which denotes fear or dread. In contemporary Icelandic, ógnir is used to refer to fears in a general sense as well as to specific fears or threats, whether psychological or external. The word can appear in both everyday speech and more formal or literary contexts, including discussions of societal concerns or existential threats.

Etymology: The term derives from Old Norse ógn, with roots in the North Germanic language family. Its core sense of fear or threat has remained stable across centuries, and cognates appear in related languages.

Usage: Ógnir is commonly used to describe collective or societal fears (such as political or environmental concerns) as well as individual anxieties. Adjectives can modify it to indicate scale or intensity, for example miklar ógnir (great fears) or sú andlátsógnar ógnir (subtle fears) in more literary usage. The word can function in both concrete and figurative discussions of threat.

Declension and grammar: Ógn is a common noun with typical plural formation in -ir, yielding ógnir in the nominative plural. The singular is ógn, and Icelandic grammar provides the appropriate definite and case forms according to standard rules.

See also: ógn (singular), fear and related terms in Icelandic. Further details and usage examples can be found in Icelandic dictionaries and contemporary language usage guides.