harðr

Harðr is an Old Norse adjective meaning hard, firm, harsh, or severe. It is used to describe physical hardness (such as a hard stone), durability or resilience (a harðr maðr, a tough person), and severe conditions (harð veðr). In Old Norse prose and poetry, harðr appears in descriptions of people, weather, materials, and weapons, and it occurs in kennings as an expression of strength or endurance.

Etymology and related forms. Harðr originates from the Proto-Germanic root *hardaz, a common source for similar words in other Germanic languages (Old English heard, Old High German hart, Dutch hard, German hart). The Old Norse form harðr reflects characteristic phonology of the North Germanic branch, including the dental fricative and the long vowel. The word survived into modern Icelandic as harður, preserving the same core meaning of “hard” or “tough.”

Grammar and usage. Harðr is a strong (stór) adjective in Old Norse, declined like other adjectives for gender and case. The masculine nominative singular is harðr, with corresponding forms for other genders and grammatical roles. In texts, it often occurs attributively to describe persons, objects, or conditions as notably hard or severe, e.g., a hard winter or a hard-wrought weapon, and can carry figurative nuances of courage or resilience.

Modern descendants and influence. In contemporary Icelandic, the cognate adjective is harður, maintaining the sense of hardness or harshness. The term also appears in compounds such as harðbrauð, literally “hard bread,” referring to dry, crisp bread commonly eaten in Iceland. Harðr thus reflects a linguistic lineage from Old Norse into modern Nordic languages, continuing to convey notions of hardness, strength, and endurance.