herförðum

Herførðum is a form found in Icelandic that refers to military campaigns or expeditions. The underlying noun is herferð, meaning a campaign or expedition, and the term is formed from the elements her- (army) and ferð (journey). In modern Icelandic, the standard dative plural of the noun is herferðum, while herförðum appears as a historical or dialectal variant in some older texts. The form is thus primarily of interest to philology, historical linguistics, and the study of medieval warfare.

In usage, the concept encompasses organized military operations conducted by rulers, chieftains, or allied forces over a defined period or campaign, often described in sagas and chronicles. Scholars may discuss how campaigns were planned, mobilized, and executed across political territories or regions, and how campaigns affected power dynamics and settlement patterns in medieval and early modern contexts. The term also appears in translations of Norse and Icelandic sources where campaigns are a central narrative element.

Etymologically, herferð combines terms for army and journey, reflecting a campaign as a coordinated expedition of a military force. The word is cognate with related Germanic terms in other languages that express similar ideas of organized military travel or operations. Modern Icelandic tends to preserve the base word herför in historical discussions, with variations in inflection such as herferðir for nominative plural and herferðum for dative plural; herförðum remains a comparatively rare or archaic form.

See also: herferð; military campaigns in Norse literature; Old Norse warfare; Icelandic grammar.