hverr

Hverr is an archaic word in Old Norse and Old Icelandic that functions as an interrogative pronoun meaning “who” or “which,” depending on context. It appears in medieval Norse literature, including the sagas, the Poetic Edda, and the Prose Edda, where it introduces questions or relative clauses. In modern Icelandic, the cognate form hver is used for interrogatives such as “which” or “what,” while the historical form hverr is typically described as archaic or literary.

Etymology and cognates: Hverr belongs to the Germanic family of interrogative pronouns. It is related to similar words in other North Germanic languages and to the broader Indo-European interrogative/relative pronoun set. The function of hverr aligns with the typical role of such pronouns: to specify identity or select among options in a clause.

Grammar and usage: In Old Norse, hverr is inflected for gender, number, and case, and it can modify a noun or serve within a question or relative clause. It is encountered in expressions that seek identification (“which man…”) or in dependent clauses that specify a noun already mentioned. Scholarly grammars and dictionaries of Old Norse discuss its forms, variants, and how it contrasts with related interrogatives and demonstratives.

See also: Norse grammar, Icelandic interrogatives, Old Norse. References: standard Old Norse dictionaries and grammars such as Cleasby-Viggo, Zoëga, and contemporary Icelandic dictionaries for notes on historical forms and modern cognates.