--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Edgar Widlund <edgarwidlund@...> wrote:

>
> Hi folks,
>
> Is there a word in ON for the conjunction 'or'? I can't seem to find one;is it possible it is understood?

Hi Edgar, The word is <eða>. It's used pretty much like English <or>.

Var hann þá tíu vetra eða ellefu.

He was then ten years [old] or eleven.

Ár skal rísa
sá er annars vill
fé eða fjör hafa.

Early must he rise who would take another's wealth or life.

At Bölverki þeir spurðu,
ef hann væri með böndum kominn
eða hefði honum Suttungr of sóit.

They asked after Bölverkr: whether he'd come among the gods or [if] Suttungr had destroyed him.

Sometimes <eða> is made more emphatic by the addition of <ella(r)>, <elligar> "otherwise, else".

At þeiri veizlu strengði Hólmsteinn heit, at hann skyldi eiga Helgu Arnardóttur eða öngva konu ella.

At that feast, Hólmsteinn swore an oath that he'd wed Helga Örn's daughter or else [he'd wed] no other woman.

feigr em ek nú eða allr sauðrinn elligar, nema bæði sé

I'm bound to die now or else the sheep will, unless it's both [of us that will die]

Sometimes <eða> is used to introduce a question that follows some other statement. It that context it can often be translated "but", and sometimes it can be left untranslated.

Svá lízt mér sem þú doemir minn son til dráps, eða hvat doemir þú mér þá fyrir sonarskaða minn?

It looks to me as though you're condemning my son to be killed; (SO/BUT) what are you going to award me in compensation for losing a son?

en hann hratt henni frá sér ok kvaðst eigi vilja kyssa hana, heiðna konu, --"eða fyrir hví viltu mik kyssa?"

but he pushed her from him and said he didn't want to kiss her, a heathen woman, "AND why do you want to kiss me?"

"Þá mun henni líka," segir stafkarl, "ok mun hún þykkjast þetta fé eiga, er ek hefi hér fundit, því at þetta mun land hennar. Skal nú ekki gera happ sitt at óhappi, ok skal eigi leyna fé þessu, ok skal drottning skapa mér af þann hlut, sem hún vill, ok mun mér þat best gegna, eða hvárt mun hún vilja þat til vinna at soekja hingat féit?"

"Then she'll be pleased," says the beggar, "and she'll think this treasure that I've found here is hers, because this is probably her land. Now I'm not going to swap my good luck for bad and hide this treasure. The queen will give me what portion she sees fit, and that will suit me best, BUT, will she be prepared to seek the treasure here?"