�SKAPLIGR can span the spectrum from "monstrous,
horrible, unnatural" to "immoderate". The context
is needed in order to establish the meaning in the
Hei�arv�ga saga. I assume that the passage in question
is the following stanza found in Chapter XXVI:

Eigi mun, s�s eigum,
au�-V�r at mik dau�an,
Fold vill mens � moldu
minn aldr, bl�u falda ;
ann, en ekki vinna
elds m� br�k at sl�ku,
�at's �skapligt, eplis
�lselja m�r Heljar.

The context is that a wife wishes for her husband's
death, and the husband claims the stanza. The gist of
the meaning is: "My wife will not wear a black head-dress
when I'm gone. She wants me buried. The woman prefers me
dead, but she can't help it. This is '�skapligt'."

The literal meaning of the word is "against nature, against
nature's order, unnatural", and it can hardly be doubted
that this is what is meant.

Regards
P.

>From: Arlie Stephens <arlie@...>
>Reply-To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [norse_course] Farther Queries to the List
>Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 15:39:24 -0800
>
>Hi Everyone,
>
>I've got another query. This is from someone with a lot better
>understanding
>of languages in general, who I've been encouraging to join this list.
>(She's
>doing pretty well already teaching herself Old Norse without any kind of
>group.)
>
>At any rate, she's trying to understand a passage from the Saga of the
>Heath
>Slayings, where it uses the word �skaplegt. (I think I've got that spelled
>correctly; she sent it to me in plain North American text ... no icelandic
>characters at all ... and it's not a word I recognize.)
>
>She says it basically means non-fitting, and she's trying to understand
>the range of connotations involved. Apparantly one source translated it
>as "breach of nature", and others range from "monstrously evil" to "quite
>rude". She's wondering what the experts on the list have to say about it.
>
>So, how strong is this expression, generally, and what range of meanings
>makes sense? Or rather, what can you tell me about that; I'm presuming that
>as with all such questions of past usage, the answer may very well begin
>with "it depends ... " or "we don't really know, but ..."
>
>--
>Arlie
>
>(Arlie Stephens arlie@...)

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