--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "llama_nom" <600cell@...> wrote:

>

> The Old Norse word for "cat" was
> 'köttr', declined like 'skjöldr'.

BU wrote: "The Köttur-Skjöldur likeness is new to my." (i.e. "to me").

My mistake. 'köttr' declines like 'völlr', not quite the same as
'skjöldr'. Sorry about that. The difference is in the dative
singular and nominative plural:

sg. pl.

N köttr kettir
A kött köttu
G kattar katta
D ketti köttum

N skjöldr skildir
A skjöld skjöldu
G skjaldar skjalda
D skildi skjöldum

Likewise in Modern Icelandic, except that nom.sg. -r is expanded to
-ur, and acc.pl. köttu > ketti; acc.pl. skjöldu > skildi--but the old
acc.pl. survives in the set phrase 'koma e-m í opna skjöldu' "to take
someone by surprise, catch someone with with their guard down"; Zoega
"to attack in the flank (from the left)".