fjall ¹

n., pl. fjöll, [a Scandin. word, Swed. fjäll, Dan. fjæld, but wanting in the Germ. and Saxon, not even used in the Ormul., but freq. in North. E. and Scot., where it is of Dan. origin]:—a fell, mountain, Nj. 25, Hkr. i. 228, Grett. 149, in endless instances: in the phrase, það gengr fjöllunum hæra, it mounts higher than the fells, cries to heaven, of injustice: in allit. phrases, fjöll og firnindi, fells and deserts (vide finnerni); fjall eðr fjörðr, fells or firths, Hm. 117, N. G. L. i. 117: the pl. fjöll is used of a mountain with many peaks, Eyja-fjöll, Vaðla-fjöll, Hafnar-fjöll, Fbr.; but Akra-fjall, Fagraskógar-fjall, of a single mountain: the pl. is also used of a chain of mountains, thus, Alpa-fjöll, the Alps; Pyrenea-fjöll, the Pyrenees; but Dofra-fjall, the Dofra range in Norway: in biblical names it is usually prefixed, e. g. fjallið Sinaí, fjallið Horeb, etc.; but also Gilboa-fjöll, Sam. Sálm. 2. 1, prob. for the sake of euphony: fjall is also used κατ΄ εξ., and as a pr. noun, of the Alps, in the phrase, fyrir norðan fjall, i. e. Germany north of the Alps; sunnan um fjall, i. e. Italy; the German emperor is called keisari fyrir norðan fjall, Fms. ix. 229, x. 101, Landn. 24, Fas. i. 223; Norway is also divided into sunnan fjall (i. e. Dofre) and norðan fjall; in mod. Norse, Norden-fjælds og Sönden-fjælds, Fms. x. 3.