03-27-2018, 07:24 AM
The expression as written is actually more Icelandic or Faroese than Norwegian, as their languages are the only ones amongst the Nordic countries that still bear some resemblance to the old norse tongue. In modern Norwegian it would be "Han sto så laglig til for hogg", which is an old and incorporated phrase in today's Norwegian language.
The saga tells that Torgeir Håvardsson rode past a random shepherd one day, the shepherd stood bent over his stake, and Torgeir then lifted his sword and cut the shepherd's head off. When asked later why he did this, Torgeir's simple reply was "Hann stóð svá vel til hǫggsins".
Originally a way of saying one has put one self in an exposed and vulnerable position, but the meaning has changed some over time. A literal translation is "He stood so well for cutting", or I guess a better modern English version is Doctorwayne's "it was at hand".
The saga tells that Torgeir Håvardsson rode past a random shepherd one day, the shepherd stood bent over his stake, and Torgeir then lifted his sword and cut the shepherd's head off. When asked later why he did this, Torgeir's simple reply was "Hann stóð svá vel til hǫggsins".
Originally a way of saying one has put one self in an exposed and vulnerable position, but the meaning has changed some over time. A literal translation is "He stood so well for cutting", or I guess a better modern English version is Doctorwayne's "it was at hand".