hornungr (ON) noun

One of several types of illegitimate child mentioned in the medieval Icelandic and Norwegian laws. According to Grg Arþ 118, a hornungr was specifically the illegitimate child of a free woman and a slave whom the woman frees. In GuL (Arb, ch. 104) a hornungr is the child of two free parents living together openly, but where the mother has not been given her bride price (ON mundr). It has been suggested that these ‘nooklings’, along with ‘scrublings’ (ON hrísungr) held free status, while other types of illegitimate children, such as those labelled þyborinn, were unfree.

nookling OIce Grg Arþ 118
ONorw FrL ArbA 8 Rgb 47
ONorw GuL Løb, Arb Refs:

Clunies Ross 1985; CV s.v. hornungr; Fritzner s.v. hornungr; GAO s.v.v. Geschlechtsleite, Kinder; GrgTr II:7; Hertzberg s.v. hornungr; KLNM s.v. oäkta barn; ONP s.v. hornungr