magher (OSw) magh (ODan) magr (OGu) mágr (ON) noun

These refer to a male person related by marriage.

The usual meaning in Medieval Nordic legal texts is ‘son-in-law’, attested in ODan ESjL, but also other meanings (some of them more comprehensive) occur: ‘brother-in-law’ (OSw DL; OIce Jó), ‘kinsman’ (ODan ESjL), ‘kinsman by marriage’ (ONorw GuL), and ‘relative’ (OGu GL).

The plurality of the meanings of this term in the medieval Nordic languages can be compared to the similar ambiguity of the kinship terms gener (‘male in-law’) and nepos (i.a. ‘grandchild’, ‘nephew’, ‘niece’) in medieval Latin.

brother-in-law OIce Jó Kab 2
OSw DL Mb
in-law OGu GL A 63, Add. 6 (B 33)
kinsman ODan ESjL 2
kinsman by marriage ONorw GuL Sab
ONorw MLL Lb 8
relative OGu GL A 24
son-in-law ODan ESjL 1
OGu GS Ch. 3
OSw MEL Kgb Refs:

Bjorvand 2007, 772; KLNM s.v. ætt; Latham and Howlett s.v.v. gener, nepos; Niermeyer and van de Kieft s.v.v. gener, nepos