ᚷᚢᛞᛁᛃᚨ

From a form similar to Proto-Germanic *gudjô.

ᚷᚢᛞᛁᛃᚨ (gudija) n

1. a godi
   • c. 400, Nordhuglo stone

     ᛖᚲᚷᚢᛞᛁᛃᚨᚢᚾᚷᚨᚾᛞᛁᛉᛁᚺ
     ekgudijaungandizih

     ek gudija ungandiz (ih)

     I the godi Ungandiz [the one not afflicted by magic]

Although the ending -ija indicates that this noun was in the neuter, it still appears to have been a title referring to men.

Note that the Old Norse goði (genitive goða) is not a regular reflex of this form, which would have been *gyði (genitive *gyðis). It is possible that the neuter gender of this word, which clearly referred to a masculine social position, was seen as confusing by speakers, who instead reanalyzed it as an an-stem.

• Old Norse: goði