Was Leif Erikson lucky or valiant?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the semantic meaning of the adjective heppinn 'lucky' in Old Icelandic, that can for example be found in the byname of Leif Eirikson: Leifur heppni 'Leif the Lucky'. The author argues that the word also has the meaning 'valiant', and to support that argument he points to the modern use of the Faroese adverb heppin.