Note 38 — THE PRETENDERS (1863) (continued 2)

The derivation of this word is doubtful. In the form Vargbælg it means Wolf-skin, from Icelandic Vargr = a wolf, and Belgr—the skin of an animal taken off whole. The more common form, however, is Varbelg, which, as P. A. Munch suggests (“Det Norske Folks Historie,” iii. 219), may possibly come from var (our word “ware”), a covering, and may be an allusion to the falsity and cunning of the faction. What Ibsen understands by the form Vårbælg I cannot discover. Vår (Icelandic Vâr) means the springtide. The nick-name had been applied to a political faction as early as 1190, and was merely revived as a designation for Skule’s adherents.