Old English

Alternative forms

• heben, heawen, hefen, hefon, heofan, heofen

Noun

heofon m

1. the sky, the firmament, the heavens
   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Luke XV 21:

     Fæder, ic syngude on heofon, & beforan ðe.

   • c. 1000, Old English Hexateuch, Genesis XXVII 28:

     Sylle þe God of heofones deawe & of eorðan fæstnysse & micelnysse hwætes & wines.

2. heaven, paradise
   • 9th century, King Ælfred translating Boethius, De Consolatio Philosophiae, XI 24:

     Ic wat ðæt monegum men þuhte þæt he wære to hefonum ahæfen gif he ænigne dæl hæfde þara þinra gesælða þe þu nu giet hæfst.

3. the power of heaven

Quotations

• 9th century, King Ælfred translating Boethius, De Consolatio Philosophiae, XXXV 98:

  [Ðu ge]herdest oft reccan...þætte Iob Saturnes [sunu sceo]lde bion se hehsta god of[er ealle oðre] godu, & he sceolde bion þæs heo[fenes] sunu, & sceolde ricsian on heo[fenum].

• c. 1000, Beowulf, 1571–2:

  efne swa of hefene    hadre scineð
  rodores candel.

• 10th century, Cynewulf, Elene, 1229–1230:

  ...behliden helle duru, heofones ontyned,
  ece geopenad engla rice...

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: heven
  • English: heaven
  • Scots: heaven