Þjóð Yt 3I/4 — Vanlanda ‘Vanlandi’
Enn á vit
Vilja bróður
vitta véttr
Vanlanda kom,
þás trollkund
of troða skyldi
líðs Grímhildr
ljóna bága.
Ok sá brann
á beði Skútu
menglǫtuðr,
es mara kvalði.
Enn véttr vitta kom Vanlanda á vit bróður Vilja, þás trollkund Grímhildr líðs skyldi of troða bága ljóna. Ok sá menglǫtuðr, es mara kvalði, brann á beði Skútu.
And the creature of charms [SORCERESS] got Vanlandi to visit the brother of Vili <god> [= Óðinn] when the troll-descended Grímhildr of strong drink [WOMAN] had to trample the fighter of men [KING]. And that ring-destroyer [GENEROUS MAN] whom the mara tormented burned on the bank of the Skúta.
notes
[4] Vanlanda ‘Vanlandi’: This is one of the legendary kings of the Yngling lineage. (a) His name could be explained as having originally been a nickname (Neckel 1908a, 395) translatable as ‘the Landless’, cf. stillir lýða, landa vanr ‘the controller of men, lacking lands’ in Bragi Rdr 10/1-2III, which would indicate a landless viking king (Turville-Petre 1978-9, 64). One would expect *land(a)vani, but this problem is resolved if the name is viewed as a bahuvrihi cpd (cf. Note to st. 18/5) with an individualizing Gmc ‑an suffix giving ON ‑i (on this see Krahe and Meid 1969, 31-4). (b) Noreen (1892, 216) connected the first element of the name with the Vanir (gods), translating Vanlandi as ‘countryman of the Vanir’ (likewise Wadstein 1895a, 64; Finnur Jónsson 1909a, 385).