[4] landa fjǫrnis ‘the lands of the helmet [HEADS]’: (a) The reading of 53 and 54, fjǫrnis ‘of the helmet’, is adopted here (as in Wisén 1870, 64, Skj B, Skald and Ólafur Halldórsson 2000). It yields a well-paralleled head-kenning (Meissner 127) which is also echoed in st. 7/8 stǫllum fjǫrnis ‘supports of the helmet’. (b) ‘Fiolnis’ in 61 and Bb would be gen. sg. of Fjǫlnir, a heiti for Óðinn, whose landa ‘lands’ could be Valhǫll, the home of the dead warriors chosen by Óðinn, and Meissner 426 does list two kennings referring to Valhǫll as Óðinn’s dwelling. However, a statement that swords desired Valhǫll would make little sense.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
- Wisén, Theodor, ed. 1870. Úrval af norrænum fornkvæðum handa hinum bókmennta-iðkendum. Lund: Berling.
- Ólafur Halldórsson. 2000a. Danish Kings and the Jomsvikings in the Greatest Saga of Óláfr Tryggvason. London: Viking Society for Northern Research.