[All]: Heiðrekr’s response reads (Heiðr 1960, 41): Þat eru Ægis ekkjur, svá heita ǫldur ‘They are Ægir’s women, as the waves are called’. The U redaction (Heiðr 1924, 132) has þad eru Ægis dætur; þær ganga iij saman, er vindur vekur þær ‘That is Ægir’s daughters; they go three together, when the wind wakes them’. Elsewhere Ægir is said to have had nine daughters (see Heiðr 68, Note to [All]), but three is also a significant number in Old Norse mythology and trios of supernatural women are found in e.g. Vafþr 48-9, Vsp 8, 20. The text might imply the women go in threes rather than that there are only three of them. Cf. Note to Heiðr 67/1-2.
References
- Bibliography
- Heiðr 1924 = Jón Helgason, ed. 1924. Heiðreks saga. Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs. SUGNL 48. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
- Heiðr 1960 = Tolkien, Christopher, ed. and trans. 1960. Saga Heiðreks konungs ins vitra / The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise. Nelson Icelandic Texts. London etc.: Nelson.
- Internal references
- Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 67 (Gestumblindi, Heiðreks gátur 20)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 432.
- Hannah Burrows (ed.) 2017, ‘Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks 68 (Gestumblindi, Heiðreks gátur 21)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 433.
- Not published: do not cite ()
- Not published: do not cite ()