Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Elds heiti 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 921.
[1] heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’: The beginning of the þula is of a rare type because the first heiti in the list, gim n. ‘blaze, fire’, (its ‘title’) is not a common word but a poetic one that is not used in prose.
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heiti (noun n.): name, promise
[1] heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’: The beginning of the þula is of a rare type because the first heiti in the list, gim n. ‘blaze, fire’, (its ‘title’) is not a common word but a poetic one that is not used in prose.
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vilja (verb): want, intend
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greppr (noun m.; °; -ar): poet, man
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segja (verb): say, tell
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Ægir (noun m.): Ægir, sea
[3-4] bróðir Ægis ok élreka ‘brother of Ægir <sea-giant> and of storm-driver’: Here, as in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 39), fire (eldr), wind (élreki) and sea (Ægir) are represented as three brothers, sons of the giant Fornjótr (see Notes to Þul Jǫtna I 3/5, Þul Veðra 1/8 and Sveinn Norðrdr 2/2). In Skm (loc. cit.), fire is also called bróðir vinds ok Ægis ‘brother of the wind and of Ægir’ (for Ægir see Þul Sjóvar 1/2). Thus the m. nom. élreki ‘storm-driver’ in A is incorrect, since this is a term for ‘wind’ and not for ‘fire’ (cf. Þul Veðra 1/2), and the B variant élreka (gen.) has been adopted here. Neither of these poetic terms, which are rather mythological kennings than heiti, is otherwise used in poetry. The B variant bróður ‘brother’ (here most likely in the gen.) may indicate a connection with heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’ in l. 1 and suggests that, in B, ll. 3-4 were regarded as belonging to the introductory clause of the þula rather than to the list of fire-heiti proper (‘I will tell men the names of blaze, of the brother of Ægir and of storm-driver’). It seems that Þul Elds, like most other þulur, originally started with the most common term for ‘fire’, i.e. eldr (cf. the initial position of this word in l. 5), while the introduction (ll. 1-4) was probably an addition by a later compiler (cf. Gurevich 2008, 356-9).
[3] bróðir: bróður B
[3-4] bróðir Ægis ok élreka ‘brother of Ægir <sea-giant> and of storm-driver’: Here, as in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 39), fire (eldr), wind (élreki) and sea (Ægir) are represented as three brothers, sons of the giant Fornjótr (see Notes to Þul Jǫtna I 3/5, Þul Veðra 1/8 and Sveinn Norðrdr 2/2). In Skm (loc. cit.), fire is also called bróðir vinds ok Ægis ‘brother of the wind and of Ægir’ (for Ægir see Þul Sjóvar 1/2). Thus the m. nom. élreki ‘storm-driver’ in A is incorrect, since this is a term for ‘wind’ and not for ‘fire’ (cf. Þul Veðra 1/2), and the B variant élreka (gen.) has been adopted here. Neither of these poetic terms, which are rather mythological kennings than heiti, is otherwise used in poetry. The B variant bróður ‘brother’ (here most likely in the gen.) may indicate a connection with heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’ in l. 1 and suggests that, in B, ll. 3-4 were regarded as belonging to the introductory clause of the þula rather than to the list of fire-heiti proper (‘I will tell men the names of blaze, of the brother of Ægir and of storm-driver’). It seems that Þul Elds, like most other þulur, originally started with the most common term for ‘fire’, i.e. eldr (cf. the initial position of this word in l. 5), while the introduction (ll. 1-4) was probably an addition by a later compiler (cf. Gurevich 2008, 356-9).
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
[3-4] bróðir Ægis ok élreka ‘brother of Ægir <sea-giant> and of storm-driver’: Here, as in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 39), fire (eldr), wind (élreki) and sea (Ægir) are represented as three brothers, sons of the giant Fornjótr (see Notes to Þul Jǫtna I 3/5, Þul Veðra 1/8 and Sveinn Norðrdr 2/2). In Skm (loc. cit.), fire is also called bróðir vinds ok Ægis ‘brother of the wind and of Ægir’ (for Ægir see Þul Sjóvar 1/2). Thus the m. nom. élreki ‘storm-driver’ in A is incorrect, since this is a term for ‘wind’ and not for ‘fire’ (cf. Þul Veðra 1/2), and the B variant élreka (gen.) has been adopted here. Neither of these poetic terms, which are rather mythological kennings than heiti, is otherwise used in poetry. The B variant bróður ‘brother’ (here most likely in the gen.) may indicate a connection with heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’ in l. 1 and suggests that, in B, ll. 3-4 were regarded as belonging to the introductory clause of the þula rather than to the list of fire-heiti proper (‘I will tell men the names of blaze, of the brother of Ægir and of storm-driver’). It seems that Þul Elds, like most other þulur, originally started with the most common term for ‘fire’, i.e. eldr (cf. the initial position of this word in l. 5), while the introduction (ll. 1-4) was probably an addition by a later compiler (cf. Gurevich 2008, 356-9).
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él (noun n.; °; dat. -um): storm < élreki (noun m.): storm-driver
[3-4] bróðir Ægis ok élreka ‘brother of Ægir <sea-giant> and of storm-driver’: Here, as in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 39), fire (eldr), wind (élreki) and sea (Ægir) are represented as three brothers, sons of the giant Fornjótr (see Notes to Þul Jǫtna I 3/5, Þul Veðra 1/8 and Sveinn Norðrdr 2/2). In Skm (loc. cit.), fire is also called bróðir vinds ok Ægis ‘brother of the wind and of Ægir’ (for Ægir see Þul Sjóvar 1/2). Thus the m. nom. élreki ‘storm-driver’ in A is incorrect, since this is a term for ‘wind’ and not for ‘fire’ (cf. Þul Veðra 1/2), and the B variant élreka (gen.) has been adopted here. Neither of these poetic terms, which are rather mythological kennings than heiti, is otherwise used in poetry. The B variant bróður ‘brother’ (here most likely in the gen.) may indicate a connection with heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’ in l. 1 and suggests that, in B, ll. 3-4 were regarded as belonging to the introductory clause of the þula rather than to the list of fire-heiti proper (‘I will tell men the names of blaze, of the brother of Ægir and of storm-driver’). It seems that Þul Elds, like most other þulur, originally started with the most common term for ‘fire’, i.e. eldr (cf. the initial position of this word in l. 5), while the introduction (ll. 1-4) was probably an addition by a later compiler (cf. Gurevich 2008, 356-9).
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reki (noun m.; °-a; -ar): ruler < élreki (noun m.): storm-driver
[4] ‑reka: so B, ‑reki A
[3-4] bróðir Ægis ok élreka ‘brother of Ægir <sea-giant> and of storm-driver’: Here, as in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 39), fire (eldr), wind (élreki) and sea (Ægir) are represented as three brothers, sons of the giant Fornjótr (see Notes to Þul Jǫtna I 3/5, Þul Veðra 1/8 and Sveinn Norðrdr 2/2). In Skm (loc. cit.), fire is also called bróðir vinds ok Ægis ‘brother of the wind and of Ægir’ (for Ægir see Þul Sjóvar 1/2). Thus the m. nom. élreki ‘storm-driver’ in A is incorrect, since this is a term for ‘wind’ and not for ‘fire’ (cf. Þul Veðra 1/2), and the B variant élreka (gen.) has been adopted here. Neither of these poetic terms, which are rather mythological kennings than heiti, is otherwise used in poetry. The B variant bróður ‘brother’ (here most likely in the gen.) may indicate a connection with heiti gims ‘the names for blaze’ in l. 1 and suggests that, in B, ll. 3-4 were regarded as belonging to the introductory clause of the þula rather than to the list of fire-heiti proper (‘I will tell men the names of blaze, of the brother of Ægir and of storm-driver’). It seems that Þul Elds, like most other þulur, originally started with the most common term for ‘fire’, i.e. eldr (cf. the initial position of this word in l. 5), while the introduction (ll. 1-4) was probably an addition by a later compiler (cf. Gurevich 2008, 356-9).
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eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire
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eimr (noun m.): fire, smoke
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úði (noun m.)
[6] úði (m.) ‘swarming’: A hap. leg. Cf. ModIcel. úði ‘drizzling rain’. According to AEW: úði, the word may be related to ýja, úa ‘swarm’ (hence úði perhaps refers to flying sparks). For a different interpretation, see Holthausen (1948, 325).
[6] skerkir (m.) ‘noise-maker’: Agent noun from a weak verb *skerkja ‘make noise’ (see Note to Þul Sverða 2/1). It is also the name of a giant (Þul Jǫtna I 4/4). Ms. B has the synonymous word herkir (from hark ‘tumult’; cf. harkr ‘crackling one’, st. 3/4 below), which, like the name Skerkir, is also found among the giant-names (Þul Jǫtna I 2/3). Neither of these heiti is otherwise used in poetry. RE 1665 has herkir (‘Herkier’) but omits skerkir, which could indicate that the latter is an innovation in A.
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
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hrót (noun n.): roof < hrótgandr (noun m.)
[7] hrótgandr (m.) ‘roof-wolf’: A cpd not attested elsewhere and a kenning for ‘fire’ (cf. ÞjóðA Sex 21/8II hrótgarmr ‘roof-hound [FIRE]’).
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gandr (noun m.; °-s; dat. *-um): wolf, magic staff < hrótgandr (noun m.)
[7] ‑gandr: ‑garðr B
[7] hrótgandr (m.) ‘roof-wolf’: A cpd not attested elsewhere and a kenning for ‘fire’ (cf. ÞjóðA Sex 21/8II hrótgarmr ‘roof-hound [FIRE]’).
[8] hrímnir (m.) ‘soot-maker’: The heiti is possibly derived from hrím n. ‘soot’ (cf. the B variant hrímir). Alternatively, hrímnir could be interpreted as ‘noise-maker’; if so, the word is related to hreimr m. ‘scream, cry’. Hrímnir is also the name of a giant (see Þul Jǫtna I 1/5 and Note there) and a heiti for ‘boar’ and ‘hawk’ (Þul Galtar l. 2, Þul Hauks 1/4). The word is never used as a fire-heiti. In RE 1665, this heiti is rendered as ‘Hrymur’, i.e. Hrymr, the name of a giant in Vsp 50/1, which could be a corruption of hrímir (the B variant) but hardly of hrímnir.
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eimr (noun m.): fire, smoke
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