Þul Orma 4III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Orma heiti 4’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 933.
Liðr ‘Serpent’
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linnr (noun m.): snake
notes
[1] liðr (m.) ‘serpent’: Like linni ‘reptile’ (l. 2), this heiti is a variant of linnr (st. 3/4), a poetic term for ‘serpent’.
japr ‘japr’
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japr (noun m.): °(heiti; for slange)
notes
[1] japr: A hap. leg. also listed in LaufE (see japra in st. 1/4 above and Note there).
notes
[1] bráinn (m.) ‘flickering one’: Related to the weak verb brjá ‘flicker’. The heiti may allude to a serpent’s eyes (cf. fræningr ‘flashing one’ and fránn ‘gleaming, flashing one’; see Note to st. 1/7 above). It is also given in the list in LaufE and in Þul Hesta 3/6, but not found elsewhere. For the B variant, (normalised) varinn m. ‘wary, cautious, watchful one’, see holdvarinn ‘flesh-wary one’ (st. 2/7).
stefningr ‘stefningr’
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stefningr (noun m.): °(heiti; for orm/slange)
snillingr ‘swift one’
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2. snillingr (noun m.)
notes
[3] snillingr (m.) ‘swift one’: Or ‘valiant one’ (cf. Þul Manna 1/7 and Note there). As a heiti for ‘serpent’, the word occurs only in this þula.
notes
[3] viðnir (m.) ‘forest-dweller’: Derived from viðr m. ‘wood, forest’ and also listed as heiti for ‘wolf’ and ‘hawk’ (Þul Vargs 1/5, Þul Hauks 2/5). None of these heiti is attested in other sources.
notes
[4] serfr: A hap. leg., whose origin is obscure. It is unlikely that ON serfr is related to Lat. serpēns ‘serpent’. The word could be corrupt in A (so AEW: serfr; for other suggested explanations, see ÍO: serfr). In B, the sequence viðnir serfr has been replaced by the cpd viðskerfr, which is also a hap. leg. (cf. skerfr m. ‘share, portion’), but the meaning of that word is obscure as well. Neither variant is given in the corresponding list in LaufE.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
vinduðr ‘coiling one’
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vinduðr (noun m.)
notes
[4] vinduðr (m.) ‘coiling one’: See Note to [All]. Related to the strong verb vinda ‘twist, turn’.
notes
[5] ráðr (m.): The word is a hap. leg. and its meaning is uncertain (possibly ‘counsellor, adviser’ from the strong verb ráða ‘advise’). Ráðr occurs in this sense as a second element in Germanic personal names (e.g. Gangráðr, Þul Óðins 3/2). It is also possible that ráðr could mean ‘owner, ruler’ (cf. stýrir ‘ruler’ in st. 3/6 above). De Vries (AEW: ráðr 1) suggests that the word could mean ‘clasping (or embracing) one’ (from Gmc *wrēþan from a root *wer- in the sense ‘surround, embrace’; cf. vinduðr ‘coiling one’ in l. 4).
notes
[5] rábia: Lit. ‘frantic one’. Most likely a foreign word (cf. Lat. rabio ‘be in a fury’) that is otherwise not found in Old Norse. In ms. B, ráðr rábia are replaced by vinningr m. lit. ‘gain, profit’. Vinningr is not attested as a serpent-heiti. None of these variants is recorded in LaufE.
notes
[6] reimir (m.) ‘stringing one’: A hap. leg. related to reim f. ‘lash, thong’ and the weak verb reima ‘fasten on a thong’ (cf. vinduðr ‘coiling one’ in l. 4). The B variant is rennir m. ‘one that causes sth. or sby to run’. Both words make sense and conform to the image of a serpent, but the A variant is preferable because of the rhyme reimir: seimir. Neither variant is listed in LaufE.
seimir ‘glittering one’
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seimir (noun m.)
notes
[6] seimir (m.) ‘glittering one’: Or perhaps ‘golden thread’. The heiti is a hap. leg. related to seimr m. ‘riches, gold’ (cf. ÍO: seimir). Thus the name could refer either to the skin of a snake or to the function of legendary serpents as guardians of treasure.
notes
[7] Móinn: Lit. ‘heath-dweller’ (from mór ‘moor, heath’ and the characterising adjectival suffix ‑inn). One of the mythical serpents that gnaw on the roots of the ash Yggdrasill (Grí 34/4; Gylf, SnE 2005, 19). Móinn is mentioned among serpent-heiti in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 90) and in the list in LaufE. The name is also found in Þul Hesta 4/1 and as a second element in poetic compounds (e.g. the sword-heiti gest-Móinn in Þul Sverða 9/7 and fík-Móinn in Þul Hjálms 1/4). In skaldic poetry, móinn is used in kennings as a heiti for ‘serpent’ in general.
dalginna ‘dale-poisoner’
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dalginna (noun f.): °for a snake)
notes
[7] dalginna (f.) ‘dale-poisoner’: Or ‘‑deceiver’. The second element of this cpd, which is not attested elsewhere, is derived from the weak verb ginna ‘dupe, fool, intoxicate’. The word is one of the few f. heiti in this þula, and it is included in the list in LaufE.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Miðgarðsormr ‘Miðgarðsormr’
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miðgarðsormr (noun m.)
notes
[8] Miðgarðsormr: Also called Jǫrmungandr ‘the Great Monster’. The world serpent of Old Norse myth, which is hidden in the ocean with its coils encircling Miðgarðr, the world inhabited by people (Gylf, SnE 2005, 27, 43-5, 50, 54; Skm, SnE 1998, I, 6, 14, 20). The name does not otherwise occur in poetry, but there are many kennings in poetry whose referent is ‘Miðgarðsormr’.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Most of the heiti for ‘serpent’ listed below are not attested elsewhere or otherwise listed only in LaufE: japr (l. 1), stefningr m. (l. 2), serfr and vinduðr ‘coiling one’ (l. 4), ráðr m., rábia lit. ‘frantic one’ (l. 5), reimir m. ‘stringing one’, seimir m. ‘glittering one’ (l. 6) and dalginna f. ‘dale-poisoner’ (l. 7). Others are not attested with the meaning ‘serpent’ in poetry: bráinn m. ‘flickering one’ (l. 1), snillingr m. ‘swift one’, viðnir m. ‘forest-dweller’ (l. 3).
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