Þul Skipa 2^III

Byrðingr ‘Freighter’

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byrðingr (noun m.; °dat. -i; -ar): °cargo ship, merchant vessel

[1] Byrðingr: ‘B[…]gr’ B, ‘Býrdingr’ 744ˣ

notes

[1] byrðingr, búza (m., f.) ‘freighter, merchant-ship’: Both terms denote large merchant-ships. While the first is an indigenous Old Norse word (cf. borð and byrði ‘ship’s side’), the second is a loanword (< MLG būtze, būse < MLat. buza, bucia ‘ship for transporting cargo’; AEW: búza, bússa). Neither ship-heiti occurs in skaldic verse, but both terms are found in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: byrðingr; búza). See Falk (1912, 110-12). It is possible that Skuldelev 3, a fourteen-metre long coastal trader with a carrying capacity of 4-5 tons, was a byrðingr (Crumlin-Pedersen 2010, 110).

búza ‘merchant-ship’

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búza (noun f.; °-u; -ur): °broad ocean-going ship, longship (for warfare), trading vessel, ?any large ship

notes

[1] byrðingr, búza (m., f.) ‘freighter, merchant-ship’: Both terms denote large merchant-ships. While the first is an indigenous Old Norse word (cf. borð and byrði ‘ship’s side’), the second is a loanword (< MLG būtze, būse < MLat. buza, bucia ‘ship for transporting cargo’; AEW: búza, bússa). Neither ship-heiti occurs in skaldic verse, but both terms are found in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: byrðingr; búza). See Falk (1912, 110-12). It is possible that Skuldelev 3, a fourteen-metre long coastal trader with a carrying capacity of 4-5 tons, was a byrðingr (Crumlin-Pedersen 2010, 110).

barðkaldr ‘prow-cold one’

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barðkaldr (noun m.)

notes

[2] barðkaldr (m.) ‘prow-cold one’: This ship-heiti, which is not attested elsewhere, may be a proper name (cf. SnE 1998, II, 447) whose first element is barð m. ‘ship prow’ (cf. hélugbarði ‘rimy-prowed one’ in l. 4 below and barði ‘beaked one’ in st. 3/3). For barð ‘prow’, see Falk (1912, 36) and Jesch (2001a, 148-50).

ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

hreinn ‘reindeer’

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1. hreinn (noun m.; °; hreinar): reindeer

[2] hreinn: ‘[…]’ C

notes

[2] hreinn ‘reindeer’: As a poetic term for ‘ship’ the word is attested only in this þula, but Hreinn could be a proper name here, since Hreinninn is the name of a ship in Mork (ÍF 24, 198), Hkr (ÍF 28, 313) and Sv (ÍF 30, 132). Alternatively, it may have been included in this þula because hreinn can serve as the base-word in kennings for ‘ship’ (Falk 1912, 87; cf. vigg ‘steed’ in st. 4/5 below). In LP: hreinn 2, this heiti is connected with the adj. hreinn ‘clean, bright’.

bakki ‘ferry’

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2. bakki (noun m.)

[3] bakki: haki Tˣ, ‘[…]ci’ C

notes

[3] bakki (m.) ‘ferry’: Possibly a small flat-bottomed boat for transportation, most likely a loanword from MLG back ‘vat’ < Lat. bacca ‘vessel’. Other than in the present stanza, the word occurs in Old Norse only as the first element of the cpd bakkastokkar m. pl. ‘berth in which a ship is built’ (CVC: bakka-stokkar; Falk 1912, 87).

hǫmlungr ‘oar-strapped one’

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hǫmlungr (noun m.)

[3] hǫmlungr: ‘humlunngr’ B

notes

[3] hǫmlungr (m.) ‘oar-strapped one’: A hap. leg. derived from hamla f. ‘rowlock, oar-loop’ (st. 8/2 below); hence ‘oar-strapped’ or ‘one having rowlocks’ (see SnE 1998, II, 327; cf. hǫmlumaðr m. ‘rower, oarsman’). The heiti may be connected with the Shetland word skot-/skuthomlin (-humlin) ‘five-oared boat’ or ‘poorly constructed boat’ (Jakobsen 1908-21, 756-7; AEW: hǫmlungr). Cf. hemlir ‘rowlock-strapped one’ in st. 3/3 below.

hélug ‘rimy’

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hélugr (adj.): rime-spread, frosted < hélugbarði (adj.)

[4] hélug‑: ‘helung‑’ C

notes

[4] hélugbarði (m.) ‘rimy-prowed one’: From the adj. hélugr ‘hoary’ and barð n. ‘prow’ (see barðkaldr ‘prow-cold one’ in l. 2 above). As a term for ‘ship’ this heiti occurs only in this þula, but it is the name of a horse ridden by a ghost in a dream stanza (Anon (Nj) 1/2^V (Nj 42)). The phrase hélug bǫrð ‘rime-spread prows, frosted prows’ also occurs in Arn Hryn 11/4^II and Mark Eirdr 14/4^II.

barði ‘prowed one’

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barði (noun m.; °-a): whale < hélugbarði (adj.)

notes

[4] hélugbarði (m.) ‘rimy-prowed one’: From the adj. hélugr ‘hoary’ and barð n. ‘prow’ (see barðkaldr ‘prow-cold one’ in l. 2 above). As a term for ‘ship’ this heiti occurs only in this þula, but it is the name of a horse ridden by a ghost in a dream stanza (Anon (Nj) 1/2^V (Nj 42)). The phrase hélug bǫrð ‘rime-spread prows, frosted prows’ also occurs in Arn Hryn 11/4^II and Mark Eirdr 14/4^II.

rǫst ‘rǫst’

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1. rǫst (noun f.; °rastar; rastir): (a measure of distance)

notes

[5] rǫst (f.): The origin of this heiti is unclear. It is probably not derived from the weak verb rasa ‘rush’ (cf. ÍO: röst, rǫst 3, but see AEW: rǫst 3: die eilende ‘hurrying one’). As a term for ‘ship’ the word occurs only in this þula, but rǫst f. ‘current in the sea, maelstrom’ is used as a determinant in kennings for ‘ship’ (LP: rǫst 2), and the heiti may have resulted from a misinterpretation of a ship-kenning.

bátr ‘boat’

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bátr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): boat

ok ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

regg ‘regg’

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regg (noun n.): boat, vessel

notes

[5] regg (n.): The word is known only from poetry (LP: regg) and its origin and exact meaning are unknown. It may perhaps be connected with New Norw. raga, ragga ‘move slowly, rock’ (cf. AEW: regg; for other explanations, see ÍO: regg).

rǫð ‘rǫð’

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rǫð (noun f.; °; -ir): ridge

[6] rǫð: ‘ród’ B

notes

[6] rǫð (f.): As a heiti for ‘ship’ the word occurs only in this þula and its origin is obscure. ON rǫð means ‘series, row’ and it is not clear how that word can be construed as a term for ‘ship’.

Hring ‘Hring’

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1. hringr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; -ar): ring; sword < hringhorni (noun m.)

notes

[6] Hringhornir (m.): Lit. ‘one with a curled (or spiral) horn’, most likely referring to a ring or spiral prow ornament (cf. the Oseberg ship). Hringhorni is the name of Baldr’s ship in Gylf (SnE 2005, 46). Cf. hringr m. ‘ring’ (st. 3/1 below) and OE hringedstefna, a ship in Beowulf (ll. 32, 1132, 1897), which has the same meaning as the Old Norse word.

hornir ‘hornir’

[6] ‑hornir: ‘‑ornir’ C, A, ‘‑orn[…]’ B, ‘‑ornir’ 744ˣ

notes

[6] Hringhornir (m.): Lit. ‘one with a curled (or spiral) horn’, most likely referring to a ring or spiral prow ornament (cf. the Oseberg ship). Hringhorni is the name of Baldr’s ship in Gylf (SnE 2005, 46). Cf. hringr m. ‘ring’ (st. 3/1 below) and OE hringedstefna, a ship in Beowulf (ll. 32, 1132, 1897), which has the same meaning as the Old Norse word.

lung ‘long-boat’

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lung (noun n.): longship

[7] lung: lyng C

notes

[7] lung (n.) ‘long-boat’: A poetic term for ‘ship’, which is a loanword from OIr. long < Lat. navis longa (Bugge 1875, 228; Falk 1912, 89; Jesch 2001a, 123). The term is first attested in Bragi Frag 4/2.

kjóll ‘barge’

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kjóll (noun m.): ship

notes

[7] kjóll (m.) ‘barge’: This is the term for a large vessel and the word is used mostly in poetry. According to Falk (1912, 88-9), kjóll may be a loanword from OE (cēol ‘ship’); for other suggested explanations see ÍO: kjóll 1. See also Jesch (2001a, 136).

lang ‘long’

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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long < langskip (noun n.): longship

notes

[7] langskip (n.) ‘longship’: A term for various types of warships, attested only in West Norse sources (and with a parallel in OE langscip ‘longship’; see Falk 1912, 101-2). Falk (1912, 101) suggests that langskip could be a loan translation from Lat. navis longa ‘long ship’ (see lung ‘long-boat’ in l. 7 above). The word is common in prose, but not frequently found in verse (Jesch 2001a, 123). Hedeby 1 and Roskilde 6 are examples of longships. The estimated original length of the latter is around 36 metres, and it could possibly have had as many as 78 oars (39 pairs). This ship would have exceeded the size of Ormr inn langi (‘the Long Serpent’), Óláfr Tryggvason’s famous warship (manning 68 oars). See Crumlin-Pedersen (2010, 88).

skip ‘ship’

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skip (noun n.; °-s; -): ship < langskip (noun n.): longship

[7] ‑skip: ‘‑sk[…]’ C

notes

[7] langskip (n.) ‘longship’: A term for various types of warships, attested only in West Norse sources (and with a parallel in OE langscip ‘longship’; see Falk 1912, 101-2). Falk (1912, 101) suggests that langskip could be a loan translation from Lat. navis longa ‘long ship’ (see lung ‘long-boat’ in l. 7 above). The word is common in prose, but not frequently found in verse (Jesch 2001a, 123). Hedeby 1 and Roskilde 6 are examples of longships. The estimated original length of the latter is around 36 metres, and it could possibly have had as many as 78 oars (39 pairs). This ship would have exceeded the size of Ormr inn langi (‘the Long Serpent’), Óláfr Tryggvason’s famous warship (manning 68 oars). See Crumlin-Pedersen (2010, 88).

leifnir ‘leifnir’

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Leifnir (noun m.): Leifnir

[8] leifnir: ‘[…]’ C

notes

[8] leifnir (m.): Perhaps a proper name. As a heiti for ‘ship’ the word is not found elsewhere, but Leifnir is the name of a sea-king (Þul Sækonunga 4/2). The word may be derived from -leif ‘inheritance’ or from the weak verb leifa ‘leave, relinquish’ (ÍO: Leifnir).

karfi ‘carvel’

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1. karfi (noun m.; °-a): ship, vessel

[8] karfi: so B, ‘karpi’ R, Tˣ, ‘karbi’ C, barði A

notes

[8] karfi (m.) ‘carvel’: A light ship, possibly used only in coastal waters and not ocean-going, although the exact nature of this ship is still disputed. See Note to Egill Lv 24/8^V (Eg 31), Falk (1912, 93-5, 98-9) and Jesch (2001a, 135). For ModEngl. carvel, see OED: carvel, n.