Anon Bjark 5^III

Ýtti ‘distributed’

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ýta (verb): launch

[1] Ýtti: so all others, Veitti R

notes

[1] ýtti ‘distributed’: Lit. ‘pushed’. This, the majority mss’ reading, alliterates, while R’s veitti ‘granted’ does not, nor is the verb veita compatible with the datives in ll. 3-8, since it takes the acc., not the dat., of what is granted.

ǫrr ‘The generous’

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ǫrr (adj.): generous, brave

hilmir ‘prince’

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hilmir (noun m.): prince, protector

[1] hilmir: ‘hialmir’ Tˣ

aldir ‘the men’

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ǫld (noun f.; °; aldir): people, age

við ‘[it]’

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2. við (prep.): with, against

tóku ‘received’

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2. taka (verb): take

Sifjar ‘Sif’s’

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2. Sif (noun f.): Sif

[3] Sifjar: so W, U, A, papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ, svíar R, ‘su uar’ Tˣ, ‘siafar’ B, ‘sif[…]’ C

kennings

notes

[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.

svarð ‘scalp’

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svǫrðr (noun m.; °svarðar, dat. sverði; sverðir, acc. svǫrðu): scalp < svarðfestr (noun f.)

[3] svarð‑: svar‑ Tˣ

kennings

notes

[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.

svarð ‘scalp’

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svǫrðr (noun m.; °svarðar, dat. sverði; sverðir, acc. svǫrðu): scalp < svarðfestr (noun f.)

[3] svarð‑: svar‑ Tˣ

kennings

notes

[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.

festum ‘cords’

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festr (noun f.; °dat. & acc. -i; -ar/-ir): mooring, betrothal < svarðfestr (noun f.)

[3] ‑festum: ‑festi A

kennings

notes

[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.

festum ‘cords’

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festr (noun f.; °dat. & acc. -i; -ar/-ir): mooring, betrothal < svarðfestr (noun f.)

[3] ‑festum: ‑festi A

kennings

notes

[3] svarðfestum Sifjar ‘Sif’s <goddess’s> scalp-cords [HAIR > GOLD]’: This unique gold-kenning (cf. Meissner 226) depends upon a myth told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 41-2) in which the god Loki once cut off the hair of Sif, wife of the god Þórr. The latter flew into a rage and demanded that Loki produce a substitute head of golden hair for Sif which would grow from her scalp as if it were natural. Loki managed to get some dwarfs to manufacture such an object, along with other precious possessions that the gods came to own.

svelli ‘ice’

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svell (noun n.; °; -): ice

kennings

notes

[4] svelli dalnauðar ‘ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER]’: Aside from the fact that this is the only silver-kenning in sts 4-6, it is also anomalous as being without a mythological basis. Dalnauðr ‘bow-compulsion’, a hap. leg., refers to the arm that impels the bow.

dal ‘of the bow’

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2. dalr (noun m.): (gen. -ar) bow < dalnauð (noun f.): [bow-compulsion]

[4] dalnauðar: so all others, ‘dalnꜹnar’ R

kennings

notes

[4] svelli dalnauðar ‘ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER]’: Aside from the fact that this is the only silver-kenning in sts 4-6, it is also anomalous as being without a mythological basis. Dalnauðr ‘bow-compulsion’, a hap. leg., refers to the arm that impels the bow.

dal ‘of the bow’

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2. dalr (noun m.): (gen. -ar) bow < dalnauð (noun f.): [bow-compulsion]

[4] dalnauðar: so all others, ‘dalnꜹnar’ R

kennings

notes

[4] svelli dalnauðar ‘ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER]’: Aside from the fact that this is the only silver-kenning in sts 4-6, it is also anomalous as being without a mythological basis. Dalnauðr ‘bow-compulsion’, a hap. leg., refers to the arm that impels the bow.

nauðar ‘compulsion’

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nauðr (noun f.; sb. f.): nød, kval, elendighed; det at være tvunget/nødt (til ngt), nødvendighed < dalnauð (noun f.): [bow-compulsion]

[4] dalnauðar: so all others, ‘dalnꜹnar’ R

kennings

notes

[4] svelli dalnauðar ‘ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER]’: Aside from the fact that this is the only silver-kenning in sts 4-6, it is also anomalous as being without a mythological basis. Dalnauðr ‘bow-compulsion’, a hap. leg., refers to the arm that impels the bow.

nauðar ‘compulsion’

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nauðr (noun f.; sb. f.): nød, kval, elendighed; det at være tvunget/nødt (til ngt), nødvendighed < dalnauð (noun f.): [bow-compulsion]

[4] dalnauðar: so all others, ‘dalnꜹnar’ R

kennings

notes

[4] svelli dalnauðar ‘ice of the bow-compulsion [ARM > SILVER]’: Aside from the fact that this is the only silver-kenning in sts 4-6, it is also anomalous as being without a mythological basis. Dalnauðr ‘bow-compulsion’, a hap. leg., refers to the arm that impels the bow.

tregum ‘the reluctant’

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tregr (adj.): slow, reluctant

kennings

notes

[5] tregum gjǫldum Otrs ‘the reluctant payment for Otr [GOLD]’: Lit. ‘of Otr’. A gold-kenning depending on a story told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 45-6) of how the god Loki killed an otter, which turned out to be an anthropomorphic being, Otr ‘Otter’, son of Hreiðmarr and brother of Fáfnir and Reginn (see Notes to st. 4/4 and 4/6 above). The gods were forced to pay as much gold as was needed to fill the dead otter’s skin and cover it completely in compensation to his family, hence the payment can be described as tregr ‘reluctant’. The gold itself was obtained under duress from a dwarf named Andvari, who placed a curse on it to the effect that it was to cause the death of whoever possessed it. SnSt Ht 41/2 uses the gold-kenning otrgjǫld ‘otter-payments’; cf. Note to Bjark 4/6.

Otrs ‘for Otr’

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Otr (noun m.; °; otrar): otter

[5] Otrs gjǫldum: ‘[…]’ B, ‘otrs gio᷎lldum’ 744ˣ

kennings

notes

[5] tregum gjǫldum Otrs ‘the reluctant payment for Otr [GOLD]’: Lit. ‘of Otr’. A gold-kenning depending on a story told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 45-6) of how the god Loki killed an otter, which turned out to be an anthropomorphic being, Otr ‘Otter’, son of Hreiðmarr and brother of Fáfnir and Reginn (see Notes to st. 4/4 and 4/6 above). The gods were forced to pay as much gold as was needed to fill the dead otter’s skin and cover it completely in compensation to his family, hence the payment can be described as tregr ‘reluctant’. The gold itself was obtained under duress from a dwarf named Andvari, who placed a curse on it to the effect that it was to cause the death of whoever possessed it. SnSt Ht 41/2 uses the gold-kenning otrgjǫld ‘otter-payments’; cf. Note to Bjark 4/6.

gjǫldum ‘payment’

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gjald (noun n.): payment, reward, return

[5] Otrs gjǫldum: ‘[…]’ B, ‘otrs gio᷎lldum’ 744ˣ

kennings

notes

[5] tregum gjǫldum Otrs ‘the reluctant payment for Otr [GOLD]’: Lit. ‘of Otr’. A gold-kenning depending on a story told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 45-6) of how the god Loki killed an otter, which turned out to be an anthropomorphic being, Otr ‘Otter’, son of Hreiðmarr and brother of Fáfnir and Reginn (see Notes to st. 4/4 and 4/6 above). The gods were forced to pay as much gold as was needed to fill the dead otter’s skin and cover it completely in compensation to his family, hence the payment can be described as tregr ‘reluctant’. The gold itself was obtained under duress from a dwarf named Andvari, who placed a curse on it to the effect that it was to cause the death of whoever possessed it. SnSt Ht 41/2 uses the gold-kenning otrgjǫld ‘otter-payments’; cf. Note to Bjark 4/6.

tôrum ‘the tears’

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tár (noun n.; °; -): tear

kennings

notes

[6] tôrum Mardallar ‘the tears of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD]’: Mardǫll is an alternative name for the goddess Freyja (cf. Þul Ásynja 3/1-2 and 6), who is said to have wept tears of gold at the frequent absences of her peripatetic husband Óðr (SnE 2005, 29), possibly an alternative name for the god Óðinn. Gold-kennings of this type (Meissner 227) are not very common in early skaldic poetry (Þhorn Lv 1/2^I and Ólhelg Lv 9/6^I are the only examples, and the reading of the former is uncertain), but are used no less than four times by Einarr Skúlason in ESk Øxfl (1/1, 4, 2/1, 2, 3, 3/5, 8, 9/4), once (1/1, 4) referring to Freyja as Mardǫll, while SnSt Ht 42/6, 8 has the gold-kenning fagrregn hvarma Mardallar ‘the fair rain of the eyelids [TEARS] of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD]’. There is also a reference to Mardǫll’s tears in Anon Mhkv 8/3.

Mardallar ‘of Mardǫll’

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Mardǫll (noun f.): Mardǫll

[6] Mardallar: ‘marþallar’ U, ‘[…]dallar’ B, mardallar 744ˣ

kennings

notes

[6] tôrum Mardallar ‘the tears of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD]’: Mardǫll is an alternative name for the goddess Freyja (cf. Þul Ásynja 3/1-2 and 6), who is said to have wept tears of gold at the frequent absences of her peripatetic husband Óðr (SnE 2005, 29), possibly an alternative name for the god Óðinn. Gold-kennings of this type (Meissner 227) are not very common in early skaldic poetry (Þhorn Lv 1/2^I and Ólhelg Lv 9/6^I are the only examples, and the reading of the former is uncertain), but are used no less than four times by Einarr Skúlason in ESk Øxfl (1/1, 4, 2/1, 2, 3, 3/5, 8, 9/4), once (1/1, 4) referring to Freyja as Mardǫll, while SnSt Ht 42/6, 8 has the gold-kenning fagrregn hvarma Mardallar ‘the fair rain of the eyelids [TEARS] of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD]’. There is also a reference to Mardǫll’s tears in Anon Mhkv 8/3.

eldi ‘the fire’

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eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹‰(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire

kennings

notes

[7] eldi Órunar ‘the fire of Órun <river> [GOLD]’: Gold-kennings were commonly formed from base words meaning ‘fire’ and determinants referring to any body of water, including rivers (cf. Meissner 225, 229-37; SnE 1998, I, 41). The river-name Órun is recorded only here and in Þul Á 2/5, where it occurs as a substantivised adj. having the meaning ‘furious one’; see Note to that line.

Órunar ‘of Órun’

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Órun (noun f.): Órun

[7] Órunar: ‘odrunar’ Tˣ, ‘oranar’ W, ‘oronar’ U, ‘ǫlrvnar’ A, ‘o᷎runnar’ B, ‘arunar’ C, ‘Oränar’ papp10ˣ, ‘uranar’ 2368ˣ, ‘Uranar’ 743ˣ

kennings

notes

[7] eldi Órunar ‘the fire of Órun <river> [GOLD]’: Gold-kennings were commonly formed from base words meaning ‘fire’ and determinants referring to any body of water, including rivers (cf. Meissner 225, 229-37; SnE 1998, I, 41). The river-name Órun is recorded only here and in Þul Á 2/5, where it occurs as a substantivised adj. having the meaning ‘furious one’; see Note to that line.

Iðja ‘of Iði’

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Iði (noun m.): Iði

kennings

notes

[8] glysmôlum Iðja ‘the shining speeches of Iði <giant> [GOLD]’: This gold-kenning belongs to the type that depends on a mytheme related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 3). It concerns a giant named Ǫlvaldi who owned a great deal of gold. When he died, his riches had to be distributed equally between his three sons, Þjazi, Iði and Gangr. They ensured a fair distribution of their inheritance by each taking exactly equal numbers of mouthfuls of gold, hence gold can be called the mouthful, voice or speech of giants or of one of these three giants (Meissner 227-8). This kenning type is first attested in an early poem, Bragi Frag 6/2-3; another example is at st. 6/3 below.

glys ‘the shining’

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glys (noun n.) < glysmál (noun n.): [shining speeches]

kennings

notes

[8] glysmôlum Iðja ‘the shining speeches of Iði <giant> [GOLD]’: This gold-kenning belongs to the type that depends on a mytheme related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 3). It concerns a giant named Ǫlvaldi who owned a great deal of gold. When he died, his riches had to be distributed equally between his three sons, Þjazi, Iði and Gangr. They ensured a fair distribution of their inheritance by each taking exactly equal numbers of mouthfuls of gold, hence gold can be called the mouthful, voice or speech of giants or of one of these three giants (Meissner 227-8). This kenning type is first attested in an early poem, Bragi Frag 6/2-3; another example is at st. 6/3 below.

môlum ‘speeches’

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1. mál (noun n.; °-s; -): speech, matter < glysmál (noun n.): [shining speeches]

kennings

notes

[8] glysmôlum Iðja ‘the shining speeches of Iði <giant> [GOLD]’: This gold-kenning belongs to the type that depends on a mytheme related in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 3). It concerns a giant named Ǫlvaldi who owned a great deal of gold. When he died, his riches had to be distributed equally between his three sons, Þjazi, Iði and Gangr. They ensured a fair distribution of their inheritance by each taking exactly equal numbers of mouthfuls of gold, hence gold can be called the mouthful, voice or speech of giants or of one of these three giants (Meissner 227-8). This kenning type is first attested in an early poem, Bragi Frag 6/2-3; another example is at st. 6/3 below.