Note to Þul Óðins 8^III

[4] Þrór: Lit. ‘thriver’, which can be connected with the weak verb þróask ‘grow, thrive’ (cf. þroski m. ‘maturity’). Falk (1924, 30-1) suggests that, because the name is a heiti for ‘boar’ (Þul Galtar l. 7) as well, it could originally have been the name of the god of fertility, Freyr (see Note to Þjóð Yt 26/3^I). If that is correct, this is one of the names of other gods that was transferred to Óðinn (cf. Fjǫlnir, st. 2/1). In Grí 49/6 (NK 67) it is said that Óðinn took this name at public assemblies (Þrór þingum at ‘Þrór when at legal assemblies’), hence it might be interpreted as ‘one who has the power over legal assemblies’ (so Björn Magnússon Ólsen 1902, 195). Falk (1924, 30-1) notes, however, that Óðinn is not otherwise known as a protector at public assemblies, and he proposes that Þrór þingum at may mean ‘[I am called] pleasant in love-affairs’ (on this meaning of þing, see LP: þing 4). For another suggested interpretation of Þrór as ‘attacker’, see Höfler (1952b, 99). This Óðinn heiti is used in skaldic poetry (LP: Þrór 1), and it is also listed as a heiti for ‘dwarf’ (Þul Dverga 4/5; see Note there) and ‘sword’ (Þul Sverða 3/5).

References

1. Bibliography
2. LP = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1931. Lexicon poeticum antiquæ linguæ septentrionalis: Ordbog over det norsk-islandske skjaldesprog oprindelig forfattet af Sveinbjörn Egilsson. 2nd edn. Copenhagen: Møller.
3. NK = Neckel, Gustav and Hans Kuhn (1899), eds. 1983. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern. 2 vols. I: Text. 5th edn. Heidelberg: Winter.
4. Falk, Hjalmar. 1924. Odensheite. Skrifter utg. av Videnskapsselskapet i Kristiania. II. Hist.-filos. kl. 1924, 10. Kristiania (Oslo): Dybwad.
5. Björn Magnússon Ólsen. 1902. ‘Strøbemærkninger til norske og islandske skjaldedigte’. ANF 18, 195-210.
6. Höfler, Otto. 1952b. Germanisches Sakralkönigtum. Tübingen: Niemeyer and Münster: Böhlau.
7. Internal references
8. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Dverga 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. 699.
9. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Sverða heiti 3’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 794.
10. Not published: do not cite ()
11. Elena Gurevich 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Galtar heiti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 900. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3215> (accessed 25 April 2024)
12. Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Þjóðólfr ór Hvini, Ynglingatal 26’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 55.