Note to Þul Sverða 6III
[1] Mímungr: Lit. ‘descendent of Mímir’. The name of Viðga’s sword in Þiðreks saga (Þiðr 1853, 80, etc.). It is also found in the form Mimmungr (so ms. A and the LaufE mss), which is the name of Virga’s sword in Mágus saga jarls (ch. 39, Mág 1858, 92; cf. OE Mimming, OHG Mīmunc, AEW: Mímungr). Mímungr is a derivation of the name Mími(r)/Mime, the teacher of Velent in English and German legendary tradition (including the Old Norse Þiðreks saga). According to most of these sources, the sword was welded by Velent/Wēland/Wieland. The sword-name was also adopted in Old Norse tradition. In Saxo (Saxo 2005, I, 3, 2, 5-6, pp. 192-3), Mimingus is a forest demon. The word is used as a common noun in Vargeisa Lv 2/7VIII (HjǪ 6). Cf. also hold-Mímir ‘flesh-Mímir’ (st. 5/4 above).
References
- Bibliography
- AEW = Vries, Jan de. 1962. Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2nd rev. edn. Rpt. 1977. Leiden: Brill.
- Saxo 2005 = Friis-Jensen, Karsten, ed. 2005. Saxo Grammaticus: Gesta Danorum / Danmarkshistorien. Trans. Peter Zeeberg. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Det danske sprog- og litteraturselskab & Gads forlag.
- Þiðr 1853 = Unger, C. R., ed. 1853. Saga Ðiðriks konungs af Bern. Fortælling om kong Thidrik af Bern og hans kæmper, i norsk bearbeidelse fra det trettende aarhundrede efter tydske kilder. Christiania (Oslo): Werner.
- Mág 1858 = Gunnlaugur Þórðarson, ed. 1858. Bragða-Mágus saga með tilheyrendi þáttum. Copenhagen: Páll Sveinsson.
- Internal references
- Richard L. Harris (ed.) 2017, ‘Hjálmþés saga ok Ǫlvis 6 (Vargeisa/Álfsól, Lausavísur 2)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 498.
- (forthcoming), ‘ Unattributed, Laufás Edda’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=10928> (accessed 25 April 2024)