Note to Hjþ Lv 8VIII (HjǪ 19)
[8] en ek mun dvergasmíði ‘and I will [unleash] my dwarfs’ work [SWORD]’: The phrasal verb etja fram ‘unleash’ must be understood from l. 5. The cpd dvergasmíði ‘dwarfs’ work’ has been understood here as a sword-kenning, even though this noun may refer to skilfully crafted artefacts of many kinds, not necessarily swords; however, swords are most frequently referred to in this way, particularly in riddarasögur (see ONP: dvergasmíði). The concept that such artefacts were the work of dwarfs is connected with the idea, expressed in various Old Norse mythological contexts, that the dwarfs were the artisans who worked for the gods and produced their most prized weapons and equipment, like Óðinn’s spear, Gungnir, and Þórr’s hammer, Mjǫllnir (see SnE 1998, I, 41-2).
References
- Bibliography
- ONP = Degnbol, Helle et al., eds. 1989-. A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose / Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog. 1-. Copenhagen: The Arnamagnæan Commission.
- SnE 1998 = Snorri Sturluson. 1998. Edda: Skáldskaparmál. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2 vols. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.