Note to Hundk Lv 5VIII (HjǪ 36)
[7] bingi Sófnis ‘beds of Sófnir <snake> [GOLD]’: Sófnir is likely to be a snake-heiti here. LP equates Sófnir with Sváfnir, the latter a name for Óðinn; cf. Þhorn Harkv 11/3I and Note, Þul Óðins 4/3III and Note. However, both Sváfnir and Sófnir are snake-heiti in later poetry and in rímur; cf. the kenning látr Sváfnis ‘lair of Sváfnir <snake> [GOLD]’ (Grett Lv 31/7V (Gr 63)) and láð Sófnis ‘lands of Sófnir <snake> [GOLD]’(Grettisrímur III, 25, Finnur Jónsson 1905-22, I, 58); cf. also the kenning naðrbingr ‘adder-bed [GOLD]’ (Þjsk Jarl 1/4I) and Meissner 237. The noun bingr ‘bed’ is uncommon in skaldic poetry and in Old Norse prose but is frequent in rímur (cf. Finnur Jónsson 1926-8, 25-6).
References
- Bibliography
- Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
- 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.
- Finnur Jónsson. 1926-8. Ordbog til de af samfund til udg. af gml. nord. litteratur udgivne Rímur samt til de af Dr. O. Jiriczek udgivne Bósarímur. SUGNL 51. Copenhagen: Jørgensen.
- Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1905-22. Rímnasafn: Samling af de ældste islandske rimer. 2 vols. SUGNL 35. Copenhagen: Møller.
- Internal references
- Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Óðins nǫfn 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. 741.
- Jonathan Grove (ed.) 2022, ‘Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar 63 (Grettir Ásmundarson, Lausavísur 31)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 781.
- R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorbjǫrn hornklofi, Haraldskvæði (Hrafnsmál) 11’ 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. 106.
- Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Þorleifr jarlsskáld Rauðfeldarson, Jarlsníð 1’ 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. 372.
- Jonathan Grove (ed.) 2022, ‘Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar 18 (Grettir Ásmundarson, Lausavísur 9)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross, Kari Ellen Gade and Tarrin Wills (eds), Poetry in Sagas of Icelanders. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 5. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 677.