Note to Bragi Þórr 6III
[2] byrsendir vágs ‘the wind-sender of the ocean [GIANT = Hymir]’: The hap. leg. cpd byrsendir ‘wind-sender’ is to be understood in connection with mythological associations between giants, like Hræsvelgr, and the generation of wind (cf. SnE 2005, 20). This reading was proposed by Kock (NN §2205F). On the associations between supernatural beings in Old Norse and the raising of wind, see Perkins (2001). Skj B (cf. LP: hyrsendir, vágr 2) adopts the variant reading hyrsendir ‘fire-sender’, construing it with vágs as a man-kenning ‘sender of the fire of the bay [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]’, a rather inappropriate kenning for Hymir! Vágr means either the sea, especially when disturbed by wind (LP: vágr 1), or a bay (LP: vágr 2). It is also possible to construe vágs (l. 2) with vrǫngum œgi ‘twisted terrifier’ (ll. 1, 2) to produce a kenning for Miðgarðsormr vrǫngum œgi vágs ‘twisted terrifier of the ocean [= Miðgarðsormr]’.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- 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.
- SnE 2005 = Snorri Sturluson. 2005. Edda: Prologue and Gylfaginning. Ed. Anthony Faulkes. 2nd edn. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
- Perkins, Richard. 2001. Thor the Wind-Raiser and the Eyrarland Image. University College London: Viking Society for Northern Research.