Gnóðar-Ásmundar drápa — Anon GnóðÁsm^III

One anonymous runhent helmingr that LaufE attributes to a poem called Gnóðar-Ásmundar drápa ‘Drápa of Gnóðar-Ásmundr’ (Anon GnóðÁsm) is recorded in LaufE mss (2368ˣ (main ms.), 743ˣ) and (unattributed) in RE 1665(Hh3). It may have been included in leaves of W that have not survived. Although Skj dates it to the twelfth century, neither the poem’s date nor anything of its overall subject or context of production are known. On the other hand, the legendary figure of Ásmundr and the ship Gnóð ‘Rustling’ (cf. Note to Þul Skipa 3/1), after which he was named, appear or are mentioned in at least two fornaldarsögur (Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar saga berserkjabana, FSGJ III, 323-65 and Gríms saga loðinkinna, FSGJ II, 183-98), which suggests that more legendary activities of this figure and his ship were known in Old Norse tradition than have been recorded. At the conclusion of EgÁsm, it is stated that Gnóð was the largest ship known to have been built north of the Aegean Sea. In addition to prose sources, several kennings and other references (see LP: Gnóð, vín-Gnóð) attest to skalds’ knowledge of the legend, including Eskál Vell 5/2, 4^I, KormǪ Lv 41/5, 6^V (Korm 60), and, in particular, Anon Mhkv 8/5 Ásmundr tamði Gnóð við gjálfr ‘Ásmundr accustomed Gnóð <legendary ship> to the sea’. Exactly how Anon GnóðÁsm relates to the legendary material connected with Ásmundr and his ship is unknown.

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. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
4. EgÁsm = Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana.
5. Internal references
6. 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Gríms saga loðinkinna’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 288. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=76> (accessed 23 April 2024)
7. Roberta Frank (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 8’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1222.
8. Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Skipa 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. 865.
9. Edith Marold (ed.) 2012, ‘Einarr skálaglamm Helgason, Vellekla 5’ 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. 289.
10. Edith Marold (ed.) 2022, ‘Kormáks saga 60 (Kormákr Ǫgmundarson, Lausavísur 41)’ 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. 1130.
11. (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 23 April 2024)