Viðar heiti — Þul Viðar^III

This þula (Þul Viðar) contains heiti for ‘tree’ and it is recorded in mss A (main ms.) and B (and 744ˣ) of Skm (SnE). The þula is introduced with the chapter headings Viðar heiti ‘Names for tree’ (A; as usual, written in red ink) and Viða heiti ‘Names for trees’ (B). Þul Viðar is preceded by Þul Jarðar and followed by Þul Øxna in both mss. Along with terms for various kinds of trees, the þula enumerates certain parts of a tree (tág ‘root fibre, rót ‘root’ sts 1/1, 2/3), terms for ‘forest’ (mǫrk st. 1/3), ‘sapling’ (spíra, storð sts 1/4, 3/4) and ‘firewood’ (lág ‘log’, skíð ‘firewood’ st. 3/1, 2). It is noteworthy that the þula contains five different terms for ‘willow’, i.e. víðir, selja (st. 1/2), píll (st. 2/7), ilstri (st. 3/7) and jǫlstr (st. 3/8). It cannot be ascertained that, at the time when the þula was composed, these terms denoted the same trees as they do in the modern Scandinavian languages, and that they, like their modern English equivalents, aimed to distinguish between different species of the Salix family. In the present edition these terms are therefore translated as ‘willow’ or ‘sallow’, while more detailed information is given in the Notes. Masculine and feminine tree-names are common as base-words in kennings for ‘man’ and ‘woman’. Around thirty-six of the heiti recorded in this þula are also found in LaufE (LaufE 1979, 303, 392; mss papp10ˣ(51v), 2368ˣ(128), 743ˣ(96r-v)) under the headings Skögur h. ‘Forest is called’ (papp10ˣ) and Skogar kiennyngar ‘Kennings for Forest’ (2368ˣ). The sequence of heiti differs from that of the þula, and LaufE contains an additional eight heiti not found in the þula. The variants show that the LaufE version must have been copied from a ms. higher up the stemma than A and B, and variants from LaufE are discussed in the Notes when pertinent. The version of the list in RE 1665(Ll3) was copied from LaufE and has no independent value.

References

1. Bibliography
2. LaufE 1979 = Faulkes, Anthony, ed. 1979. Edda Magnúsar Ólafssonar (Laufás Edda). RSÁM 13. Vol. I of Two Versions of Snorra Edda from the 17th Century. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, 1977-9.
3. Internal references
4. Edith Marold 2017, ‘Snorra Edda (Prologue, Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál)’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols [check printed volume for citation].
5. (forthcoming), ‘ Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál’ 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=112> (accessed 26 April 2024)
6. Elena Gurevich 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Jarðar heiti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 877. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3209> (accessed 26 April 2024)
7. Elena Gurevich 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Øxna heiti’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 885. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3210> (accessed 26 April 2024)
8. (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 26 April 2024)