Þul Þorgþ I 2III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Þorgrímsþula I 2’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 672.
notes
[1] Vigg: Vigg is not attested as a proper name elsewhere, but it is frequently used in poetry as a common noun (‘horse, steed’; cf. OE wicg, OS wigg ‘horse’). In Skj B the name is given as Viggr (m.), which probably is a later form (see AEW: vigg). See also Þul Hesta, where this heiti appears twice, as vigg (st. 2/7) and as viggr (st. 4/7). The latter is an emended form and the ms. readings can be normalised as vigr/vígr (see Note to Þul Hesta 4/7). Because the form Vigg n. is not really an appropriate name for a horse, Kock (NN §2157B) suggests the reading Vígr m. ‘warlike one’ or ‘swift one’ (from the adj. vígr ‘warlike, able to fight’), but this has no support in the mss (the variant reading vingr, which is found only in U, is likely to be a scribal error). ‘Vig’ in the LaufE mss (<i> and not <í>) cannot be construed as an Old Norse word and is of no help here.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Stúfr ‘Stúfr’
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stúfr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): stump, Stúfr
[1] Stúfr: Skúfr A, papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ
notes
[1] Stúfr: According to Anon Kálfv 2/2, Stúfr m. (lit. ‘stump’) belonged to Vifill, a sea-king mentioned in several Old Norse sources (see Note to Kálfv 2/2). The name stúfr is also recorded in Þul Hesta 1/8 as well as in Þul Øxna 2/5 and Þul Sverða 2/1. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) adopts the reading of A (and LaufE), Skúfr m. (perhaps lit. ‘tassel’), because that word alliterates with the next horse-name. However, as Kock points out (NN §2157C; Skald; see also SnE 1998, I, 88), the alliterating pair here is not Skúfr : Skævaði but Vigg : vas (as in st. 1/3-4 Valr ok Léttfeti, | vas þar Tjaldari).
notes
[2] vas ‘were’: Lit. ‘was’. The finite verb is in the sg. and the subject is in the pl. (see NS §70).
með ‘with’
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með (prep.): with
notes
[2] Skævaði ‘Skævaðr’: Lit. ‘racer’ (agent noun from the poetic weak verb skæva ‘hurry’) or ‘one who lifts his legs high’ (so Sturtevant 1948, 129). According to Anon Kálfv 1/7-8, Skævaðr is the horse of Helgi Haddingjaskati (see Note there). See also Þul Hesta 1/6.
Þegn ‘Þegn’
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þegn (noun m.; °dat. -/-i; -ar): thane, man, franklin
[3] Þegn: ‘oþen’ U, corrected from ‘þehn’ A, Þegn ok 2368ˣ
notes
[3] Blakkr knátti bera Þegn ‘Blakkr carried Þegn’: Þegn may be a pers. n. here, otherwise ‘thane, retainer’. Cf. Rþ 24/4 where Þegn is a son of Karl (see also þegnar pl., Þul Manna 2/1 and Note there, as well as Goetting 2006). According to Anon Kálfv 3/1, however, Blakkr belonged to a man named Bjǫrn and hence it is possible that þegn is a common noun in the present context (‘Blakkr carried a thane’, that thane being Bjǫrn). In LaufE, each word in this line is taken as the name of a horse (Þegn, Knati, Blakkr, Beri).
knátti ‘’
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knega (verb): to know, understand, be able to
[3] knátti: mátti C, Knati papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ
notes
[3] Blakkr knátti bera Þegn ‘Blakkr carried Þegn’: Þegn may be a pers. n. here, otherwise ‘thane, retainer’. Cf. Rþ 24/4 where Þegn is a son of Karl (see also þegnar pl., Þul Manna 2/1 and Note there, as well as Goetting 2006). According to Anon Kálfv 3/1, however, Blakkr belonged to a man named Bjǫrn and hence it is possible that þegn is a common noun in the present context (‘Blakkr carried a thane’, that thane being Bjǫrn). In LaufE, each word in this line is taken as the name of a horse (Þegn, Knati, Blakkr, Beri).
Blakkr ‘Blakkr’
(not checked:)
1. blakkr (noun m.): horse
[3] Blakkr: á baki U, ‘bakr’ A, Blakkr ok 2368ˣ
notes
[3] Blakkr: Lit. ‘black one’ or ‘dun-coloured one’ (m.). This denotes a pale-coloured horse (see also Þul Hesta 3/5). It is a substantivised form of the adj. blakkr ‘pale’. In ms. U Þegn is rendered as ‘oþen’ (= Óðin?) and Blakkr as á baki: Óðin knátti á baki bera ‘carried Óðinn (?) on its back’, and the horse doing so must have been one of the three horses mentioned in ll. 1-2. Blakkr is used frequently in poetry as a heiti for ‘horse’. — [3] Blakkr knátti bera Þegn ‘Blakkr carried Þegn’: Þegn may be a pers. n. here, otherwise ‘thane, retainer’. Cf. Rþ 24/4 where Þegn is a son of Karl (see also þegnar pl., Þul Manna 2/1 and Note there, as well as Goetting 2006). According to Anon Kálfv 3/1, however, Blakkr belonged to a man named Bjǫrn and hence it is possible that þegn is a common noun in the present context (‘Blakkr carried a thane’, that thane being Bjǫrn). In LaufE, each word in this line is taken as the name of a horse (Þegn, Knati, Blakkr, Beri).
Blakkr ‘Blakkr’
(not checked:)
1. blakkr (noun m.): horse
[3] Blakkr: á baki U, ‘bakr’ A, Blakkr ok 2368ˣ
notes
[3] Blakkr: Lit. ‘black one’ or ‘dun-coloured one’ (m.). This denotes a pale-coloured horse (see also Þul Hesta 3/5). It is a substantivised form of the adj. blakkr ‘pale’. In ms. U Þegn is rendered as ‘oþen’ (= Óðin?) and Blakkr as á baki: Óðin knátti á baki bera ‘carried Óðinn (?) on its back’, and the horse doing so must have been one of the three horses mentioned in ll. 1-2. Blakkr is used frequently in poetry as a heiti for ‘horse’. — [3] Blakkr knátti bera Þegn ‘Blakkr carried Þegn’: Þegn may be a pers. n. here, otherwise ‘thane, retainer’. Cf. Rþ 24/4 where Þegn is a son of Karl (see also þegnar pl., Þul Manna 2/1 and Note there, as well as Goetting 2006). According to Anon Kálfv 3/1, however, Blakkr belonged to a man named Bjǫrn and hence it is possible that þegn is a common noun in the present context (‘Blakkr carried a thane’, that thane being Bjǫrn). In LaufE, each word in this line is taken as the name of a horse (Þegn, Knati, Blakkr, Beri).
bera ‘carried’
(not checked:)
3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
[3] bera: Beri papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ
notes
[3] Blakkr knátti bera Þegn ‘Blakkr carried Þegn’: Þegn may be a pers. n. here, otherwise ‘thane, retainer’. Cf. Rþ 24/4 where Þegn is a son of Karl (see also þegnar pl., Þul Manna 2/1 and Note there, as well as Goetting 2006). According to Anon Kálfv 3/1, however, Blakkr belonged to a man named Bjǫrn and hence it is possible that þegn is a common noun in the present context (‘Blakkr carried a thane’, that thane being Bjǫrn). In LaufE, each word in this line is taken as the name of a horse (Þegn, Knati, Blakkr, Beri).
Silfrtoppr ‘Silfrtoppr’
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silfrtoppr (noun m.)
[4] Silfrtoppr: ‘Silrintoppr’ U, ‘saltoppr’ A
notes
[4] Silfrtoppr ok Sinir ‘Silfrtoppr and Sinir’: These are horses owned by the Æsir. The same pair is found in Grí 30/3 (NK 63) as Silfrintoppr oc Sinir (the variant reading Silfrintoppr (ms. ‘Silrintoppr’) is also recorded in the U version of Þorgþ I) and again in Þul Hesta 1/5. None of these horse-heiti appears in skaldic verse, however. The names translate as ‘silver-forelock’ (cf. Gulltoppr ‘gold-forelock’, st. 1/5) and ‘sinewy one’ (from sin f. ‘sinew’). The Tˣ variant Sinir has been adopted by other eds since it is also recorded in Grí 30/3 (see above) and in the list of horses of the gods in Gylf (ms. R, SnE 2005, 17). The LaufE variant Snjár lit. ‘snow’ may represent an attempt to make sense of a scribal error (cf. the A variant ‘sínarr’).
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[4] Silfrtoppr ok Sinir ‘Silfrtoppr and Sinir’: These are horses owned by the Æsir. The same pair is found in Grí 30/3 (NK 63) as Silfrintoppr oc Sinir (the variant reading Silfrintoppr (ms. ‘Silrintoppr’) is also recorded in the U version of Þorgþ I) and again in Þul Hesta 1/5. None of these horse-heiti appears in skaldic verse, however. The names translate as ‘silver-forelock’ (cf. Gulltoppr ‘gold-forelock’, st. 1/5) and ‘sinewy one’ (from sin f. ‘sinew’). The Tˣ variant Sinir has been adopted by other eds since it is also recorded in Grí 30/3 (see above) and in the list of horses of the gods in Gylf (ms. R, SnE 2005, 17). The LaufE variant Snjár lit. ‘snow’ may represent an attempt to make sense of a scribal error (cf. the A variant ‘sínarr’).
Sinir ‘Sinir’
(not checked:)
sinir (noun m.): °(om hest)
[4] Sinir: so Tˣ, synir R, C, ‘simr’ U, ‘sínarr’ A, Snjár papp10ˣ, 2368ˣ, 743ˣ
notes
[4] Silfrtoppr ok Sinir ‘Silfrtoppr and Sinir’: These are horses owned by the Æsir. The same pair is found in Grí 30/3 (NK 63) as Silfrintoppr oc Sinir (the variant reading Silfrintoppr (ms. ‘Silrintoppr’) is also recorded in the U version of Þorgþ I) and again in Þul Hesta 1/5. None of these horse-heiti appears in skaldic verse, however. The names translate as ‘silver-forelock’ (cf. Gulltoppr ‘gold-forelock’, st. 1/5) and ‘sinewy one’ (from sin f. ‘sinew’). The Tˣ variant Sinir has been adopted by other eds since it is also recorded in Grí 30/3 (see above) and in the list of horses of the gods in Gylf (ms. R, SnE 2005, 17). The LaufE variant Snjár lit. ‘snow’ may represent an attempt to make sense of a scribal error (cf. the A variant ‘sínarr’).
svá ‘then’
(not checked:)
svá (adv.): so, thus
heyrðak ‘I heard’
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2. heyra (verb): hear
[5] heyrðak: heyrða ek þá nefnda heyrða ek ok C
notes
[5] Fáks ‘Fákr’: In Anon Kálfv 1/4 Fákr is the horse of Haki, a legendary sea-king (see Þul Sækonunga 2/7 and Þul Sea-kings l. 8). The name probably means ‘swift one’ (perhaps related to ODan. fage (adj.) ‘swift’, so Sturtevant 1924-5, 43-5; for other possible cognates, see AEW: fákr). In poetry fákr denotes ‘horse’ in general, but here, along with other horse-heiti listed in this poem, it must be a proper name. Kock (Skald) is obviously mistaken when he treats fákr in this line as a common noun. See also Þul Hesta 2/1.
getit ‘mentioned’
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2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love
[5] getit: getit og Skjur 743ˣ
Gullfaxi ‘Gullfaxi’
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Gullfaxi (noun m.)
notes
[6] Gullfaxi ok Jór með goðum ‘Gullfaxi and Jór with the gods’: As told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20, 22), Gullfaxi (lit. ‘gold-maned one’) originally belonged to the giant Hrungnir, but after having killed Hrungnir, the god Þórr decided to give the horse to his own son Magni. Unlike the second element of this cpd ‑faxi (from fax n. ‘mane’), which is often used as a poetic simplex for ‘horse’, the cpd Gullfaxi is never used as a common noun in skaldic verse. In Þul Hesta 1/2 the name is given as Gullinfaxi ‘golden-maned one’ (from the adj. gullinn; cf. the variants Silfrtoppr and Silfrintoppr, l. 4 above). Jór m. is a poetic term for ‘stallion’ which is also recorded in Þul Hesta 3/7, but attested as a proper name only in Þorgþ.
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[6] Gullfaxi ok Jór með goðum ‘Gullfaxi and Jór with the gods’: As told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20, 22), Gullfaxi (lit. ‘gold-maned one’) originally belonged to the giant Hrungnir, but after having killed Hrungnir, the god Þórr decided to give the horse to his own son Magni. Unlike the second element of this cpd ‑faxi (from fax n. ‘mane’), which is often used as a poetic simplex for ‘horse’, the cpd Gullfaxi is never used as a common noun in skaldic verse. In Þul Hesta 1/2 the name is given as Gullinfaxi ‘golden-maned one’ (from the adj. gullinn; cf. the variants Silfrtoppr and Silfrintoppr, l. 4 above). Jór m. is a poetic term for ‘stallion’ which is also recorded in Þul Hesta 3/7, but attested as a proper name only in Þorgþ.
Jór ‘Jór’
(not checked:)
jór (noun m.): stallion, steed
notes
[6] Gullfaxi ok Jór með goðum ‘Gullfaxi and Jór with the gods’: As told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20, 22), Gullfaxi (lit. ‘gold-maned one’) originally belonged to the giant Hrungnir, but after having killed Hrungnir, the god Þórr decided to give the horse to his own son Magni. Unlike the second element of this cpd ‑faxi (from fax n. ‘mane’), which is often used as a poetic simplex for ‘horse’, the cpd Gullfaxi is never used as a common noun in skaldic verse. In Þul Hesta 1/2 the name is given as Gullinfaxi ‘golden-maned one’ (from the adj. gullinn; cf. the variants Silfrtoppr and Silfrintoppr, l. 4 above). Jór m. is a poetic term for ‘stallion’ which is also recorded in Þul Hesta 3/7, but attested as a proper name only in Þorgþ.
með ‘with’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
notes
[6] Gullfaxi ok Jór með goðum ‘Gullfaxi and Jór with the gods’: As told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20, 22), Gullfaxi (lit. ‘gold-maned one’) originally belonged to the giant Hrungnir, but after having killed Hrungnir, the god Þórr decided to give the horse to his own son Magni. Unlike the second element of this cpd ‑faxi (from fax n. ‘mane’), which is often used as a poetic simplex for ‘horse’, the cpd Gullfaxi is never used as a common noun in skaldic verse. In Þul Hesta 1/2 the name is given as Gullinfaxi ‘golden-maned one’ (from the adj. gullinn; cf. the variants Silfrtoppr and Silfrintoppr, l. 4 above). Jór m. is a poetic term for ‘stallion’ which is also recorded in Þul Hesta 3/7, but attested as a proper name only in Þorgþ.
notes
[6] Gullfaxi ok Jór með goðum ‘Gullfaxi and Jór with the gods’: As told in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 20, 22), Gullfaxi (lit. ‘gold-maned one’) originally belonged to the giant Hrungnir, but after having killed Hrungnir, the god Þórr decided to give the horse to his own son Magni. Unlike the second element of this cpd ‑faxi (from fax n. ‘mane’), which is often used as a poetic simplex for ‘horse’, the cpd Gullfaxi is never used as a common noun in skaldic verse. In Þul Hesta 1/2 the name is given as Gullinfaxi ‘golden-maned one’ (from the adj. gullinn; cf. the variants Silfrtoppr and Silfrintoppr, l. 4 above). Jór m. is a poetic term for ‘stallion’ which is also recorded in Þul Hesta 3/7, but attested as a proper name only in Þorgþ.
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