Þul Jǫtna I 4III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Jǫtna heiti I 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. 713.
Surtr ‘Surtr’
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Surtr (noun m.): Surtr
notes
[1] Surtr: A fire-giant, the guardian of Muspell, the world of fire, and one of the main enemies of the gods. At the end of the world (Ragnarǫk), Surtr will come from the south with a sword of fire and defeat the gods (Gylf, SnE 2005, 9, 50-2; Vsp 52-3; Vafþr 17/4-6, 18, 51/3; Fáfn 14/4-6, etc.). In Hellismanna saga (ch. 13, Guðni Jónsson 1946-9, 2, 426-32), Surtr is a giant who dwells in Surtshellir. Surtr means ‘black one’ (cf. also Svartr and Alsvartr, ll. 5, 7 below), and in skaldic kennings the name occurs as the determinant of various kennings for ‘giant’ in general (LP: Surtr 2).
Stórverkr ‘Stórverkr’
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Stórverkr (noun m.): Stórverkr
[1] Stórverkr: ‘st[…]ruerkr’ B, ‘storuerkr’ 744ˣ
notes
[1] Stórverkr: Lit. ‘one of great deeds’. He may be the same as Stórvirkr, son of Starkaðr Áludrengr and father of Starkaðr inn gamli ‘the Old’ in Gautreks saga (Gautr 1900, 12-15, 25, 27; see also Introduction to StarkSt VíkVIII and Note to StarkSt Vík 24/5-6VIII) and in Saxo (Saxo 2005, I, 6, 5, 1, pp. 380-1). In Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (FSN I, 412 n. 3) he is the father of Starkaðr Áludrengr. The name is also recorded in Allra flagða þula (see Introduction), but other than in StarkSt Vík 24/6VIII (in that verse by emendation from ‘Sörverkzson’) it does not occur in poetry.
Sækarlsmúli ‘Sækarlsmúli’
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Sækarlsmúli (noun m.): Sækarlsmúli
[2] Sækarlsmúli: ‘[…]s[…]muli’ B, ‘se᷎karls mulí’ 744ˣ
notes
[2] Sækarlsmúli: An odd cpd of uncertain meaning formed from sækarl m. ‘sea-carl, raftsman’ and múli m. ‘muzzle, snout’ or ‘jutting crag’ between two valleys, fjords, or the like (see CVC: múli). The name can perhaps be translated as ‘seaman’s peak’, and it is not found elsewhere.
Skorir ‘Skorir’
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Skorir (noun m.): Skorir
[3] Skorir: skorri C, skærir A, ‘sk[…]er ok ste᷎rir’ B, ‘skęrer ok ste᷎rir’ 744ˣ
notes
[3] Skorir: Or Skærir, the A, B variant adopted in Skj B and Skald. Ms. B has ‘sk[…]er ok ste᷎rir’ (‘skęrer ok ste᷎rir’ 744ˣ), i.e. Skærir ok Stærir, the latter of which is derived from the weak verb stæra ‘grow bigger’ or ‘boast’ (cf. Skrýmir in the same line). Skorir may be formed from the weak verb skora ‘make a score, mark’, ‘challenge’ or from the strong verb skera ‘cut, slaughter’ (if so, lit. ‘cutter, killer’). The name does not occur elsewhere. The C variant Skorri (cf. skorri m. ‘magpie’) is also the name of two slaves in Ldn (ÍF 1, 71, 166-9).
notes
[3] Skrýmir: This is one name of the giant (= Útgarðaloki) in whose glove Þórr spent a night on his way to Útgarðr (Gylf, SnE 2005, 38-9), but in Lok 62/5 Skrýmir is probably the name of Þórr’s knapsack. As to the origin of the name, AEW: skrýmir suggests a connection with New Norw. skrymja, ModSwed. skrymma ‘occupy much space, look big’, but, according to Kahle (1903, 209), the correct form is Skrymir and the heiti may be cognate with skrum n. ‘swaggering talk’, hence ‘boaster’ (?). This explanation is unlikely, however, because the long vowel is secured by the metre here. Skrýmir is also a heiti for ‘sword’ (see Note to Þul Sverða 2/2). The word is not otherwise used in skaldic poetry as a heiti for ‘giant’, but it is attested in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: Skrýmir).
notes
[4] Skerkir: Lit. ‘noise-maker’ (see Note to Þul Sverða 2/1). The name is known only from the þulur, and it is also a heiti for ‘fire’ (Þul Elds 1/6).
Salfangr ‘Salfangr’
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Salfangr (noun m.): Salfangr
[4] Salfangr: salfangi Tˣ, ‘sualfanngr’ B
notes
[4] Salfangr: A hap. leg. The first element is derived from salr m. ‘hall’, but the second, ‑fangr, is difficult to explain. It may be derived from the strong verb fá ‘take, get’ or from fang n. ‘catch’; perhaps ‘one caught in a hall’. In the B variant Svalfangr, the first element sval- means ‘cool’ (cf. the adj. svalr ‘cool’).
notes
[5] Svartr: Lit. ‘black one’. Cf. the giant-names Surtr (l. 1), Alsvartr (l. 7) and Ámr (l. 8) also denoting ‘black, dark’. The name Svartr is known from the fornaldarsögur (a monster-like man, the enemy of Oddr in Ǫrvar-Odds saga chs 23, 30, FSN II, 257, 294, 296), but it does not occur elsewhere in poetry.
Anduðr ‘Anduðr’
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Anduðr (noun m.): Anduðr
[6] Anduðr: aunduðr Tˣ, ‘aundottr’ C, ǫnduðr A, B
notes
[6] Anduðr: Or Ǫnduðr. Cf. also Andaðr in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (ch. 9, Heiðr 1960, 37) and the minstrel of the same name in Þhorn Harkv 22/4 I, 23/1I. The name is derived from *Anda-haðuz ‘opponent, enemy’ (cf. OHG Anthad), with the Old Norse prefix and- ‘against’ and ‑hǫðr used as a second element in personal names (cf. Niðuðr, Starkaðr). Hǫðr m. is cognate with hǫð f., a poetic term for ‘battle’ (Motz 1987, 309 and Note to Þul Ása I l. 10). The C variant Ǫndóttr does not occur elsewhere, but it must be the same as ǫndóttr ‘fiery’ (a poetic adj. qualifying words for ‘eye’).
Stúmi ‘Stúmi’
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Stúmi (noun m.): Stúmi
notes
[6] Stúmi: The meaning of this heiti is unclear. Cf. ModNorw. stummørk ‘pitch-dark’ and ON stumra ‘stumble’ (see AEW: stúmi), although in Stúmi the root vowel is long. The heiti is also attested in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: stúmi).
Alsvartr ‘Alsvartr’
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Alsvartr (noun m.): Alsvartr
[7] Alsvartr: ‘a[…]artr’ B, ‘alsuartr’ 744ˣ
notes
[7] Alsvartr: Lit. ‘all-black one’, an adj. qualifying words for ‘ox’ in eddic poetry (Þry 23/3; Hym 18/8). It is also a horse-heiti (Þul Hesta 4/3), but does not occur elsewhere.
notes
[7] Aurnir: Most likely derived from aurr m. ‘clay, mud, wet soil’ (Finnur Jónsson 1934-5, 300). Aur- is the first element of other giant-names, e.g. Aurgelmir (st. 5/5) and Aurgrímnir (Þul Jǫtna II 2/4). Aurnir is one of the few names of giants that is used in kennings (LP: Aurnir).
notes
[8] Ámr: Lit. ‘dark one’ (cf. the semantically similar names in ll. 1, 5, 7 above). As a giant-name, Ámr occurs only here and in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: ámr), but it is the name of another legendary person, one of the nine sons of Dagr and Þóra (Hyndl 18/7), also attested in Ættartölur (Flat 1860-8, I, 25).
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Skalli ‘Skalli’
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skalli (noun m.; °-a): [Skalli, be bald]
notes
[8] Skalli: Lit. ‘bald-head’. This giant is not mentioned elsewhere, but Skalli is a wolf in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks (Heiðr 1960, 81).
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