Þul Trollkvenna 3^III

Hrímgerðr ‘Hrímgerðr’

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Hrímgerðr (noun f.): Hrímgerðr

[1] Hrímgerðr: hrungerðr Tˣ, hungerðr B

notes

[1] Hrímgerðr: Lit. ‘rime-Gerðr’ or ‘soot-Gerðr’. In HHj 12-30, this is a daughter of the giant Hati (cf. Hrímnir, Þul Jǫtna I 1/5). The variants hrungerðr (Tˣ) and hungerðr (B) must be scribal errors.

Hæra ‘Hæra’

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1. hæra (noun f.; °-u): hæra

[1] Hæra: herra Tˣ, ‘[…]’ B, ‘he᷎ra’ 744ˣ

notes

[1] Hæra: Lit. ‘one with grey hair’, from hæra f. ‘grey hair’. This troll-woman is not mentioned elsewhere.

Herkja ‘Herkja’

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1. Herkja (noun f.; °-u): Herkja

[2] Herkja fála: ‘he[…]k[…]ála’ B, ‘herkía fála’ 744ˣ

notes

[2] Herkja: Lit. ‘tumultuous one’. This is the f. form of the giant-name Herkir (see Þul Jǫtna I 2/3), and the heiti is used in kennings (LP: Herkja 1). Herkja is also the name of Atli’s concubine in Guðr III 2/4, 11/3.

fála ‘troll-woman’

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fála (noun f.): troll-woman, giantess

[2] Herkja fála: ‘he[…]k[…]ála’ B, ‘herkía fála’ 744ˣ

notes

[2] fála ‘troll-woman’: Most likely a common noun (e.g. HHj 13/6, 16/3), which is also a term for a hoydenish woman (CVC: fála), as well as a heiti for ‘axe’ (Þul Øxar l. 6). Cf. also Eisurfála (st. 4/6 below).

Imð ‘Imð’

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Imð (noun f.): Imð

notes

[3] Imð: Or Imðr (so HHund I 43/6 and Hyndl 37/7). In Hyndl Imðr is one of nine giant girls (Hyndl 35/7 (NK 294) iǫtna meyiar) who gave birth to ‘one of the race of the divine powers’ (Hyndl 35/4 (NK 294) rǫgna kindar), most likely the god Heimdallr, since he calls himself the son of nine sisters in Heimdallargaldr ‘Incantation of Heimdallr’ (Gylf, SnE 2005, 26). The name is probably derived from íma or ímr ‘dark’ (Finnur Jónsson 1934-5, 306), although Motz (1981, 500, 505) connects it with íma f. ‘fight’ (but cf. ÍO: Imd) or ím n. ‘dust, ashes’. See also Note to Þjóð Haustl 2/5-8.

Járnsaxa ‘Járnsaxa’

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Járnsaxa (noun f.): Járnsaxa

[3] Járnsaxa: ‘jarnsax[…]’ B, ‘j́arnsaxa’ 744ˣ

notes

[3] Járnsaxa: Possibly ‘one armed with an iron-sword’, from járn n. ‘iron’ and sax n. ‘short sword’ (Finnur Jónsson 1934-5, 306). This is the name of one of Heimdallr’s mothers (Hyndl 37/8; see Note to Imð above), but according to Snorri (Skm, SnE 1998, I, 22, 30), Járnsaxa is also the name of another troll-woman, the mother of Þórr’s son Magni. The name is attested in kennings (LP: járnsaxa).

Íma ‘Íma’

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Íma (noun f.): Íma

notes

[4] Íma: The name probably means ‘dusky one’ (cf. Imð in l. 3 above). It does not occur elsewhere in skaldic poetry, but it is used frequently in the rímur (Finnur Jónsson 1926-8: íma). Íma ‘dusky one’ is also a heiti for ‘wolf’ (see Note to Þul Vargs 2/3).

Fjǫlvǫr ‘Fjǫlvǫr’

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Fjǫlvǫr (noun f.): Fjǫlvǫr

[4] Fjǫlvǫr: ‘fjo᷎l[…]r’ B, ‘fio᷎lvór’ 744ˣ

notes

[4] Fjǫlvǫr: Lit. ‘very cautious one’, from the adj.  fjǫlvarr ‘very cautious’ (see also Note to l. 7 below). The name does not occur elsewhere, but cf. the m. form Fjǫlvarr in Hárb 16/1 (NK 80) með Fiǫlvari ‘with Fjǫlvarr’, where it may denote a giant.

mǫrn ‘giantess’

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mǫrn (noun f.): [Mǫrn, giantess]

[5] mǫrn: so A, B, njǫrn R, Tˣ, ‘Morun’ C

notes

[5] mǫrn ‘troll-woman’: So A, B. This is probably a common noun, a term for ‘troll-woman’, perhaps derived from mara f. ‘nightmare, ogress’ (AEW: Mǫrn). See also the discussion of this word in Note to Anon (Vǫlsa) 4/5^I. Njǫrn, the R, Tˣ variant, is otherwise recorded only in Þul Kvenna II 3/5, and it is probably a scribal error here. See also Þjóð Haustl 6/4 and 12/8.

Íviðja ‘Íviðja’

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íviðja (noun f.): íviðja

[5] Íviðja: ‘juida’ B

notes

[5] Íviðja: This is an obscure word or a pers. n., presumably formed from the prefix í- ‘in’ and viðr m. ‘wood’, and it might denote a troll-woman dwelling in a forest or a tree (cf. Motz 1981, 501), but that cannot be ascertained. The heiti is also found in Hyndl 48/2 and in Vsp 2/6 (NK 1).

Ámgerðr ‘Ámgerðr’

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Ámgerðr (noun f.): Ámgerðr

notes

[6] Ámgerðr: Lit. ‘dark Gerðr’. The first element is derived from the poetic adj. ámr ‘black, loathsome’. The name is otherwise attested only in EGils Selv 10/6^IV. Cf. also Áma and Ímgerðr (st. 4/3).

Simul ‘Simul’

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simul (noun f.): simul

[6] Simul: ‘simmul’ C

notes

[6] Simul: According to Motz (1981, 502), this name is the same as the noun simul f. ‘female reindeer’ (cf. New Norw. sømmøl, sumul ‘female reindeer’; ÍO: simul 1), modelled on the same pattern as the giantess-names Geitla or Hyndla (see Note to st. 1/5 above). As the name of a troll-woman, the heiti does not occur elsewhere, unless it is used with the meaning ‘troll-woman’ in HHund I 42/8 (so S-G II, 95). Bugge (1896b, 248 anm. 3, followed by Finnur Jónsson 1934-5, 307) translates simul, which must be a term of abuse in this context, as ‘cow’ (cf. also simull m. among the heiti for ‘ox’ in Þul Øxna 2/4). Otherwise the word is attested in Gylf (SnE 2005, 14) as the name of a carrying-pole.

Sívǫr ‘Sívǫr’

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Sívǫr (noun f.): Sívǫr

[7] Sívǫr: ‘síva’ B

notes

[7] Sívǫr: Lit. ‘one who is always cautious’. Attested in this form only in the present stanza, but cf. Svívǫr, a troll-woman killed by Þórr (Þdís Þórr 2/8; see Note there). The second element ‑vǫr occurs in a number of names for troll-women, e.g. Fjǫlvǫr (l. 4 above), Leirvǫr (st. 5/1) and Skjaldvǫr in Þorsteins þáttr uxafóts (Flat 1860-8, I, 257-60). According to Motz (1981, 504; 1984, 185), ‑vǫr probably means ‘guardian’ in all these names.

Skríkja ‘Skríkja’

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skríkja (noun f.): skríkja

[7] Skríkja: ‘s[…]ikía’ B, ‘skrikia’ 744ˣ

notes

[7] Skríkja: Lit. ‘twittering one’. A hap. leg. Cf. ModIcel. skríkja ‘twitter (with suppressed laughter)’ (CVC: skríkja).

Sveipinfalda ‘Sveipinfalda’

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sveipinfalda (noun f.): sveipinfalda

[8] Sveipinfalda: ‘su[…]pi[…]fallda’ B, ‘sueipinfallda’ 744ˣ

notes

[8] Sveipinfalda: Lit. ‘swooping-hooded one’, i.e. one wrapped with a faldr, a linen hood (the first element is related to the weak verb sveipa ‘wrap, sweep, swoop’). The name does not occur elsewhere.