Þul Himins I 1III
Elena Gurevich (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Þulur, Himins heiti I 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 906.
Níu ‘Nine’
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níu (num. cardinal): nine
[1] Níu eru himnar: so Tˣ, ‘Ni[…]’ R, Níu eru heimar C, A, ‘[…]u eru heimar’ B, ‘Nju eru heimar’ 744ˣ
notes
[1] níu himnar eru ‘nine heavens are’: So ms. Tˣ; mss A, B (744ˣ) and C have níu heimar eru ‘nine worlds are’. This introduction as well as the heading Heima heiti ‘Names for worlds’ in A and B might be due to analogues in eddic poems, cf. Vsp 2/5 (NK 1): Nío man ec heima ‘Nine worlds I remember’; Vafþr 43/5 (NK 53): nío kom ec heima ‘I have come through nine worlds’ (cf. also níu heimum ‘nine worlds’ mentioned in Gylf, SnE 2005, 27). Nine is a traditional number in Old Norse mythology. The mythical concept of a multi-levelled sky is widespread all over the world, but neither the notion of nine heavens nor the majority of names listed in this þula are mentioned in other Old Norse sources. The only parallel is found in Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), although only three heavens are mentioned there, which may reflect influence from the Christian notion of three heavens. The names of two of the heavens given in Gylf (loc. cit.), namely the second and the third, coincide with those listed in the present þula: annarr himinn ‘the second heaven’, Andlangr (‘Outstretched one’), is situated ‘to the south and above this heaven’, i.e. the sky (suðr ok upp þessum himni), and the third, called Víðbláinn (‘Wide-blue one’), is believed to be above the first and the second heaven. Aside from Vindbláinn and Gimir, all heiti recorded in the þula are also listed among nǫfn himins ‘names for heaven’ in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 85), where it is said that not all of these names are found in verse and it is recommended not to use those heiti which are not found in the poetry of the great skalds (hǫfuðskáld), a comment suggesting that the author of Skm was using some written lists of heiti, perhaps these þulur.
eru ‘are’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] Níu eru himnar: so Tˣ, ‘Ni[…]’ R, Níu eru heimar C, A, ‘[…]u eru heimar’ B, ‘Nju eru heimar’ 744ˣ
notes
[1] níu himnar eru ‘nine heavens are’: So ms. Tˣ; mss A, B (744ˣ) and C have níu heimar eru ‘nine worlds are’. This introduction as well as the heading Heima heiti ‘Names for worlds’ in A and B might be due to analogues in eddic poems, cf. Vsp 2/5 (NK 1): Nío man ec heima ‘Nine worlds I remember’; Vafþr 43/5 (NK 53): nío kom ec heima ‘I have come through nine worlds’ (cf. also níu heimum ‘nine worlds’ mentioned in Gylf, SnE 2005, 27). Nine is a traditional number in Old Norse mythology. The mythical concept of a multi-levelled sky is widespread all over the world, but neither the notion of nine heavens nor the majority of names listed in this þula are mentioned in other Old Norse sources. The only parallel is found in Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), although only three heavens are mentioned there, which may reflect influence from the Christian notion of three heavens. The names of two of the heavens given in Gylf (loc. cit.), namely the second and the third, coincide with those listed in the present þula: annarr himinn ‘the second heaven’, Andlangr (‘Outstretched one’), is situated ‘to the south and above this heaven’, i.e. the sky (suðr ok upp þessum himni), and the third, called Víðbláinn (‘Wide-blue one’), is believed to be above the first and the second heaven. Aside from Vindbláinn and Gimir, all heiti recorded in the þula are also listed among nǫfn himins ‘names for heaven’ in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 85), where it is said that not all of these names are found in verse and it is recommended not to use those heiti which are not found in the poetry of the great skalds (hǫfuðskáld), a comment suggesting that the author of Skm was using some written lists of heiti, perhaps these þulur.
himnar ‘heavens’
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himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
[1] Níu eru himnar: so Tˣ, ‘Ni[…]’ R, Níu eru heimar C, A, ‘[…]u eru heimar’ B, ‘Nju eru heimar’ 744ˣ
notes
[1] níu himnar eru ‘nine heavens are’: So ms. Tˣ; mss A, B (744ˣ) and C have níu heimar eru ‘nine worlds are’. This introduction as well as the heading Heima heiti ‘Names for worlds’ in A and B might be due to analogues in eddic poems, cf. Vsp 2/5 (NK 1): Nío man ec heima ‘Nine worlds I remember’; Vafþr 43/5 (NK 53): nío kom ec heima ‘I have come through nine worlds’ (cf. also níu heimum ‘nine worlds’ mentioned in Gylf, SnE 2005, 27). Nine is a traditional number in Old Norse mythology. The mythical concept of a multi-levelled sky is widespread all over the world, but neither the notion of nine heavens nor the majority of names listed in this þula are mentioned in other Old Norse sources. The only parallel is found in Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), although only three heavens are mentioned there, which may reflect influence from the Christian notion of three heavens. The names of two of the heavens given in Gylf (loc. cit.), namely the second and the third, coincide with those listed in the present þula: annarr himinn ‘the second heaven’, Andlangr (‘Outstretched one’), is situated ‘to the south and above this heaven’, i.e. the sky (suðr ok upp þessum himni), and the third, called Víðbláinn (‘Wide-blue one’), is believed to be above the first and the second heaven. Aside from Vindbláinn and Gimir, all heiti recorded in the þula are also listed among nǫfn himins ‘names for heaven’ in Skm (SnE 1998, I, 85), where it is said that not all of these names are found in verse and it is recommended not to use those heiti which are not found in the poetry of the great skalds (hǫfuðskáld), a comment suggesting that the author of Skm was using some written lists of heiti, perhaps these þulur.
veit ‘know’
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1. vita (verb): know
nezta ‘lowest’
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neðri (adj. comp.; °superl. neztr): lower, lowest
sá ‘it’
[4] sá es Vindbláinn (‘sa er vindblainn’): ‘[…] bl[…]’ B, ‘sa er viðblaenn’ 744ˣ
es ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[4] sá es Vindbláinn (‘sa er vindblainn’): ‘[…] bl[…]’ B, ‘sa er viðblaenn’ 744ˣ
Vindbláinn ‘Vindbláinn’
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Vindbláinn (noun m.): Vindbláinn
[4] sá es Vindbláinn (‘sa er vindblainn’): ‘[…] bl[…]’ B, ‘sa er viðblaenn’ 744ˣ
notes
[4] Vindbláinn (m.): The name seems to mean ‘wind-blue one’ or ‘wind-dark one’, referring to the stormy sky, which is ‘the lowest’ of all. Falk (1925b, 36), however, argues that the second element of this cpd is the pers. n. Bláinn ‘Black one’, which may be a name for the primeval giant Ymir in Vsp 9/8.
sá ‘it’
[5] sá: so Tˣ, C, corrected from ‘þa’ R, þá A, B
es ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
Heiðornir ‘Heiðornir’
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heiðornir (noun m.): heiðornir
[5] Heiðornir: so A, 744ˣ, ‘heiðyrnir’ R, heiðþyrnir Tˣ, C, ‘[…]eidornir’ B
notes
[5] Heiðornir (m.): This is another name for the lowest heaven. The first element of the cpd is heið- ‘bright’, but the form and the meaning of the second part is obscure. The mss of the þula have three variants. (a) The A, B variant -ornir (so also ms. A(14r) of Skm; adopted in the present edn, as well as in Skj B and Skald) is possibly derived from the weak verb orna ‘get warm’; hence ‘one warming itself in brightness’ (cf. ornir ‘one warming itself’, Þul Orma 1/8). (b) Ms. R has -yrnir (cf. Skatyrnir, l. 19). Falk (1925b, 36) suggests that the latter name could have served as a model for Heiðyrnir, which, in his opinion, would denote the bright sky. (c) Mss Tˣ, C have -þyrnir (and this is also the form given in the prose list in Skm in U(36v) (‘heiþ þyrnir’); cf. Heið<þ>yrnir in SnE 1998, I, 133), but ‑þyrnir, a derivative from þorn m. ‘thorn’, is hardly appropriate as an element of the name for ‘sky’. (d) In the list of heaven-heiti in some mss of Skm the heiti is found in the form -þornir (adopted in SnE 1998, I, 85; cf. ‘heið\þ/ornir’ R(37r), ‘heidþor-nir’ Tˣ(38v), ‘heiðþornir’ C(6r); explained as ‘bright-clouded’ in SnE 1998, II, 304). It has been suggested that ‑þornir could have originated from the strong verb þverra (p. p. þorrinn) ‘wane, decrease’ (hence possibly ‘one whose brightness has decreased’, perhaps denoting the cloudy sky) or may be related to the weak verb þorna ‘become dry’ and ModIcel. þyrrinn ‘dry’ (cf. ÍO: heiðornir, heiðyrnir, heiðþyrnir).
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
Hregg ‘Hregg’
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hregg (noun n.): storm < hreggmímir (noun m.): hreggmímir
[6] Hregg‑: so all others, ‘h[…]‑’ R
notes
[6] Hreggmímir (m.): Lit. ‘storm-Mímir’. This is another name for one of the lowest heavens. The first element of the cpd is hregg n. ‘storm, rain’, and the second element, Mímir, is the name of the wise giant who is the keeper of the well brunnr Mímis ‘Mímir’s well’ in Old Norse myth (see also Vetmímir, l. 15 below).
mímir ‘mímir’
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Mímir (noun m.): [mímir, Mímr] < hreggmímir (noun m.): hreggmímir
notes
[6] Hreggmímir (m.): Lit. ‘storm-Mímir’. This is another name for one of the lowest heavens. The first element of the cpd is hregg n. ‘storm, rain’, and the second element, Mímir, is the name of the wise giant who is the keeper of the well brunnr Mímis ‘Mímir’s well’ in Old Norse myth (see also Vetmímir, l. 15 below).
annarr ‘the second’
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
[7] annarr heitir: ‘[…]’ B, Annarr 744ˣ
heitir ‘is called’
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2. heita (verb): be called, promise
[7] annarr heitir: ‘[…]’ B, Annarr 744ˣ
And ‘And’
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2. ǫnd (noun f.; °andar, dat. ǫnd/ǫndu; andir): soul, breath < Andlangr (adj.): Andlangr
[8] And‑: ‘[…]nd‑’ B, ‘jard‑’ 744ˣ
notes
[8] Andlangr (m.): The second heaven, ‘outstretched one’ or ‘stretching from one end to another’ (substanivised adj.). This name occurs in late Christian poetry (cf. Árni Gd 29/8IV). According to Falk (1925b, 35), who construes Andlangr with himinn ‘heaven’, Andlangr himinn is a result of the misinterpretation of Andlegr himinn ‘spiritual heaven’ (spirituale coelum), which may go back to the Old Norse Elucidarius (Eluc 1992, 4-5): Annarr andlegr, þar es andlegar scepnor bvggua, þat ero englar ‘The second [heaven is] spiritual, where live the spiritual beings, that are the angels’. See also Note to l. 1 above.
langr ‘langr’
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langr (adj.; °compar. lengri, superl. lengstr): long < Andlangr (adj.): Andlangr
notes
[8] Andlangr (m.): The second heaven, ‘outstretched one’ or ‘stretching from one end to another’ (substanivised adj.). This name occurs in late Christian poetry (cf. Árni Gd 29/8IV). According to Falk (1925b, 35), who construes Andlangr with himinn ‘heaven’, Andlangr himinn is a result of the misinterpretation of Andlegr himinn ‘spiritual heaven’ (spirituale coelum), which may go back to the Old Norse Elucidarius (Eluc 1992, 4-5): Annarr andlegr, þar es andlegar scepnor bvggua, þat ero englar ‘The second [heaven is] spiritual, where live the spiritual beings, that are the angels’. See also Note to l. 1 above.
himinn ‘himinn’
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himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
[8] himinn: ‘[…]’ C
þat ‘that’
[9] þat máttu: ‘[…]attu’ C
skilja ‘understand’
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1. skilja (verb): separate, understand
þriði ‘the third’
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þriði (num. ordinal): third
Víðbláinn ‘Víðbláinn’
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Víðbláinn (noun m.): Víðbláinn
notes
[10] Víðbláinn (m.): The name translates as ‘Wide-blue one’ or ‘Wide-dark one’. Unlike Vindbláinn, the visible ‘earthly’ sky (see l. 4 above), this name of the third heaven is meant to express the notion of a wide-stretching space (cf. the next name in the list). According to Gylf (SnE 2005, 20), the beautiful hall Gimlé, inhabited by ljósálfar (light elves), is located in Víðbláinn.
Víðfeðmi ‘Víðfeðmir’
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Víðfeðmir (noun m.): Víðfeðmir
notes
[11] Víðfeðmi (m.): This name (nom. Víðfeðmir) means ‘wide-stretching one’, ‘wide-spanning one’ or ‘wide-embracing one’ (the adj. víðr ‘wide’ and the agent noun feðmir; cf. CVC: feðma ‘span, encompass with the arms’).
kveðk ‘I say’
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2. kveðja (verb; kvaddi): (dd) request, address, greet
[11] kveðk (‘qveð ec’): kveða C, ‘kue[…]’ B, ‘kved ek’ 744ˣ
vesa ‘is’
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vesa (verb): [to be]
inn ‘the’
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2. inn (art.): the
fjórða ‘fourth’
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fjórði (num. ordinal): fourth
Hrjóðr ‘Hrjóðr’
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1. hrjóðr (noun m.): destroyer, Hrjótr
[13] Hrjóðr: ‘[…]riodr’ B, ‘hriodr’ 744ˣ
notes
[13] Hrjóðr (m.): The name is perhaps derived from the strong verb hrjóða ‘cover’ (see Heggstad et al. 2008: hrjóða II) and hence ‘coverer’, or from hrjóða ‘clear’. It could also be derived from hrjóða in the sense ‘stream, flow, scatter’ (e-u hrýðr ‘sth. streams, runs’), and, if so, the name may refer to the sky which sends storms and rain (see ÍO: hrjóð(u)r 2). Since the word also occurs in Þul Sólar l. 3, Falk (1925b, 37) argues that the actual meaning of this name is ‘effulgence’.
ok ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
notes
[13] Hlýrni (m.): This poetic name (nom. Hlýrnir) for ‘heaven’ is derived from hlýrn n. ‘sun’ or ‘moon’ (see Note to Þul Dœgra l. 1), hence it means ‘adorner of/with celestial bodies’, i.e. the sun and the moon (cf. Kommentar III, 330; AEW: hlýrn). In Alv 12/2 this heiti belongs to the language of the gods. The name occurs in Christian skaldic poetry of the C12th-14th (e.g. Ólsv Kristdr 2/3, Árni Gd 63/3 IV, 70/7IV).
hygg ‘I believe’
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
[14] hygg inn: hygg ek hinn C, hygg ek enn B
notes
[15] Gimir (m.): Lit. ‘fiery one’, from gim n., a poetic word for ‘fire’ (Þul Elds 1/1). Cf. Gimlé < *gim-hlé ‘fire-shelter’, which in Old Norse myth was the hall, brighter than the sun, at the southernmost end of heaven (cf. Vsp 64 and SnE 2005, 9, 20, 53). The A variant Grímr must be a scribal error.
Vetmímir ‘Vetmímir’
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Vetmímir (noun m.)
[15] Vetmímir: vetrmímir C, ‘[…]tt[…]ímir’ B, ‘vettmimir’ 744ˣ
notes
[15] Vetmímir (m.): This is the name of the eighth heaven. The first element of this heiti, Vet- is obscure. Mss R, A have Vet- as do mss R(37r), Tˣ(38v) of Skm (adopted in SnE 1998, I, 85), while other variants in Skm are ‘vefmimir’ A(14v), ‘vitmimir’ C(6r). (a) Falk (1925b, 38) explains it as a corrupt form of MLat. Pheton for Greek Φαέν, a name for Jupiter. (b) According to de Vries (see AEW: Vetmímir), it is more likely that the correct form is the C variant Vetrmímir ‘winter-Mímir’. The heiti would then refer to the stormy sky during the winter (cf. Hreggmímir, l. 6 above, and vetrímnir ‘winter-fighter’, Þul Himins II l. 4). (c) The first component of the 744ˣ variant ‘vettmimir’ (‘[…]tt[…]ímir’ B) can be normalised as Vétt-, i.e. vétt-, vætt- ‘battle’, which in Old Norse occurs only in poetic compounds. Véttmímir ‘Battle-Mímir’ as a name for ‘heaven’ is, however, difficult to explain.
get ‘say’
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2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love
[16] get ek nú: ‘gete[…]u’ B, ‘get ek nu’ 744ˣ
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
[16] get ek nú: ‘gete[…]u’ B, ‘get ek nu’ 744ˣ
vesa ‘have been’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
átta ‘eight’
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átti (num. ordinal): eighth
[17] átta himna: enn átta himna Tˣ, átta heima C, ‘.viij. himna’ A
himna ‘heavens’
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himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
[17] átta himna: enn átta himna Tˣ, átta heima C, ‘.viij. himna’ A
um ‘’
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2. um (particle): (particle)
[18] upp um talða: ‘[…]pp of[…]’ B, ‘upp of talda’ 744ˣ
talða ‘counted’
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telja (verb): tell, count
[18] upp um talða: ‘[…]pp of[…]’ B, ‘upp of talda’ 744ˣ
Skatyrnir ‘Skatyrnir’
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Skatyrnir (noun m.): Skatyrnir
[19] Skatyrnir: so Tˣ, A, ‘scattvrnir’ R, ‘skaturnir’ C, ‘s[…]hy᷎nir’ B, ‘skathýnir’ 744ˣ
notes
[19] Skatyrnir (m.): The many variants (see Readings above) indicate that this name was obscure to the scribes. Neither the quality nor the quantity of the second vowel is certain, and, although the majority of the ms. witnesses give the first element as skat-, R has skatt-. Falk (1925b, 38) argues that the heiti is a corrupt form of Lat. Saturnus altered under the influence of ON skati m. ‘towering, lordly man’ (cf. New Norw. skat ‘tree-top’), and he suggests the meaning ‘top-sky’, the ninth heaven. According to Finnur Jónsson (LP: skattýrnir), the second element of the cpd is possibly related to úr n. ‘drizzling rain’, while the origin of its first part (skat(t)-) is unknown. Faulkes (SnE 1998, II, 390) gives the tentative translation ‘rich-wetter’ based on the R variant ‘scattvrnir’ (cf. skattr ‘treasure’), but none of the other mss has skatt- with a geminate ‑tt- as the first element in this name.
stendr ‘stands’
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standa (verb): stand
efri ‘above’
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efri (adj. comp.; °superl. efstr/øfstr (eft- [$1653$] 13r²³, etc.)): higher, highest
[20] efri: ‘ef[…]’ B, efri 744ˣ
hann ‘it’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[21] hann: ‘[…]’ B, hann 744ˣ
es ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
útan ‘beyond’
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útan (prep.): outside, without
[21] útan: so Tˣ, A, 744ˣ, ‘vttan’ R, útan um C, ‘[…]tan’ B
heima ‘the worlds’
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heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Nine heavens are counted on high; I know the lowest, it is Vindbláinn, it is Heiðornir and Hreggmímir; the second is called Andlangr himinn – you can understand that – the third [is] Víðbláinn; Víðfeðmir I say is the fourth; Hrjóðr – and Hlýrnir I believe is the sixth – Gimir, Vetmímir; I say that now eight heavens have been counted; Skatyrnir stands above the clouds; it is beyond all the worlds.
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